Showcase
This showcase includes eight artifacts I have selected from the portfolio of work I have compiled throughout my time in Michigan State University's Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program. I have selected these eight artifacts because they each demonstrate one of two overarching skills I have developed that contribute significantly to my work as a teacher. The first skill I have chosen to showcase is my ability to use technology effectively for instruction and assessment. The second skill I have chosen to showcase is my ability to use technology for communication and collaboration with other education professionals. By honing these skills, I have improved greatly my work as a teacher and member of the K12 educator community. I feel confident that I can continue this work to hopefully become an educational technology leader at the school and district level. Please read on to hear about the work I have done to enhance my skills in the area of teaching and communicating with technology.
Using Technology Effectively for Instruction and Assessment
Online Course Module Through Haiku Learning
I created a fully-online course module through Haiku Learning, a popular learning management system (i.e., LMS). Before selecting Haiku Learning as the platform for my module, I researched and explored several learning management systems such as Blackboard CourseSites and Wikispaces Classroom. Ultimately, I decided that Haiku Learning was the most user-friendly LMS available. The topic of my module was classical genetics, one of the 13 units that I teach in AP biology. Within the module, I developed three lessons that made use of various digital resources such as discussion boards, group video / chat sessions, and virtual labs. I also developed an extensive set of policy documents to govern this fully-online module including a course communication policy page, an online learning expectations page, and a grading policy page. Overall, this module demonstrates my ability to use a complex learning management system to develop meaningful learning experiences for my students.
Creating an Assessment Using Haiku Learning
I created an assessment for my AP biology students using Haiku Learning, a learning management system. As part of this assessment, students can the Wiki feature of Haiku to create a criminal profile for a cell part (i.e. organelle) found in a plant or animal cell. The creation of the criminal profile assesses students’ ability to describe the connection between an organelle’s structure and its function. The assessment is designed to allow me (the teacher) to provide actionable feedback via Haiku’s rubric feature. To showcase my assessment, I created a screencast that highlights the features of the assessment. Overall, this assessment demonstrates my ability to use learning management systems like Haiku Learning to effectively assess students. It also demonstrates my ability to implement research-based assessment techniques such as providing actionable feedback to students and allowing students the opportunity to revise their work based on this feedback.
Evolution Simulations Lesson Plan
I designed a lesson plan for my AP biology students in which I effectively incorporated two natural selection simulations. The lesson was designed using the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) “5 E” instructional model, which consists of several stages--the Engagement Phase, the Exploration Phase, the Explanation Phase, the Elaboration Phase, and the Evaluation Phase. The first simulation is incorporated into the Exploration Phase and helps students to investigate the basics of evolution. In this simulation, students manipulate one environmental variable to determine the effect on a population of peppered moths. The second simulation is incorporated into the Elaboration Phase and helps students to analyze data from a population of organisms that is evolving in response to several changing variables (e.g., the presence of a predator or mutation). In the lesson plan, I also discussed how my use of the simulations is consistent with the TPACK (Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge) framework of technology integration (Koehler & Mishra, 2009). Essentially, staying consistent with the TPACK framework ensures that my use of the simulation directly supports the content objectives and the pedagogical approaches that are most effective for these content objectives. Overall, this lesson demonstrates my ability to incorporate technology meaningfully into a lesson designed using a research-based instructional model.
Thrifty Maker Lesson
I designed a lesson plan for my freshman biology students in which I used a reactions timer that I created with a Makey Makey circuit kit, metal measuring spoons that I found at a thrift store, and a Scratch timer app. In this lesson, which is designed to be part of a unit that focuses on the human body systems, the students use the timer to compare their reaction times to various types of stimuli (i.e., visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli). After writing the original lesson and developing video tutorials on my blog to show other potential users (i.e., other teachers) how to create/use the reactions timer, I revised the lesson such that it was consistent with experiential learning theory and incorporated Universal Design for Learning (UDL) supports. Overall, this lesson demonstrates my versatility as an educator, as I was able to use seemingly random tools to design a meaningful instructional activity for my students. Additionally, this lesson showcases my understanding and use of both experiential learning theory and UDL.
Using Technology for Communication and Collaboration
Wicked Problem of Practice
Together with a group of my fellow graduate students, I tackled a “wicked problem of practice” facing education today. The wicked problem of practice that we explored was how to allow students to learn through failure. We devised several solutions to this problem, including fostering a growth mindset, facilitating collaborative learning experiences, and revising grade books to reflect mastery. We communicated our vision through a paper written in Google Docs, an infographic, and a video mash-up. We compiled and presented these different products through Blendspace, a digital curation tool. This project demonstrates my ability to think deeply about issues in education and investigate potential solutions. It also demonstrates my ability to collaborate meaningfully with other professionals and effectively use multiple digital tools to communicate information.
Podcast Revealing Student Misconceptions
I created a podcast using Audacity’s audio recording and editing features in which I interviewed students to reveal their misconceptions about evolution and natural selection. In my podcast, I included clips from several interviews and follow-up analyses of each student’s responses. Ultimately, I was able to uncover two major misconceptions--the idea that individual organisms can evolve and the idea that the theory of evolution somehow lacks legitimacy because it is labeled a “theory.” At the end of the podcast, I discussed how I could potentially address these misconceptions in my classroom through increased use of targeted formative assessment. Overall, this podcast demonstrates my ability to effectively use a complicated audio recording and editing program to communicate with an audience of educators and other interested parties. It also demonstrates my ability to analyze and synthesize information from my students to make meaningful changes to my curriculum.
Digital Storytelling Project
I created a video using Windows Movie Maker in which I explored a lesson I designed for my freshman pre-AP biology students that focused on the anatomy and physiology of the human respiratory system. This lesson incorporated instructional techniques that are harmonious with social constructivist learning theory such as collaborative learning and scaffolding. The lesson was designed using the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) “5 E” instructional model, which consists of several stages--the Engagement Phase, the Exploration Phase, the Explanation Phase, the Elaboration Phase, and the Evaluation Phase. In the video, I discussed the activities conducted in each phase and justified the rationale for including these activities in the lesson. At the end of video, I analyzed students’ end-of-lesson assessment responses and determined that prior knowledge affected students’ learning and their ability to assist peers. Overall, this video demonstrates my ability to use Windows Movie Maker to effectively combine and present multiple media (e.g., images, audio clips, video clips) to communicate with an audience of educators and other interested parties. It also demonstrates my ability to incorporate research-based learning theory and instructional design models into my classroom repertoire and use these theories and models to evaluate student learning during and after the lesson.
Infographic about Digital Portfolios
I created an infographic using Piktochart to describe the purpose of digital portfolios to elementary and secondary teachers. The Piktochart also discusses the benefits of digital portfolios for both students and teachers. Finally, it provides examples of tech tools that can be used to create and assess digital portfolios. I created my own template for this infographic from scratch, which demonstrates my ability to use digital tools to display content in an organized and aesthetically-appealing manner. Additionally, the infographic demonstrates my ability to communicate information to a targeted audience and evaluate the features of assessment techniques like digital portfolios.
