Synthesis Essay - July 2011
“Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another.” - John Dewey
Now that I have completed the Master of Arts program in Educational Technology here at Michigan State University, I only have one question. What’s next? That, alone, speaks volumes to my experience in the program. It was rich and transformative and dare I say that I hate that it is coming to an end. My colleagues will tell you that I am proud of my accomplishments made as I am always sharing what I am working on in math department meetings, professional development sessions, during passing time, and after school. My facebook friends can also attest that they have definitely noticed how much I enjoyed the program as evidenced by my never-ending stream of status updates about the experience. This program has the mark of any successful educational journey…it has fueled a fire in me; a desire to learn more; a wondering of what else is possible. In this essay, I will provide evidence as to how this program has changed me as an educator and impacted my delivery in the classroom and has fulfilled its mission to prepare teachers for the thoughtful use of technologies to support teaching and learning in a range of educational environments.
The program began for me in the summer of 2010 with the certificate sequence. Initially, there was some nervousness about being an online student and I did not fully understand the implications of it. The first course to set the stage for this year of growth was CEP 810: Teaching for understanding with computers; a course with two parallel strands: effective use of technology in education and learning issues related to technology use.
One of my personal goals at the start of the course was to learn about what technologies can be used to enhance the learning of my students having realized that it is only a small piece of the puzzle and, in no way, can it replace good, sound, goal-oriented, outcome-driven teaching and instructional practices. Fortunately, there were several articles, lectures, and experiences in this course that helped to shape my teaching in new and exciting ways.
One article, in particular, Teaching by Jere Brophy, was an enlightening article that highlighted ten core practices for successful teaching and learning. As I read the article and took notes, I tried to pinpoint just a few that I would work to incorporate into my teaching for the 2010-2011 school year. Of the ten, the three that struck me as most notable were 1) Establishing learning orientations, 2) Thoughtful Discourse, and 3) Practice and application activities. Ironically enough, in some way, shape, or form, I had been trying to improve my practice in these three areas over the last few years. Now being affirmed of their validity, I was encouraged to continue my pursuit and look for ways in which the use of technology would aid me. The integration of any technology outside of core teaching strategies is fruitless and results in technology for technology’s sake and not for the sake of good teaching and learning.
As a result of this, I worked to continue to use Microsoft PowerPoint to aid in establishing learning orientations. I began using the internet to enhance student learning and study skills with my wikispaces project and I am looking to add more mathematical discourse both in and outside of the classroom using blogging and discussion boards; something that has come to life in my DreamIT proposal designed during the East Lansing Summer Cohort in the summer of 2011. Lastly, I continued the use of the Qwizdom student response system to increase practice and application activities giving students immediate and improvement-oriented feedback.
While this course answered some questions for me, it left me with others. The course concluded with me wanting to continue to work to categorize and clearly define for others what it means to “use technology” in schools. That phrase encompasses so much and people are rarely aware of all of its implications. We read an article pertaining to teacher education and technology and one particular thought stuck with me; we use technology to solve a problem. If we aren’t solving a problem, then the use of it is extraneous. I left with the mission to help others in my school see all of the ways in which technology use solves problems for us and help them to use it more effectively in their classrooms using what I learned in this course. Since then, my scope of the reasons that technology is used in education has widened, but this thought remains at the core.
As previously mentioned, there was some trepidation about the process of being an online student and understanding how this process could be as authentic as a brick and mortar classroom. There was one course, in particular, that aided in shaping my view of online learning, its affordances, and its constraints. In the spring of 2011, I was enrolled in CEP 820: Teaching K-12 students online where we learned strategies for constructing and implementing online curricula aimed at K-12 students.
All things considered, I thoroughly enjoyed the process of creating an online course in Algebra 1 to be taken by students at the high school level. The task seemed daunting at the start, but I believe that I picked up on some gems of knowledge that will make the process much smoother should I find myself in a position as an online educator or when helping colleagues interested in pursuing some form of hybrid instruction. At the start of the MAET program, I not only intended to be student of the content for each course, but also had intentions to study the process of being an online student. This course, in particular, provided me with wonderful insight into the “other side” of the online experience and will change the way that I study online and engage in online professional development in the future.
While there are many nuggets that have shaped my thinking about online course creation, three ideas pervade my thoughts at the moment and I would consider them to be most helpful to someone creating a course similar to the one that I have created.
