Capstone

Looking Back and Connecting the Dots

August 2023 is when I began my journey in the Master’s in Educational Technology at Michigan State University. From where I started to where I am at now, I can confidently say that I have a vast amount of knowledge on how to enhance technology throughout my future as a teacher. Going into this program, I felt that it was not going to be useful for me and I was going to go in and get it done. In the long run, I am blessed to have had this opportunity to complete this program because I am well versed in many resources that I never knew existed. 

In the start of this program, I had a very closed off relationship with the idea of technology use in the class. I grew up during a time where technology was just starting to get popular, so I was not surrounded by it much when I was in school. As time went on, it became more popular. The times have changed so much and technology is taking over our world. The idea of being surrounded by technology made me nervous, but now that I know different ways to explore technology and how to use it in a proper manner, it has been useful. Going through this program opened my mind to the idea of technology in a positive way, rather than thinking of it in a negative way. It helped me broaden my horizons and think of technology as an asset rather than a push back. Since this program helped me look at technology in a different way, it has helped me have technology on my side in the classroom. 

I never thought I would be a teacher that incorporates technology into every day use, but now, I use it in a way that helps my students. This program taught me to ask myself three questions before integrating technology into my room. The first question is: will my students enjoy using this? Since becoming more versatile with technology, I am able to grasp whether or not my students will be able to enjoy new integrations in the room. If I use the technology for a week or two and still do not enjoy the use of it, I know my students will feel the same way. There is no reason for me to push certain technologies onto my students when I know that they are going to dislike it. I would rather find different resources to enhance their learning in place of that technology. The next question is: is it going to benefit my students? There is not a lot of time in the school day and I hate when time is wasted. If the technology is not going to enhance specific topics that my students are struggling with, then what is the point of taking the time to use that technology? I need the technology to be able to differentiate for each of my students so that it can help my students meet them where they are at. The last question I ask is: is it user friendly? I want the technology that I have in my classroom to allow students to use it without getting frustrated. If my students go onto their devices and do not understand how to use a program, then it is taking away from our time to figure out how to use it. If it is too difficult, the students will be lost and never be motivated to use the certain technology. Overall, being in this program made me think about how to be in touch with technology, thus making me a better teacher for my students. 

I was able to come around with these different mindsets from the courses I was taking during my masters program. The first course that made me start to think was the first course that I took in this program: TE 801 Professional Roles and Teaching Practices 1. This course started during the beginning of my student teaching. I was a nervous wreck when I began this chapter in my life. I walked into this course and had no idea what to expect. This course made me learn how to teach mathematics in a way that promoted technology and used inclusive techniques to make sure every student was getting the instruction that they needed. It was completely different from the way that I was taught math growing up and equipped me with the skills that I needed to be a successful teacher in mathematics. I specifically remember that there was a lesson that I did when teaching my students to have a number sense with fractions. I had amazing slides to go with my lesson that had visuals and many manipulatives to help my students understand what fractions look like. This set them up for success when we continued diving deeper into fractions. Overall, after completing this course, I knew that I was in the correct masters program and this is when my mind started to begin to dive deeper into the understanding of how to enhance my technology use in the classroom. 

The next course that had an impact on me was: CEP 810 Teaching Understanding with Technology. This is the course that really pushed me into having a better understanding of how useful technology can be in the classroom. I learned about Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework and why it was so important to integrate in my classroom. This helped me think of technology in a positive way. I was also able to explore specific technologies that I never knew existed. One of my favorite resources that I learned how to use was Magic School AI. During this course, I had the opportunity to dive deeper into a specific program and I chose Magic School. I took professional development on this website while I was student teaching and then brought what I learned into this course. I was able to learn how to make resources that helped me differentiate learning in a simple way. On top of that, it learned how to input standards that students were struggling with and make different games to do in small group settings to boost students' knowledge in different topics. For example, one resource I made helped me differentiate different text levels that students had to read to write their research reports. Thus, all of my students at all different levels had similar texts, but they were all at the level that the student was reading at. This ensured that every student was able to write their research essay. On top of learning how to get in touch with technology, my professor for this course shaped me into the student that I am today. By the time I got into her course, I was drained from all the courses I took, working three jobs and finishing up student teaching. She was one of the first professors who took time to meet with me to ensure that I was putting in as much effort as I could. She would help me through little and big mistakes and have a smile the entire time. She was an extremely powerful professor to have and inspired me to always have a smile on my face. She knew that I had more to give to this program and invested her time into me. It set me up for success with the rest of the courses that I took throughout this masters program. This course revolutionized the way that I viewed technology and helped me open up to the idea of how positive and powerful technology could be for me as a teacher. It inspired me to make sure I get everything that I possibly can out of this program. 

