Being part of a small school in South Dakota, I have become accustomed to helping out my fellow teachers every chance I can. By learning about new technologies and ways to incorporate them into the classroom I can assist my peers in feeling more comfortable and excited about using technology. This in turn helps the students be ready to go out into the world with the ever-changing demands of technological knowledge. This was experience first-hand when the Covid-19 pandemic started and everyone was racing to gain knowledge and looking for a source of information to help them stay in touch with their students. Through the MSET program I learned about different ways to deliver materials remotely before I even knew I would need them. In my coursework I both experienced it from a student standpoint and from the creator’s side. To this day, I have a tendency to share new technology with my peers and still get excited when they are successful in using it.
Program Goals and Objectives:
be leaders in educational technology.
be current in teaching and learning processes and practices.
demonstrate proficiency in teaching and assessing others in the use of computers and related technologies in a variety of educational settings.
be knowledgeable of emerging technologies.
Projects LT 731 - Multimedia Production - WeVideo, Adobe Spark, Canva, Google Slides and a GIF creator
Microbit Introduction - Learning to use WeVideo and the green screen aspect of the application to create an introduction video for students to keep them engaged and remote learning scenarios.
My Family Video - Using Adobe Spark, I created an introduction video for my students to get to know who my family is and who they will be seeing as a teacher. Being able to record voice with the presentation and creating a short video, allows students to view it on their own time and when they are ready for the information.
Brain GIF - Using Google Slides and a gif maker, I created an animated image of the brain with arrows accentuating each part of the brain. An image put into motion to make it more appealing to the learner.
Play for Her Graphic - Created with the Gravit Designer application - In this project I removed the background of an image and added text and other graphics to the slide to make the quote more appealing and meaningful for the learners.
CET 756 - Introduction to Instructional Programming - Scratch and Code HS
Scratch Virtual Pet-Jumping Rooster - Hide and Seek- This course utilized the Scratch.mit.edu website to learn the basics of coding and to problem solve with computational thinking. Working through the lessons here allowed me to experience it as a student and to feel what it is like to create products by using block programming. By doing this it allows me to teach others in various disciplines to use this application as well as use it in my own classroom.
CET 720 - Leading Evaluation and Change in the Instructional Technology Environment
STEM Video - Using Adobe Spark, a video created to explain the benefits of STEM Education and bring the excitement and educational value of this curriculum to a board meeting or group of parents to inform them of the benefits of teaching STEM in my school district.
UDL Frayer Model- Piktochart application used to display what I have learned and used in a way to utilize color and design elements to display a message.
Lifelong Learner
Even as a young child, I have always wondered how things happened and loved learning about new topics that would interest me. I would read or do crossword puzzles, watch instructional videos, and learn new sports because I enjoyed learning and challenges that come with it. As a teacher of 20 plus years, I have come to rely on my quest for new knowledge. As I look back on all of the subjects I have taught and how technology curriculum is constantly changing, I reflect upon how lucky I am that I enjoy a challenge of learning new things. I also have a passion to share my knowledge with others. As I worked through my MSET program of study, I truly enjoyed learning all of the new technology available and took on the challenge of seeing where I could incorporate this new found knowledge in my career. Little did I know that would become the staple of online learning in March of 2020 and become a constant in my new role as remote learning took over. I continue to use my network of peers from the program to continue to find new practices I can use in my classroom.
Program Goals and Objectives :
be proficient in the use and application of computer software
be proficient with a programming language
be aware of current trends and issues in computer education, distance education, electronic communications, computer hardware and software
use telecommunications-based tools to integrate information into the classroom and the curriculum
be current in teaching and learning processes and practices
integrate computer software, authoring tools, programming languages, the Internet, and multimedia into curriculum design and instruction
Projects LT 712 - Principles of Learning for Instructional Technology
Project Based Learning Final - Created for project based learning style where students are choosing a cause that is important to them and they are creating an application and presenting it to a group of business people who may be interested in their ideas. Now the students are creating their final product for other people, not just the teacher in class. They will create something they are very proud of and can't wait to share with others.
CET 753 - Network Management in Educational Institutions
Chapter 03 Lab- Chapter 05 Lab - Topics include protocols, security, configuration of storage, backup and performance, printing, remote access, virtual private networks, tuning and troubleshooting. I completed a series of labs on a virtual network and now have a better understanding of a school network and how it works.
Spearphishing- Created with Adobe Spark to inform others about the dangers of a cybercrime and to use in my classroom to show students how to use Adobe Spark to create creative works. By creating this for class it allowed me a chance to experience creating Adobe Spark videos to help display my material in a creative way.
Teaching with Empathy - Created with Adobe Spark to summarize a concept we were learning about and to show my understanding of the material. Using Adobe Spark in my future assessments for my students to show me what they have learned will be a great tool for me.
Reflective Thinker
In the past few years my technology role in the school has evolved to include STEM. When teaching the problem solving process to students, the final step is reflection. After taking courses in the MSET program and focusing on the process of design of curriculum or artifacts, reflection takes on a new meaning. Constant and consistent reflection allows for improvement and enables growth to be seen. Being reflective and asking for other feedback opens us up to the ability to be critical of our own work. Reflection is such a great tool and I find myself in constant reflection after every lesson, unit, or project so I can improve it and make it better for everyone involved and be sure I stick to what is most important to be learned.
Program Goals and Objectives
be proficient in finding, evaluating, and using current educational research to support continuous improvement in their profession
apply learning theory and the principles of instructional design in curricular and instructional decision-making
integrate computer software, authoring tools, programming languages, the Internet, and multimedia into curriculum design and instruction
understand the capabilities of the computer, its impact on education, business, industry and government; and will be able to adapt to, understand, evaluate, and make use of new and emerging innovations in computer and information technology
Projects CET 720 - Leading Evaluation and Change in the Instructional Technology Environment
Weekly Blog - Blog posts to reflect upon each week's topics and discussions. Reflection used on a regular basis to fully appreciate and learn from what has been done makes learning more meaningful. After doing this activity, reflection comes naturally to me and I am able to use the process to my advantage.
Ignite Talk - To recap the course, I created an ignite talk where still images were chosen, placed into a PowerPoint presentation and used a recording of the presentation with voice to accomplish my final product. Another great tool to share knowledge and keep the interest of the learners.
LT 785- Research Methods in Educational Technology
Online Communication in the Face-to-Face Classroom - Learning how to research given topics, use APA style, and decipher statistical data will greatly assist me as I continue to grow my knowledge of STEM topics in the future and teach my students how to conduct effective research. I was able to work with two others on this collaborative project and by doing that I realized first hand how synchronous and asynchronous methods in teaching affect students and teachers. We enjoyed working together and were able to have some great conversations about this topic, and we didn't even know we would be remotely teaching for part of a year in the near future!