Nugget #1: Start small and basic and build (iterative design)
When I began the process, I was initially overwhelmed and did not know where to start. I felt much like I did when I was a first year teacher starting from scratch creating an entire classroom. It was important for me not to try to tackle the entire project at once, but to hone in on the elements of any course whether on ground or online, which would facilitate learning in the best way possible.
Throughout the course, we kept a Developer’s Notebook using Google Docs to document the process. In my first entry I wrote, I envision this course being very interactive with discussion boards (whole class and mini-groups). It would also have several modules for learning with several different components which may include, but are not limited to lecture videos (made by the instructors or links to videos developed by others), videos to demonstrates a mathematical concept, links to explorative simulations or graphing calculator activities, a group question, and individual questions and problems to complete. While I continue to value many of these components in teaching and learning, I believe that I bit off more than I could chew and tried to create an online utopia of a classroom. This is what I should strive for, but to start off with this in mind was more paralyzing than invigorating. I really should have concentrated on one or two components and worked to perfect them and then build from there. Specifically, I should focus on the learning outcomes that I want in the end so that I can choose technologies and modes of interacting that best support those learning outcomes. This is exactly what I would do when setting up a live classroom. Why should this be any different?
Nugget #2: Good Teaching and Learning transcend walls and wires.
There are many important aspects of teaching and learning that I consider when setting up a physical classroom. I give thought and planning to how I will work with diverse groups of learners, how to create various modes of interaction, differentiated assessment and so on. Until I was directed to consult the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and to consider them for an online learning environment as well, I was planning to design and implement a course with a very narrow view of the learner in mind. I would encourage anyone who is considering developing an online course to consult the CAST site and MSU’s web access criteria for guiding principles to keep in mind as they develop their online course. The International Society for Technology in Education is another valuable resource to consult while in the process of online course creation. The National Education Technology Standards (NETS) for teachers and students can aid in avoiding pitfalls and streamline instruction in a way that maximizes student learning. Here are the NETS for teachers and my informal interpretation from my developer notebook:
1) Facilitate and Inspire student learning and creativity
Engage students in meaningful and authentic problem solving within the subject matter using digital tools. Model the type of learning by engaging in virtual communities with students and other colleagues.
2) Design and develop digital age experiences and assessments
Activities and assessments allow students to explore and extend their own learning. Objectives are explicit so that students can self-monitor. Make assignments and assessments customizable for a diverse group of learners. Use assessments that are aligned with technology standards using the data from the results to provide students with feedback and to inform future teaching opportunities.
3) Model digital age work and learning.
For me, this translated into: KNOW EVERYTHING about technology and learning.... not very helpful, I know.
4) Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility
Teach about and abide by copyright and intellectual property laws. Promote and model proper digital etiquette. Use digital means to collaborate with colleagues and peers across the globe.
5) Engage in professional growth and leadership
Participate in the educational technology community and try to stay up to date on the latest and greatest technologies and practices.
Nugget #3: Think outside of the box!
Have you seen the commercial where the father has created an email address for his newborn daughter and periodically sends her emails as she grows documenting her life? At a point when she is able to read, she’ll check the email and have a digital memoir with pictures and videos of her childhood. HOW COOL is that?! Punya Mishra would pat him on the back for this example of repurposing. Like this father, I wanted to be able to find ways to use the technological tools available to me in new and refreshing ways to support the tenets of teaching and learning that I value most. I would incorporate Skype as a type of parent and/or student conferences and as a form of synchronous communication with students. As an online student, I craved that human connection, something that makes the class more 3-dimensional. I believe that periodic Skype check-in sessions would help with this. I’m sure that there are so many other ideas out there. We are only limited by the walls that we build ourselves and the limitations we create for ourselves. Through the use of many Web 2.0 technologies, there is a whole host of possibilities. By adhering to point #5 in the previous nugget, continued involvement in the educational technology community would be a tremendous asset here. Just as you should not teach in a bubble in a brick and mortar classroom, you should not teach that way online.
Again, I gained many more insights from this process, but these three are the most valuable to me. It is my hope that they will help someone else embarking on this journey as well.
I could not reflect on this MAET experience without discussing the impact that the East Lansing Summer Cohort had on my development as an educator. During the summer of 2011, I was enrolled in this seminar encompassing three courses: CEP 800, 815, and 822.
