From Start to Finish: My Personal Journey Jamie Morrow EDUC 526 Capstone Experience in Digital Teaching and Learning

Professor: Jennifer Courduff, Ph.D. APU Murrieta Regional Center December 9, 2013

Jamie Morrow Murrieta Regional Center

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment Fall II

1 December, 2013

Section One Introduction I can remember the exact moment when I knew I was going to enroll in this particular Masters program. It was towards the end of my Bachelors program in 2012 at the Murrieta Regional Center. That evening my cohort was shuffled into another room to listen to a variety of speakers from Azusa Pacific University (APU) explain about the different Masters and Credential programs APU offered. At the time I knew I wanted to pursue my Masters degree with APU but, I did not know what direction I wanted to go with it. Towards the end of that meeting a man came up and started speaking about the Digital Teaching and Learning MA and the difference it has made in his teaching at the junior high level. Honestly, I did not even know an option like Digital Teaching and Learning existed. After hearing him (I cannot remember his name) explain the program, I knew I was hooked and immediately decided that that was the road I was going to take after graduation. It was my goal from the beginning of my studies in Center for Adult and Professional Studies (CAPS) program at APU to do whatever I needed to in order to make myself marketable to future employers. It was important for me to have the confidence to walk into interviews feeling like I had earned my place as an educator. It was because of my positive experience with the CAPS program that I chose to continue my education with APU. I believe God opened up the doors of opportunity for me here at APU and now I had the responsibility to follow through. In order to meet the expectations I set for myself I recognized that I had to push myself into the unfamiliar land of technology. This was my ticket to marketability. Though I had no teaching experience at the time, I had spent many hours in classrooms as a volunteer over the past ten
Jamie Morrow Murrieta Regional Center EDUC 526 Growth Assessment Fall II 2 December, 2013

years. I had witnessed the level of disconnect grow between teachers who knew very little about technology and their students who were technology natives. As I went through the CAPS program I also took note to how few teachers actually incorporated technology into their lessons. I came to the realization that this was linked to their lack of experience with technology which, as in my situation, can seem uncomfortable and overwhelming and to try and comprehend. Having firsthand experience of this disconnect between teacher, technology, and students, I knew that I could not allow myself to fall into that category. Since it had been my goal from the beginning of my MA program to feel confident, worthy, and marketable as an educator, I believe having the knowledge to help bridge the disconnect between teacher and student through this program has helped me meet that goal. Personal Growth My increase in self-awareness has grown over and above what I ever expected. When I came into this program I understood my personal strengths as a peacekeeper and a relater and how to incorporate those strengths into my teaching style. However, now that I am almost done with my Masters program, I also recognize my strengths as a learner, creator, and trailblazer of technology. Who would have ever thought I would have journeyed this far in the land that was so unfamiliar? This program has not only made me more aware of the different learning styles of my students but also how to make the best use of technology in order to benefit their individual learning needs. It has taught me how to distinguish between the eight intelligences discovered by Dr. Howard Gardner and how to apply his findings to my lesson and unit plans with technology as my aid. Understanding how to use and apply these tools has helped expanded my ability to differentiate instruction which I feel has made me a better, more well-rounded educator.

Jamie Morrow Murrieta Regional Center

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment Fall II

3 December, 2013

Furthermore, it has also forced me to reconsider the way I work. I have always been a procrastinator. No matter what it is, I have always waited until the last minute to get things done. Probably, because I successfully got away with it for so many years it simply became a bad habit. I am now finding that habit less and less appealing. As I have grown through this program my drive to be better than average has changed my perspective on procrastination. More now than ever, I want to get things done without the added stress of running short on time. I have also grown to notice that learning takes time, but learning to teach takes more time. If I want to be great at what I do, procrastination is my enemy. I have come to understand that in order to stay ahead, I have to reorganize my time and make learning a priority. Additionally, APU has introduced me to some wonderful people. Until I came here, I had never been in an environment where so many people worked so hard to make sure I had a pleasant and successful experience. It was easy to see that no one in this university was just another number in the crowd. The environment that the staff has created by virtue of their high level of morals and values is incomparable. The transformation I have witnessed in myself, thanks to the support and encouragement of the faculty and staff, is proof in itself. It is one aspect of this entire experience that I will carry with me forever. Not only that, but the friends and future colleagues that have been introduced into my life through this process are just as fantastic. I have watched the faculty, time and time again set the example the first night of each class, one of support and encouragement. This example then rubs off on each of us as we become bonded in helping one another succeed. As for myself, success has come in many forms; personal, technological, and spiritual just to mention a few. It has been a blessing for me to be in a program that required me to consider how to incorporate Christian morals and values into my teaching. This is a huge step that many
Jamie Morrow Murrieta Regional Center EDUC 526 Growth Assessment Fall II 4 December, 2013

