Synthesis Essay

degree at Michigan State University was CEP 416, which focused on teaching and learning about technology. When it was time to choose a master’s program, I knew the MAET program would be the right fit for me. Two and a half years later, with graduation in sight, I know I chose the right path for my master’s degree.

​

Prior to beginning my coursework in the MAET program, I was a little hesitant to use technology in my classroom. I was more comfortable with using a website specific to education or a Microsoft product with my students. If I am being honest, I really had no idea how to effectively incorporate technology into my classroom. As I reflect on the courses I have completed throughout my master’s program, I know that I have changed as an educator. I have gained a greater understanding of educational technology. I have learned that technology is constantly changing, so I, as an educator, must be willing to change and adapt as well.

 

CEP 810 (Teaching for Understanding with Technology) was the first course I enrolled in as a MAET student, and it really set the groundwork for what it means to use technology in the classroom. Prior to starting the MAET program, I had many misconceptions about educational technology that were revealed throughout the coursework in CEP 810. One of the first assignments in this course was to create a Twitter account. Already having my own personal Twitter account, I remember feeling confused. Why would I need a Twitter account for my master’s course? I had initially thought that Twitter was really only for personal use. However, after creating my new professional Twitter account, connecting with fellow classmates, and exploring specific hashtags (#edchat, #edtech, #4thchat), I could see why our instructors wanted us to explore and participate in the educational Twitter community.

 

Through this Twitter account, I could explore my own professional development, something that I had not considered prior to this course. Before CEP 810, professional development meant physically going to a specific training. This specific training was during the school day, right after school or in the summer, and most times, I was sent to training based on recommendations or requirements from my administrator or school district. Creating my own professional development online was a concept entirely new to me. I could seek out information and resources that specifically interested me. No one was telling me when I had to go or how long I had to attend this training. It was entirely up to me. While I have not utilized Twitter and blogs as much as I would like for my own professional development, it is a goal of mine to continue to seek out my own resources, especially now that I am wrapping up my master’s program.

 

Through CEP 810, I also had the opportunity to explore networked learning. The networked learning project in this course allowed me to choose something new that I wanted to learn, where I used only YouTube and Internet help forums to learn this new skill. While I explored and learned about modern calligraphy for this project, I gained knowledge of how powerful networked learning can be in the classroom, where students are given the opportunity to learn about a new topic that actually interests them. Networked learning incorporates choice for students, thus increasing motivation and engagement in the classroom. I had the opportunity to use networked learning in my classroom during our informational writing unit. My students were able to explore an informational topic of their choice and publish their findings through the website, Glogster. As I continue my career as an educator, I plan to incorporate more networked learning opportunities for my students to explore.

 

Overall, CEP 810 has changed my thinking because I now know that I am responsible for my own learning, both as a learner and an educator. When thinking about creating a new type of learning experience for my students, I know I can use Twitter as one of my resources. At the beginning of this past school year, I knew I wanted to incorporate Project Based Learning (PBL) into my teaching, specifically within the math content area. To begin gathering resources, I went to Twitter and connected with another educator who was more experienced with PBL. She was able to share resources that allowed me to begin planning PBL in my own classroom. Without my experiences in CEP 810, I would not have felt comfortable connecting with other educators on Twitter and sharing resources, nor would I have even considered Twitter as a resource.

 

In CEP 800 (Psychology of Learning in School and Other Settings), I was challenged to think deeply about Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) in my own classroom by creating a grant proposal. In order to develop my grant proposal, I considered backwards design by thinking about a content based problem in my classroom and identifying the transformation I wanted to see in my students as a result of the technology integration. Through this grant, I had to carefully consider all the different components of TPACK, in addition to thinking about my school context and assessments that would take place throughout the duration of this project.

 

While the end product was a potential grant proposal that I could submit to add more devices to my classroom, this project allowed me to go through the process of designing an authentic learning experience for my students by deeply considering all of the different aspects of TPACK. By carefully considering the technology, the pedagogy and the content, I was able to create an experience that was authentic and meaningful for students. This affects my practice as an educator because the different components of TPACK need to be considered as much as possible when creating learning experiences in the classroom. Because of TPACK, I have started designing more authentic and creative learning experiences. For example, as part of our government unit, students will be using Adobe Spark to create a presentation about the three branches of government. Through this experience, students will work collaboratively to create an informational presentation.

