Throughout my studies in the Masters of Educational Technology Program at Michigan State University, I began to formulate two cornerstones in my educational philosophy. The first, Integrating Technology to Increase Learning and Student Engagement. This cornerstone redesigns how technology can be used to support student learning and engagement in classrooms and schools by using technology not as a tool but on a deeper level of implementation. The second cornerstone, Utilizing Technology in Educational Practice uses technology along with other educational practice to support research, formative assessment and analyzing how schools can better meet 21st century learners' needs. These ideas are important to education because educational practice today, must support the 21st century's learners needs. This showcase contains examples of these cornerstones produced by myself throughout my studies. (Click on the titles to view more)
Integrating Technology to Increase Learning & Student Engagement
Universal Design Learning with Makey MakeyMaker tools allow to redesign and repurpose items to create a new experience. I wanted to work with an adolescent learner to increase letter identification, comprehension, and direction following. I used a computer, a Makey Makey, and animal objects along with a self create progression chart with a 3 year old to develop literacy skills. The assignment I created could also be used with students who struggle communicating. Click on the link above to discover more about Universal Design for Learning and the Makey Makey.
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Digital Citizenship WebinarAlong with four others, I had the opportunity to organize and host a webinar on Social and Ethical uses of technology I: Digital Equity and healthy practices in the use of educational technology. Our group brought in three experts to discuss multiple elements of digital citizenship that face students today. Throughout the webinar we discussed student privacy, athletic and professional recruitment, and professional use of devices and technology in the workplace. To view our webinar page click on the link above.
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Minecraft TrainingIncorporating Minecraft as a professional development tool challenged my design and vision on professional development. I am an instructional technology and data coach for three districts and our local Educational Service District, so I wanted to create an hands on, task based area that would challenge teachers’ Minecraft skills and generate ways to use MinecraftEDU inside classrooms, to find out more click on the link and video above.
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What if you had the chance to write a technology grant of your dreams to support your student’s success in the classroom? Masters of Educational Technology in East Last Lansing hybrid class challenged us to write a grant that could integrate technology into classrooms. This grant writing process reinforced the idea that technology is just technology and the process, application and evaluation of how you will use it is more important than just the technology purchased. The planning and connecting it to the learning process impacted the way I will approach future technology purchases. This assignment broke down what the grant writing process looks like and broke down each step within the grant. To read about the project click on the link above.
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Presenting information in a way the reduces cognitive load increases learner's understanding. By creating professional development in a flipped form, it challenged me to create a new way to present information that would support the learning process. I created a professional development website that discussed the idea of Flipped learning. Click on the link above to view the website both from the learner's view and the research and analysis of the project.
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Utilizing Technology in Educational Practice
Rethinking Teaching For 21st Century EductionDo schools need to adapt to the learner or does the learner need to adapt to the school? Over time schools have provided a stable area for students to learn and prepare for the future. However with the recent technology boom, the future is changing. Students are being asked to prepare for jobs that don’t exist. How do schools begin to help students meet professional challenges of the future head on? My group members and I researched possible solutions and best practices to understand how to meet the learners needs. We then created a multi format presentation discussing our findings and possible ways schools can enhance learning for 21st century students. Click on the link above to view our presentation.
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Understanding Understanding: A video research projectMy group and myself created a research project to analyze a common misconception that society may have and how it connects to student learning. We researched what people knew about caffeine and how it affected their body. We interviewed people throughout campus of various age ranges and educational backgrounds. Our analysis led us to understanding that by simplifying a concept, it could lead to the misconception of knowledge. For more information click on the link above.
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Utilizing Formative Assessment Practice to Integrate the SAMR Model in the ClassroomI created a unit that introduces the Substitution Augmentation Modification and Redefinition model (Click to view a quick explanation on the SAMR model) to fellow educators using an online professional development model through Haiku Learning Course Management System. The unit intertwines teaching and formative assessment to support pedagogical changes in classrooms. My first two lessons focus on learning and processing while my last two lessons use formative assessment with an emphasis on feedback to support SAMR model integration into curriculum and professional growth. Check out my unit design by clicking on the link above.
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Resources Used
[Rich Colosi Media]. (2014, June 20). The SAMR Model Explained by Students [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/OBce25r8vto
[Rich Colosi Media]. (2014, June 20). The SAMR Model Explained by Students [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/OBce25r8vto