One of the last courses that was powerful for me was: CEP 820 Teaching and Learning Online. This course helps me in my classroom everyday. Since COVID, schools have modernized technology in the classroom and there are still many aspects that are used to help organize a classroom. This course introduced me to the ability to have an organized classroom in person and online to make my life and my students' lives easier. It helped me understand how important it is to have accessibility and a proper instructional design for my online aspects of my classroom. During this course, I had the opportunity to design a virtual classroom. There were many different concepts that had to be available to my virtual students. I never realized how important it is to have a well rounded, organized classroom and how much time and effort you have to put into it to make it exactly how I would want it. I took things like this for granted because all of my professors in this program had extremely organized online settings. I never realized that it takes time to have an accessible website. After being able to make my own google classroom, this helped me with many future endeavors in the classroom, interviewing, and in this program. To start, it taught me that it takes time to learn how to use a new platform. When I began interviewing for teaching jobs, I wanted to make an online portfolio and since I was more versed in google classrooms, this helped me be successful in making a portfolio. Next, when I got my teaching job, I was informed that teachers in my district use Schoology. This is an online platform that is very similar to Google Classrooms. Thus, it made it easier for me to input assignments and lessons on the platform for students when they were out of the classroom for certain instruction. Last, it helped me when making my online portfolio for my Capstone course. If I did not have this course and the ability to take time to learn how to use certain technologies, I would have been further behind throughout these last couple of years. 

All in all, this program is something I will never take for granted. It has made me a more knowledgeable, open-minded teacher. I would have never been able to integrate so many great ideas and resources into my classroom if I did not have this opportunity. I will always look back at my resources to remind myself of how to better myself by integrating new ideas and technological resources. At the start of my teaching career, I was against using a lot of technology in the classroom, but now I know how to correctly integrate technology to better my classroom and help assist my students in the future. It has helped me differentiate for my students and be more inclusive. I now understand how to make technology accessible and beneficial for my kids. I am able to bring so much to the table with my team as a teacher because of my background in technology. I have been able to help other teachers use technology in an informative way and it helps me stand out as a teacher. This program will always make me want to continue to learn about different ways to benefit my students and continue to keep up with the new technology that will be integrated into our districts. I will always be grateful for this opportunity. 

Go Green forever!

A Glimpse at My Goals

When I applied to the Master's program in Educational Technology, I was still a senior in college. I was excited about my next steps in life, but I wasn't sure what my future would look like. I have always been a very goal-oriented individual, so the uncertainty at this point in my life scared me. One thing I knew was that I wanted to continue my education so that I could become the best teacher that I could be. Therefore, the first step of this mindset was to apply. 

Going into this program, I knew that it was a good fit because it would help me become more educated with technology. The world is becoming more involved with technology by the second, so a goal I had was to learn how to adjust for the benefit of my students. AI has been taking over, and I wanted to learn how to use this type of technology in a positive way, rather than having a negative attachment with it. After taking courses, I have realized the benefits of technology in the classroom, and I have become more creative with the ways I am able to integrate it. 

Once I got accepted into the program, it was time to set some goals. I knew I would be balancing coursework alongside my student teaching. On top of these major commitments, I was also teaching catechism, tutoring a fourth-grade student, and caring for an autistic man. I understood that excelling as a student under these circumstances would be demanding, but I was determined to rise to the challenge. Thus, my first goal when entering this program was to stay organized with my coursework. Usually, I am a very organized student, but with all of my other obligations, I knew it was going to take more time and effort to stay on top of my organization for my courses. Throughout my courses, I have managed to save all of my work in a specific folder, keep an organized Google Drive, and keep all of my handwritten notes in color-coded folders. Looking back on my goal, I am thankful that I pushed myself to keep everything together. In this capstone course, I am going to be doing a lot of reflecting, and having all of my coursework organized was extremely beneficial for this course. 

As I began thinking of additional goals to help keep me on track, I knew I wanted to consistently give my best effort. My second goal, therefore, was to stay fully committed to my coursework and to put in 100% of what I knew I was capable of achieving. I knew that this was going to be a challenging goal because of how busy I was, but if I did not put in a good work effort, I would have been wasting my time and money. That is why I constantly made sure to review feedback, contact professors when I needed support, and analyze all of my course materials. Sticking with this goal helped me in two ways. The first way was that one of my professors was very thorough when giving feedback, and she helped me be more thorough when revising my coursework. Next, it was beneficial to have this goal because everything I have learned in these courses has gone to great use in my current fifth-grade classroom. I am extremely thankful that I have additional recourse to pull from for my students.

