Annotated Transcript

FALL 2012

CEP 810 | Teaching for Understanding with Technology

Instructor | Emily Stone

In this course, I explored Web 2.0 tools and Personal Learning Networks (PLNs); and studied digital citizenship, copyright and fair use, 21st century skills, TPACK and other learning theories. Throughout these processes, I set and reflected on goals in a written personal growth plan. Through a Special Interest Group (SIG) project with several of my classmates, I researched and helped create a website presenting information on the Smarter Balanced Area Consortium (SBAC) and Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessments developed in response to the Common Core State Standards. This class provided a firm foundation in cloud-based applications, copyright laws, and networking strategies used by educators for my subsequent courses in the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program.

SPRING 2013

CEP 811 | Adapting Innovative Technology to Education

Instructor | Sara Beauchamp-Hicks

CEP 811 focused on the ways technology can be repurposed for educational purposes, as well as pedagogical strategies that enable all students to have access to course content. Key assignments included creation of a stand-alone instructional resource (StAIR) and a web quest, which allowed me to leverage Microsoft PowerPoint and Weebly in creating curricular tools to help students prepare for an exam and learn through multiple literacies, respectively. I also designed a lesson using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) model, which allowed me to better understand how to approach curriculum design so the subject matter is accessible to students with special needs and benefits other learners. These concepts greatly influenced my philosophy of education and preferred pedagogical strategies, enabling me to leverage technology to ensure that all students have the best opportunity to learn content material.

CEP 812 | Applying Educational Technology to Practice

Instructors | Allison Keller, William Marsland

In CEP 812, I explored podcasting, visualization tools, and web-conferencing en route to investigating a wicked problem in education and completing a group leadership project. For my wicked problem project on teaching American history content to English Language Learners (ELLs), I conducted research and surveyed contemporary educators on how to best address the wicked problem, brainstormed a multi-pronged approach which utilized technology to creatively meet the needs of learners, and implemented a portion of the solution by creating a flipped classroom video on the Gettysburg address. The series of wicked problem assignments helped me understand the steps needed to effectively address challenging issues in education, and gave me the confidence that I, as an educator, can solve or at least make progress towards addressing wicked problems. For our leadership project, my group created a flipped professional development resource on cloud-based presentation tools. Through this assignment, I refined my ability to virtually collaborate on the creation of an artifact, and learned how technology tools and their corresponding pedagogical strategies can be used not only in the classroom, but for educators and among peers as well.

SPRING 2014

CEP 882 | The Nature & Design of Compelling Experiences (Seminar in CEP)

Instructors | Dr. David Wong, Ha Thanh Nguyen

Through this course, I explored the ways in which the arts create experiences which compel individuals to feel or see things in new ways. By studying and practicing photography, graphic design, filmmaking, music, architecture, and other creative activities, I learned strategies that professionals in the arts use to influence people's experiences. Through discussions with classmates and a culminating "2 Minute Moment" video, I examined the ways in which those tactics can be applied, either literally or metaphorically, to the creation of educational experiences for students. This class taught me how to create multi-dimensional learning experiences for students which will move them, increasing their depth of learning and ability to remember and apply the content to other contexts.

SUMMER 2014

TE 846 | Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners

Instructor | Amanda Smith

TE 846 focused on instructional strategies for literacy, including ones which can be integrated into content-specific courses at the secondary level. Through readings and discussions, I learned about a variety of approaches that have proven successful for both elementary and secondary students, reflected on strategies that I recalled my social studies teachers using when I was in high school, and defined specific plans for literacy instruction that I could use in a secondary social studies classroom. The overarching assignment for the course was a case study in which I worked with a middle school student to understand her literacy struggles, assess her current abilities, implement strategies learned in the course, and then re-assess and reflect on her progress. By taking this course, I developed the ability to leverage student interests and research-based practices to help learners improve their reading and writing, allowing them to better access and convey their knowledge about content material.

