Graduate Work Showcase Gallery
The showcase below is a glimpse of some of the exciting work I have completed while working on my Master of Arts in Educational Technology at Michigan State University. They are sorted into three themes: Lessons with Tech, Growing as an Educator and Creativity in the Classroom. These themes matter to me because they each allow me to enrich my teaching. The lessons with tech taught me how to effectively integrate technology to enhance student learning. Growing as an educator opened my eyes to many professional development and reminds me that no matter how long I have been teaching, there are learning opportunities to improve myself and my practice. Completing projects and learning opportunities using creativity was something I did not expect in my master's program. I have learned that there are so many ways to learn or demonstrate your learning using creativity, something I would like to do more in my classroom throughout my career.
lESSONS WITH TECH
|
Rethink and Repurpose
In this video, I had to repurpose kitchen tools to demonstrate the TPACK (Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge) framework. TPACK is all about integrating technology with what you are teaching and how you are teaching it. This learning has caused me to change my lesson planning. As a result, I spend more time thinking about how the technology I would like to integrate fits with the content and pedagogical components of the lesson. |
|
Using Technology to Assess Students
I had no idea that I would be able to incorporate gaming into assessments. In the video, I show how students can be assessed using Minecraft. This was something that really took me out of my comfort zone but could provide students with more engaging assessments. As a result, I have turned away from solely using paper and pencil tests and allowing my students to demonstrate their learning differently. |
|
Enhancing Student Learning Using Technology
My Dream Project allowed me to redesign a unit for my students that incorporates technology in the best ways. This video gives a tour of my created unit. I used this in my classroom shortly after creating it and it was awesome to see it come to life for my students! I realized that new media is something to be embraced but make sure to have students' best interests in mind. Many new media options look great, but may be overloading students or not providing them with what they need. I have learned to have more discernment when choosing new media for student use. Click here to learn more. |
gROWING AS AN EDUCATOR
|
Exploring Learning Management Systems
I used Google Classroom to create my own online course. This process allowed me to focus on how students learn online and how to create a course to meet these needs. I learned that online classes must include very detailed information to provide understanding. I feel very comfortable with my course creating skills now and plan to teach an online class in the future. The video is a tour of my class. |
cREATIVITY IN THE CLASSROOM
|
Caine's Arcade
This video chronicles how I have incorporated creativity in my classroom and was my first time formally editing video, a new technical skill for me. Learning the skill of video editing has allowed me to pass on this skill to my students. My students will now have another option when expressing themselves or their learning within the classroom. |
Skills Needed
This wordle includes all of the skills teachers believe students need to thrive in the 21st-century based on a survey I conducted. Members of my Personal Learning Network and colleagues from school participated in the survey. The survey revealed that creative skills were highly-sought after. These findings have encouraged me to allow students to be creative in the classroom by giving them regular opportunities to do so. |
Classroom Redesign
I had the opportunity to design a 21st-century classroom with Sketch-Up, a 3-D design software. My design included collaborative workspaces with natural light; both have been found to be beneficial for students. I have applied this design to my actual 4th grade classroom. I now have a flexible seating classroom that allows student choice and can be moved to fit the needs of the activity. |
Use of Creativity in the Classroom
This lesson I created examines using creativity in the classroom. This skill was found to be most important for students in the 21st-century. The tes blendspace lesson is a great resource for teachers to learn more about incorporating this skill in the classroom. As a result, I have looked for different ways to assess students that incorporate student creativity. |
Learning from Experience
This video shares how I feel about learning using photos. Learning should be experiential! Projects created by my students and myself are included to demonstrate this important belief. My teaching has changed as a result of this belief. I have moved away from "sit and get" lessons to having students jump into an activity right away. |
|