On this page you will find the courses I took while in the Master of Arts in Educational Technology program at Michigan State University. Each course is accompanied by a brief description and synopsis of the course . This journey through graduate school has helped shaped me into the educator that I am today.
Fall 2012
TE 802 - Reflection and Inquiry in Teaching Practice I Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Knight I took this course during the fall semester of my yearlong teaching internship through Michigan State University (MSU). This course focused on literacy instruction within the elementary classroom. The focus was on explicit comprehension strategies. The main project in this course was to create and implement a ten-day literacy unit to teach to the first grade students within my internship classroom. Informative and formative assessments helped drive my instruction.
This course was taken during the spring semester of my yearlong teaching internship. TE 803 focused on social studies instruction within the elementary classroom in relation to the grade-level Common Core State Standards. Much like TE 802, for 803 I created a ten-day social studies lesson for my first grade class. My focus was on the characteristics that make up a community as well as the role and importance of maps and an introduction to reading maps.
I took TE 804 simultaneously with TE 803 during my teaching internship. The focus for this course was inquiry for science instruction in the elementary classroom. The course taught me how to implement instruction through inquiry within the science curriculum. Thinking critically about our own instruction was a focal point and it really pushed me to look at how I deliver instruction within the classroom. In this course I created a ten-day unit focusing on the differences in the features of the day and night sky and apparent movement of objects across the sky as observed from Earth. I implemented this unit in relation to the grade-level Common Core standards.
This is the first course in the Master of Arts in Educational Technology program and builds a foundation on essential topics. Some of these topics focused on theories of learning and understanding, essential mindsets for teaching with technologies, professional learning networks, and the technology integration framework of Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK). This theory highlights the importance of not just using technology as a tool alone, however it should be used alongside the instructor's pedagogical and content knowledge. This course also allowed me to look at my own Professional Learning Network (PLN) and see where my supports come from as well as what I can do to grow this network for the betterment of my professional career.
In this course I realized that most technologies are not created for education inside the classroom. The course forced me to look at everyday technologies and remix them and repurpose them into useful technologies for the classroom. This course dug deeper into the TPACK theory while also introducing me to the maker culture and the maker movement in education by repurposing the world around us. I experimented with iMovie, creating infographics through piktochart.com, MakeyMakey maker kit, and SketchUp. These learning experiences allowed me to see the importance of allowing my own students the time to play and learn through authenticity.
This course focused on a wide range of technologies to address several teaching and education-related problems. I worked with a group of colleagues to examine a wicked problem in the education world. The problem is labeled wicked because there are not any easy solutions and sometimes the solutions often create more/other problems. As a group we asked a lot of questions in hopes of finding solutions to this wicked problem, we conducted surveys, research and compiled our findings on an online website. This learning experience allowed me to think deeply on the issues that effect education today.
This course focused on how people learn. This course allowed me to look into learning theories such as chunking, scaffolding, and the psychology of learning perspectives such as what learning is and how it takes place? Throughout the course I was constantly editing and revising my Personal Theory of Learning paper, this was my final project for the course. This paper allowed me to look at how I deliver instruction in my classroom and what I need to change to reach all learners. This course had a great impact on how I teach and made me more cognizant of the way I present content to my students.
This course dealt primarily with research and the understanding of how research can aide the way I teach. I wrote a grant proposal research paper that focused on iPad use in the classroom for achievement and engagement. This researcher "lens" was a great way for me to grow as a professional and personally. From this course I gained the skills necessary to evaluate research articles and to conduct research projects. I was also introduced to assumptions and techniques used in both quantitative and qualitative research in the context of education-related examples.
In this course I explored different Leaning Management Systems (LMS) and considered the benefits and limitations to online learning. I created an online course to address an authentic audience and topic using Weebly, a website builder. I made important pedagogical and design decisions to engage my students throughout this online course and make materials and communication/feedback accessible and meaningful. I used the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Teachers and the course readings to guide my work.
CEP 807 - Capstone Seminar Instructors: Dr. Matthew Koehler, Brittany Dillman, Spencer Greenhalgh, and Sarah Keenan-Lechel
CEP 807 was my capstone course and the last class I took during my time in the Master of Arts in Educational Technology program at Michigan State University. This course encouraged me to look back and reflect on the time I spent on this journey as a learner in the MAET program. I created an online portfolio for my final program requirement. I created pages in my portfolio to show my resume, course descriptions as well as a showcase of assignments completed throughout the program. Looking back allowed me to focus on growth I have made. The course also helped me to create goals so that I could look forward toward my future in the education field.