Synthesis of Learning

Synthesis of Learning

 

          The Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program has had an immense effect on me, not only as a learner and educator, but also as a person. I started my post-graduate learning experience during my student internship year. The courses I completed were a requirement of the Michigan State University (MSU) Teacher Preparation Program. I was not sure I wanted to continue my education beyond that point. I had devoted 5 challenging years to my undergraduate degree, and I was excited to start my career as a teacher.

 

          After some encouragement from friends, family, and other educators, I decided to utilize my credits and search for a program. That is how I found myself perusing the MAET page. I devoured the page devoted to the program’s overseas cohort, and I was hooked. Four weeks living and studying at the University of Galway, Ireland sounded like a dream come true to me. I signed up for the trip to Galway before I completed my application to the MAET program! From that point on, I had redefined myself as a graduate student.

 

            Since then, I have completed the majority of the required courses for my degree and am slated to graduate in August of 2023. My time as a grad student is winding down, and I am looking back with my rose-colored glasses ready to reflect. Throughout the ten courses I needed to complete for my master’s degree, three stand out to me as the most impactful. These courses include Mindsets for Innovation, Electronic Assessments for Teaching and Learning, and the Capstone Seminar. Each of these classes and their professors have helped shape my mind, challenge my insecurities, and push me to create beyond my comfort zone. 

 

Mindsets for Innovation- Liz Boltz and Chris Sloan

 

          Technically, Mindsets for Innovation is a combination of three required courses in the MAET program. For the overseas experience, professors Liz Boltz and Chris Sloan combined the coursework into one, cohesive course. This learning opportunity had a major impact on me personally as it was my first European excursion. I had to overcome personal fears such as solo-travel and international flight. Having lost my maternal aunt in a trans-continental plane crash, I had an immense fear of flying over the ocean. My passion for learning and my excitement over the program was greater than my fear and I successfully made my way to Galway.

 

          Mindsets for Innovation was the first edtech course I completed for my program. I was equally excited and nervous for this educational opportunity. I was thrilled to be working alongside educators that had similar academic interests as well as a passion for travel but, I was insecure about my technological knowledge and abilities. Growing up in the early 2000's I had had plenty of experience with technology however, I had limited experience with fully immersing my classroom in educational technology. Other than the occasional use of Chromebooks my students rarely worked with digital tech.

 

          Throughout the course the class was engaged with multiple projects at a time. The first independent project was an audio essay expressing thoughts about post-pandemic educational technology and the practices thought important to keep or discard. For the “Wicked Problems” project I worked alongside several classmates to research and produce an educational poster to help spread awareness of a problem we deemed “wicked.” The problem that my classmates and I researched was the increasingly dangerous levels of teacher burnout. Because of burnout, educators are leaving the field in droves. Those who stay are increasingly stressed, exhausted, and feeling apathetic toward their position. As I am an educator that has experienced levels of burnout, this project was very important to me. I learned how Americans can combat teacher burnout and how educators can empower themselves.

 

          Another group project that helped broaden my understanding of educational technology was the edtech research project. Along with two of my classmates I researched how to create a classroom community in a digital age. A classroom community is the idea that all students will feel safe and that they belong in their classroom. Positive classroom communities have an immeasurable effect on students and teachers. This project was very dear to my heart as it connects to my personal pedagogy which is founded on the importance of developing positive relationships with students. The final independent project of the course was developing a lesson using technology. For my project I used a non-digital technology called Plus-Plus Blocks. I aligned my lesson plan with the TPACK framework (the joining of technological knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and content knowledge) to develop a science lesson that incorporates learning and making with Plus-Plus Blocks. This project had the greatest impact on me because I learned that all kinds of non-digital technology is just as impactful as digital technology. This project also allowed me to see the possibilities of technology that I already have in my classroom that can be used to enhance the lessons I have previously planned.

 

          Mindsets for Innovation helped grow confidence as an edtech educator and as a world traveler. The professors, Liz Boltz and Chris Sloan, fostered a desire to learn and create which was so powerful that I wanted to share my passion for making with the world. This course is one of the driving factors of my dream to become an elementary STEM teacher. Through Mindsets for Innovation, I overcame many personal barriers of low self-confidence and a fear of travel. I was able to learn from and make life-long friends with people I met in Galway. This course reignited my passion for learning which helped see me through the rest of the MAET program.

 

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Photo of the Cliffs of Moher by me.

