Annotated Transcript
This page is an outline and description of my coursework throughout the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program. Below you can read about the courses and how they affected me as an educator. Feel free to explore each course more by clicking on the course name.
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CEP=Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education
TE=Teacher Education
Fall 2017
This was my first course in the MAET program and introduced the foundation for a set of skills and mindsets that I would continually refer back to throughout this program. This course allowed me to think of technology in a completely different way. I learned how to integrate technology using the TPACK model (Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge) and repurpose everyday items for the specific task at hand. I was encouraged to create my own Personal Learning Network that provided alternative perspectives and resources. Additionally, I have become more conscious on how to use, integrate, and adapt technology in the classroom to better suit my students’ needs.
This course continued to expand upon the use of technology in and out of the classroom by introducing me to the maker culture. The maker culture is a mindset which promotes repurposing and creating ideas by collaborating with others. Throughout this course, I practiced different ways of encouraging the maker culture. This included exploring different technologies such as the Makey Makey kit, which is a circuit board that allows you to connect everyday objects. By the end of this course, I became more aware of the importance of students being more engaged in the classroom and its benefits.
Spring 2018
Instructors:
Alison Keller
Andrew Steinman
CEP 812 focused on addressing different structured problems inside the classroom, some of which can be easily fixed while others have no "best" solution and are considered "wicked problems." By collaborating with my classmates, we developed the "best" solution to the problem for our needs. I was also encouraged to explore the importance of asking questions by reading A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger. This in turn fueled my motivation to encourage my own students to become more inquisitive and explore their passions.
Fall 2018
In continuing to develop my research skills, this course allowed me to complete an action-based research plan. I chose a problem that I personally face in my own classroom, which is how students should be instructed to pick their independent reading books. In researching this topic, I specifically focused on whether it was more beneficial for the students to pick books based on reading level or their interests. After reading Action Research: Improving Schools and Empowering Educators, I was able to research, gather data, and reflect on my findings in order to provide the best method for my students with research to back up my conclusion.
In this course, I was able to explore different perspectives of teaching. Some of these included learning through creating habits, identifying different types of learners, and the role of motivation. I was also able to read numerous articles about different learning strategies and consider ways in applying these new strategies to my own life. For example, I created a goal for myself and considered steps for developing a habit that would help me attain this goal. I also devised my own personal learning theory that highlights key takeaways from this course.
Spring 2019
Here, I was able to explore the foundational skills in both reading and writing. Each week, I would focus on a different specific literacy skillset, such as spelling or vocabulary. By reading Best Practices in Literacy Instruction and other articles, I would address how I could apply these skills to reach all learners in my classroom. I also completed a case study project on a specific student in my classroom who was a struggling reader and writer. This case study allowed me to apply each of the skills learned in the course and further help all students in my classroom.
This course was a culmination of the entire MAET program. The course encouraged me to be a maker using technology, collaborate with others, and reflect on my work in order to develop an online portfolio. The goal of the portfolio is to highlight my work throughout the program and reflect on my learning. In creating the portfolio, I was able to choose between a number of different websites and I regularly provided feedback to others using Flipgrid. I regularly relied on my classmates' feedback to update my own portfolio.