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Running

head: GROWTH ASSESSMENT 1


My Growth Assessment
Curtis Johnson Azusa Pacific University

GROWTH ASSESSMENT 2

Summer 2010

EDTC 511 Foundations in Ed. Tech. Dr. Bacer

Acrobat. APA Tappedin Online Ed. Journals Multiple Intelligences Assistive Technologies VoiceThread FTP Screen Capture Twitter Google Sites Web 2.0 Website Evaluation Wikis Global Learning Projects Telecolaboration tools

EDTC 571 Curriculum Foundations Prof. Suffer EDTC 517 Telecommunications Prof. Bruzzese EDTC 527 Special Topics Prof. Bettger EDTC 518 Global Learning/Cross-Cultural Classrooms Dr. Bacer EDTC 524 Instructional Design Prof. Silva EDTC 523 InformationDesign & Hypermedia Prof. Silva EDTC 573 Philosophy/Ethics Prof. Suffern EDTC 515 Emerging Trends in Technology Dr. Brown EDTC 520 Technology Curricular Tools Prof. Silver

Fall I 2010

Fall II 2010

Spring I 2011

Backward Designing Lesson Plans Personal Learning Spaces Storyboarding Website Development Podcasts Widgets

Philosophies Of Learning My Philosophy of Education

Spring II 2011

Moodle. The Dark Side of the web Information Literacy

Evaluating Technology Plans Improving District Tech Plans

Summer 2011

EDTC 526 Practicum In Ed. Applications of Tech. Dr. Bacer


ePortfolio Growth Assessment Student Motivation Teaching Creativity

EDTC 572 Advanced Educational Technology Dr. Brown


GROWTH ASSESSMENT 3

Personal Growth It has been a long and challenging 15 months since I began a journey toward

my Masters in Educational Technology from Azusa Pacific University. In that time I have grown a great deal in a great many areas. On a personal level, I have found myself to possess a work ethic previously unknown and developed a desire to gain a much greater understanding of computer technology. I began this program with a fair degree of apprehension about whether or

not Id have the time, energy and drive to complete it. Id put off getting my masters for many years, telling myself that with two very young children there was simply no way I could take on such a task. As they grew older however, my excuse seemed to carry less and less weight. When I finally decided to enroll, my level of concern was quite high. I couldnt imagine finding the time every day to dedicate myself wholly to this program. But I learned to adjust my priorities and buckled down, so to speak, and found that if I was willing to give up some not so important things I could not only complete the program, but also excel at it. Had someone asked me what kind of grades I would have expected prior to beginning the program I would have said a B average. I can now proudly state that my lowest grade at any point in this program has been an A-. Honestly, I didnt think I had this kind of dedication in me and am extremely proud of my accomplishments as a result. In addition, Ive found that I have a new interest in all things technological.

My wife says that I was just a geek in hiding and this program brought it out of me. I

GROWTH ASSESSMENT now find myself checking tech news sites like Gizmodo and the CNET News RSS on a daily basis and am excited by what I find. I have also developed an interest in gaining a better understanding of the hardware side of technology. The best part is, when I come across a technical issue that Im not familiar with I feel as though I can work it out on my own, rather than having to reach out to someone for help Im really proud of how far Ive come in such a short period of time. I have 4

learned a great deal about myself over the past 15 months and I am happy with the results. I look forward to the next technology chapter in my life. Professional Growth In my opinion, the area where my growth has been most profound is at the

professional level. I began this program somewhat comfortable with technology but not really using it in any sort of meaningful way beyond PowerPoint lectures. However, with each passing term that has changed for the positive. Not only has this program made me reassess the way I teach, it has also helped me move into a new role professionally at my school site. At the end of the 2009/2010 school year, my classroom technological

incorporation was limited to email and PowerPoint lectures. By the end of my first term with Dr. Bacer and Professor Suffern (Bacer, et al, 2011) I was already looking for ways to incorporate Adobe Acrobats Portable Document Format (PDF) and other new tools into my class. By the end of the year I had created a class website

GROWTH ASSESSMENT which incorporates videos I have created, a class wiki, a blog and downloadable PDFs of various class materials. Going forward Im working on ways to utilize Twitter and podcasting as a part of my regular class functions, all the while training my students in basic information literacy. As Alan November (2011) states it is vital for students to not only find information but also determine its validity and appropriateness (para. 1). I have also seen my role at work change over the past year. I have gone from 5

being a regular old teacher to regular old teacher and tech expert. Though Im far from what one might consider an actual expert, the tools and skills I have attained from my this program have transitioned me into that role. As the past school year progressed I began to advocate more and more for some changes to our technological approach. That, in combination with the retirement of our computer teacher last year, and the elimination of that position, has resulted in my becoming the primary resource on campus for all things tech. Next year it is my hope that I will be able to bring some of my new knowledge to bear in the development of a technology strategy for our school. Technical Growth I am extremely excited about my technological development as a teacher. I

look at my lessons and my role as an educator differently now. Im excited to create new lessons and grow along side my students in the years to come.

