ITEC 7305: Data Analysis & School Improvement: Final Course Blog

Post
12/7/16

Data Analysis & School Improvement Reflection:

What are the 3 most important things you learned during this course?

1. Evaluating data at different levels. The entire digging deeper process was eye opening. Pass/Fail
doesnt tell us much. It doesnt suggest what we need to change for improvements. Too often Ive
left data meetings thinking I am a crummy teacher with no ideas on how to improve, based on
failure rates. I now know that I can look at data differently and identify specific areas that I can
adjust to hopefully see improvements in student learning and achievement.

2. I consider myself pretty proficient with Excel, but I learned several new, important features. I
havent ever needed to look at such large spreadsheets. I have always used sorting and filtering at
a basic level. I got very comfortable with sorting and filtering, and see exactly why it is an important
tool while working in the Data Tasks.

3. The entire Using Data Process is extremely valuable. I never would have been interested in serving
on a data team, even with my math background. I am now eager to find a place on a data team. It
seems time consuming but valuable for teachers and especially students.

What was the most valuable field experience in this course and why? (Elevator Speech, Data Team
Summary, Data Inventory, Instructional Initiatives Inventory, Data Overview, Action Plans)

The Data Overview was definitely my most valuable experience. I really enjoyed analyzing the data and making
visuals. It was interesting and eye opening. I certainly looked at it differently than when I have sat through similar
presentations at faculty meetings. After going through the previous modules in this course I understand more about
why data is presented, how to quickly interpret themes, and what plans need to be made after the data is presented.
It must be a starting place and not an ending. I also learned how difficult it is to get my hands on data. I was shocked
to realize that it was a scavenger hunt to find different scores, and when I did find things from multiple sources, there
was either conflicting, or unclear descriptions about the data. For example, I was given whole school data on the
Milestone exams from one source that defined passing as developing and above, while another source with the sub
group break down only considered proficient and distinguished students as passing. This made comparisons very
difficult.

How do you plan to continue applying this learning in your school?

Whether on a large or small scale, I will use data and encourage my colleagues to really use data not just go
through the motions. I will certainly focus on data in my own classroom and my PLCs, but hopefully this will spread
and I will be able to use my new excitement on a school data team or something similar in the future.

What challenges do you anticipate as you continue to implement these ideas in your school?

There will always be resistance from teachers when data is presented. Many teachers take it as a personal attack
when scores are low, its difficult not to. However, with a different attitude we can see areas for growth instead of
weakness. This is a challenging shift and I dont expect everyone to buy in right away. Analyzing data at this level is
also very time consuming and I worry that it wont be implemented successfully if we have to cut corners because of
time. It does make me nervous to think about adding one more meeting, or one more responsibility to my workload.
But, in the end, we need to do whats best for kids!

ITEC 7430 - Final Blog Post: Course Overview

12/4/2016
Wow, this has been an overwhelming semester. Ive balanced a lot, but learned an awful lot of valuable tools to
implement in my school. While it was busy, it has been enjoyable and exciting to learn about web tools. I was pretty
familiar with several tools like Kahoot, Padlet, and Screencast-O-Matic, but I have learned to use them in new ways. I
have already started using Screencast-O-Matic almost daily. I have individual conferences with students about their
community service (as part of their IB diploma program). In years past I have had to write up a report summarizing
our discussions, which meant I had to take notes while we were talking. When I had back to back conferences, I
would often forget and get too far behind in my documentation. This year, I am recording our discussions while video
the screen cast of their portfolio. I can now save the link to our discussion right in their online portfolio. It has been a
huge time saver on my part, plus the students can refer back to our conversation if they ever need to. I have also
increased my use of Google Docs. I use Google Sheets for a type of gradebook to organize scores that are not
reported but help me differentiate and record data. I use Google surveys for several things, like sign-ups for
reassessment opportunities, and building my student information data base. I didnt make parents fill out paper forms
this year, I posted a link to a Google Survey. So much easier for both me and my students and their parents.
The one negative I would have to say about the web tools we discussed was the overwhelming volume of whats
available. I feel like I get comfortable with one tool, and I stumble on something different. Then I have to weigh the
pros and cons of switching and deciding which would be a better option. For example, last year, I used Schoology as
a classroom website. This year I am voluntarily piloting Its Learning. There is certainly a learning curve and there are
features from Schoology that I miss. While learning how to use Its Learning, I have seen other options that look
interesting and exciting, specifically OneNote. However, at this point, I cant switch, as I dont want my students to
have to make a change during the semester. Ill have to really consider my options (and what my school system
requires) as I prepare to start next year.
Overall, this has been an extremely rewarding course. Ive learned a lot that I can use and share with my
colleagues. I hope my newly strengthened knowledge of web tools not only helps me as a teacher, but also my
students as 21st century learners.

ITEC 7430: Lesson Plan

11/28/2016
Lesson Plan for Implementing NETSSTemplate I
(More Directed Learning Activities)

Template with guiding questions

Teacher(s) Name
Jessica Vaughn

Position
Math Teacher

School/District
Marietta High School Marietta City Schools

E-mail
jvaughn@marietta-city.k12.ga.us

Phone
770-428-2631

Grade Level(s)
9-12
Content Area
Mathematics

Time line
2 weeks

Standards (What do you want students to know and be able to do? What knowledge, skills, and strategies do you
expect students to gain? Are there connections to other curriculum areas and subject area benchmarks? ) Please put
a summary of the standards you will be addressing rather than abbreviations and numbers that indicate which
standards were addressed.
Content Standards
Content standards from IB Mathematical Studies covered in this culminating project. Students will use this project as
a way to summarize and practice all of the data and statistics standards addressed in the course, as listed below.

2.1 Classification of data as discrete or continuous.

2.2 Simple discrete data: frequency tables.
2.3 Grouped discrete or continuous data: frequency tables; mid-interval values; upper and lower boundaries.
Frequency histograms.
2.4 Cumulative frequency tables for grouped discrete data and for grouped continuous data; cumulative frequency
curves, median and quartiles. Box-and-whisker diagram.
2.5 Measures of central tendency. For simple discrete data: mean; median; mode. For grouped discrete and
continuous data: estimate of a mean; modal class.
2.6 Measures of dispersion: range, interquartile range, standard deviation.
4.2 Bivariate data: the concept of correlation. Scatter diagrams; line of best fit, by eye, passing through the mean
point. Pearsons productmoment correlation coefficient, r.
Interpretation of positive, zero and negative, strong or weak correlations.
4.3 The regression line for y on x. Use of the regression line for prediction purposes.
4.4 The 2 test for independence: formulation of null and alternative hypotheses; significance
levels; contingency tables; expected frequencies; degrees of freedom; p-values.

