Educational Technology Annotated Transcript
This annotated transcript is an overview of the courses that I have taken in order to complete the Master's of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) degree program through Michigan State University. I began taking masters level courses during my teaching internship year in 2011-2012. I then went on to teach full time and began the MAET program in the Spring of 2014. Over the last year and a half, I have completed 8 courses to finish my degree which was conferred in August of 2015.
Fall 2011
Spring 2012
TE 802:
Reflection and Inquiry in Teaching Practice I
Instructor(s):
Dr. Sally Warner Reed
This course began one of the most challenging, yet helpful, years that contributed to my teaching career. I completed my teaching internship year in the 2011-2012 academic year. During that time, I completed this course in the fall in order to better understand qualitative and quantitative research methods on teaching and learning as well as understanding and applying the criteria for judging the validity and applicability of research-based knowledge. We were also required to examine educational problems worthy of inquiry both in the course and in the classroom at our student teaching placements. Throughout the course, we were required to continuously design and assess studies of teaching practice throughout our internship year.
TE 804:
Reflection and Inquiry in Teaching Practice II
Instructor(s):
Dr. Sally Warner Reed
This course correlated with our internship year once again. This course was completed during the spring of our teaching internship in which we focused on collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data on teaching, learning, and educational policy. We also discussed and examined dilemmas surrounding research on practice as well as appraising and reporting results of inquiry that we had come across during our own teaching within our internships. As student teachers, we were given much more responsibility at our placements during this time to become lead teachers with multiple sections in order to better prepare us for whatever job we may get after the internship year was completed.
Spring 2014
Spring 2014
CEP 810:
Teaching Understanding with Technology
CEP 811:
Adapting Innovative Technology to Education
Instructor(s):
Sean Marie Sweeney
This course was a continuation of CEP 810 and specifically explored the ways in which internet tools could be utilized to support independent student learning. In this class, we focused on "remixing" educational tools and learning how to determine which piece of online technology could best assist our students. I evaluated internet based tools and their applications in the classroom, as well as repurposing these tools, to once again better help my students learn. This course also focused on the many different learning theories applicable in these uses of technology, pedagogy, and content. Additionally, I created lesson plans that utilized the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) model in order to make sure that all students' needs were being met. Lastly, I worked together with two other students to research different technology conferences and create a conference proposal that would inform teachers how to make Pinterest work for the classroom.
Instructor(s):
Ben Rimes
This course focused on the development of a professional learning network (PLN), and acknowledging my current PLN, so that I could extend my own learning opportunities about educational technology beyond my masters program. This course was also my first introduction to the advantages, and disadvantages, of online collaboration, in which we discussed various methods to teach students about digital citizenship. Additionally, I was introduced to the TPACK (Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge) framework, and began to think about how I could create the most effective lessons possible by utilizing technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge while learning how to properly repurpose technology for the 21st century. Lastly, I explored the different ways that both my students and I could safely conduct research on the web.
Fall 2014
Fall 2014
CEP 812:
Applying Educational Technology to Issues of Practice
Instructor(s):
Andrew Steinman
Once again, this course is a continuation of the previous course, CEP 811. However, during this course, I focused on using technology to meet both individual and school goals. I also looked at common issues, problems of practice, that occur in a K-12 educational setting, and methods of using technology to solve those problems. I then looked at ways to assess whether the technologies that we choose to use in schools are effectively meeting the needs of our students, which continued the use of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines. For my area of focus, I concentrated on using technology to assist visually impaired students. Lastly, this course was a basic introduction into leadership skills in the area of technology.
CEP 822: Approaches to Educational Research
Instructors:
Dr. Leigh Graves Wolf and Ben Gleason
This course focused on educational research which is an ever-growing and changing field. We focused on the questions: What is research? What kinds of research are there? What kinds of research are most effective? What can we take away from educational research? How do we know research is reliable and credible? etc. Consequently, for my summative assessment, the DreamIT project, I was asked to find a problem in education that I wished to research. I focused my research on the following question: "Can computer-assisted language learning improve oral language competency in learners of a second language?" I created a research proposal where I analzyed and critiqued research that I had found with regards to this particular subject, consequently creating an annotated bibliography and literature review before determining my own evaluation.
Spring 2015
CEP 800: Psychology of Learning in School and Other Settings
Instructors:
Dr. Danah Henriksen, Diana Campbell, and Sarah Keenan
This course had us examine how children learn and construct knowledge in a variety of settings. Therefore, we researched a variety of psychological learning theories and discussed how knowledge is constructed. One question we had to evaluate and address is the controversial question, do children have learning styles? If so, should we as educators be adapting our teaching styles and methods to accomodate these learning styles? Consequently, I talked to three colleagues and created a video of these interviews as well as research that I found contradicting the traditional thought that students have different learning styles. Lastly, we also explored the many misconceptions that students can bring to the classroom and the importance of uncovering and addressing these misconceptions before teaching students new content.
Spring 2015
CEP 815: Technology and Leadership
Instructors:
Dr. Aman Yadav and Ben Gleason
Technology integration is becoming more and more common within schools. Therefore, as educators and leaders, it is important to think about the social and ethical implications of technology implementation. Throughout this course I also examined my role as a technology leader, both formally and informally, within my school, and the abilities that I would need in order to be a successful and knowledgeable leader. I also examined the impact of relationships as a leader and how important it is to both lead and manage well. I not only learned about successful professional development strategies, but also project management, application, and evaluation of technology related projects in education.
Summer 2015
CEP 820:
Teaching
Students
Online
Instructor(s):
Anne Heintz
Online education is a rapidly growing phenomenom in schools everywhere. Therefore, in this course we were required to examine the possibilities and the limitations that both online and hybrid learning provide to schools in general as well as our own teaching experiences. In addition to examining research, I was required to investigate different course management systems (CMS) and choose one for myself so that I could create an online or hybrid course. In doing so, I was able to create a hypothetical hybrid course that would best address my student population and the learning goals that I maintain for my students. Throughout this process, I had to address the implementation of universal design for learning and the importance of collaboration and social presence in an online community. Furthermore, it was my responsibility to make sure that all of my course participants understood digital citizenship and safety on the web.
Summer 2015
CEP 807:
Capstone in Educational Technology
Instructor(s):
Dr. Matthew Koehler, Sarah Keenan, Spencer Greenhalgh, and Chris Seals
This capstone course was an opportunity for me to compile and display all the work that I have completed throughout my experiences during the Master's of Art in Educational Technology (MAET) degree program through Michigan State University. I examined my initial goals coming into this program and how they have evolved over the past year and a half. I have also looked ahead to my future as a learner and how I hope to apply what I have learned in this program to my future career as both teacher and educational technology specialist. In order to do this, I created a comprehensive electronic portfolio to display my learning, both past and present, my teaching philosophy, and coursework from the MAET program. Throughout this course, I also collaborated with other students to ensure that all students created the most effective professional teaching portfolio possible in order to showcase our individual talents and strengths as both teachers and learners. This course really brought my learning experiences full circle as the program was coming to an end.