showcase
The Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program did more than introduce me to new technologies that would improve my teaching. The projects in this showcase are just a few examples of my work that highlight how the MAET program changed my entire practice as an educator. By examining factors that affect learning in the classroom and online, identifying and solving problems of practice, and maximizing effectiveness through thoughtful design and assessment, we focused heavily on the foundations of pedagogy. Beyond the classroom, we looked at communities of practice and becoming leaders who could help others use technology in their own practice. Throughout the program we utilized technology tools to help us develop and become skilled in the three areas I believe every educator should strive to master: Learning, Teaching, and Leading.
​
​
Learning
Networked Learning gives learners access to expert knowledge on any subject, at any time. It is an incredibly valuable tool that allows an active learner to get exactly the information they need, in the right form and order they want it. For this project I went to the internet to find sources that could teach me to make a stained glass sailboat, something I had always wanted to do. This video shows my journey from exploration to completion.
​
For more detail on my experience with networked learning, click the title above or here for a link to my blog post.
Working memory refers to the part of your brain that at any one time is trying to process new pieces of information, recall other memories to make sense of the new, and then store that information in a useful way so that it can be recalled and used later. We all have strengths and weaknesses in regards to working memory. Working memory disorders can make the learning of new information difficult and frustrating. For this project I studied working memory and cognitive load theories and disorders. With a better understanding of how important working memory is for all learners, I identified technology tools that are designed to improve working memory and explored programs aimed at helping those with working memory disorders.
For more detail on my investigation into working memory disorders, click the title above or here for a link to my blog post.
Classroom design has not fundamentally changed since the 18th century. As a modern educator we evaluate our learning objectives and approach lesson designs in a way that attempts to reach all our students and their particular learning styles. The next step in advancing our ability to educate effectively is to evaluate the environment we teach in. My ideal EMS classroom was built with the ideas of experiential and constructivist learning theories in mind, creating a unique space that supports my lesson design to the fullest.
To see my full classroom design, click the title above or here for a link to my blog post.
Teaching
Leading
To be an effective leader, you need to identify and understand your community of practice. For this project, I designed a survey that was sent to 125 fellow adjunct faculty to get a better understanding of how they were currently using technology in their practice. I also asked several questions on what they felt would make the use of technology easier and more effective at our college. I received 45 survey responses from my fellow faculty members, revealing many misconceptions I held regarding the use of technology within our community. The knowledge I gained from reaching out to my community would have allowed me to focus my efforts as a technology leader in different, more effective ways than what I had envisioned. The results of my work were shared with our director of faculty development to help guide future technology training sessions.
​
To see my complete project on better understanding my community of practice, my survey form, and the results, click the title above or here for a link to my blog post. You can view my complete infographic of the results by clicking on the image.
Thomas Friedman coined the terms P.Q. (passion quotient) and C.Q. (curiosity quotient), using them to contrast from I.Q in identifying qualities critical for success in a rapidly changing marketplace. As a leader it is important to share your passion and curiosity to inspire others in ways that will fuel their passions and curiosities. The technology that has created our hyper-connected world has also allowed unprecedented access to resources for those with passion and curiosity. The video I created allows me to share my passion and curiosity with others. Showing how I use technology can help lead others to find ways technology can fuel their own passions and curiosities.
​
My blog post discussing passion and curiosity can be found here.
Being a technology leader means sharing your tools and techniques with others. Professional conferences provide an excellent opportunity to present and share your knowledge. The process to become a conference presenter can be intimidating for many. As a group project, my team used the guidelines from The Teaching Professor Technology Conference to create a presentation and proposal on the technique of storyboarding when building online educational content. After completing the course project, my teammate Katie Krcmarik and I decided to submit our proposal to the conference for review and were invited to speak at the TPTC conference in Denver in the fall of 2014.
​
The complete Conference Proposal Project document can be found here.
My explorations in the Minecraft game world allowed me to think about assessment and feedback in new ways. The game allowed for interactions that allowed the student to determine immediately if they were correct in application of knowledge, and the ability to rework the task again if they were incorrect. The ability to receive instant feedback, and try the task again without waiting for instructor feedback is in my opinion the greatest benefit of digital assessment. This video is a tour through my Minecraft "Triage Challenge", viewed as a student would see and interact with the assessment.
​
To read more about my work with Minecraft, click here for my blog post.
Effective teaching often comes about through a process of identifying and solving problems of practice. Through the use of the Stanford Design School's Design Bootcamp process I was able to solve a problem in my own practice, getting my students (in this case my coworkers) to participate in continuing education and embrace a culture of learning within our agency. There were many steps to the design process. This video was created to highlight the testing and feedback stage of the process, but also gives a brief overview of the project.
​
To read my Problem of Practice Report that discusses the details of my design process and the solutions I created, click here for my blog post.
As part of an exploration with maker culture and innovative technologies that can be used to enhance learning, I employed a Makey Makey to help my students interact with a game that challenged them to make a heart beat by following the rules of cardiac conduction. By interacting with a program I created using Scratch, my students used physical actions to actively participate in a lesson that gave instant feedback on their ability to simulate the conduction system of a human heart. By engaging actively, rather than being lectured passively, I hoped that my students would construct a deeper understanding of normal cardiac conductive function. This base level of understanding is crucial to higher level concepts like identifying abnormal cardiac conduction and treating them appropriately.
​
My Heart Beat project is detailed in my blog post here. You can play my Scratch - Heart Beat game on your keyboard by following this link.