NETS*S Standards:

1. Creativity & Innovation. Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop
innovative products and processes using technology.

a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes b. Create original works as a means of
personal or group expression
c. Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues
d. Identify trends and forecast possibilities
2. Communication & Collaboration
a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments
and media
b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats
d. Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems
3. Research and information fluency Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
a. Plan strategies to guide inquiry
b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media
c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks
d. Process data and report results
4. Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct
research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and
resources.
a. Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation b. Plan and manage activities to
develop a solution or complete a project
c. Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions
d. Use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions
Overview (a short summary of the lesson or unit including assignment or expected or possible products)
This is a culminating project for IB Mathematical Studies. The project will incorporate all of the statistics covered in
two of the units in Math Studies. At the end of the year, students will complete an internal assessment (independent
project) as part of their final IB Math score. This project will be used to help students review and implement the
statistics and also practice for the internal assessment project.

Students may work with a partner. They will have a very open ended project to complete. Their task will be to
research data on any topic of their choice. They will need to find (or even collect) valid data, explaining any sampling
techniques, if necessary. They will perform several calculations on their data. The mathematics are student choice.
They will need to include simple math like mean, median, mode, five number summary, and simple visual displays,
and also more sophisticated math to see if variables are related, such as correlation, regression, or chi-squared test
of independence. Students will need to utilize technology in their research, data collection, collaboration,
mathematical calculations, composing their final project, and presenting their findings.

The final project will be a formal paper, with mathematical calculations shown and explained, and each pair of
students will be given 5 minutes to present any findings to their class. The IB Math Studies rubric for the Internal
Assessment will be used to give students a grade and feedback. (See attached).

Essential Questions (What essential question or learning are you addressing? What would students care or want
to know about the topic? What are some questions to get students thinking about the topic or generate interest about
the topic? Additionally, what questions can you ask students to help them focus on important aspects of the topic?
(Guiding questions) What background or prior knowledge will you expect students to bring to this topic and build on?)
Remember, essential questions are meant to guide the lesson by provoking inquiry. They should not be answered
with a simple yes or no and should have many acceptable answers.

1. How is data collected?

2. What research and sampling techniques are used to gather unbiased data?

3. How is data organized and described?

4. How can technology be used to create visual representations of data?

5. How are variables related? What calculations can be performed to test relationships among variables?

Assessment (What will students do or produce to illustrate their learning? What can students do to generate new
knowledge? How will you assess how students are progressing (formative assessment)? How will you assess what
they produce or do? How will you differentiate products?) You must attach copies of your assessment and/or rubrics.
Include these in your presentation as well.
Students will produce a formal paper. In their paper they will explain their goal and processes. They will present
organized data, relevant to their chosen topic. They will use this data to perform calculations with an effort to answer
questions about their chosen topic.

To brainstorm topic ideas, students will use a platform like www.padlet.com or www.wikispaces.com. Students can
begin posting topic ideas and sharing interests. Students can comment back to each other and help narrow down
topics, offering suggestions and also identifying partners.

Since students will be working with a partner, they will collaborate and research data on their chosen topic. They will
use Google Sheets and Google Docs to compile their findings and perform some of their organization of data
spreadsheet graphs and visuals. They will then use www.desmos.com/calculator for calculations of regression,
correlation, and constructing graphs of their data.

The final product will be a formal paper explaining all steps in their procedures. These will be created and finalized in
Google Docs to be shared with peers and submitted to the teacher through the Learning Management System,
itslearning.com.

Finally, students will be given an opportunity to present their findings, using any format desired. Students can make a
video, or a slide show (Prezi, Google Slides, or PowerPoint).

Students will submit work to the teacher several times throughout the duration of the project for feedback and
preliminary assessment. Students will submit their topic idea and a preliminary introduction (graded on criterion A
from the rubric), then they will submit their data (graded on criterion B), then the calculations (graded on criterion C),
and finally the full project (graded on the full rubric). The rubric used is the same rubric that IB will use to assess the
students internal assessment at the end of the year, so it is important that students get familiar with the requirements
of the project.

See rubric attached at the end of the document.

Resources (How does technology support student learning? What digital tools, and resourcesonline student tools,
research sites, student handouts, tools, tutorials, templates, assessment rubrics, etc.help elucidate or explain the
content or allow students to interact with the content? What previous technology skills should students have to
complete this project?)
Students will collaborate and share ideas using a platform like padlet or wikispaces. Students can access these sites
from their personal devices and quickly and easily share/discussion electronically. Students can post interesting
topics and make suggestions to strengthen their peers ideas. Students that have common interests can find each
other and work on a project as a partnership. Students that dont find a common interest with another student could
work alone, or teacher could pair students if they struggle to find a partner.

Students will research the internet for data. They will need to learn how to use search engines effectively and they will
need to learn to judge the validity of a source. They will practice appropriate citations and credit the sources of their
data.

They will collaborate on shared documents and spreadsheets, like Google Sheets and Google Docs. Most students
are very familiar with these sites already, and all MHS students have a school issued Google account in which they
can use the Google applications.

In order to complete the mathematical calculations, students will use the formula, calculation, and graphing features
of Excel or Google Sheets. They will also use Desmos to create graphs and run regressions and correlation
coefficients. If needed, students will also use Texas Instrument calculators or simulation software.

After performing the necessary calculations on their data, students will compiling the project into a formal paper, using
appropriate mathematical terminology and notation. Math Type or Equation Editor will be used to practice appropriate
mathematical notation.

Finally, students will create a short overview presentation of their work. Students can choose the format for their
presentation. They could create a video or screencast, or they could create a presentation to share with peers on
Prezi, PowerPoint, or Google Slides.

Instructional Plan
Preparation (What student needs, interests, and prior learning provide a foundation for this lesson? How can you
find out if students have this foundation? What difficulties might students have?)
Students in this course are senior level IB students. They have been working with many of these technologies for
most of their high school career. They have a lot of experience with word processing, and they are very well versed
on the collaborative applications of Google. MHS provides a Google account for every student for access to all of the
Google applications, they have used these for most of their courses, especially the IB courses. Students might have a
difficult time deciding on a topic and finding appropriate data. It will be important to discuss with them how to
appropriately search for data, how to check for validity of a source, and how to correctly cite information from a
source. The math will likely be the most difficult part of this project. Students will need to practice some new statistical
skills, and incorporate the use of technology to organize their calculations, specifically on spreadsheets. Students will
need support with using the formula features on spreadsheets. Students might also need support with Desmos. They
are more comfortable with the Texas Instrument hand held calculators, but it is not as easy to take images from the
calculators to use in their paper and presentations, so Desmos is recommended. Many MHS courses require
students to create presentations (Prezi and PowerPoint seem to be the most commonly used) so I dont think they will
have a hard time with this component of the project. They will have a choice of presentation platforms to meet their
needs and experience levels. My students are very good at collaborating and supporting each other with technology.
They tend to support each other more with the use of technology than with the mathematical content.

