Showcase
Master of Arts in Educational Technology
Michigan State University
This showcase illustrates projects and lessons that I completed in the MAET (Master of Arts in Educational Technology) program at Michigan State University. Each project had a very distinct purpose and goal. The projects below challenged me to solve problems, research, create lessons and design websites. Please click on each image below to see more about that specific project.
Problem solving with Technology
My Dream It project is based on the problem of science reading comprehension. One challenge in my practice that seems insurmoutable is the issue of reading comprehension in 6th grade science. I found that our 6th grade text book was rated at an 8th grade reading level. I wanted to incorporate a technology to help my students with their comprehension skills. I located Newsela, this is an online resources that adjust the reading level to accomadate students needs. Be sure to check out my website by clicking on the image to the right, also check out Newsela.
Wicked Problems. These are problems that are most likely not going to be solved. We had to create ways to improve the wicked problem situation knowing that we could not solve it entirely. Our wicked problem was using student failure to create successful students. We knew that students typically learn more from their mistakes but we tend to not give students the environment to do so. My group used blendspace (formerly Edcanvas) to create a presentation of our wicked problem and some solutions that could ease the problem. Check out our presentation by clicking on the image to the right.
Research and Technology
There are many examples of misinformation and misunderstandings. We as teachers do our best to take what our students know or think they know and create actual knowledge that is based in fact an research. Anything can throw a student off such as video games, movies or that friend that talks too much about anything and everything. For our Understanding Understanding project my group chose to look at how ocean waves are produced. Many people think ocean waves are produced in some part by the moon. This is a misunderstanding that is rooted in students understanding of tidal waves and the moon. We interviewed several local (Irish) folks and students in the MAET (Master of Arts in Educational Technology) program to see what their understanding was. Check out our finding and interviews at our Weebly Site.
Websites and Technology
Along with my collegues I created a special interest group with based on our mutual interests. My group was very interested in the advantages of gaming and learning. We looked at what was currently being done in gaming and education and what could be incorporated to keep students engaged in learning. Click on the image to the left to view our wiki space devoted to gaming and learning. Also be sure to check out our academic poster.
I created a course that could be taken competely online. My course was based on what we were currently teaching. I chose to use Schoology to create my OCM (online course management) course. My course was designed for parents to learn about how we were using Google in the classroom. I created "data trackers" for my students so my parents could see their studets grades as we progressed in the school year. Click on the image to the right to get to Schoology. To view my OCM in its entirety you will need to use course code 6M2VX-JJZ8Z.
Lessons with Technology
This is my perception of how a song can be used to teach fractions. I chose the song "Someone Like You" by Adele to work with my students. I noticed patterns in the song and thought it would be interesting to relate those to my students. Below are links to my observation and re-imagination of the song as it relates to fractions.
I used a lesson I had taught in the past and elevated it into the 21st century. My lesson was about the speed of sound vs. the speed of light. I created a concept map using popplet and we used linoit to incorporate discussion into the lesson. The lesson was transformed into a visual representation of my origianl product. Click on the image to the left to see my reflection on this lesson and the lesson itself.
Modeling is showing students how things work in a visual way. I used my focus on fractions and created a model to represent them. I chose to create a model of fractions by using a program called Sketch-Up, this program allows the user to create 3D models of any shape or size. I created a box and then began to split the box in half to create different fractions that students can visualize. This is something I would love to have all of my students play with to see the variations and patterns with fractions. Sketch-Up is free, but does take up quite a bit of space on your computer. Click on the image to the right to see my write up on this project and watch a screencast of me using Sketch-Up to show how fractions fit together.
