MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY COURSEWORK
Acronyms for class codes:
CEP: Counseling, Educational Psychology, & Special Education
TE: Teacher Education
FALL 2015
TE 801
Professional Roles and Teaching Practice I
Instructor: Don Mcclure
This was one of my first courses I took concurrently during my Internship year. In this course, I studied the classroom as a community and how I could be intentional about how I interact with the students in my classroom. I accomplished this through learning about the development of individuals and culturally diverse communities, studying how to create an inclusive classroom environment, and developing strategies to analyze and solve problems of practice. To demonstrate what I had learned, I completed a case study. In this case study, I identified a group of students that I wanted to study because their behavior was disrupting the classroom in some way. I then analyzed the situation, came up with a solution, implemented the solution, and reflected on how the whole experience went.
FALL 2015
TE 802
Reflection and Inquiry in Teaching Practices I
Instructors: Dr. Amelia Gotwals and Dr. David Stroupe
This course was my first methods course during my Internship year. The focus was to continue to learn strategies to effectively implement the Ambitious Science Teaching framework into my own practice during student teaching. Another focus of this course was to start building a portfolio so that I could effectively convey my teaching philosophy when searching for a job after completing my internship. I was able to create an Ambitious Science Teaching portfolio that showcased a Unit plan that I created and taught, an analysis of the student work that I gathered, and a reflection piece on the process starting with planning the unit all the way to assessing how the unit was implemented.
SPRING 2016
TE 804
Reflection and Inquiry in Teaching Practices II
Instructors: Dr. Amelia Gotwals and Dr. David Stroupe
In the second methods course of my Internship, I continued my study of implementing Ambitious Science Teaching (AST) in my student teaching classroom. This course was focused on identifying an issue I was having in implementing AST and coming up with a plan to solve that problem, much like I would need to do when I have my own classroom. I worked with a group who had a similar problem of practice and we engaged in an Action Research project. We researched literature, came up with a solution to our problem, and carried out the plan in our respective classrooms. We then collaborated and wrote an evidence-based research paper with the intent to get it published.
SUMMER 2019
CEP 800
Learning in School and Other Settings
Instructors: Missy Cosby and Dave Goodrich
During this course, my assumptions of where learning takes places was challenged. I was asked to think about why our classrooms look the way they do and to expand my mind to see that learning takes place in more than just a formal classroom. To do this, my instructors took us to a variety of unique learning spaces including maker spaces, virtual reality labs, and the Detroit Zoo. In addition, I dove deep into studying the learning theories of constructivism, connectivism, behaviorism, and cognitivism. I was able to reflect on my own teaching philosophy and decide which of the learning theories I employ.
SUMMER 2019
CEP 815
Technology and Leadership
Instructors: Missy Cosby and Dave Goodrich
This course allowed me to gain the confidence I needed to become a true teacher-leader. I discovered Brene Brown’s work and found a passion for vulnerability and shame research. I was able to connect her work back to educators and how we can implement her ideas as leaders in education. To further my leadership skills and put what I learned into practice, I got the opportunity to mentor a first year MAET student on how she could effectively integrate technology into her classroom. This taught me how to give effective feedback to a colleague through the Describe, Evaluate, Suggest framework. Throughout the entirety of the class, I was constantly asked to present, lead, and push the boundaries of my leadership skills so that I could expand them.
SUMMER 2019
CEP 822
Approaches to Educational Research
Instructors: Missy Cosby and Dave Goodrich
During this course, I learned about the phrase “research-based” and that you cannot always trust this term when it comes to new classroom technology or curriculum. It is important to question these claims and to do your own research into products before you start using them in your school and classroom. I studied effective research strategies and put those into practice by writing an Annotated Bibliography. For this paper, I started researching student perception in online learning and ended up also researching about building online communities and how both can be connected to shame research. I then presented my findings to my colleagues and various faculty from the College of Education.
FALL 2019
CEP 813
Electronic Assessment
Instructors: William Bork and Bret Staudt Willet
The focus of this course was on assessment in the electronic space. Throughout the course, I learned about the characteristics of effective formative assessment design. I also studied the role that Learning Management Systems (LMS) play in how you can assess students. Most interestingly, I was introduced into the world of game based assessment. I was able to design and build assessments in an LMS of my choice and a game based assessment in Twine. After 3 iterations and extensive research, I created a Formative Design Checklist that will help me build useful formative assessments for my students.
FALL 2019
CEP 820
Teaching Students Online
Instructors: Dr. Anne Heintz and Marissa Zhu
During this course, I explored the different facets that encompass online learning. We examined the pedagogy behind online learning and the affordances and constraints of different Learning Management Systems (LMS). After learning some of the basics, I started planning my own mini 3 module course in the LMS of my choice. As we were building our courses, we learned more about how to effectively communicate in the online setting, assess students, and the impact Universal Design for Learning can have on designing your course. I was able to make critical pedagogical decisions and incorporate online learning best practices in the mini course that I built because of what I learned in this course.
SPRING 2020
CEP 817
Learning Technology through Design
Instructors: William Bork and Bret Staudt Willet
This course’s focus was on how to solve a problem of practice by utilizing design thinking. I studied each of the 6 steps of Stanford’s Design School design thinking model and applied this to my own problem of practice. I first reached out to empathize with my students to gain their perspective on the problem of practice. Based on the data I collected, I redefined my problem of practice. Once the problem of practice was set, I brainstormed solutions, built a prototype of my solution, and tested the prototype. I then synthesized my learning by creating a final report that helped me reflect and articulate what I learned from the process.
SPRING 2020
CEP 807
Capstone Seminar
Instructors: Dr. Matthew Koehler and Aric Gaunt
In the final course of my degree program, I was tasked with creating an online portfolio. This portfolio not only showcased my work and experiences in the MAET program, but allowed me to personalize the portfolio to show who I am as an educator. Throughout the process of building my portfolio, I was able to give and receive feedback from my colleagues through Flipgrid that increased the quality of my work immensely. While creating the portfolio, I was able to reflect on my experiences and synthesize all that I have learned throughout this program. I was able to produce a product that I am proud to share that encapsulates all of the hard work I have put into obtaining my degree.