GROWTH ASSESSMENT I feel as though my technological knowledge has grown leaps and bounds 6

over the last fifteen months. Prior to beginning this program I considered myself to be computer literate, boy was I wrong. Being able to surf the web and use email is hardly what I would consider computer literate today. I could honestly take up several pages just listing things that I have learned technologically in this program, but in an effort to simplify Ill focus on two of the larger areas of study, specifically webpage creation and web 2.0 tools. To say that I found the entire Global Learning Project daunting would be a

tremendous understatement. Many times throughout the process I wondered if it was worth all the time and effort. However, now that the project is completed I wonder why I was so concerned. The primary learning, technologically speaking, focused around the creation of a webpage. Id created a webpage using Google Docs in Professor Buzzeses (2010) class but always felt that it was a simplistic and uninspired version of webpage creation. It was basic and extremely limiting in its capabilities. Building a highly detailed webpage seemed far too difficult going into the project. However, once I began researching many of the incredible web authoring tools available I found that my paranoia was baseless. I had a great time building my website and I learned an incredible amount. In fact, in the past month I have offered to build a website for my Mom and for a friends business just as soon as I complete my masters degree.

GROWTH ASSESSMENT Prior to beginning this program I had heard of web 2.0 but had no idea what 7

it was. Its fair to say that its existence has fundamentally changed the modern world and yet I was oblivious to what it was. Its not as though I had never used web 2.0, but I was a passive participant at best, looking at Facebook but never posting or watching videos on YouTube on occasion. Much has changed over the past year however. I am now an active web 2.0 user. As a result of this program I have created and kept active several wikis, a class blog, a Twitter account, audio and video podcasts, and video posts on both YouTube and Viddler. I use them both at work and in my personal life, and intend to expand my use of them in the future. I began this program with a strong interest in technology. However, my

technological comprehension was far more limited than I had ever imagined. Fortunately, the education I have received has changed all that. I feel as though I now have a grasp of the basics and am excited and intrigued by what I will learn next as I continue to explore more corners of the technological world. Life Long Learning Plan I view the completion of my Masters in Educational Technology as step one

into a larger world. It has sparked in me a desire to reassess all that I do as a teacher and to do what I can to prepare my students for the 21st Century. I plan to

GROWTH ASSESSMENT stay abreast of current trends in educational technology through websites such as Converge and Edutopia [Online journal] as well as through various Twitter feeds and blogs. I plan to expand my technical literacy by delving into the open source world of the Linux in hopes of finding cost effective applications that may allow a more expansive use of my school sites current and future hardware. I hope to develop a role as a technology master in my district and use it to advocate for a better use of technology at all levels. Finally, I hope to develop professional relationships with like-minded teachers going forward so that, as a group, we can have a more powerful voice for changing in the way we approach students and technology in our district. Conclusion What an amazing experience I have had at the hands of Dr. Bacer and the rest 8

of the faculty (Bacer, et al, 2011) at Azusa Pacific University. I have grown in so many ways in such a short period of time and am grateful for all of my new knowledge. I look upon my profession in a whole new light and look forward to all the exciting challenges ahead. I now see teaching, my students, and technology from a broader perspective that will hopefully enable me to better prepare my students for the world that awaits them after school.

GROWTH ASSESSMENT References Bacer, K., Bettger, B., J., Bruzzese, J. Silva, L., Silver, E., Suffern, V. (2010). Bruzzese, J. (2010). Telecommunications, EDTC 517. Online Master of Arts in November, A. (2011, November). November learning. Retrieved from http://novemberlearning.com/resources/information-literacy-resources/ Educational Technology. School of Education, Azusa Pacific University. Azusa, California. Retrieved from http://online.apu.edu. Online Master of Arts in Educational Technology. School of Education, Azusa Pacific University. Azusa, California. Retrieved from http://online.apu.edu. 9

e.Rebublic Inc. (2011). Converge Magazine. Retrieved from The George Lucas Educational Foundation. (2011). Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/ http://www.convergemag.com/

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