FALL 2014

CEP 820 | Teaching Students Online

Instructor | Dr. Anne Heintz

This course explored the affordances and constraints of online learning. I investigated multiple course management systems (CMSs) before choosing two to focus on learning in-depth throughout the semester. By using Google Classroom and Google Sites to design the online portion of a hybrid course, I developed understanding of the qualities which make online learning successful, how technology can be leveraged to make online learning accessible for all learners, and the ways in which design choices could negatively affect students' learning experiences. CEP 820 changed the way I view online learning and curriculum design; I now consider the ways in which online or hybrid lessons might be able to leverage technology to help students comprehend particular content or skills better than they would be able to in a traditional learning setting.

SPRING 2015

CEP 815 | Technology and Leadership

Instructors | Dr. Aman Yadav, Benjamin Gleason

In CEP 815, I learned leadership strategies within the context of the new and challenging issues created by the relatively recent emergence of Web 2.0 tools and at-times controversial efforts to integrate technology into K-12 classrooms, although the lessons learned could be applied to other settings. Through a case analysis, role-playing different leadership styles in Tweets, applying instrumental vs. missional thinking to my workplace, and other assignments, I improved my ability to see situations from multiple perspectives, enhanced my metacognitive abilities, and learned how various approaches to thorny issues could positively or negatively affect the outcome. Many readings for the course focused on vision-casting and the role of innovation, enabling me to understand how my actions and communication as a leader will influence not only my ability to move forward, but those that I am leading as well. Finally, creating a personal manifesto allowed me to reflect on the ways in which my current role as a business analyst and being a traditional educator require similar areas of knowledge and skills in order to be successful. Having this understanding has allowed me to better form future learning goals and apply lessons learned in one context to opportunities in the other.

SUMMER 2015

CEP 822 | Approaches to Educational Research

Instructors | Daniel Freer, Ha Thanh Nguyen

Through this course, I engaged in readings about quantitiative and qualitative approaches to research, and practiced collecting and analyzing both types of data. These activities allowed me to better understand the affordances and constraints of each method. For the course's major assignment, I conducted a research review project on project-based learning (PBL) in secondary social studies classrooms. By reviewing the existing research on PBL in my content area, I not only learned that there is sufficient evidence to support utilizing the pedagogical strategy in secondary social studies courses, but also gained skills in how to investigate and synthesize information on educational topics in general. The latter will benefit me throughout my career as an educator, as it will enable me to continuing learning and utilizing effective pedagogical strategies.

FALL 2015

CEP 800 | Learning in School and Other Settings

Instructor | Diana Campbell

In CEP 800, I completed readings and discussion posts to learn about the behavioral, cognitive, and social theories of learning. By designing, implementing, and reflecting on a lesson plan, I learned how to leverage these theories in order to maximize student learning of content material. I also analyzed artifacts in my current workplace, which helped me better understand how the design of learning enviornments can support any combination of these theories. Finally, through interviews of volunteers and the creation of a short video, I explored and studied misconceptions learners have about the Electoral College, an exercise that reaffirmed the vital need to explore students' prior knowledge before beginning instruction on a topic.

SPRING 2016

CEP 807 | Capstone in Educational Technology

Instructors | Dr. Matthew Koehler, Sarah Keenan, Spencer Greenhalgh

Through this course, I synthesized my learning from the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program into a web-based portfolio. Writing essays allowed me to reflect on what I have learned through my courses, as well as the ways in which I have evolved as an educator and as a person over the past three-and-a-half years. The essays also encouraged me to be intentional about setting goals for my future learning and career development; this exercise also reinforced the importance of being deliberate in reflecting on and establishing new objectives throughout my career. Creating my portfolio has allowed me to identify the essential lessons and skills I have developed in the MAET program, some which stem from individual courses, but many of which are overarching themes that span multiple classes. Engaging in peer feedback on assignments allowed me to improve my portfolio, as well as celebrate the lessons that others have learned in their programs.