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A Showcase of My Work
The Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program at Michigan State University has allowed me to learn new and exciting ways of teaching and learning. I have pushed myself to create work that goes beyond my comfort zone. It is work that I am passionate about and am excited to present to the Educational Technology community. Below, I have chosen some examples of TEACHING & TECHNOLOGY and LEARNING projects that I have completed throughout this journey. In the Teaching & Technology section, I have included projects that showcase new technologies that I have learned and that I have used or plan to use with my students. In the Learning section, these works are examples of specific teaching and learning concepts that I have learned throughout the program.
TEACHING & TECHNOLOGY
TEACHING & TECHNOLOGY
21st Century
Lesson Plan
Passion,
Curiosity &
Questioning
My second grade students made a school garden! The purpose of this lesson is for my students to research which plants can survive in Michigan’s climate and how to care for these plants. This lesson is geared for 21st century learning. In the new culture, the classroom as a model is replaced by learning environments in which digital media provides access to a rich source of information and play. When creating this lesson on plants, I wanted to integrate the idea of having the students be in charge of their own learning through digital media. Click here to see the full lesson plan.
I have been exposed to the powerful world of questioning. Society has taught us to limit our questions and go with the flow, but through reading Warren Berger’s book, A More Beautiful Question (2016), I have learned that the most innovative ideas are created through passion, curiosity and questioning. This idea has lead me to my own beautiful question: How can I inspire passion, curiosity and questioning in my own classroom, and how can technology play a role in this? I have created a Thinglink to showcase passion, curiosity and questioning in my classroom. Click here to see the full project.
Image from https://kidsingardens.com/tag/compost/
Maker
Education
I took on the challenge of learning, exploring, and creating an infographic. I used a program called Easel.ly to showcase what maker education entails. Maker education has transformed my idea of teaching. I have learned that being a maker does not mean that you need fancy tools and technology; all you need is a problem, creativity, people to collaborate with and a growth mindset. I want to instill in my students that everyone is a maker so that they have the confidence to learn, explore, create and share their ideas with others. Here, I share my infographic that sums up the road to success in maker education. Click here to see the full project.
Squishy
Circuits
I used a maker’s kit and a thrifted item to create something I could use in my classroom. In Rethinking Technology and Creativity in the 21st Century: Crayons are the Future, Punya Mishra and the Deep-Play Research Group argue that educators must “bring together Technology, Pedagogy and Content in an original, innovative manner” (2012). In this project, I did just that. Check out the math game I made for my 2nd grade students called Time to Make Cupcakes in the video below using Squishy Circuits and some items I already had in my house! Click here to see the full project.
Redesigning
My
Classroom
I took a deeper look at the design of my classroom and virtually (re)designed it to make 21st century learning possible. The goal was to create a classroom that offered students spaces that fit their learning needs, whether that be working in a team or individually, creating a space to write and express their thinking, or sitting in a comfortable space. In The Third Teacher’s 79 Ways You Can Use Design to Transform Teaching and Learning (2010), they say to let students make choices about their learning to bring out their individual strengths; therefore, letting them choose physically how they learn best will help them succeed. Click here to see the full project.
We Are
All Makers
As an educator, I’m making things all the time. I combine parts of lessons to create new ones. I find household tools and objects to use in a science experiment. I AM a maker. This realization has inspired me to become aware that my students are makers as well. In the classroom, my students are always creating projects out of classroom materials that I would have never thought of or making up dances at recess by combining popular moves that they already know. With this mindset, the possibilities are endless. We are all makers. I have made a video by remixing Creative Commons licensed videos to help others understand this as well. Click here to see the full project.
LEARNING
Personalized
Learning
A classmate and I dove deep into the process of questioning to understand the wicked problem of personalized learning. The first step was to ask why, followed by research of articles and educational websites to understand the problem. Here is an infographic to summarize the information found. I then came up with what if solutions to the problem and created a survey for teaching colleagues to get their feedback on the proposed solution. In the final step, I asked myself how to implement the solution and created a Prezi to showcase the solution as well as the entire experience. Click here to see the full project.
Learning,
Understanding
& Conceptual
Change
I wrote a short essay that examines the foundational ideas of learning, understanding and conceptual change. The ideas of this essay are a reflection of the reading How People Learn by Bransford, Brown & Cocking’s (2000). In this essay, I capture the differences of a novice and expert learner and how this affects their depth of understanding in new experiences. I reflect on teaching methods that facilitate a high level of learning, including building background knowledge, cultural awareness and motivation. Click here to see the full essay.
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