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Electronic Assessments for Teaching and Learning- Brittany Dillman 

 

            I began the course Electronic Assessments for Teaching and Learning in May of 2023. Professor Dillman began the course by having the class reflect on personal beliefs toward assessment. This helped set the tone for future assessment creations. The first blog post I wrote was about my “assessment philosophy.” I believe assessments are a tool to help educators learn about their students’ understanding and using that information to inform their teaching. I use my assessments in class to help me form groups or partners, differentiate work, and communicate with students and their adults. 

 

          The next two blog posts I wrote were about my best and worst assessments I had taken as a student. By reflecting on these assessments, I was able to further refine my beliefs about assessment. This forced me to look inwardly at my practice as an educator and constructively criticize some of the assessments that I had been giving my students. This part of the course helped me to realize some of the error in my assessments and how I utilized them. I began to recognize how I could improve not only the assessments but the way I collect my data and the way I use that data to inform my teaching. 

 

          As the course continued, Professor Dillman provided a multitude of resources for us to explore the origins of assessment and the dysfunction of assessment within the American educational system. I was able to learn how and why assessment came to be and the impact assessments and grades have on students. The MAET program had already enlightened me to the “ungrading system” they use. Although I do not have the ability to implement such a system within my classroom, I am able to adjust the way I provide feedback to my students, making it a more meaningful process. This way, feedback can be given not to quantify my students’ worth, but rather to students to continue their learning process through reviewing and revising.

 

            In the middle of the course, Professor Dillman sent out a survey which prompted students to provide assessments they know, have taken, or have given. She named this collection of information the “Assessment Sandbox.” Throughout the following weeks, students would receive randomized techniques, responses, designs, technologies, and structures to create an entirely unique assessment. I created 12 assessments with the use of the Assessment Sandbox that I can implement in my classroom. Some of these assessments are formative (measuring learning throughout a course or unit) and some are summative (measuring cumulative learning at the end of a course or unit). Some of the assessments can be implemented during whole-group time while others are crafted for a small group of students during rotations or interventions. One of my favorite assessments uses QR codes to create a digital scavenger hunt to assess area. I also created an oral assessment that I could give to my students to help remove any ELA barriers that could negatively affect their math score.

 

            Electronic Assessments for Teaching and Learning had an incredible impact on my beliefs toward assessments and helped strengthen my assessment creating skills. Prior to this course I felt a sense of insecurity and discomfort toward digital assessments. In my class of 8- and 9-year old’s I sometimes found technology to be more trouble than it was worth. I believe that misconception was founded on a lack of experience with and knowledge of assessments. After completing this course and creating a portfolio of digital assessments, I now have more resources to create assessments and have a better grasp on how to implement them in my classroom. I also learned how to best utilize the data I have collected from assessments and broadened my understanding of providing grades and feedback to students.

 

Capstone Seminar- Matthew Koehler

 

            The Capstone Seminar is the culmination of the MAET learning experience. Rather than constructing a thesis, MAET students create a professional website portfolio and finalize it within the Capstone Seminar. I had created a website to serve as my teaching portfolio during my time in the MSU Teacher Preparation Program. When I started the MAET, through Mindsets for Innovation, I expanded my teaching portfolio to become my professional portfolio. I did this by adjusting the webpages I had previously created and incorporating more about my education through MAET.

 

            Throughout the Capstone Seminar, I created webpages for my resume, annotated transcript, several collegiate essays, and a work showcase. These pages utilized my skills as a student of educational technology and will work as a digital and interactive portfolio of my master’s work. Along with these core pages on my website I also created several pieces of “flair” to exhibit my unique interests and skills. The pieces of “flair” that I created include a blog and a resource gallery. I started my blog during the MAET overseas experience and continued posting throughout the summer of 2023. The writing I have posted on my blog are individual assignments from the MAET program. This webpage showcases my both my creative and academic writing skills. The resource gallery shows a variety of digital and non-digital resources that I have explored as a student and educator.

 

            In a way, the Capstone Seminar’s impact on me has only just scratched the surface. The Goal Reflection essay written for this course required me to review my application to the MAET program. This enlightened me to the ways my wants and goals as an educator have changed following my time in MAET. In the Future Goals essay I wrote for this course I divulge my desire to become an elementary STEM teacher. By taking on this new role, I can further explore the far-reaching world of educational technology. The professional portfolio that I created for the Capstone Seminar will help me achieve that goal by demonstrating to administrators the skill sets and knowledge I have gained from my degree. Sharing my personal interests and passions for educational technology through my website portfolio will help me achieve my goal and have a greater impact as an edtech educator.

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