CEP 800: Learning in school and other settings
CEP 815: Technology and Leadership
CEP 822: Approaches to Educational Research
* Because I took CEP 800 in a previous term, I completed CEP 815, CEP 822, and CEP 890 (substitute for CEP 807) which is an independent study capstone experience.
In the opening paragraph I stated that I would provide evidence as to how this program has changed me as an educator and has fulfilled its mission to prepare me for the thoughtful use of technologies to support teaching and learning in a range of educational environments. In no other place is this change more powerfully represented than during this summer experience. It remains difficult for me to choose highlights as it all seems so critically important, but to summarize there were really 3 big ideas for this course: Innovation, Technology as a tool, and Ways of knowing/understanding.
I began this journey reflecting on technology use and it being primarily there to help us solve problems. Ironically enough, we end on the same note. Technology is a tool with which we foster innovation and ways of knowing and understanding. On day one of the program, I wanted to know what technologies I could incorporate into my teaching. On the last day of the program, I desire to use technology to create, innovate, share, represent, demonstrate and foster learning. When others hear that I am studying in an educational technology program and ask what cool things I'm learning, they expect answers like: Moodle, Wikis, Blogs, and Prezis. Instead, they receive answers like: learning theories, instructional practices, fostering creativity and critical thinking and the like. The phrase educational technology is read by most as educational TECHNOLOGY. For me, it now reads EDUCATIONAL technology!
When taking notes on the first day of the summer cohort experience, aside from the nuts and bolts, I jotted down three things that carried me through to the end of the course. 1) Bloom’s Taxonomy 2) “Flipping” the classroom and 3) TPACK and, ironically enough, these three concepts were the focus of my final project in the course. The DreamIT proposal is the work for which I am most proud and I feel as if it truly embraces all that is MAET. In the proposal, I present the flipped classroom concept as a means for engaging students more deeply in mathematics. The proposal challenged me to connect everything that I have learned in the program and was affirmed by Dewey who stated "if we teach today's students as we taught yesterday's, we rob them of tomorrow". Innovation, creativity, and understanding must take center stage as students prepare for the demands of the 21st century.
In closing, I draw on a quote by Clay P. Benford, a former top executive for Kaiser Industries, who said that “you can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives”. That curiosity and desire for ingenuity has been sparked in me and it is with this thought that I conclude this essay as I'd began...What's next?
Now that I have completed the Master of Arts program in Educational Technology here at Michigan State University, I only have one question. What’s next? That, alone, speaks volumes to my experience in the program. It was rich and transformative and dare I say that I hate that it is coming to an end. My colleagues will tell you that I am proud of my accomplishments made as I am always sharing what I am working on in math department meetings, professional development sessions, during passing time, and after school. My facebook friends can also attest that they have definitely noticed how much I enjoyed the program as evidenced by my never-ending stream of status updates about the experience. This program has the mark of any successful educational journey…it has fueled a fire in me; a desire to learn more; a wondering of what else is possible. In this essay, I will provide evidence as to how this program has changed me as an educator and impacted my delivery in the classroom and has fulfilled its mission to prepare teachers for the thoughtful use of technologies to support teaching and learning in a range of educational environments.
The program began for me in the summer of 2010 with the certificate sequence. Initially, there was some nervousness about being an online student and I did not fully understand the implications of it. The first course to set the stage for this year of growth was CEP 810: Teaching for understanding with computers; a course with two parallel strands: effective use of technology in education and learning issues related to technology use.
One of my personal goals at the start of the course was to learn about what technologies can be used to enhance the learning of my students having realized that it is only a small piece of the puzzle and, in no way, can it replace good, sound, goal-oriented, outcome-driven teaching and instructional practices. Fortunately, there were several articles, lectures, and experiences in this course that helped to shape my teaching in new and exciting ways.
One article, in particular, Teaching by Jere Brophy, was an enlightening article that highlighted ten core practices for successful teaching and learning. As I read the article and took notes, I tried to pinpoint just a few that I would work to incorporate into my teaching for the 2010-2011 school year. Of the ten, the three that struck me as most notable were 1) Establishing learning orientations, 2) Thoughtful Discourse, and 3) Practice and application activities. Ironically enough, in some way, shape, or form, I had been trying to improve my practice in these three areas over the last few years. Now being affirmed of their validity, I was encouraged to continue my pursuit and look for ways in which the use of technology would aid me. The integration of any technology outside of core teaching strategies is fruitless and results in technology for technology’s sake and not for the sake of good teaching and learning.
