Design and Technology

For the past four years I have taken what I have learned and applied it to my job as an instructional technology coach. I have learned that it is not the device that makes a classroom have technology integration but the design of the lesson that utilizes technology in a meaningful way. Showing teachers how to redefine their lessons with technology will always be a passion of mine.

Game Design

Typing Bird IDD, M. Donohoe

I have always been interested in designing my own instructional software some day. Having the ability to be create a product that could change a student's perspective on something that is challenging will always be a goal for me in my educational career. During one of my graduate classes, I was given the opportunity to design a game from scratch over any subject that I wanted. My first instinct was to go with something that I had observed as a struggle with my elementary students, which is typing. I posted in our first design discussion about a game modeled after one of the biggest games in the world- Fortnight(c). Through the feedback from my peers and thinking about how I could accomplish creating a huge game world, I decided to go with a game more simple in nature.

My idea was to take an already popular mobile game, Flappy Bird(c), and modify it to match an interactive typing game. My game design document introduced my game and gave the reader details of what the students were going to do. It was difficult to explain what I could see so clearly in my head! During the creation process I found that once I made a decision on one specific area, it had a domino effect on every other decision. My instructional design document focused more on the specific technical logistics of my project. I found that designing instructional software is a lengthy and complicated process. It cannot be done with just one person alone and there are many, many hoops to jump through to see the final product. Once I felt that the technical and game design elements were in place, I presented my game to a playtesting cohort of family and co-workers. The feedback I received from this playtesting experiment helped immensely. I found myself so focused on the technical and game-play aspects that I completely forgot about student security.

Google Academy

During my time as a instructional technologist, I have became very familiar with various Learning Management Systems (LMS). This is a term that I had heard for a while but had yet to spend any real time in. Google classroom is utilized heavily in my district but it has it's limitations for student and teacher use. During this class I became familiar with Edmodo and was able to design a Google Academy for my teachers. It is my ultimate goal for my teachers to become Google certified on my campus, so I designed a 6 week academy for them to follow. I designed a lesson plan that incorporated various Google components as well as how it relates to the ISTE standards. Additionally I also made a calendar with specific dates for my teachers.

This was the first time that I designed a 6-week professional development academy. I felt at first that I would get struggle with activities for my teachers to do but the opposite ended up happening. I had to cut some instructional activities in order to teach the pedagogy of why we were learning about Google in the first place. This was when I realized that teaching my staff about the how and why was just as important as teaching them the what.

Design and Innovation

Capstone Project

Working with a group of educators in my graduate program, we came up with the idea of creating a makerspace area in an intermediate school. Our capstone project discussed how we could accomplish a huge idea into an already existing library. Designing a project of this magnitude from the beginning stages until it's completion taught me that when designing a project this large requires a team of educators with similar goals and passions. Without having a team to bounce ideas off of and publish drafts for feedback to, this project would not have been successful.

Innovation Activities

In addition to my capstone project, I also completed various innovation activities during my time in graduate school. My first innovation activity was a case study that looked to answering the question, "What effect does administrative support at the campus and district level have on technology integration?" Through my case study I determined that administrator's attitudes towards technology are one of the most important factors of technology integration. By designing a study that looked at data and used research-based methods to find my answers, I was able to determine a workable theory in support of administrators having positive attitudes for technology integration.

Technology Integration Project

During one of my graduate courses we were given the opportunity to design a technology integration project. I have been very passionate the past couple of years of utilizing a green screen because of the limitless possibilities it provides. My technology integration project incorporates a green screen app for students to learn about weather patterns. Designing this unit of study allowed me to incorporate multiple strategies and theories I have learned through this program. Thinking about how students learn best and what technologies support that created a powerful and meaningful lesson. My multimedia presentation goes into further detail as to why I choose this particular technology.

Design Project

Final Design Project, Maggie Donohoe

During one of my technology and inquiry graduate classes, we were tasked with creating a design project which incorporated inquiry as well as problem-based learning. I designed a project for first graders that asked the question, "How can we reduce plastic waste in the cafeteria?" My design project incorporated many different elements of inquiry and I had to challenge myself to think outside of the box. I learned through this project that it wasn't so important to have a final project or "answer" but rather focus on the inquiry process along the way. Having students learn and make challenging statements throughout the project is oftentimes more important than the final grade. Through this project I am able to leverage my district, first grade team, and campus to make a real difference in our community.

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