Management Describe the classroom management strategies will you use to manage your students and the use of
digital tools and resources. How and where will your students work? (Small groups, whole group, individuals,
classroom, lab, etc.) What strategies will you use to achieve equitable access to the Internet while completing this
lesson? Describe what technical issues might arise during the Internet lesson and explain how you will resolve
or trouble-shoot them? Please note: Trouble-shooting should occur prior to implementing the lesson as well as
throughout the process. Be sure to indicate how you prepared for problems and work through the issues that
occurred as you implemented and even after the lesson was completed.
Students will be working with a partner, so management will be important. Students will need to be monitored to stay
on task, and also monitored to see if they need assistance. This is a very large class, so it might help to allow some
groups to move to the library or a separate computer lab to work with less distractions. As students are collaborating,
the teacher will have access to their padlet and/or wikispace page for monitoring and assistance. I will also request
access to their Google files to monitor and assist with their projects when necessary. There will be a need for
students to work outside of the class. Many have access to computers and the internet at home, but several do not. I
will make my classroom computers available before and after school as necessary for students that need to work
away from home. I will also suggest our Media Center and Student Success Center as other possible locations to
gain internet access and work on their projects.

Instructional Strategies and Learning Activities Describe the research-based instructional strategies you will
use with this lesson. How will your learning environment support these activities? What is your role? What are the
students' roles in the lesson? How can you ensure higher order thinking at the analysis, evaluation, or creativity
levels of Blooms Taxonomy? How can the technology support your teaching? What authentic, relevant, and
meaningful learning activities and tasks will your students complete? How will they build knowledge and skills? How
will students use digital tools and resources to communicate and collaborate with each other and others? How will
you facilitate the collaboration?

This project is designed to be very open ended. Students have a lot of choice (topic, format, data, and presentation).
This is a trial of the Internal Assessment that they will have to complete at the end of the year, and it is important to
give students the opportunity to practice on their own. Since this is their first project, I will be more hands on, and
students will be able to work with a partner to make sure all students are learning strategies that will help them be
successful on the final internal assessment project. Students will be required to make decisions, make calculations
and interpretations based on their calculations. There is a lot of room for them to create their own knowledge and
create their own product. The students have full control of their topic, the data they find, and the math they use to
analyze the data. This will allow them to make authentic realizations and decisions about real world scenarios. The
collaboration is huge in this project. Students will communicate and collaborate in person and via technology. All
students will be more successful if they take the time to collaborate (both in person and via technology) and help
each other.

Differentiation (How will you differentiate content and process to accommodate various learning styles and
abilities? How will you help students learn independently and with others? How will you provide extensions and
opportunities for enrichment? What assistive technologies will you need to provide?)
The partnerships will have to be monitored closely. It is very possible for one student to do all the work and carry their
partner. By monitoring their collaborative tools (wiki discussions, Google files) it will be easy to see who is
contributing. This will be discussed at the beginning of the project to remind all students that they have a role, and it is
not about one student doing all the work. This type of open ended project lends itself to being differentiated and
extended to higher levels. Students can find suitable situations and mathematics that they can accomplish and feel
confident about.
Reflection (Will there be a closing event? Will students be asked to reflect upon their work? Will students be asked to
provide feedback on the assignment itself? What will be your process for answering the following questions?
Did students find the lesson meaningful and worth completing?
In what ways was this lesson effective?
What went well and why?
What did not go well and why?
How would you teach this lesson differently?)
I will ask students to use the rubric to assess their own work, and the work of their peers. This will be done before the
final submission of the projects so that they can make changes if necessary. I will also ask students to write a
reflection about the experience in this project as a review and preparation to complete the formal independent project
that will come later in the year.

In order to judge the project, I will closely monitor (physically and electronically) all the students as they work. I will
provide feedback on the rubric criterions throughout all the deadlines. Judging their results will give me a lot of
feedback. If their processes and results are reasonable and valid, then I will judge this project as a success. If
students improve when they complete their final Internal Assessment Project (submitted to IB) then it will definitely be
a beneficial project. I will also make notes of what mathematical processes the students struggle with when working
on real world scenarios and assess whether they need to be taught differently prior to the project.

Closure: Anything else you would like to reflect upon regarding lessons learned and/or your experience with
implementing this lesson. What advice would you give others if they were to implement the lesson? Please provide a
quality reflection on your experience with this lesson and its implementation.
The nature of such an open-ended project is great for student independence and growth. It gives them free reign to
select topics that interest them and mathematics that they find useful. However, it is so open ended that it is often
difficult to plan for situations that arise. I often had to brain storm with students and help them research because there
wasnt a clear answer to their questions. There have been times when a student has chosen a topic and faced a dead
end. Several students have had to start over, and they feel like they have failed, but thats all part of the learning
process. Not every question can be answered.
I also find that students, when given too much control, have a hard time choosing a course, and staying focused on
their goal. I think students learn a lot about working towards a goal with this project beyond the math and the
implementation of technology. Working with a partner will hopefully ease them into the independent project they will
complete later. Also, giving intermittent deadlines throughout the project helps them stay focused and on task, while
getting feedback on their progress.

Video: http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cDXUf5QQHd

IB Internal
Download FileAssessment Rubric

Condensed
Download FileInternal Assessment Rubric

4 Comments

ITEC 7430: Module 7 Blog Post: Internet Safety and the Future of Web 2.0
11/11/2016
PART 1
Teachers have a great responsibility to keep students safe online. As the amount of technology in classrooms
increases, the responsibility to keep kids same increases as well. As stated in one of the videos, it is important to
discuss and set boundaries and expectations. Some of the topics are uncomfortable, but must be discussed.
Teachers and parents have the responsibility of setting expectations in regards to privacy, cyberbullying, sexting, and
inappropriate content. Teachers must stay current with the accessible apps and trends of their students, to stay
informed and aware of the potential opportunities and possible harms.
Three sites that I found interesting and useful in this regard are: www.connectsafely.org, www.staysafeonline.org,
and https://kids.usa.gov/teachers/online-safety/index.shtml. They have varying items of interest and use for teaching
students to be safe online.
Connect Safely is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating users of connected technology about safety,
privacy and security. It has podcasts, videos, articles, and current news stories that will help anyone (parents,
teachers, students) on their quest for online safety.
Stay Safe Online is a similar website that provides resources to keep individuals, students, and businesses safe while
online. The section devoted to teaching internet safety is broken into age groups, with specific tips relevant to
different grade level groups.
The Kids.usa.gov website has a page devoted to teaching online safety. It contains many different articles and
resources, as well as activities and lesson plans.
These are all fantastic resources to use at school and at home to reinforce expectations about being a wise digital
citizen and staying safe while online. Students of all ages need to learn and be reminded of how to stay safe and the
impact of their digital footprint, or digital dossier.

