Fall, 2014
ET 605- Introduction to Educational Technology
This was the first course that I took in the program. A lot of the content in this course was a refresher for me. We worked with programs such as Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, all of which I was already familiar with from high school and college. However, my knowledge was expanded as we learned to use these technology resources in less conventional ways that apply directly to education, such as creating a class newsletter, creating math activities in Excel with the use of formulas, doing Pecha Kucha PowerPoint presentations, creating/ using hyperlinks, and more. The part of this course I enjoyed most was learning to build websites using HTML coding. Although it it likely that I will never use HTML to build a website from scratch, I enjoyed doing this because it challenged me. I also had prior experience with coding (I took AP Computer Science in high school and learned to code using JAVA and BlueJ). Although I had to work with a completely different language, the rules and ideas were similar. I think this course was great for refreshing my knowledge, expanding my learning, and it was a great foundation for the courses that followed.
AD 776- Theories and Research on Educational Leadership
The focus of this course was mostly on conducting research. This course was particularly tough for me because there was so much reading (research) and writing involved. Even though writing is a strong area for me, I tend to procrastinate when it comes to assigned reading and evaluative writing. Despite this, I did enjoy that the course was personalized in that we got to choose our own research topics based on dilemmas that we faced as educators. I chose to research behavior management and discipline strategies for educators, which was perfect because I was dealing with a student with severe behavior issues that year. We completed a series of writing activities, including a description of our dilemma and an article evaluation, which led to a summative 10-page paper in which we used our research to examine our dilemmas. This course taught me research skills, how to utilize Loyola's digital library for research, how to critically evaluate articles, and how to apply research to real-world situations.
Spring, 2015
ET 610- Curricular Applications of Technology
This course so was rich in the use and evaluation of Web 2.0 tools. We had the opportunity to learn about a wealth of different Web 2.0 tools for use in the classroom, such as Edmodo, Nearpod, BlendSpace, ThingLink, Padlet, Wordle, Google Apps for Education, and lots more. The great thing about this class is that we got to explore the tools on our own and then share them with the cohort. This allowed each of us to share about things we were strong with while also learning from each other how different resources can be used by educators effectively and in different ways. In addition to critiquing and sharing the resources, we also got opportunities to create actual artifacts that could be used to teach content within our classrooms.
ET 680- Role of Technology Leader
In this course, I learned so much about the role of a technology leader in schools, the issues that technology leaders face, and ways to attack these issues. We were taught how to plan for and implement technological changes and we actually had to write a technology planning paper that addresses an issue or issues that we face at our current schools. Learning about the ACOT model and Ely's Eight Conditions was very beneficial because I was able to use the information to create a survey that assessed the needs of my school and then to make a plan of action. Among the many issues that my school and plenty of my peers' schools faced was the issue of funding. This issue was addressed when we actually had the opportunity to learn about, and practice completing, the grant-writing process. The information in this course was very enriching and I am sure it will be extremely valuable for future use.
Summer, 2015
ED 608- Educational Innovators
The focus of this course was to discuss reforms and innovations in education: the importance of reforms, evaluations of reforms, the outcomes and impact that reforms have on education, and how to see results or why we may not see results. The major project in this course was a research paper in which each member of the cohort chose an educational innovation to research. In this paper, we were required to describe the innovation, identify strategies used to implement changes, and critique the innovation and the articles that we used as resources. I chose to conduct my research on the effects of looping on teaching and learning. We also presented our findings to the cohort. This was a great way to learn about a wealth of different educational reforms and identify strategies and innovations that we may be able to implement or learn from.
ET 631- Transformative Online Teaching
This course taught me a lot about designing and delivering effective instruction to students via the Internet. This was a hybrid course so we met both in person and online. It was through this course that I was able to see the full benefits of distance education. Typically in online courses (specifically in undergraduate school), I would have to complete discussion boards and do most of my work independently. There was rarely the chance to interact with others, let alone see my classmates' faces or hear their voices the way that we were able to in this class. In addition to written discussion boards, we also used VoiceThread to provide audio and video comments to each other when we completed assignments asynchronously. Additionally, we used Adobe Connect when meeting online synchronously for lecture, discussions, group assignments, etc.
In this course, we used what we learned to develop our own distance education programs. We had to make plans that included objectives, resources, lesson activities, assessments, etc. I chose to develop a hybrid program that teaches about Google Apps for Education. The plan was to sometimes meet in person and other times meet virtually using Google Hangout. Each session included a brief icebreaker, housekeeping/Q&A periods, introduction to one or two new tools, time to explore and practice using that tool, and reflections/ evaluations. We also had to develop extensive plans for one of the sessions, providing detailed descriptions of each activity in the session. This activity was effective in showing the time and effort that goes into planning effective and engaging online activities. I also think that it would be wise to use this activity as a base for planning for the internship.