​

CEP 800 also challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone and present at an actual conference for educators in Lansing, Michigan. Working collaboratively with another classmate, we designed a conference session for STEAMLab 2017. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics, so our session focused on implementing STEAM for beginners. We had the opportunity to attend the Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology at Michigan State University, where we used design thinking to create our session.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

Through careful planning at the Hub for Innovation, we created a session that engaged our participants and allowed them the opportunity to explore STEAM for themselves, while also considering how they could implement STEAM activities in their own classrooms.

 

Prior to presenting at STEAMLab, I had never thought of myself as an educator who could also be a presenter at conferences. While I have attended many different conferences over the past few years, I never envisioned myself as the presenter. Through this experience, I have gained confidence in becoming more of a leader, both within my school district and outside of it. In the future, when I am asked to share at a staff meeting or with colleagues, I will put aside any hesitations I may have. There are positive learning experiences occurring in my classroom and they are worth sharing with others.

 

CEP 822 (Approaches to Educational Research) opened my eyes to some of the problems present in educational research. By completing a book study on When Can You Trust the Experts? How to Tell Good Science from Bad in Education by Daniel T. Willingham, I gained a greater understanding of what good research looks like and does not look like. Previously, I had never really stopped to consider the expert or the research behind a curriculum or practice. As an elementary teacher, I feel that I am constantly learning about new curriculum that my district is interested in or what the new best practices may be. However, I now question: Who are the experts or authority behind the curriculum or practices? What type of research has been done? Has the district analyzed the research before providing professional development or rolling it out into classrooms? As a member of many of the committees in my school district, this book is one that I would recommend to administration and the school improvement team. It is important when looking at curriculum or different practices to take a step back and consider the authority promoting it and really examine and analyze the evidence and/or research.

 

In addition, CEP 822 provided me the opportunity to create a video research project, where my group members and I examined a topic and video documented various individuals understandings of the topic. Our topic focused on the representation of teachers in the media and if that representation affects the beliefs that people have of teachers and education. Through our research, we found that beliefs about teachers were more based on individual experiences, rather than the media. This is important to my practice as a teacher because students are constantly bringing their individual experiences into the classroom. As an educator, I must consider these experiences when introducing new content to my students. I have learned that any new learning must be based on students’ prior knowledge and understandings, since students are going to come to any learning experience with pre-existing beliefs. It is important that these beliefs are uncovered, as they can have both a positive and negative impact on any new learning that occurs. I know that prior to this course, I have not always considered my students prior understandings with topics and content. As a result, I am doing them a disservice to their learning, especially if the prior understandings they are bringing with them are misconceptions. Through this course, I now know the importance of uncovering my students’ beliefs and understandings, as this can have a great impact on the new instruction that they are receiving in the classroom.

​

The MAET program encouraged me to explore, collaborate and step outside of my comfort zone. While some of my courses in the MAET program were completed online, I also had the opportunity to participate in the summer hybrid program, where I met with fellow MAET students for two weeks on Michigan State University’s campus in East Lansing, Michigan before completing four more weeks online.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Through this hybrid program, I was able to meet and collaborate with other like-minded educators. This opportunity solidified why I chose to apply to the MAET program back in 2015. The ability to collaborate with other individuals who share similar educational perspectives is so important because ideas can be shared and bounced back and forth easily.

 

Thinking back to myself as an educator before beginning the MAET program, I now realize the lack of knowledge I had regarding educational technology. Yes, I loved technology prior to starting the program, but I had no idea how to effectively use it in the classroom. Because of my experiences through the MAET program, I now have a greater understanding of educational technology and how to incorporate it more effectively. I now know that there is no simple way to integrate technology into the classroom. It all depends on the context, students, content, pedagogy and technology.

 

While I am grateful that I was able to attend on campus courses for part of my MAET program, I am glad that I can continue connecting with educators through my professional learning network online as well. The MAET program has helped me develop a strong, community of educators and instructors who I know I can reach out to with questions or concerns as I continue my career as an educator. While my journey as an MAET student is coming to an end, I know that I am prepared to always continue learning, even if I am no longer enrolled in classes. I can think back to my experiences, create my own professional development, and reach out to my colleagues, both online and in person, to continue my educational journey.