As a result of this, I worked to continue to use Microsoft PowerPoint to aid in establishing learning orientations. I began using the internet to enhance student learning and study skills with my wikispaces project and I am looking to add more mathematical discourse both in and outside of the classroom using blogging and discussion boards; something that has come to life in my DreamIT proposal designed during the East Lansing Summer Cohort in the summer of 2011. Lastly, I continued the use of the Qwizdom student response system to increase practice and application activities giving students immediate and improvement-oriented feedback.
While this course answered some questions for me, it left me with others. The course concluded with me wanting to continue to work to categorize and clearly define for others what it means to “use technology” in schools. That phrase encompasses so much and people are rarely aware of all of its implications. We read an article pertaining to teacher education and technology and one particular thought stuck with me; we use technology to solve a problem. If we aren’t solving a problem, then the use of it is extraneous. I left with the mission to help others in my school see all of the ways in which technology use solves problems for us and help them to use it more effectively in their classrooms using what I learned in this course. Since then, my scope of the reasons that technology is used in education has widened, but this thought remains at the core.
As previously mentioned, there was some trepidation about the process of being an online student and understanding how this process could be as authentic as a brick and mortar classroom. There was one course, in particular, that aided in shaping my view of online learning, its affordances, and its constraints. In the spring of 2011, I was enrolled in CEP 820: Teaching K-12 students online where we learned strategies for constructing and implementing online curricula aimed at K-12 students.
All things considered, I thoroughly enjoyed the process of creating an online course in Algebra 1 to be taken by students at the high school level. The task seemed daunting at the start, but I believe that I picked up on some gems of knowledge that will make the process much smoother should I find myself in a position as an online educator or when helping colleagues interested in pursuing some form of hybrid instruction. At the start of the MAET program, I not only intended to be student of the content for each course, but also had intentions to study the process of being an online student. This course, in particular, provided me with wonderful insight into the “other side” of the online experience and will change the way that I study online and engage in online professional development in the future.
While there are many nuggets that have shaped my thinking about online course creation, three ideas pervade my thoughts at the moment and I would consider them to be most helpful to someone creating a course similar to the one that I have created.
Nugget #1: Start small and basic and build (iterative design)
When I began the process, I was initially overwhelmed and did not know where to start. I felt much like I did when I was a first year teacher starting from scratch creating an entire classroom. It was important for me not to try to tackle the entire project at once, but to hone in on the elements of any course whether on ground or online, which would facilitate learning in the best way possible.
Throughout the course, we kept a Developer’s Notebook using Google Docs to document the process. In my first entry I wrote, I envision this course being very interactive with discussion boards (whole class and mini-groups). It would also have several modules for learning with several different components which may include, but are not limited to lecture videos (made by the instructors or links to videos developed by others), videos to demonstrates a mathematical concept, links to explorative simulations or graphing calculator activities, a group question, and individual questions and problems to complete. While I continue to value many of these components in teaching and learning, I believe that I bit off more than I could chew and tried to create an online utopia of a classroom. This is what I should strive for, but to start off with this in mind was more paralyzing than invigorating. I really should have concentrated on one or two components and worked to perfect them and then build from there. Specifically, I should focus on the learning outcomes that I want in the end so that I can choose technologies and modes of interacting that best support those learning outcomes. This is exactly what I would do when setting up a live classroom. Why should this be any different?
Nugget #2: Good Teaching and Learning transcend walls and wires.
There are many important aspects of teaching and learning that I consider when setting up a physical classroom. I give thought and planning to how I will work with diverse groups of learners, how to create various modes of interaction, differentiated assessment and so on. Until I was directed to consult the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and to consider them for an online learning environment as well, I was planning to design and implement a course with a very narrow view of the learner in mind. I would encourage anyone who is considering developing an online course to consult the CAST site and MSU’s web access criteria for guiding principles to keep in mind as they develop their online course. The International Society for Technology in Education is another valuable resource to consult while in the process of online course creation. The National Education Technology Standards (NETS) for teachers and students can aid in avoiding pitfalls and streamline instruction in a way that maximizes student learning. Here are the NETS for teachers and my informal interpretation from my developer notebook:
1) Facilitate and Inspire student learning and creativity
Engage students in meaningful and authentic problem solving within the subject matter using digital tools. Model the type of learning by engaging in virtual communities with students and other colleagues.