Fall, 2015
ET 691- Educational Technology Internship
The internship phase of the program began at the same time as the seminar course and continued throughout the rest of the program. Because of this, I got off to a slow start as I did not prepare adequately beforehand. However, once I began, I was able to provide enriching professional development on several technology tools to the staff at my school. I was also able to implement many of the practices that I learned throughout the course of the program. Although it was a challenge, it was very rewarding to be able to do this on my own. My advice to others in the program would be to plan and get started early, especially if the internship will be completed at the same time as seminar, which is the most "busy" course in the program.
ET690- Educational Technology Seminar
In this course, I had the opportunity to critically analyze and evaluate the effects, both positive and negative, that technology has on teaching, learning, and society in general. The course was very intense as we read three books cover to cover in addition to portions of another book, wrote two to three papers, did additional homework, conducted extensive research, and participated in debates on controversial topics in education. Although the workload was plenty, the course caused me to examine opposing opinions and ideas about technology in education and it really caused me to think about educational technology in a different way.
Also, because this is a seminar course, the course relied heavily on student perspective and input rather than lecture. Because I am not much of a talker and i much prefer to listen and take notes, this course really challenged me to speak up and share my own thoughts and ideas as opposed to listening. Because I was forced to speak up, my peers were able to realize that I have a lot of great insight to offer that they may not have realized before. Additionally, I had to participate in a debate on whether or not educators can create innovators. Through sharing our research and providing our own insights, we were able to win the debate!
Spring, 2016
ET 630- Digital Communication for Educators
This course taught me about so many new ideas and instructional practices that I was not completely aware of. First we learned all about critical literacy. It is so important that we teach students to critically evaluate the information that they read online so that they do not trust everything they read on the Internet. We need to teach students that anyone can make a website and post things on the Internet and, therefore, just because something is on the Internet does not mean it is true. We discussed Wikipedia and how it can be used effectively to teach about differing perspectives. We also developed learning activities in which students would have to critically evaluate websites to determine if the information presented was useful and valid.
We also learned about PLNs (professional learning networks or personal learning networks) in this course. A PLN is a network of people that one can access anytime and anywhere in order to share and find ideas and resources. Throughout the course, we created our own PLNs and we also joined several other PLNs in order to expand our connections with educators worldwide.
We didn't focus solely on building communication as educators in this course. We also learned how to use telecollaborative projects so that students can communicate with other students worldwide. We examined projects in which students worldwide completed projects and shared ideas and information through blogs and posts on websites, collaborated and communicated through email, and actually had discussions though synchronous sessions through technology resources like Skype and Adobe Connect. We also designed our own lessons by either joining a project, designing new projects, or comparing similar projects. I chose design a lesson in which my students would join several projects that center around conserving our Earth.
ET 620- Multimedia Design in the Classroom
I would say that this is one of my favorite courses in the educational technology program. I enjoyed this course because we got to explore tools and strategies that are more suitable for a primary classroom than some of the things we learned about in other courses. In this class, we got to learn all about multimedia production and how it can be used in the classroom. We used several audio tools to record voice-overs and we sometimes pair the audio files with avatar tools like Blabberize, Voki, and Tellegami. These tools are great for recording directions or classroom procedures for student use, recording explanations/steps for solving problems, or even having students explain their work or concepts that they have learned.
We spent the bulk of the course working with video creation and editing tools for instruction. We learned about digital storytelling using still photos and videos, creating interactive videos (which I love!) using tools like Zaption, video editing, and even green screen! Finally, we explored stop motion animation for use in the classroom. In doing all of this, we utilized the DDD-E (decide, design, develop, and evaluate) model. Using this model really helped with the organization or my projects and also prompted me to reflect on each activity. I could definitely see myself utilizing all of the information that I learned in this course.
Summer, 2016
ET 641- Universal Design for Learning with Technology Integration
This is now my other favorite course in the educational technology program. In completing this course, I have learned so many ways to develop and improve teaching and learning in my classroom with and without the use of technology. I had been introduced to UDL before, but never thoroughly enough for me to understand it or even believe that designing lessons that reach all students was even possible. It was through this course that I was able to see that. I was also able to see how teaching to the "average" students does not suffice in education because there is no such thing as "average". Learner variation is prevalent in may ways, not just things like abilities and interests. It is also important to note that UDL is not just for students with disabilities but rather for all students. The information presented in this course opened my eyes to new possibilities in the classroom. We discussed what UDL is and how it can be used to meet the needs of all learners. We learned about the three primary brain networks used in learning and how focusing on these networks can help educators to provide options for learners. Finally, we learned how technology, while not required for UDL, can be a great resource for meeting those UDL guidelines. I had so much fun creating a podcast on the relationship between technology and UDL. Feel free to check it out!
AD 662- Leadership, Supervision, and Professional Development
I am so excited that this is my last course in the program!! This course has been the most different from all of the other courses. In this class, we focused less on technology and more on effective leadership. We examined the different types of leadership and supervision and we discussed the benefits or the appropriate times to use each. We also conducted formal observations and supervisory interviews. This was a great way to view different perspectives and consider the logic behind the decisions of supervisors and leaders. We also examined best practices in professional development. It would have been great to have this course earlier on in the program. The information on professional development would have been very useful for implementing our internships.