Part 2
Whats next with instructional technology? That seems to be a hot topic, and I dont think we can answer or plan for it
easily. Technology changes faster than schools can keep up. Several years ago Marietta City decided we need a
consistent K-12 Learning Management System. They put together a team of teachers with representatives from each
level, to review and decide on a platform that would be best for all. They chose itslearning.com. Then the following
year, a small group of teachers from each school piloted the LMS. Now this year a few PLCs are working through a
larger pilot. Currently at the high school all ninth grade science and math teachers are supposed to be using
itslearning as the primary tool for students. Ideally, students can go to one place for information on all their courses,
rather than using whatever platform each teacher chose (Edmodo, google classroom, Schoology, etc). The process
has taken so long that by the time all teachers have implemented the LMS, it will likely be outdated, or at least
surrounded by other (probably cheaper) options.
I am in the math pilot for itslearning. I do like the idea that all courses should use the same consistent platform so that
students dont have to keep up with which teacher uses which website. Our students take 8 courses a semester, it is
much easier on them to be streamlined in one place. One of the biggest benefits we have seen as teachers in a
common PLC is the ease of sharing files and resources. In years past we have had to utilize a shared drive on our
network that we all have access. Weve created and saved common assessments, tasks, extra resources, data
sheets, and many other things on our shared network. However, it is only accessible while in the building. I cant
count the number of times that I forgot to copy and save a file I needed to work on from home. We know use a shared
itslearning page for our collaboration, which can be seen in the screenshots below.
We upload weekly meeting agendas and common shared files for each unit. It has greatly saved us the trouble of
emailing everything. Numerous times I have received common assessments three and four times as mistakes are
edited. With the shared page on itslearning, I know that I am getting the most current file.
I have also been using my itslearning pages to share resources with students. I try to keep a daily outline of what we
did in class for review and also for students who are absent. My students have really utilized my answer keys. I will
work out their practice assignments and take pictures of my work and load them to the class page. Students use
these to check their work and clarify any confusion on math problems as they work from home. Aside from photos,
Ive started making and sharing short lessons or review videos. Having one place to store all of this information has
truly made my classroom more dynamic, and I envision much more of this blended style of classroom combined with
online learning in the future.
2 Comments

ITEC 7430: Module 6 Blog Post: Tools That Make a Difference & Assessing
Student Learning
10/27/2016
Marietta City Schools is a Bring your own Technology system. It was a rough start as our wireless internet wasnt
always perfect in the high school, but it has gotten much better over the years. It is nice to be able to use the internet
in lessons, even when I cant secure laptops or computer lab time. Many teachers and parents were worried that
allowing students to bring their devices to school would cause a distraction. We do face some problems with too
many cells phones at inappropriate times, but I have found the good far out-weigh the bad. Students can look up
facts, use apps, and research websites at many points throughout our lessons.
One app/website that I am in love with is www.desmos.com. It is a free graphing calculator website and app. It is
comparable to the Texas Instrument graphing calculator. While it cant be used on standardized tests, I like it more
than TI devices for daily use. Students can get free access to great mathematics tools and calculators from any
device. There is also an amazing teacher site for creating and sharing lessons. Teachers can create slides with
interactive graphs. There are premade activities, public activities shared by other teachers, and you can create your
own lessons. Below is a screen shot of a great desmos activity that teaches functions:
On their own computer or device students watch an animated diagram, in this case a ferris wheel, and they are
supposed to draw a function that models the height of the green car over time. What makes desmos awesome, in my
opinion, is the teacher side of the platform. As the students work, the teacher can see everyones progress, and can
overlap all student responses to display for the class. Similarities and misconceptions can quickly and easily be
identified.
Here are my students results for the ferris wheel.

All of their work is instantly loaded onto my screen. I can also go back to look at any students work individually, if
needed. Desmos even identifies really precise students at the bottom.
Here is another way that student responses can be viewed, as individual thumbnails. Any can be opened for further
investigation.
These great, interactive, exploratory lessons can be created quickly and easily, and students can log in from a
computer, their cell phone, or any other device. Unlike some sharable slides or games, unless the teacher deletes the
activity, the students can keep the log in code and return to the slides at any time. This can be used as a great study
or review tool. I tell my students to write down the activity codes with a description of the content so that they can
return to it if they ever need extra practice.

Plickers is a great way to include technology based formative assessments if students do not have their own devices.
The teacher needs a smart phone or tablet with the app downloaded. Each student is given a card with a diagram.
The diagrams are all unique, and are turned in 4 different directions to signify a multiple choice response. Students
hold up their cards turned in whatever direction corresponds to their answer choice. The teacher uses the camera on
the plicker app and scans the room. The app reads all student responses. It really is amazing. I have seen it in action,
and I tried it once in my classroom last year. I made the mistake of laminating the cards, thinking that they would last
longer. The glare from the lamination made it much harder to scan from across the classroom. Unfortunately, its one
of those great ideas that gets pushed aside because I havent made the time to reprint the cards. Below is a few
samples of the plicker cards. Every student has a unique diagram, and answer choices A, B, C, and D, can be seen
around the 4 sides.
Plickers gives a great visual of student responses, as seen below.
Ive also explored zip grade, which scans student bubble sheets. This site offers limited free scans, but for unlimited
scans, it costs $6.99 per year. As a math teacher, I dont rely heavily on multiple choice questioning, so I dont tend
to use these as often as some of my colleagues in other departments.
Screencast-o-matic and jing are screencast tools that I have used several times over the last two years. I have
started incorporating video lessons and reviews into my math classroom. I love having a way to allow students to
hear lessons multiple times if needed. It is also a great tool for students who are absent. Im dabbling in the
occasional flipped lesson, and I use screencast-o-matic when I create video lessons. I jumped the gun with
screencast-o-matic in my last blog post, because I use it instead of podcasts in my math classes. I think the video is
just as important as the audio when working with mathematics. Below is a sample screen cast using screencast-o-
matic.com explaining two different formative assessment tools, Kahoot and Quizizz.

Kahoot video: http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cD6ue5jHxd

2 Comments

ITEC 7430: Module 5: Podcasting and Visual Tools

10/14/2016
For my podcast I decided to make a recording to explain CAS, one of the components of an IB diploma. IB
candidates are required to complete a CAS program and as CAS coordinator I am often asked, What is CAS? So, I
recorded a 60 second response that I can share on our website. After recording it, I realized I would like to make
something a little lengthier and more detailed and possible include other visual tools too, in order to provide people
with better examples.

Record audio or upload mp3 >>

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0jdUx4eYKPn
Flickr
I searched several different topics, but wanted to find something related to mathematics. I founds tons of beautiful
examples of math in art. Many photographs highlighted patterns and sequences. Here are two samples:
From Mathematical Association of America, a photograph of a Mandelbrot fractal. If you zoom in, the patterns are the
same. Its a very cool design and an application of sequences and fractions in art. Plus, its pretty to look at! In this
photo there are three iterations, each zoomed in more than the previous.
The original photo can be found at the following web address:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/maaorg/5472233052/in/photolist-9kyCeJ-gaJGGr-8kNsmJ-cSocTd-eTb4tF-5HiEZu-
5HiEQ1-aXTHee-qWdk8s-6orXeY-8GrRLy-88WLLR-6HDbc2-834w2L-9kyGP3-5Henin-aftPRU-831n9H-834w5Q-
vNGA5z-5Hen1v-bao6Hn-LugAZ-5HiEFq-5HemNt-5HiECN-5HenCF-5HiEMm-5HemY4-5HiEHo-831nmz-5HenfT-
5HiE9f-5HiEkf-5Hen6e-5HiEpJ-jiTrJo-adHnjY-5HenEH-wTBq1N-86JPzY-jiPqDT-gaJGDv-6szcaY-qcvt7-gaJ2pR-
831nnc-gaJGCi-buhCUd-gaJ8P3/
The second photograph I found that I really enjoyed was this beautiful picture of a pine cone. A very plain object
found in nature, but the photograph shows the intricate sequence spiraling around the pine cone.
Below is the link to the original photograph:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/indichick/3349756353/in/photolist-9wg5Rf-8mJRjn-8mJR3H-d7Q8VE-ojXXqn-9oF72N-
nvd7R1-oZQL9K-oZQEwd-sfUzWU-ndZimD-nvc4gM-671nRT-bbowwg-nvc396-cmWt6L-cmWtfE-cmWtc7-cmWt5s-
nvddEq-cmWsUj-cmWt25-cmWsXW-CbHjC4-CzAXZF-CYHyxw-D1ZwpZ-CbHjdX-CbHjig-D96W66-CFYWwb-
CbHjU6-D6MBY3-CbHkg8-CYxfwm-D6Mppq-CbAhoj-CYxgpy-CbHkpp-D96WeT-D1PbpP-CbHjMx-LMQ7Kj-
MF3hUE-MuU1V6-8fGujw-96FypU-Ge5tWS-LFFaX7-Lnhfn3

A third, beautiful photograph that I found again highlights math in nature. These dandelions are gorgeous, but they
are also examples of three dimensional figures with patterns and sequences. Looking at these photographs gave me
an idea to have students take pictures of places where they can find math in the real world.
Grant McDonald posted this photograph and the original picture can be found at the following link:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/grantmac/4808924351/in/photolist-8jWZEP-4J97KE-4TrFay-4a9js4-nRQz3E-88cvpE-
dgJ3Ek-c4A8uE-7hFkJz-96fKPk-aPuJvD-8U6qHc-4cFQsU-2m98uC-4BzeLV-9TK5iS-dTyd1r-6XFg9j-aZfQkD-
s4VRi6-6XB7ca-ar4pKg-DyBBZv-nQ2Jeo-fmTPBo-9qqoz7-vQS5G-q9igVB-hFimKN-8WbkYz-dnE9Lr-7hzFyd-
6Utwzw-7WDBWv-6hfFCh-3N4hxG-7MnkxH-4axHbG-716Fp7-f9pcRW-4UXXDi-afoAQA-aoL2T1-CTB1Bw-ds1BXi-
jivaG-7MrPSV-notNWg-72krbB-5RBFCg/
Another visual tool that I have used recently is www.screencast-o-matic.com Ive used this video tool in my math
classes to make flipped lessons, create review videos, and make video answer keys. I can work through one problem
at a time and students can pick and choose which problems they struggle with and need some help. They arent
stuck watching lengthy videos if they are only looking for clarification of one or two problems. I have a teacher page
on our learning management system that I can post all the videos and students can watch directly from our class
page.

Here is an example of a single problem that I was able to work out on my smart board. All of my work on the screen
and the audio are recorded.

http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/co61FufR4s
Here is a second example in which I used a document camera. I found that this is easier for me to do from home, and
I dont have to always use my SmartBoard. This is also a good resource when my graphing calculator on my
computer doesnt want to work!

http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/coXhYphlri
These videos are great for differentiation because they can be viewed as many times as students need. I would have
loved to have this resource when I was in high school. I can remember several times when reading over my notes I
couldnt interpret things and wished I could have replayed a lesson. Students can easily watch lessons and
examples as many times as needed. It is also a great tool for review. At the end of a semester when students are
preparing for cumulative exams, they can quickly find and review old topics.
After reading and browsing, it looks like jing (https://www.techsmith.com/jing.html ) is a similar platform that allows
you to easily create screen cast videos. I didnt try to create anything with jing, because I already have a library
started in screencast-o-matic, and didnt see the need to have a new account with videos elsewhere. When asking
how to get started with videos, our media specialist recommended screencast-o-matic because the videos were able
to be embedded and were viewable on any device, which is the way most of our students will watch videos.
After working through this module, I realized that I prefer videos over traditional audio podcasts. I think my math
students would too. As a math teacher, a lot of our work needs to be visual, and students can quickly lose interest in a
purely audio recording. Maybe they have a bigger impact in other disciplines, but, for me, Ill stick to building my video
screen cast library for now.

ITEC 7430Blog Post: Productivity & Collaboration Tools

10/2/2016
Wikis
I have briefly used wikis before, but I never realized their specifics, or the ease of their setup/use. After viewing the
samples in the module, I really like how wikis can be shared and collaborated on, not only within a class or school,
but between students from different schools, even in different countries. I liked the Great Debate 2008 as a
collaborative assignment. The teachers and students involved in these projects can make some great connections
and share insights from different areas of the world. Such a great project for students to be involved in. However,
making a public wiki that could be shared by anyone, could open up doors for concern, depending on who responds.
It will become critical for teachers to monitor content closely if a wiki is made public. I like that several of the wikis I
viewed included lots of information, even in links to other files. Its a great place to store information and share
resources.

One way that I could implement the use of a wiki would be for student portfolios. In Algebra Support we ask students
to collect evidence (artifacts) of their learning in algebra and reflect on their work. Currently, we make a lot of
photocopies and they write a lot on reflection forms that we have created. If we could store these portfolios
electronically, on a wiki, it could benefit both teacher and students. We wouldnt use as much paper, they would
always have access to their work (they wouldnt have to turn in copies of items) and they could peer review each
others portfolios. We dont currently have a peer review requirement, but wikis would make that easy, and I think it
would be beneficial for students to read and review their peers also. The only downfall to this wiki portfolio idea would
be the need to scan and upload student work. That is one of the most important aspects of our portfolios, so students
would have to have a way to scan or photograph and upload their work. I think this could easily be done with a smart
phone camera.

Productivity and Collaboration Tools

The use of Google tools and Google drive have drastically increased in my classroom over the last year or so. I have
increased my use of Google tools mainly because it is what my students have started using more so than the Office
productivity tools that they used to use more regularly. As a math teacher, they dont turn in many documents to me,
but when they do, we require them to submit electronically so that they can be checked in a plagiarism site. While I
used to have students email me Word and Excel documents, they now send me Google pages and Google sheets. It
is nice to be able to access these from any computer without having to download and save, or email to make them
accessible. Teachers in my school have started sharing resources more this way too. We previously had the problem
of storing files on the school network and unless we remembered to download and save to our hard drive, we would
be stuck unable to work from home. Google drive has definitely helped us with shared files and things that we wont
to work on from home.

I see many benefits for students being able to collaborate on one document at a time. I love that student changes can
be tracked and they can see who adds or changes things in the collaborative document. Many students working
together without having to be in the same place at the same time. All they need is internet access. Teachers can
strategically group students based on the needs and strengths of all students. These groups can easily be changed
based on assignments. Even though students could work from anywhere, the teacher needs to be mindful if students
do not have internet access outside of the school. Time would have to be granted during the school day to complete
required tasks. I think collaborative, online productivity tools could be used in similar manners to wikis.

In my classroom, I have used Google forms, Google sheets, and Google docs. I offer retests every few weeks. I allow
my seniors to choose which test they want to retake, and I have several options for times in which they can retake. I
can quickly and easily create a Google Form and allow students to sign up for retests. I can then view their answers
in a spreadsheet and sort based on the test given, or when they plan on coming in to retest. Here is an example of a
retest form I used for students last semester.

And the results were easy to organize and sort. Here is a sample of student responses.

Ive also used Google Forms to collect student information. Rather than having to retyped all student and parent
email addresses at the start of a semester, I have students complete a Google form and I quickly and easily have all
student info in one place that I can sort based on grade level, course, or any other parameter needed. When its time
to send a mass email, I can copy and paste a list of email addresses rather than type them all individually. Im not
including an entire screenshot of that example for privacy reasons.

One further way I have used Google Sheets is for recording grades. We use an online student data system, but we
are also an MYP school and those scores are not averaged quite the same as traditional percentage grades. I record
my students MYP scores with point conversions in a Google Sheet, like shown below.

Different rubrics are color coded and I can quickly see trends and areas of strengths and weaknesses. With the
formula capabilities, I can also sort and average quickly when needed. Ive really enjoyed using Google sheets to
organize this aspect of my students grades. At this point, I am using the Google Tools more for my organization, but I
can now see so many ways that students could use collaborative productivity tools for enhancing their learning.

The Pedagogy Wheel is slightly overwhelming at first glance, but wow, it has a lot of great information. I love the links
to the Blooms Taxonomy Actions. For my uses, Im more in the Remember, Understand, and Apply categories. This
is a great tool to identify applications that can extend my students into higher levels of Blooms Taxonomy.
ITEC 7430: Module 3 Blog Post: Social Networking, Virtual Environments, and
Digital Divide
9/15/2016
Social Networking Tools
For module 3, after exploring Twitter, I spent some time on Schoology (www.schoology.com). I used Schoology for a
little while last year. I really like the platform and the ability to share resources with students and communicate quickly
and easily. Teachers can set up class pages on Schoology. Parents and students can be given a code to log into the
site. Teachers can organize shared resources into folders. I created folders with review videos, video lessons,
pictures of answer keys, and links to other resources. Students and parents could message the teacher, and other
students could even respond to each other. There is an app that makes most of the features available on a portable
device, like a tablet, or smart phone.
I personally liked the Schoology platform for networking with students, but our system purchased Its Learning
(itslearning.com) and I am part of a pilot group using Its Learning for my teacher page this year. I am not learning all
of the features as quickly as I would like, and Im missing the Schoology features that I had grown accustomed to
from last year. Hopefully Ill find ways to accomplish the same things with Its Learning soon enough. I hear the
capabilities are there, I just havent found them all yet!

Any type of teacher page on a social networking site can be used to meet students of all kinds of needs. When
students are absent or have to miss class for any reason, they can quickly get the resources that they missed. It also
provides the capability for resources to help students that are struggling. When I start to prepare students for exams, I
will create keys or study videos for students to use when they are practicing at home. If students are confident with
the material, they dont have to spend extra time reviewing, however, if a student needs additional help, these are
great resources to help them prepare. Ive gotten a lot of positive feedback from students and parents about the
usefulness of the resources, especially video reviews and video lessons, which are available whenever needed and
they can watch multiple times.

Virtual Environments
I am not nearly as familiar with Virtual Environments. I was very impressed with the Google Tour Builder. What a
fantastic way to help students see beyond their own neighborhoods. I have many students that will never be able to
travel to places they have learned about, but a virtual trip created in Google Tour Builder can bring some of those
places closer. I also really like the perspective of the global view. The comparison of their home to wherever in the
world they are visiting was interesting to me. Im sure many students have no concept of how large the world really
is, or how different locations relate to each other in a global sense. I teach math, so I dont think I have a huge use in
my classroom, but Id love to share the site with history or language teachers. This would be a great tool for any
teacher that is teaching culture or other concepts about other countries. As CAS coordinator (creativity, activity, and
service) I could use Google Tour Builder to help students understand their global impact in their service projects. It
could be a great way for students to visit areas that they are working to support. For example, I have students that
are working to raise funds for Heifer International, which gifts livestock or other agricultural gifts to families to help
them become self-sufficient. These families are located around the world. Google Tour Builder could give students a
better perspective about the location of the families they are working to help.

I also explored Second Life. I have to admit, I dont really get it! Solomon and Schrum (2014) discuss Virtual
Environments in their seventh chapter, and they start with Second Life. Since I am not very familiar with virtual
environments, I thought the one declared most popular would be a great place to begin. Solomon and Schrum
reference its use in universities, but I still dont understand what exactly can be done. I downloaded it, set up an
avatar, and walked through the tutorial, but didnt really know what to do next. There is a quote by Kelton (2008) that I
found fascinating: Just as once many in higher education loudly proclaimed that the internet was of no practical use
and was filled with questionable material and marketing, so too do critics today have their doubts about virtual worlds.
But the web grew into a vital part of our lives, and a growing number of people believe that virtual worlds will do the
same (as cited in Solomon and Schrum, 2014). I am clearly on the side of a skeptic, or critic, but Ill wait and see
what I can learn!

Digital Divide
The digital divide is real in my school. We have a very diverse student population. Many have the best, most
expensive, newest technology available at home and at school. Other students dont even have cell phones. We are
a BYOT system, but Im often nervous to ask students you use their own devices, because I have seen many
students embarrassed by their lack of technology. I always try to make my classroom desktop and a few laptops
available if I ever use technology in my classroom. We are slowly adding more laptops and chromebooks, but there is
still a digital divide in implementation of sound instructional technology. Just as Gorski (2005) mentions in his opening
paragraph, the divide in not necessarily based on equality of physical access, but on equity of access (p. 3). While
we are acquiring more technology devices, they arent always used equitably. I know several teachers that have great
technology that they arent using effectively. It makes me sad to realize there is valuable technology basically being
wasted. One teacher recently told me that she applied for a grant and received a set of 20 iPads for her classroom.
However, since she is only teaching freshmen this year, she is fearful that they wont take care of the iPads, or the
students wont use them appropriately, therefore, she has yet to use them in her classroom. Meanwhile, I have
infrequent access to an old set of laptops that occasionally turn on. Im lucky if I get to use them once every few
weeks, and I usually cant make too many plans for them, because its always possible that I wont actually get them
when requested. Ive also noticed that training educators to know how to effectively use technology in their
classrooms creates a divide. Some teachers are still extremely hesitant to try using technology. Either they dont
know how, or they dont have the time to learn and then train their students. So students that have two different
teachers for a similar course might experience drastically different uses of technology (or lack of technology).

My biggest take away from the digital divide, is that physical access, does not mean equitable access when
comparing different schools, or even students within a school.

5 Comments

ITEC 7430: Module 2 Blog Post: Web 2.0 and Evaluating Student Blogs
9/1/2016
Web 2.0
"If students are to achieve their full potential, they must have opportunities to engage and develop a much richer set
of skills. . . While there is still a need for more empirical evidence that these factors can be taught as transferable
competencies across situations, there are a wide range of promising program and approaches" (Schechtman,
DeBarger, Dornsife, Rosier, & Yarnell, 2013 as cited in Solomon & Schrum, 2014, p.8).

I definitely agree with the quote above. I think we focus too much on specific content and only at a surface level. Our
students need a richer set of skills that will help them be successful in any arena when they leave high school. We
saw so many quotes during this module about the speed at which technology and the world around us is changing.
Our students dont need to be limited to learning facts, but acquiring skills in which they will be able to adapt to the
fast changing world around them. Incorporating technology into our classroom will benefit students and teach them
skills necessary to be a 21st century student. There are many internet tools that I am looking forward to learning
more about, and Im sure that list is changing just as fast as the field of instructional technology. New products and
platforms are started every year, it is overwhelming. One of the specific components I am excited to learn about is
podcasting and vidcasting. I am very interested in incorporating flipped lessons into my math class, and I think
podcasts and vidcasts are tools that could be used for flipped lessons, among other things.
Web 2.0 tools have certainly changed my classroom over the last few years, and I hope as I learn more, my
classroom will change proportionally. Specifically I want to use technology more efficiently. I incorporate a lot of
internet tool, but it would be more effective if we were 1:1. I have up to 32 high school students in some of my
classes, and only those that bring a device can access the internet. Scheduling time to get a class into a computer
lab is not easy (or often even possible), so we have made most of our technology rich activities, collaborative, or even
optional, because we cant always guarantee that students will have the tools to access the internet. Doing some of
the same tasks that we already do, but letting students do it online does seem to make a significant difference.
Web 2.0 tools are making a huge impact on student learning and engagement in the high school classroom. Students
like to do things differently. Even if it just means working on the same type of project, but do it online. There is a
speed, accuracy, and even collaboration component that they dont get when working in a more traditional setting
with basic pen and paper. Im very excited to learn more specifics about good tools that I can use in my classroom
effectively.
Students with diverse needs are greatly supported by technological devices and tools. Ive recently seen a student
with vision impairment that uses her personal cell phone to photograph anything that she cannot read so that she
could zoom in the text at her seat, rather than read small print on a hand out, or read from across the room. This
simple, inexpensive technique allows this student to be on a similar playing field with students that do have good
vision. There are lots of ways that web 2.0 tools can be incorporated into the classroom to address students with
diverse learning situations.

Evaluating Student Blog Posts

I like the idea of evaluating students on their content and ideas, writing style and grammar, use of images, videos, or
other media, and their comments and interactions with other students. In reading How are you going to grade this?:
Evaluating classroom blogs by Prof. Hack on The Chronicle of Higher Education, two teachers Jeff McClurken and
Julie Meloni share a common theme in their evaluation process. Both Jeff and Julie look for thoughtful responses,
good writing, original ideas, taking advantage of the medium (linking, video, audio) where appropriate, and, of course,
actually posting the blogs on time (McClurken, Meloni 2010). I would also like to use evaluation as a way for
encouraging students to improve in their blogging, rather than just assigning grades. I would evaluate the first several
blog posts without assigning a grade in order for students to get comfortable with the process. I would provide
feedback, but not give grades for the first few posts or comments. They should have the opportunity to learn before
they are held accountable.
Another source that I found valuable was a blog titled assessing student blogs on blogs-in-k12 on wikispaces.com.
This author gives pros and cons for using student blogs as assessment grades. They present many more pros than
cons, but also provide good guidelines for teacher expectations and what teachers should and should not do when
assessing student blog work. One of the pro assessment comments that I found very valuable was the fact that the
blog can serve as a portfolio and teachers, students, and parents can track progress throughout the course of the
year (or even longer). In this regard, I would think grades could be viewed on a trend. Only evaluating at the end of
the year, or changing the level of grade boundaries as students have time to learn and improve. Overall, I think a
student blog is a great way to get students engaged (often engaged with an audience outside their classroom) and
inspired to learn many different content areas. It can also be used as a diagnostic, formative or summative
assessment, depending on how it is presented by the teacher and what expectations are explained.
Once students feel more comfortable with the idea of blogging and commenting on the blogs of their peers, I would
most likely want to take to use the blogs as an assessment tool. Below is a sample of a rubric that I would use to
evaluate students work on their blogs. The Visual criteria might be excluded from some students rubrics depending
on the content, type of blog, or the age of the student. It would be included (or not) on a case by case scenario.
Assessing student blogs. (2011, February). Retrieved September 01, 2016, from https://blogs-in-
k12.wikispaces.com/assessing student blogs

McClurken, J., & Meloni, J. (2010, June 21). ProfHacker How are you going to grade this:
Evaluating classroom blogs. Retrieved September 01, 2016, from http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/how-
are-you- going-to-grade-this-evaluating-classroom-blogs/24935

4 Comments

ITEC 7410 Instructional Technology Leadership

7/20/2016
This was a very interesting course. It focused on analyzing the current situation at your school, finding things that
should/could be improved, and creating a plan for future improvements. This was the first time I've ever really taken a
position of school wide leadership, even if it was just theoretical. I was challenged to really think beyond my own
classroom. I had to investigate the bigger picture of my school's strengths, weaknesses, and needs. I started some
great conversations with administrators and other leaders in the technology field. I found that there are many
weaknesses, and not many formal plans for correcting these weaknesses. I've begun to work on my own plan for
helping improve the impact of engaging, valuable technology into the classrooms. Hopefully my influence will be
effective in other classrooms, not just my own. My plan has always been to remain in the classroom, at least for the
near future. I've never really considered applying for a leadership role. However, even if it's in the distant future, I
might consider thinking about a leadership role in the future. I've certainly learned a lot, and I've grown as an
educator as a result of this course.
Overall the Shared Vision paper, the SWOT analysis and the Action Plan were all valuable tools to learn how to
assess and plan for technology implementation in a school. I also found the Technology Grant application extremely
valuable. I will likely submit my proposal to my school board in an attempt to earn an Innovation Grant. I would love to
actually acquire a set of iPad minis to be used consistently in my math classes. I also found Feedly account to be
helpful. Instructional technology is changing and progressing constantly. It is extremely important to stay on top of the
changes. An RSS feed allows you to quickly read any news and updates on a topic of your choice. As an instructional
technology leader, this type of information is critical.

0 Comments

ITEC 7445 Multimedia and Web Design

7/20/2016
Wow! Summer semester is fast! I really enjoyed the content of this course. I learned a tremendous amount and
honestly wish I could have taken the course in a fall or spring semester so that I could have spent a little more time
with some of the content. We began the course reviewing WebQuests, and throughout the course designed our own.
This is a great element to incorporate into my own classroom in the future. We learned about design and used it to
create a flyer. Something I would have thought was pretty simple turned out much better after I was aware of some
key elements. I found the hand coding assignment fun. I'm glad to know that I won't have to rely on it, but it is
interesting to know how it works and how I can troubleshoot if necessary. We also learned how to use Audacity to
create an audio file, and Windows Movie Maker to create a video. Both were fun and I can see myself using them for
my students. Below is my video clip. I documented the summer activities of my family. We were able to find fun things
to do around town while I was still able to complete my coursework.

Attached is the video that I created.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXdQ9DH8anY

ITEC 8500 - Issues, Trends and Research in Instructional Technology

5/2/2016
One of the largest components of this course was the capstone proposal. I struggled with settling on a topic that I
could implement. I wanted to incorporate too many ideas into one project, and had to streamline my project to
implementing flipped lessons in my classroom. One of my goals is not to simply flip lessons, but to investigate how
students watch the video lessons, and also what obstacles might keep them from previewing the videos outside of
class. It is a wonderfully instructional strategy, but if students arent previewing videos, we need to figure out what
roadblocks are there, and how to overcome them.

Other assignments in this course include learning and using technology that helps teachers stay up to date with
instructional technology (and educational) news. We created Feedly accounts and followed many leaders in
education and instructional technology. We also participated in Twitter. I have had a Twitter account in the past, but
havent used it much. I hadnt ever used Twitter professionally. In the past I used Twitter to connect with friends and
follow celebrities. Implementing Twitter professionally was indeed eye opening. I have found lots of colleagues and
professionals to follow that have taught and shared many valuable resources. Twitter, and other social media, allows
teachers to create PLCs beyond our school walls. I hope to continue using Feedly and Twitter as resources to expand
my professional knowledge. I also hope that I can share ideas and resources and others can benefit from what I am
learning.

As in any course the discussions are valuable to internalize what we are learning. I have built some great connections
from the peers in my courses. We have shared a lot and I am certainly learning from my peers as well as my
professors.

EDRS 8000: Applied Quantitative & Qualitative Research

5/2/2016
EDRS 8000 was the research course. As a math person I went into the course feeling confident about quantitative
research but apprehensive about qualitative. The course was difficult, but I learned a tremendous amount about
collecting and analyzing data. I also learned how to read research and look for specific things that validate research
papers. I didnt realize the specific format that research papers were written in, but I know now what to expect when I
read research articles.

I really enjoyed the applied statistics assignments. Some of the practice assignments in Excel were refreshers, but I
learned several new, valuable tools for analyzing data. The t-test practice was very helpful for me. The qualitative
research assignments were more difficult for me. I like being able to calculate! The Hopscotch Model helped me
understand and design my own qualitative research study. I will be able to implement what I learned on my capstone
project on flipping lessons in my classroom.

Overall, this course kept me busy, but I enjoyed the content and feel that I learned quite a bit this semester.

ITEC 7400: 21st Century Teaching & Learning

12/7/2015
ITEC 7400 is my first course in instructional technology, and I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. The assignments
were meaningful to me and I feel I can immediately use things that I learned from this course in my own classroom.
We began the course looking at indicators of engaged learning and LoTi. We practiced with these items and
consistently referred back to them. I was able to strengthen my understanding and implementation of both throughout
this course.

I did feel like some of the reading was outdated, but with ever evolving technology, it's difficult to maintain a print
resource that covers the most current trends in technology. I also feel like some of the reading was tailored to
students that don't have a strong background (yet) in instructional technology. I have been fortunate to have great,
cutting edge resources at my school, so I have already seen many of the tools that were presented in out text. I
realize that I am lucky, and some teachers are starting from a different level of comfort with technology. Even with
potential diverse technological backgrounds, this course was engaging and rewarding. I feel much more comfortable
to continue with the program and soon begin in a role as technology coach within my building.

21st century K-12 Learners need their teachers to be as accommodating as possible and implement technology
whenever we can. Technological advances happen quickly. We can't chance falling behind. Our students often tend
to know as much, if not more about our technology than we do! This is a great "problem" to have, but we need to be
mindful that the technology evolves so quickly, that we don't really know exactly what the future will look like for our
students, so we must teach them to appreciate what technology can do for us, and be willing to learn something new
when able.

I benefited the most from the GaPSC standards within standard number 2. I think I feel comfortable within my own
classroom, and sharing with my colleagues in regards to the second standard: Teaching, Learning, and Assessment.

EDUC 8100: Advanced Study of Learning

12/7/2015
EDUC 8100 was a harder course for me, because it focused on learning theories related to educational psychology,
and I have admittedly not study these in quite a while. The assignments truly made me work, think, and study. The
culminating project of the course, the Synthesis of Research and Pedagogical Recommendations was a great
summary tool of all of the resources studied throughout the course. It is something that I could easily refer back to in
future courses if needed. This course was heavy with readings and other resources. I appreciate that much of the
information in the modules was presented as videos. I liked the change from purely reading for a course, and it was
more effective to watch videos with real scenarios, than to just read about them.

One new technology that I learned about in this course was Voice Thread. It is an interesting way to have a
discussion and interact with classmates from a distance. I feel that I got to know my online classmates better after
watching their introductory videos.