2) Design and develop digital age experiences and assessments
Activities and assessments allow students to explore and extend their own learning. Objectives are explicit so that students can self-monitor. Make assignments and assessments customizable for a diverse group of learners. Use assessments that are aligned with technology standards using the data from the results to provide students with feedback and to inform future teaching opportunities.
3) Model digital age work and learning.
For me, this translated into: KNOW EVERYTHING about technology and learning.... not very helpful, I know.
4) Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility
Teach about and abide by copyright and intellectual property laws. Promote and model proper digital etiquette. Use digital means to collaborate with colleagues and peers across the globe.
5) Engage in professional growth and leadership
Participate in the educational technology community and try to stay up to date on the latest and greatest technologies and practices.
Nugget #3: Think outside of the box!
Have you seen the commercial where the father has created an email address for his newborn daughter and periodically sends her emails as she grows documenting her life? At a point when she is able to read, she’ll check the email and have a digital memoir with pictures and videos of her childhood. HOW COOL is that?! Punya Mishra would pat him on the back for this example of repurposing. Like this father, I wanted to be able to find ways to use the technological tools available to me in new and refreshing ways to support the tenets of teaching and learning that I value most. I would incorporate Skype as a type of parent and/or student conferences and as a form of synchronous communication with students. As an online student, I craved that human connection, something that makes the class more 3-dimensional. I believe that periodic Skype check-in sessions would help with this. I’m sure that there are so many other ideas out there. We are only limited by the walls that we build ourselves and the limitations we create for ourselves. Through the use of many Web 2.0 technologies, there is a whole host of possibilities. By adhering to point #5 in the previous nugget, continued involvement in the educational technology community would be a tremendous asset here. Just as you should not teach in a bubble in a brick and mortar classroom, you should not teach that way online.
Again, I gained many more insights from this process, but these three are the most valuable to me. It is my hope that they will help someone else embarking on this journey as well.
I could not reflect on this MAET experience without discussing the impact that the East Lansing Summer Cohort had on my development as an educator. During the summer of 2011, I was enrolled in this seminar encompassing three courses: CEP 800, 815, and 822.
CEP 800: Learning in school and other settings
CEP 815: Technology and Leadership
CEP 822: Approaches to Educational Research
* Because I took CEP 800 in a previous term, I completed CEP 815, CEP 822, and CEP 890 (substitute for CEP 807) which is an independent study capstone experience.
In the opening paragraph I stated that I would provide evidence as to how this program has changed me as an educator and has fulfilled its mission to prepare me for the thoughtful use of technologies to support teaching and learning in a range of educational environments. In no other place is this change more powerfully represented than during this summer experience. It remains difficult for me to choose highlights as it all seems so critically important, but to summarize there were really 3 big ideas for this course: Innovation, Technology as a tool, and Ways of knowing/understanding.
I began this journey reflecting on technology use and it being primarily there to help us solve problems. Ironically enough, we end on the same note. Technology is a tool with which we foster innovation and ways of knowing and understanding. On day one of the program, I wanted to know what technologies I could incorporate into my teaching. On the last day of the program, I desire to use technology to create, innovate, share, represent, demonstrate and foster learning. When others hear that I am studying in an educational technology program and ask what cool things I'm learning, they expect answers like: Moodle, Wikis, Blogs, and Prezis. Instead, they receive answers like: learning theories, instructional practices, fostering creativity and critical thinking and the like. The phrase educational technology is read by most as educational TECHNOLOGY. For me, it now reads EDUCATIONAL technology!
When taking notes on the first day of the summer cohort experience, aside from the nuts and bolts, I jotted down three things that carried me through to the end of the course. 1) Bloom’s Taxonomy 2) “Flipping” the classroom and 3) TPACK and, ironically enough, these three concepts were the focus of my final project in the course. The DreamIT proposal is the work for which I am most proud and I feel as if it truly embraces all that is MAET. In the proposal, I present the flipped classroom concept as a means for engaging students more deeply in mathematics. The proposal challenged me to connect everything that I have learned in the program and was affirmed by Dewey who stated "if we teach today's students as we taught yesterday's, we rob them of tomorrow". Innovation, creativity, and understanding must take center stage as students prepare for the demands of the 21st century.
In closing, I draw on a quote by Clay P. Benford, a former top executive for Kaiser Industries, who said that “you can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives”. That curiosity and desire for ingenuity has been sparked in me and it is with this thought that I conclude this essay as I'd began...What's next?