Teaching and Learning
As a teacher, I have a unique responsibility to my students to provide them with the best education possible. In order to do that, I need to be a lifelong learner to provide that education. Always striving to learn something new helps me to become a better teacher. I feel the classes listed under this theme match up well with how I can reach students and provide them with a great learning experience in school.
Program Goals met in this theme:
- Leaders in educational technology
- Current in teaching and learning processes and practices
- Knowledgeable of emerging technologies
- Knowledgeable of current, technology-based educational tools and products
Program Objectives met in this theme:
- Understand the capabilities of the computer, its impact on education, business, industry and government; and will be able to adapt to, understand, evaluate, and make use of new and emerging innovations in computer and information technology
- Be proficient in the use and application of computer software
- Be aware of current trends and issues in computer education, distance education, electronic communications, computer hardware and software
- Use telecommunications-based tools to integrate information into the classroom and the curriculum
- Manage instructional, computer technology systems
- Apply learning theory and the principles of instructional design in curricular and instructional decision-making
- Integrate computer software, authoring tools, programming languages, the Internet, and multimedia into curriculum design and instruction
- Demonstrate proficiency using computers and related technologies in instruction
- Demonstrate proficiency in teaching and assessing others in the use of computers and related technologies in a variety of educational settings
Courses
CSC 692 Special Topics: Implementing Cybersecurity in K12 (GenCyber Camp)
Course Description: The implementation of computer science and cyber security is an important topic in middle and high schools. Through this course, participants will be introduced to security first principles, python programming, cyber security, networking concepts, Raspberry Pi computers, Sphero, CodeBug and Arduino kits. Teachers will develop lesson plans to implement topics into their classroom as well as help to create a repository of lessons.
Reflection: The GenCyber camp was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot at this camp. The focus of the camp was to work with teachers to implement cyber security ideas into their teaching. I really learned a lot about the need to introduce our students to computer science and security, what goes into cyber security and securing our digital lives, and the importance it plays in our world today.
My artifacts are the three lesson plans I developed during the GenCyber camp. They would work well in tying cyber security principles with Geography and Current Events classes. I am planning on using at least two of these lessons when I teach Geography this coming school year.
Course Artifacts:
CET 692 Special Topics: Inclusive STEM Instruction
Course Description: This course will emphasize methods associated with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for teachers of grades K-8, with special emphasis on creating inclusive environments for students with special needs.
Reflection: I’m not much of a science guy to begin with, but this class really introduced me to STEM concepts and helped me become more comfortable with teaching science if I ever need to in the future. A lot of the apps and websites used in this class would work well in other classes as well. My artifacts are a Popplet, which is a mind mapping visual organizer, and an infographic using Piktochart.
Course Artifacts:
- Infographic – Cookie Cutter Showdown
LT 716 Systematic Design of Instruction
Course Description: Students will learn concepts and tools for applying systems theory to instructional design, including needs, instructional, learner, and context analyses, objectives, assessment, strategy, development, and evaluation. Addresses client learning needs in various organizational settings: business, industry, government, health care, education, and not-for-profit.
Reflection: This course introduced me to the instructional design process. I learned how to identify needs, the how and why of designing a product to meet those needs, how to deliver the product, and then evaluate and determine the effectiveness of the product created. Instructional design is applicable to so many different areas in this world, even educational technology. My artifact was the development of a Google Classroom training for my faculty, which they found to be quite helpful. This class has given me the framework I need to develop future technology training for workshops, in-services, and other opportunities that may arise.
Course Artifacts:
LT 712 Instructional Technology for Active Learning
Course Description: This course will review theories of learning as they relate to on-line and technology supported learning. Principal theories of learning with a foundation in instructional design, such as behavioral learning, cognitive information processing theory, and constructivist learning, will focus class activities and discussion. Also studied are the factors affecting human learning, including implications of the design and management of instruction.
Reflection: This class really got me to consider and evaluate how I was teaching in my classroom. The main point stressed in the textbook is known as “partnering”, which really puts the onus on students to become active learners in the classroom. Roles in the classroom change quite a bit from the traditional classroom, which I found quite interesting and intriguing. A key point that I pulled from this class and use within my artifacts is the idea that learning is different today. The way people learn and access education has changed and teachers need to adjust accordingly to meet the needs of everyone. Technology is a fact of life today and needs to be treated and used that way in the classroom.
Course Artifacts:
- Individual Response Paper #3
LT 741 Introduction to Distance Education
Course Description: This course is an analysis of the history, philosophy, design, and evolution of distance learning systems. Distance learning is a worldwide concept and course uses examples from many countries to emphasize institutional, program and course design methods and approaches. The course assumes a system perspective in the analysis of distance education and the distance learner. The carious components of distance learning systems are introduced and overviewed including a) course development and design; b) course production; c) course delivery; d) learner support; e) evaluation of courses and the methods of cybernetic control of both student performance and instructional effectiveness; and f) research and evaluation of distance learning systems.
Reflection: This course introduced me to distance education and really opened my eyes to what is all needed to conduct a distance education class. Conducting a distance course effectively can take a lot of extra time and effort. I also realized that being a good, quality distance education teacher is quite similar to being a good, quality classroom teacher. My research paper for this class discusses this topic. The skills I learned from this class will help me in my classroom teaching now and in the future as teaching becomes even more digital.
Course Artifacts: