RunningHead:EDUCATIONALTECHNOLOGYRATIONALE

AmySimon
1stGradeTeacher,KnappElementarySchool,RacineUnifiedSchoolDistrict
February2015

EDUCATIONALTECHNOLOGYAECTRATIONALEPAPER

INTRODUCTION
ThepurposeofthispaperistoshowmasteryoftheAssociationforEducationalCommunications
andTechnology(AECT)standardsthroughmycourseworkintheMasterofEducational
Technology(M.E.T.)programatBoiseStateUniversity.Thepaperincludesasectionforeachof
theAECTstandards:ContentKnowledge,ContentPedagogy,LearningEnvironments,
ProfessionalKnowledgeandSkills,andResearch.Withineachofthefivestandardsare
indicators,orsubstandards.Samplesofmyworkareprovidedalongwithadescriptionofeach
artifactandanexplanationofhowtheartifactshowsmasterofthestandard.
STANDARD1CONTENTKNOWLEDGE
Candidatesdemonstratetheknowledgenecessarytocreate,use,assess,andmanagetheoretical
andpracticalapplicationsofeducationaltechnologiesandprocesses.
EDTECH502:VirtualFieldTrip
ThiswebsiteisavirtualtouroffourNationalLandmarksintheUnitedStates.Eachpageofthe
sitewascreatedusingDreamweaver.
EDTECH541:Math&ScienceSimulationsandResources
Thiswebpagecontainsacombinationoffoursimulationsandtwentyresourcesfocusedaround
elementarymathandsciencecontent.

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EDTECH505:RequestforProposal
FarWestLaboratoryforEducationalandResearchDevelopment(FWL),afictionalcompany,
hassubmittedarequestforproposalstoevaluateitsDeterminingInstructionalPurposes
trainingprogram.ThisassignmentisaresponsefortheRequestforProposalinwhichamadeup
evaluator,RateExpectations,laysouthowtheevaluationcompanywouldcompletean
evaluationofthetrainingprogramdevelopedbyFWLandmakerecommendationsforfuture
marketingofthetrainingmodules.
EDTECH597:CreativeCommons
ThispageshowstheCreativeCommonsLicensingfortheblogsitecreatedinEDTECH597:
BloggingintheClassroom.ThiswasmyfirstexperiencewithCreativeCommonsLicensingand
introducedmetoCreativeCommons.
EDTECH502:NetiquettePage
ThisisawebpagethatIcreatedwithrulesthatshouldbefollowedbyallelementarystudents
basedonrecommendationsandexpectationssetforthbymyschooldistrict.Thesiteincludesa
NetiquetteQuickReferenceinanasidethatIwasabletocode.
EDTECH502:CopyrightScavengerHunt
Thiswebpageisdesignedtoteachelementarystudentsaboutcopyrightlawsandwhyitis
importantforstudentsofanyagetoknowandunderstandcopyright.
Indicators

EDUCATIONALTECHNOLOGYRATIONALE

CreatingCandidatesdemonstratetheabilitytocreateinstructionalmaterialsand
learningenvironmentsusingavarietyofsystemsapproaches(Januszewski&Molenda,
2008,p.81).
TheVirtualFieldTripdemonstratesmyabilitytocreatelearningmaterialsandlearning
environments.Inthisassignment,studentsworkincollaborativegroupstovisittheWhiteHouse,
StatueofLiberty,MountRushmore,andtheGatewayArch.Ateachstopalongthetour,students
areexpectedtofindbasicinformationandrecorditintheirtravellog.Icreatedthetravellogasa
resourceforstudentstodemonstratenewinformationlearnedontheirtourofeachlandmark.
ThisassignmentshowcasesmyabilitytouseHTML5andCSS.EachpageofthisVirtualTrip
wascreatedinDreamweaver.Havingthisknowledgeallowsmetocreateotherwebbased
activitiesformystudents.
Inaconstructivistclassroom,studentsmustbeinvolvedandengagedintheirlearningand
becomeactiveparticipantsintheirlearning.Cooperativeteacherstudentandstudentstudent
relationsshareresponsibilityofcreatingtheclassroomculture.Studentsareexpectedto
participateinactivitiesthatallowtheopportunitytolearndifferentperspectivesfromtheirown
(DeVries,2002,p.610).Studentsarepresentedwiththeopportunitytoengageincollaborative
learningintheVirtualFieldTrip.Asimilaractivitycouldbecreatedtoallowstudentstolearn
abouttheirownculturalbackgroundandtovisitthecountrieswheretheirancestorsdescended.
UsingCandidatesdemonstratetheabilitytoselectandusetechnologicalresourcesand
processestosupportstudentlearningandtoenhancetheirpedagogy(Januszewski&
Molenda,2008,p.141).
InmyMathandScienceSimulationsandResourcesPage,Ihadtosearchandfind
numeroussimulationsandresourcesthatcouldsupportandenhancestudentlearningand
engagementintheclassroom.TheMathandScienceSimulationsandResourcespagehasproven

EDUCATIONALTECHNOLOGYRATIONALE

tobeaveryusefultool.Ioftenrefertotheresourcesfoundonthepagewhenplanningformath
instructionandscienceintegration.Thisallowsmetoprovidemystudentswithavarietyof
resourcesandactivities.InEDTECH541,IwasintroducedtoawebtoolcalledSymbaloothat
allowsmetocreateavisualmenuofresourcesformystudents.Thisisespeciallyusefulwith
youngstudents,andIhavereceivedpositivefeedbackfromstudentfamiliesthatprovidessafe,
educationaloptionsfortheirchildsscreentimeathome.
Assessing/EvaluatingCandidatesdemonstratetheabilitytoassessandevaluatethe
effectiveintegrationofappropriatetechnologiesandinstructionalmaterials.
IntheMathandScienceSimulationsandResourcespage,Ihadtosearchandfind
numeroussimulationsandresourcesthatcouldsupportandenhancestudentlearningand
engagementintheclassroom.Resourcesarevast,butnotallresourceshelptosupportstudent
learning.Ihadtoexploretheresourcesandfindwhichactivitiesandsimulationswouldmakethe
mostimpactonstudentlearningratherthanjustbeashinynewpackagingofthesamematerials.
Whilechoosingmathresourcestouseformystudents,IconsiderwhatwillhelptheminVande
WallesConcreteRepresentationalAbstract(CRA)developmentalprocess(VandeWalle,
1990).Itendtochooseresourcesthathavearepresentationalmodelandanabstractapproachto
providesomedifferentiationformystudentswhoareatdifferentdevelopmentallevelswitheach
skill.Forexample,ontheNationalLibraryofVirtualManipulatives(NLVM)site,studentscan
manipulatebasetenblocks.Asstudentsadvanceawayfromtheconcretemanipulatives,theycan
usetheserepresentationalmodelstosolveproblemsandtodemonstratetheirunderstandingof
thelearning.IoftenencouragestudentstouseonlinemanipulativesfromNLVMduring

EDUCATIONALTECHNOLOGYRATIONALE

wholegroupteachingandexplainhowtheyusethemanipulativestoshowhowtheyreachtheir
solutions.
ManagingCandidatesdemonstratetheabilitytoeffectivelymanagepeople,processes,
physicalinfrastructures,andfinancialresourcestoachievepredeterminedgoals
(Januszewski&Molenda,2008,p.178).
IntheRequestforProposal,Ihadtopresentmyselfasanevaluatoranddeterminethe
process,personnel,andresourcesneededtoconductanevaluationforFarWestLaboratory.I
hadtodeterminehowmanystaffmemberswouldbeneededfortheevaluation,howmanydays
onsitewouldbeneeded,andtravelaccommodationsformystaff.Ialsohadtodeterminethe
mosteffectivewaytocollectdatafromparticipantsincludingthoseadministeringthetraining
programandthoseparticipatinginthemodules.Thisproposalshowswhenandhowdatawould
becollectedandanalyzedtoprovideafullevaluationofFWLsDeterminingInstructional
Purposestrainingprogram.WhileIhavenothadtheopportunitytoactuallybeinaposition
whereIhaveneededtomanageresourcesinthisway,thisassignmentallowedmetothinkabout
everythingentailedinamanagementroleandtoshowonewaytoeffectivelymanagepeople,
processes,andresourcestoreachagoal.
EthicsCandidatesdemonstratethecontemporaryprofessionalethicsofthefieldas
definedanddevelopedbytheAssociationforEducationalCommunicationsand
Technology(Januszewski&Molenda,2008,p.284).
Inallofmyassignments,IbelieveIhavehonoredtheAssociationforEducational
CommunicationsandTechnologyethicsstandards.Inmyfirstsemesterintheprogram,Ilearned
abouttheCreativeCommonsLicensinginEDTECH597BloggingintheClassroom,andin
EDTECH502IcreatedaCopyrightScavengerHuntandaNetiquettePage.Intheseexamples
frommyfirstsemesteroftheprogram,andallthewaythroughthefinalcourses,Ihavebeen

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expectedtonotonlyfollowbutalsopromotecurrentandsoundprofessionalpracticesintheuse
oftechnologyineducation(AssociationforEducationalCommunication&Technology).Both
theCopyrightScavengerHuntwebpageandNetiquettePagereflecttheAECT
Codeof
ProfessionalEthics
,section3.8,whichstatesthatprofessionalsshallinformusersofthe
stipulationsandinterpretationsofthecopyrightlawandotherlawsaffectingtheprofessionand
encouragecompliance(Januszewski&Molenda,2008).Bothoftheseassignmentsprovide
importantinformationtoothersabouttheimportanceofcopyrightandtherulesofethicalusage.
Ihavefollowedtheseguidelinesineachofmyassignmentsintheprogrambycitingallresources
inresearchpapersandinprojects.
STANDARD2CONTENTPEDAGOGY
Candidatesdevelopasreflectivepractitionersabletodemonstrateeffectiveimplementationof
educationaltechnologiesandprocessesbasedoncontemporarycontentandpedagogy.
EDTECH503:InstructionalDesignFinalProject
Inthisproject,studentscreateapodcastusingGaragebandwheretheyrecordabooktalkfora
booktheyhaverecentlyread.
EDTECH513:WorkedExampleScreencast
ThisisascreencasttutorialthatshowselementarystudentshowtouseGaragebandtorecorda
booktalkthatcanbeusedinapodcast.IusedJingtorecordandpublishthescreencast.
EDTECH542:ProjectBasedLearningFinalProject

EDUCATIONALTECHNOLOGYRATIONALE

Thisassignmentwascompletedasawholecourseproject.MyProjectBasedLearningunit,
HealthyBodies,HealthyMinds,focusesonnutritionandphysicalactivity.Icreatedthis
projectusingGoogleSites.
EDTECH501:DigitalDivide/Inequality
Thispresentationshowsthreemainissueswithdigitalinequalityinmycommunity.Thethree
mainissuesIresearchedare:access,socioeconomicstatus,andeducationalimplications.
Indicators
CreatingCandidatesapplycontentpedagogytocreateappropriateapplicationsof
processesandtechnologiestoimprovelearningandperformanceoutcomes(Januszewski&
Molenda,2008,p.1).
TheInstructionalDesign(ID)Projectcontainschecklists,anchorcharts,andrubricsthatI
createdforstudentstouseastheyarecreatingtheirbooktalks.Thesecanbeusedbyindividual
students,orcouldbeusedinpeerreviews.MyInstructionalDesignProjectwascreatedfor1st
gradestudents,butcouldbeadjustedforanyelementaryschoolclassroom.Inthisproject,
studentscreateapodcastusingGaragebandwheretheyrecordabooktalkforabooktheyhave
recentlyread.TheunitwasdesignedusingtheADDIEinstructionaldesignprocess.Indesigning
thisproject,IconsideredallfiveaspectsoftheADDIEprocess:analysis,design,development,
implementation,andevaluation.Iconsultedwithasubjectmatterexpert(SME)foradjustments
andconsiderations.Then,inmyWorkedExampleScreencastofhowtorecordabooktalk,I
showmystudentsstepbystepwhatapplicationtouse,howtoaccesstheapplication,andhowto
recordtheirbooktalk.Thisvideousesastudentlaptop,sowhatstudentsseeontheirscreenis
thesame.Italsoallowsforstudentstopauseandreviewthevideoastheyworkalongwithit.
Thistakestheguessworkoutofusinganewapplicationandfocusesstudentsontheobjectivesof

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theirwork.Thesetwoassignmentstogethershowmyabilitytocreateappropriatelearning
materialsandinstructionalsupports.
UsingCandidatesimplementappropriateeducationaltechnologiesandprocessesbased
onappropriatecontentpedagogy(Januszewski&Molenda,2008,p.141).
ResearchonProjectBasedLearning(PBL)showsthatPBLcanincreasestudent
retentionofcontent,canimproveproblemsolvingandcollaborationskills,andcanimprove
students'attitudestowardslearning(Vega,2012).MyPBLunitengagesstudentsinreflectionon
theirownnutritionandphysicalactivitylevels.Studentsworkcollaborativelytolearnabout
nutritionalandphysicalactivityguidelinesforkids.Theyaregivenseveralstepsthatprovide
appropriatescaffoldingastheyreachtheultimategoalofcreatingamenuandaphysicalactivity
guideforstudentsinourschool.Afterpeerreviewsandrevisionstomeettheguidelinesofthe
project,studentspresenttheirmenutoschooladministrationoraparentpanel,andsharetheir
physicalactivityguidestoclassroomsintheschooltouseforpossiblerecessactivities.This
givesstudentsareallifesituationtoimmediatelyapplyknowledgegainedthroughcollaborative
researchaswellasapublicaudiencefortheirfinalproducts.Studentscouldevenmakevideosto
demonstrateeachactivityintheirphysicalactivityguidesothatstudentsandstaffintheschool
understandhoweachactivityissetupandplayed.
Assessing/EvaluatingCandidatesdemonstrateaninquiryprocessthatassessesthe
adequacyoflearningandevaluatestheinstructionandimplementationofeducational
technologiesandprocesses(Januszewski&Molenda,2008,pp.116117)groundedin
reflectivepractice.
MyInstructionalDesign(ID)ProjectusedtheADDIEmodel:Analysis,Design,Develop,
Implement,andEvaluate.Thismodelofdesignrequirestheinstructionaldesignerstoanalyze
studentneedsindesigninganddevelopingtheinstruction,tobereflectiveandevaluatethe

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instructionorunit,andtomakerevisionstoaddressthechangingstudentneeds.Instructional
designwiththeADDIEmodeliscyclicalandneverstops.MyInstructionalDesignProjectwas
createdfor1stgradestudents,butcouldbeadjustedforanyelementaryschoolclassroom.
StudentscreateapodcastusingGaragebandwheretheyrecordabooktalkforabooktheyhave
recentlyread.Ibeganbyperforminganeedsassessmentsurvey.ThisensuredthatIcreated
materialsthatwouldmeetmystudentsneeds.Icreatedataskanalysisflowchartthatshows
studentprogressionthroughouttheproject.Ialsocreatedaprerequisiteanalysisflowchartthat
showsskillsneededtocompletetheproject.Thisalsohelpstheinstructortoknowwhereextra
supportneedstohappenforlearnerswhomaynothavealloftheprerequisiteskillsneededto
completethetask.Oncethelearningobjectivesweresetandmaterialswerecreated,Ialso
consultedwithasubjectmatterexpert(SME)foradjustmentsandconsiderationstothe
assignment.Fromherrecommendations,wedecidedtoworkcollaborativelywithafewstudents
tocreatetheirbooktalks.Wefoundthatstudentsreallylikedtalkingaboutbookstheywere
reading,butneededagreatdealofsupportinwritingandrecordingtheirpodcasts.Weendedup
creatingsomesentenceframesforstudentstousewhenrecordingtheirbooktalks.Wealsoeach
decidedtodoaweeklybooktalktomodelourexpectationswithourstudentgroupswhowere
workingonthese.Thisresultedinhigherqualityrecordingsbyourstudents,andwithpractice,
theywerebetterabletoselfevaluateandprovidepeerfeedbackontheirwork.
ManagingCandidatesmanageappropriatetechnologicalprocessesandresourcesto
providesupportivelearningcommunities,createflexibleanddiverselearning
environments,anddevelopanddemonstrateappropriatecontentpedagogy(Januszewski
&Molenda,2008,pp.175193).
InmyInstructionalDesign(ID)Project,wefollowedtheADDIEmodel:Analysis,
Design,Develop,Implement,andEvaluate.TheADDIEmodelisaprocessthatcontinuously

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analyzesstudentneeds,designanddevelopinstructiontoaddressthoseneeds,andevaluatehow
wellthestudentneedsweremetandwhatneedsarestillevident.Instructorsmusthaveflexibility
inaddressingthechangingstudentneeds,andmakingadjustmentstobettermeettheneedsasthe
instructionisimplementedinthefuture.InmyIDproject,onesuggestionthatIgotfrommy
SubjectMatterExpertwastohavestudentsfocusonnonfictiontext.Thissuggestionhelpedto
expandmythinkingofthisprojectbeyondjusttext,andlastyearIstartedaweeklypodcast
wherestudentsrecordedweeklymessagesthatsharedwhatwewerelearningintheclassroom.
TheysharedinformationaboutouranchortextsfromtheweekinELA,ourmainfocusinmath
fortheweek,andtheyalsogottoshareonehighlightoftheweek.Mystudentslovedcreating
thiswithme,andtheyweresoexcitedtopublishtheseonthewebsitefortheirfamiliestohear.
Allowingstudentstohelpwiththistransferredintoabetterqualityrecordingfortheirbooktalk.
EthicsCandidatesdesignandselectmedia,technology,andprocessesthatemphasizethe
diversityofoursocietyasamulticulturalcommunity(Januszewski&Molenda,2008,p.
296).
TheDigitalDivideresearchprojectallowedmetolookatmycommunityandmyschool
throughacoupleoflenses.First,Iwasabletoseethedemographicsofmycityandmy
neighborhoodschoolcommunity.Second,Ilookedtofindsocioeconomicstatus,andwhat
impactthathadonaccesstotechnology.InlookingatPewResearchCentersdata,Ifoundthat
thegapbetweenracialgroupshavingaccesstotheInternetisclosing,butthetypesofdevices
thatpeoplehaveaccesstoshowssomeinequality.Forexample,justoverhalfof
AfricanAmericanadultsownadesktopcomputer,but65%ofwhiteadultsownone.70%of
AfricanAmericansandLatinosusetheircellphonesfortextmessaging,whichisatarate20%
higherthanwhites(Smith,2010).Thisleadsmetobelievethatwhiteshaveamoretraditional

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Internetconnection,andtheminoritygroupsrelymostlyonacellphoneconnection.Iwasnot
surprisedwithmyfindings,butallowingmetoseethatinformationandunderstandmoreabout
myfamiliesandresourcesthattheyhaveisimportanttobeingsensitivetotheirsituation.
SharingthisinformationencouragedtheschooltoputcomputersinourParentResourceRoom
inourschoolforparentstousetolookupgrades,attendance,andtocompletejobapplications,
paybills,orallowaccessforotherneedsthattheyhave.

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STANDARD3LEARNINGENVIRONMENTS
Candidatesfacilitatelearningbycreating,using,evaluating,andmanagingeffectivelearning
environments.
EDTECH542:ProjectBasedLearning
Thisassignmentwascompletedasawholecourseproject.MyProjectBasedLearningunit,
HealthyBodies,HealthyMinds,focusesonnutritionandphysicalactivity.Icreatedthis
projectusingGoogleSites.
EDTECH505:EvaluationReport
ThisevaluationreportisintendedtoshowwhetherornotWordsTheirWayiseffectivein
meetingtheobjectivesoftheprogram.
EDTECH551:GrantApplication
Thisgrantapplicationisatechnologyinitiativeintendedtoincreasestudentaccesstotechnology
intheclassroom.Theapplicationincludesaneedsassessment,goalandobjectives,budget,and
evaluationplan.
EDTECH502:NetiquettePage
ThisisawebpagethatIcreatedwithrulesthatshouldbefollowedbyallelementarystudents
basedonrecommendationsandexpectationssetforthbymyschooldistrict.Thesiteincludesa
NetiquetteQuickReferenceinanasidethatIwasabletocode.
EDTECH502:CopyrightScavengerHunt

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13

Thiswebpageisdesignedtoteachelementarystudentsaboutcopyrightlawsandwhyitis
importantforstudentsofanyagetoknowandunderstandcopyright.
EDTECH501:TechTrends
Thisassignmentlooksatoneofthetrendsintechnology,mobilelearning,andhowmobile
learningcanbeusedinelementaryclassrooms.
Indicators
CreatingCandidatescreateinstructionaldesignproductsbasedonlearningprinciples
andresearchbasedbestpractices(Januszewski&Molenda,2008,pp.8,243245,246).
MyProjectBasedLearning(PBL)UnitisanotherexampleofhowIwasabletocreate
learningexperiencesformystudents.PBLisaresearchbasedapproachtoinstructionthat
engagesstudentsintheirlearningthroughcollaborationandproblemsolving(Hallermann&
Larmer,2011,pp.89).Teachingmodelsthatallowstudentstobuildtheirthinkingskillsenable
theworkforcetoquicklyadapttochangingconditions(Clark&Mayer,2011,p.339).InPBL
units,studentsareactiveparticipantsinconstructingtheirknowledge.Theyworkcollaboratively
st
tolearnfrompeers,andarerequiredtousespeakingandlisteningskillsaswellasother21

centuryskills.IbelievePBLhelpstobuildcriticalthinkingskillsinstudents,whichwillenable
themtoadapttootherchallengesinthefuture.Inmyproject,studentsmustworkcollaboratively
withagroupofstudentstoresearchnutritionalandphysicalactivityguidelines,andthenapply
thatknowledgeincreatingasamplekidfriendlymenuandphysicalactivityguide.Studentsthen
presenttheirworktoanaudienceofpeers,administration,andparents.
UsingCandidatesmakeprofessionallysounddecisionsinselectingappropriateprocesses
andresourcestoprovideoptimalconditionsforlearning(Januszewski&Molenda,2008,

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pp.122,169)basedonprinciples,theories,andeffectivepractices(Januszewski&
Molenda,2008,pp.89,168169,246).
InProjectBasedLearning(PBL),theprojectsarethecentralpartofthecurriculum.The
projectsarefocusedonquestionsorproblemsthatdrivethestudentstoconstructanddiscover
newknowledge.Studentsengageinprocessesthatmayincludeinquiry,design,
decisionmaking,discovery,andproblemsolving.StudentsdrivethelearninginPBL,and
st
problemsarereal.PBLisoneofthebestwaystobesure21
centuryskillsareexplicitlytaught,

becausewelldesignedprojectsrequirethem(Hallermann&Larmer,2011,p.9).PBLis
connectedtotheconstructivisttheoryoflearning.Constructivismisbasedontheideathat
learningisproblemsolvingbasedonpersonaldiscovery,andthelearnerisintrinsically
motivated(Cooper,1993,p.17).Providingopportunitiesforstudentstobeengagedin
constructingtheirownknowledge,andapplyingtheirlearningtoreallifesituationsisacentral
benefittoPBL.KnowingtheresearchandtheorybehindPBLallowsmetheconfidenceneeded
inimplementingthisinstructionalshiftinmyschool.InmyPBLunit,studentslearnaboutways
tostayhealthythroughnutritionandphysicalactivity.Theycreateusefulmaterialsforothers
andpresenttheirideastoadultandpeeraudiences.Productscreatedandpresentedinthisunit
couldhaveavarietyofpossibilities,andproductscouldbeimplementedthroughouttheschool
community.Studentscouldhaveagreatimpactonstudenthealththroughproductscreatedin
thisproject.
Assessing/EvaluatingCandidatesusemultipleassessmentstrategies(Januszewski&
Molenda,2008,p.53)tocollectdataforinformingdecisionstoimproveinstructional
practice,learneroutcomes,andthelearningenvironment(Januszewski&Molenda,2008,
pp.56).

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InmyEvaluationReport,Iuseseveralmethodsofassessmenttoevaluatethe
effectivenessofthephonicsbasedprogramWordsTheirWay.Formsofassessmentinclude
tests,interviews,scales,andsentencecompletion(Boulmetis&Dutwin,2011,pp.119145).I
chosetocollectdatafromstudenttestdata,studentfeedbackfromasurvey,teacherfeedback
frominterviews,andteacherfeedbackfromsurveys.Notonlydidthisdataallowmetoseethe
effectivenessoftheprogram,butitalsoallowedmetoseesomevarianceinhowteachershad
implementedintheirclassroom.Thestudentsurveysprovidedusefulinformationaboutwhich
aspectsoftheprogramtheylikedandsuggestionstheyhadtokeepitengagingforthem.
ManagingCandidatesestablishmechanisms(Januszewski&Molenda,2008,p.190)for
maintainingthetechnologyinfrastructure(Januszewski&Molenda,2008,p.234)to
improvelearningandperformance(Januszewski&Molenda,2008,p.238).
MyGrantApplicationseekstoacquiredevicesforK2classrooms.Thegoalofthis
initiativeistoincreasetheopportunitiesforstudentsatmyschooltousetechnologytoproduce
qualityworkthatshowshowtheyareapplyingtheirknowledge.Ithinkthebudgetinthegrant
applicationdemonstrateshowIwouldplanformaintainingtechnologyinfrastructuretoimprove
learningandperformance.Thebudgetspecificallyplansforprofessionaldevelopmentfor
teacherslearninghowtoimplementthedeviceaswellasmaintenanceofthedevices.Ithinkthat
financialplanningforthefutureissuchacrucialpartofthesuccessfulimplementationof
technologythatoftengetsoverlooked.ShowinginmygrantapplicationhowIwouldsetaside
moneyinthegrantdevotedforupdating,maintaining,andimplementingthedevicesshows
masteryofthisindicator.
EthicsCandidatesfosteralearningenvironmentinwhichethicsguidepracticethat
promoteshealth,safety,bestpractice(Januszewski&Molenda,2008,p.246),andrespect

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forcopyright,FairUse,andappropriateopenaccesstoresources(Januszewski&
Molenda,2008,p.3).
TheNetiquettePageisaguidecreatedforstudents,colleagues,andfamiliestoserveasa
resourcetopromotesafety,respect,andappropriateusageoftechnology.Thispageincorporates
thethreeprinciplesofourdistrictsPositiveBehaviorInterventionSupports(PBIS)codeof
conductsothatitisfamiliartostudents:beresponsible,berespectful,besafe.Italso
incorporatesmuchofmydistrictsuseragreementinabrief,studentfriendlysixguideline
resource.

TheCopyrightScavengerHuntisastudentfriendlyactivitythatallowsstudentsto
learnandexploreexpectationsforcopyrightandFairUse.Thisactivitywouldmakeagood
introductionorrefresherforstudentsregardingtheirresponsibilitieswithappropriatetechnology
use.
DiversityofLearnersCandidatesfosteralearningcommunitythatempowerslearners
withdiversebackgrounds,characteristics,andabilities(Januszewski&Molenda,2008,p.
10).
TechTrendsdiscussesanemergingtechnologyofmobilelearning.Withthenew
generationoflearners,instructionalapproachesneedtochangetomakelearningrelevanttoour
students.Thisincludesnotjustengagingstudentswithdevicesthatmanyalreadyhave,but
empoweringstudentstousethosedevicesforlearning.Inadditiontoincorporatingdevicesthat
mystudentsarefamiliarwith,providingopportunitiesformystudentstousetechnologyand
applicationsthattheyuseoutsideoftheclassroomisanotherwaytoaddressthediverseneedsof
mystudents.TheClassroomBloggingActivityallowsstudentstohaveapublicplatformtoshare
theirthinkingandlearningwithothersinasafe,controlledenvironment.Manystudentsalready
usesocialmedia,soincorporatingthatintoclassroominstructioncanbeapowerfultool.
STANDARD4PROFESSIONALKNOWLEDGEANDSKILLS

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Candidatesdesign,develop,implement,andevaluatetechnologyrichlearningenvironments
withinasupportivecommunityofpractice.
EDTECH503:InstructionalDesignFinalProject
Inthisproject,studentscreateapodcastusingGaragebandwheretheyrecordabooktalkfora
booktheyhaverecentlyread.
EDTECH597:ClassroomBloggingActivity
Inthisassignmentdesignedfor1stgradestudents,theclassworkscollaborativelytocreateand
maintainaclassroomsitedevotedtosharingaboutbookstheyhaveread.
EDTECH542:ProjectBasedLearning
Thisassignmentwascompletedasawholecourseproject.MyProjectBasedLearningunit,
HealthyBodies,HealthyMinds,focusesonnutritionandphysicalactivity.Icreatedthis
projectusingGoogleSites.
EDTECH541:Accessibility/AdaptiveTechnologies
Thesiteoffersalistofresourcesforstudentswithcognitive,physical,andsensorydisabilities.It
alsooffersresourcesforatriskstudentsandgiftedandtalentedstudents.
Indicators
CollaborativePracticeCandidatescollaboratewiththeirpeersandsubjectmatterexperts
toanalyzelearners,developanddesigninstruction,andevaluateitsimpactonlearners.
InmyInstructionalDesignProject,IhadtheopportunitytoaskaSubjectMatterExpert
(SME)reviewmyliteracyplan.ThiswasthefirsttimeIhadformallyaskedforareviewofmy
work.IapproachedaTitle1Literacyteacheratmyschooltoreviewmyunit,andsheoffered

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somefeedbackandsuggestions.Sheofferedtocomeintheclassroomandhelpwiththeproject,
too.Wehavebeenworkingcloselytogethertoplanandimplementinterventionsforstruggling
studentsthatsheworks.Itwasagreatopportunityformetobuildaconnectionwithan
invaluableresourcerightinmyownbuilding.
LeadershipCandidatesleadtheirpeersindesigningandimplementing
technologysupportedlearning.
Manycolleaguesarealittlefearfulofusingsocialmediawithelementarystudents.I
introducedmyideaofcreatingaclassroombloggingsiteforstudentstodiscussandevaluate
bookstheyhaveread,andacoupleofclassroomsareactuallyusingthisapproachthisyear.

My
ClassroomBloggingActivityshowsonewaysocialmediacanbeincorporatedintoclassroom
learningandcanincreasestudentcollaboration.Ihavetriedtoincorporatebloggingintomy
classroomthroughtheuseofKidBlog.KidBlogisfairlynewtothestaffinmyschool.Students
caninteractwitheachotherandleavefeedbackforpeers.Ihaveusedthisinsolvingmath
problemswherestudentshavetodefendtheirsolutions,andIhaveusedthiswithreadingwhere
studentscanpresentbookreviewstotheirpeers,orrespondtotexttheyhaveread.Withmany
initiativesbeingintroducedinmydistrict,itischallengingtoimplementyetanothernew
approach,butbloggingcanbeusedassimplyasanonlinejournalinwhichstudentscaninteract
andrespondtoeachother.IwasalsoselectedtojoinaprogramcalledClassroomChampions
thisyear.Inthismentorshipprogram,IpostmonthlysummariesonaGoogle+community,I
createandshareseveralvideosthroughouttheyear,andmystudentsandIgettovideochatwith
ourOlympicAthletementor.UsingGoogleAppsandvideochatswithstudentsisalsonewto

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myschool,andhasreceivedpositiveattentionandinquiryonimplementingthesetoolsbymy
colleagues.
ReflectiononPracticeCandidatesanalyzeandinterpretdataandartifactsandreflecton
theeffectivenessofthedesign,developmentandimplementationoftechnologysupported
instructionandlearningtoenhancetheirprofessionalgrowth.
TheInstructionalDesign(ID)ProjectwascreatedbasedontheADDIEModel.This
modelfollowsacycleofanalysis,designanddevelopment,andevaluationtoconstantlytake
studentneedsintoconsideration.Therewasanemphasisondevelopinginstructionwitha
particularaudienceinmind,ratherthandevelopinginstructionaroundcontentandfindingan
appropriateaudience(Smith&Ragan,2005,p.58).Aportionofthisassignmentwasthe
InformationProcessingAnalysisandthePrerequisiteAnalysis.Reflectingonwhatstudentsneed
toknowandbeabletodohelptoensurethatstudentsareprovidedwiththeopportunitytolearn
everythingtheymustlearntoachievethatgoal(Smith&Ragan,2005,p.83).Theevaluation
pieceprovidesvaluabledatainmakingrevisionstoimprovefutureinstruction.Workingwiththe
SubjectMatterExpert(SME)torevisetheprojectrequiredreflectionofhowtoimprovethe
designandimplementation.SheandIspentalotoftimediscussinghowtoimplementthiswith
thestudentsweworkedwith.Ifinallydecidedtointroducepodcastingfirstthroughaclassroom
podcastwherestudentswouldworkwithmeeachweektorecordourlearningfortheweek.In
hindsight,thiswasagreatwayformetoassessstudentproficiencyinworkingwithGarageband
andithelpedmeknowwhomystudenthelperswouldbeforthewholeclassproject.Italso
allowedmetoprovidesupportwherestudentsneededit,andencouragedmetorecorda
screencastofhowtocreateapodcast.Thisscreencastisalsohighlightedinmyportfolio.

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Assessing/EvaluatingCandidatesdesignandimplementassessmentandevaluationplans
thatalignwithlearninggoalsandinstructionalactivities.

InmyProjectBasedLearningunit,studentsareprovidedwithchecklistsandrubricsfor
selfreviewandpeerreviewthroughouttheprocess.Thisensuresthatstudentshaveaclear
understandingoftheexpectationsandhowtheirworkwillbeevaluated.Inthisproject,students
alsohaveseveralopportunitiestosharewhattheyhavelearned.Theycreatetwoartifacts,but
haveoptionsonhowtocreatetheirfinalproduct.Thisallowsforsomedifferentiation,and
allowsstudentstousetheirstrengthsandinterestswhilecreatingtheirartifacts.Studentsalso
presenttoapublicaudience,againwithoptionsofpresentingviaapreparedvideo,orwithan
oralpresentationinfrontoftheiraudience.
EthicsCandidatesdemonstrateethicalbehaviorwithintheapplicableculturalcontext
duringallaspectsoftheirworkandwithrespectforthediversityoflearnersineach
setting.
InmyAccessibility/AdaptiveTechnologiespage,Ilistresourcestoaddresstheneedsof
diverselearnersintheclassroom.Iwasabletocompilealistofresourcestoaddresstheneedsof
studentswithcognitive,physical,andsensorydisabilitiesaswellasatriskandgiftedstudents.
Educatorsneedtobepreparedtoaddresstheneedsofeachstudentinhisorherclassroom,and
beingawareofsomeresourcesavailableisaprofessionalresponsibilityofaneducator.Manyof
thesetoolscanbeusefulwithstudentswhodonothavethespecificneedstheyaredesignedfor.
st
Forexample,inworkingwith1
gradestudentswhoarenonreadersandbeginningreaders,

doingresearchandusingwebbasedresourcesposeachallengesincemanywebbasedresources
arepresentedwithtext.Screenreadersandknowingabouttexttospeechfeaturesareadaily
lifesaverformystudentsandI.Thesetoolsallowmetocreateactivitiesandassignmentswithout

EDUCATIONALTECHNOLOGYRATIONALE

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thepressureofmystudentshavingtoreadallofthedirectionsandinformation.Itmakesmore
activitiesmuchmoreaccessibletotheyoungstudents.
STANDARD5RESEARCH
Candidatesexplore,evaluate,synthesize,andapplymethodsofinquirytoenhancelearningand
improveperformance.
EDTECH504:FinalSynthesisPaper
Thispaperfocusesontherelationshipbetweentheconstructivisttheoryoflearning,
connectivism,andtheuseofeducationaltechnologyintheclassroom.
EDTECH505:EvaluationReport
ThisevaluationreportisintendedtoshowwhetherornotWordsTheirWayiseffectivein
meetingtheobjectivesoftheprogram.
EDTECH501:EvaluationSummary
IntheEvaluationSummary,Ianalyzethedistrictsadministrative,curricular,support,
connectivity,andinnovativeuseandaccesstotechnology.
EDTECH504:AnnotatedBibliography
Thisassignmentchallengedmetocreatealistofpeerreviewedresourcesfocusedonlearning
theories,andtoprovideabriefannotationforeachresource.Thisbibliographywasusedto
completeresearchformyFinalSynthesisPaper.AllcitationsfollowAPAguidelines.
Indicators
TheoreticalFoundationsCandidatesdemonstratefoundationalknowledgeofthe
contributionofresearchtothepastandcurrenttheoryofeducationalcommunicationsand
technology(Januszewski&Molenda,2008,p.242).

EDUCATIONALTECHNOLOGYRATIONALE

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InmyFinalSynthesisPaper,IcompletedresearchtoshowhowConstructivismand
ConnectivismsupportEducationalTechnologyintheclassroom.Ifounditinterestingtoseehow
thefoundationallearningtheoriesarestillprevalentinour21stcenturyclassroomstoday.
KurzMcDowellandHannafinreportamoresignificantbarriertotechnologyintegrationisthe
nationaltrendtowardgreaterteacheraccountabilityandthecurriculumpressuresappliedbythe
adoptionofstatemandatedstandardizedtestsinelementarygrades.Theintroductionof
statemandatedstandardsandtestshassurelyaffectedthedaytodayinstructioninthe
classroom,(KurzMcdowell&Hannafin,2004,p.99).Thisiscertainlytrueinmyschoolaswe
areidentifiedasapriorityschoolduetopaststudentperformanceonstatestandardizedtests.
Thereismuchpressuretofindawaytoengageourstudentsinacademicstoimprovetestscores,
butthereislittleroomforteacherstotryandimplementinstructionalmethodsthatmayimprove
studentengagement.Instead,therehasbeenincreasedpressuretoimplementfourdifferent
technologyprogramstotaling270minuteseachweekthateachindividualisexpectedtobe
workingonthesetechnologyprograms.Thisleaveslittleextratimeforincorporating
st
projectbasedlearning,orusingtechnologytocreateauthenticwork.My1
gradecolleagueand

Ihavecertainlyhadtogetcreativeinfindingtimeforeachofour27studentstomeettheir
requiredminuteswithjust14studentlaptopsinadditiontoallowingstudenttousethedevicesto
st
learnandpracticetheessential21
centuryskills.Inmyresearch,Ifoundthatdespitebarriersto

integratingeducationaltechnology,incorporatingmultimediatechnologyintoaconstructivist
learningenvironmentcanleadtoinnovativeteachingandlearningmethodsfortheimprovement
ofclassroomlearning,(Neo&Neo,2009,p.256).Iknowthatthroughinstructionalapproaches
suchasProjectBasedLearning,thisgoalofincorporatingmultimediacanbeachieved,andam

EDUCATIONALTECHNOLOGYRATIONALE

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hopefulinbeingaleaderintransformingthewayweeducatethisgenerationofstudents.
MethodCandidatesapplyresearchmethodologiestosolveproblemsandenhancepractice
(Januszewski&Molenda,2008,p.243).
IntheFinalSynthesisPaper,IaddresssomechallengesofintegratingEducational
Technologyintotheclassroom.Inmyresearch,Ifoundthattwocategoriesofbarriersto
technologyintegrationaregiven:Firstorderbarriersthatareexternaltotheteacher,suchasnot
havingaccesstocomputersortraining,ornothavingenoughtimetoplanandsecondorder
barriersthatareinternaltotheteacher,suchasbeliefsabouteducationalpractices,
(KurzMcDowell&Hannafin,2004,p.99).Identifyingandaddressingthefirstorderbarriersare
mucheasierthanthesecondorderbarriers.Teacherabilitytofindingsolutionstothefirstorder
barriersisdirectlyrelatedtothesecondorderbarriers,too.Eventhewaythatteachersuse
technologyintheclassroomvarieswidelybasedontheirbeliefs.InastudyconductedbyErtmer,
Addison,Lane,Ross,andWoods(1999),teacherssharedvariousreasonstheyusetechnologyin
theirprimaryclassrooms.Somesharedtheyusetechnologyasadditionalorsupplementarytothe
existingcurriculum,othersusedtechnologytomotivatestudentsbecauseitwasexciting,and
stillothersusedtechnologytohelppreparestudentsforthefuturetodevelop21stcenturyskills.
Researchersfoundastrongcorrelationbetweenteacherswhoviewtechnologyasmerely
supplementaryaidsandsecondorderbarriers(KurzMcDowell&Hannafin,2004,p.99).
However,simplyexperiencinglearningwiththeuseoftechnologyinprofessionaldevelopment
sessionscanfacilitatechangeinteachingbeliefstoalignmorewithconstructivistapproaches
(Levin&Wadmany,2005,p.285).Iseethisstruggleonadailybasisinmyschool.Whilewe
certainlyhaveseverelimitationsonourtechnologyusagethisyearbecauseofpressuretohave

EDUCATIONALTECHNOLOGYRATIONALE

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eachstudentgettheir270minutesoftechtimeontheirtechnologyprograms,wewillhave
st
opportunitiestoallowstudentstopracticetheessential21
centuryskills.Oneexampleofthisis

withutilizingtheSMARTboardineachclassroomtoallowstudentstoworkcollaborativelyto
solveamathproblemoftheday.UsingtheSMARTboard,studentscancapturetheirthinking
throughouttheprolemsolvingprocess.Thiscanoccurduringourcentertimewheresome
studentsareonlaptopsmeetingtheirrequiredminutes,andothersareworkingonmore
differentiatedindependentactivities.Identifyingbarriersarefirstorderorsecondorderbarriers
canoftenhelpleadtoasolution.
Assessing/EvaluatingCandidatesapplyformalinquirystrategiesinassessingand
evaluatingprocessesandresourcesforlearningandperformance(Januszewski&
Molenda,2008,p.203).
IcompletedanEvaluationSummaryoftechnologicalresourcesinmyschool.Usingthe
MaturityModelBenchmarkSurvey,Ianalyzethedistrictsadministrative,curricular,support,
connectivity,andinnovativeuseandaccesstotechnology.Thisreportshowswherethedistrictis
adequate,andwherethedistricthasroomforimprovementinitstechnologyuse.Myevaluation
foundthatthereisampleaccesstotechnologyforstudentsandstaff,butthesupportin
maintaining,repairing,andimplementingtheseresourcesislackingseverely.Inorderfor
technologytobeimplementedandutilizedeffectively,thegapbetweenaccessandsupportneeds
tobeaddressed.
EthicsCandidatesconductresearchandpracticeusingacceptedprofessional
(Januszewski&Molenda,2008,p.296)andinstitutional(Januszewski&Molenda,2008,p.
297)guidelinesandprocedures.
Inmyallofmyassignments,theFinalSynthesisPaperandAnnotatedBibliographyin
particular,IfollowedallAPAguidelinesgivingaccuratecredittothosewhoseworkandideas

EDUCATIONALTECHNOLOGYRATIONALE

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areassociatedwithpublishinginanyform(Januszewski&Molenda,2008).Ialsoconductedall
researchusingprofessionallyacceptedguidelinesandprocedures(Januszewski&Molenda,
2008).ThisincludesusingAPAcitationsinallresearchpapers,bibliographies,andgivingcredit
forallphotographsandimagesusedinmywebpagesandpresentations.Ilearnedhowtoconduct
searchesthatfilterresultsforimagesbasedontheirlicenseforuse.Thisishelpfultoknowwhat
imagescanbereusedand/ormodified.Inowusethissearchtoolallthetimewhensearchingfor
imagestouseformyprofessionalwork.
CONCLUSION
Incompilingtheartifactsinmyportfolioandaligningtheassignmentstothesenew
AECTstandards,itisevidenthowmuchIhavelearnedthroughoutthisprogram.Inotonlyhave
amuchgreaterknowledgebase,butIamabletoincorporatetechnologymoreconfidentlyinmy
classroomknowingthatIhavetheresearchtodefendmydecisions.
Ilikehowthisprogramisdesignedtogiveabroadviewofeducationaltechnology,andit
hasdefinitelysparkedinterestinareasIfeltunskilledbeforetheprogram,suchasbloggingin
EDTECH597,orHTML5andCSSinEDTECH502.AlloftheresearchinEDTECH501,
EDTECH503,andEDTECH504hasbuiltagoodbasefordefendingmydecisionsinhowI
integratetechnologyintomyclassroomandhasgainedagreatdealofconfidenceinmy
educationalpractices.Ihavemoreoptionsincreatinganddevelopingunitsthatwillbemore
engagingformystudents,andthatwillresultinaproductthatmystudentscanbeproudtoshare
withabroadaudience,suchasEDTECH541,EDTECH542andEDTECH513.Myworkin
EDTECH505andEDTECH551hasgivenmeconfidenceinmyabilitytocontributeto
technologyplanningcommitteesandinacquiringnewtechnologyformystudents.Ilook

EDUCATIONALTECHNOLOGYRATIONALE

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forwardtoopportunitiestobringinsomeinnovativeteachingstrategiestomystudentsandmy
colleagues.
Myultimatecareergoalistobecomeaninstructionalcoachinhelpingstudentsto
effectivelyintegratetechnologyintotheireverydayteachingpractices.Ithinktechnologyisstill
usedasshinynewpackagingforthesameoldinstruction.Itismygoaltoseetechnologyusedas
atoolratherthanjustastrategytoengagestudents.Ithinkcollaborationplaysahugepiecein
makingthishappen.Ihopetosomedaymakealargeimpactforstudentsandteachersalikein
transforminghoweducationisdeliveredtomeetthedemandsof21stcenturylearning.

EDUCATIONALTECHNOLOGYRATIONALE

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