Overall, I am thankful I set goals at the beginning of my courses. If I did not have my organization and work ethic, I do not think I would be finishing my capstone course with as much confidence. Who knew that if I could have a glimpse into my future when I was setting goals, I would be thankful for being disciplined!

Future Goals for Myself

As an educator, I always have new goals and continually strive to improve myself.  It helps me become my best self and ensures that my students receive the best education I can offer. As a first-year teacher, I have many new things that I need to improve.  This year has been filled with ups and downs and a lot of trial and error. After my first year, I feel that I have learned just as much as my students have learned, if not more. I want to continually have to strive to be the best version of myself, and a huge part of me is being an educator. Therefore, the three goals I have for myself when looking into the future are to give myself some grace, always strive to continue learning, and continue to build deep and meaningful connections. 

GIVING GRACE

Growing up, I always put a lot of pressure on myself. I put a lot of pressure to make sure I had outstanding grades, did the best I could in athletics, and worked to my full potential at part-time jobs. I strived off the satisfaction of knowing that I gave everything 150% every time I did something. As I got older, I continued to be like this in college. When my classes got more difficult and it was harder for me to achieve perfection, I began to beat myself up over lower grades. This was the first time in my life when I had encountered tasks where I was unable to receive a perfect outcome for the amount of effort I was putting in. Once I graduated from college, I began student teaching. This was my first time in a classroom, full-time. This was a whole new ballpark for me to ensure that I could succeed because teaching is something that I have loved since I was young. Once I got into my part where I was able to take over the classroom, I was constantly getting critiqued by my mentor teacher and my advisor. It was hard for me to take the constructive criticism and learn from it, but as the year went on, my mindset started to switch, and I wanted as much redirection because I realized it would make me a better teacher once I was on my own. My first year teaching was a huge adjustment, and I put in countless hours at the beginning of the year to make sure that I was following the curriculum to the best of my ability. One day, my mentor teacher sat me down and told me that I was doing amazing for this being my first year, but I need to learn to give myself more grace. After talking with her, I learned later in the year that nothing is ever going to go exactly according to my lesson plans that I have, and that is okay. With the new school year starting in August, I want to always remember what my mentor teacher said and continually try to give myself more grace. To achieve this, I need to continually remind myself, to take a step back and look at the bigger picture and research how to help myself in this aspect. 

CONTINUE LEARNING

I  loved learning for as long as I can remember. I love gaining knowledge on new things and using it to better myself in the future. It is such a privilege that I have been able to educate myself through (almost) an entire Master's program. Knowledge is extremely powerful, and not everyone has equal access to gaining it. Therefore, I want to always strive to learn as much as I can throughout educational programs and as a teacher. This will help me grow as a person and as an educator. Thankfully, in my role as a teacher, you are constantly forced to learn new things. There are many new curricula, assessments, and goals that we strive to meet. I never want to get tired of learning something new, and I always want to be excited to learn as much as I can! To achieve this, I will always continue to take classes, whether it is professional learning or more courses through different universities. One specific thing I would like to continue to learn about is how to integrate AI into my classroom planning. Going through my Master's program, it was encouraged to learn more about AI and use it to your benefit. I would love to be able to use this in my classroom to help individulize assignments so that I can continue to meet students with where they are at, and help them grow. 

BUILDING CONNECTIONS

Lastly, I want to always build strong, meaningful connections with peers, friendships, and students. This year, I had thirty students in my classroom, and it was very difficult to balance learning something new about each student. Then, I decided to look at my relationships with my friends and compare them to what I have with my students. My friends and I all had very similar things in common and things that we enjoyed. Thus, I decided to see if I could find different ways that I could relate to my students. Some things would be small things, such as we both loved dogs, other times it was bigger things, like we both visited Higgins Lake. Once I found out more connections between all of my students and me, I decided that I wanted to continue to build on our foundation and make sure that I had effective and meaningful Social-Emotional activities planned throughout my day. One of my favorite resources I found was The First Five. After finding this resource, I still have not explored it fully and intend to do that with my time off in the summer. Also, I hope to find more resources to use in the following years to learn more about my students and build a better connection with everyone.