educators never have the opportunity to examine. Now, with technology in the mix, it has propelled me to question how to incorporate a Christian perspective using digital citizenship. This is something, that up until now, I never perceived to consider. Professional Growth The opportunity God has presented to me through this program is exactly what I needed without even knowing it in the beginning. All I knew is that I wanted to know how to use tools in my classroom that would assist me in relating to and inspiring my students. This program has taught me from the ground up how to use technology wisely and efficiently. For me, technology is no longer just about tools that help me teach but more so tools that help my students learn. I feel confident in understanding how to incorporate it as part of the natural process of my classroom and not just a mechanism to use as a side note. Having this knowledge will open up so many doors for my students that otherwise would have been locked. This program has helped me recognize the potential technology has in engaging students and assisting them in becoming exceptional learners. From the point when I started this Masters program up until now, my professional life has continued to develop. It started out by being hired as a substitute teacher for the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) back in March 2012, to just last week being hired by Hemet and Menifee school districts as a substitute. These two new districts are very exciting for me in regards to my Masters program here at APU. Until now I was not allowed to use any technology in my classes. Working for RCOE I work in their juvenile halls where technology is not allowed anywhere in the facility. These restrictions have been very frustrating at times. There have been several instances when I wanted to take what I was learning and apply it to my students learning,

Jamie Morrow Murrieta Regional Center

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment Fall II

5 December, 2013

but I was not allowed. Now, working with Hemet and Menifee, I feel as though the chains have come off. It is my hope that I can incorporate the use of my iPad and/or iPhone in these schools as part of my instructional strategies. Assuming they have whats needed for the proper connection, I intend on using some of the apps such as Show Me (EDUC 512), the Khan Academy (EDUC 512), and websites such as Ted.com (EDUC 512). Eventually, as I am hired on as a teacher, it is my goal to run a fully flipped classroom. The idea of having more one on one time with my students and less time lecturing, inspires me to make this materialize. Other future plans include incorporating an audio recording of each class onto the class website for students who were absent and/or those who would just need extra review (EDUC 514), creating unique video into my lessons instead of simple Power Point presentations (EDUC 514), and creating virtual meetings for students who are absent or even parents who may not normally be able to attend a conference. For my Action Research Study I have chosen to study how to raise the level of student participation among student inmates. I wanted to explore the possibility that offering these students an incentive, such as candy, would increase their level of participation. I am tracking their participation levels in all subject areas each day without giving them any incentive and comparing that data to the days when I do provide them the incentive (candy). The whole idea is to take a very low participation rate (about 30-40%) among these student inmates and find a manageable way to increase it. Technical Growth When I began this program in early 2013, I knew very little about technology. I can remember my first class in EDUC 511 and being so excited that I was going to learn how to do most
Jamie Morrow Murrieta Regional Center EDUC 526 Growth Assessment Fall II 6 December, 2013

everything with an iPad. I had never touched an iPad in my life. As a matter of fact, there were a lot of things I had never done until now. I can remember in EDUC 512 we had to create a spread sheet. This was the first time I had ever created a spread sheet correctly. I had no idea that you could write formulas in at the top to make all the calculations for you. I had always just calculated them myself and added them in manually. I had never heard of things such as Wordle, Weebly, or Webquest, all of which were introduced to me in EDUC 512. As I moved on to EDUC 514 I learned about blogs, pod casts, video blogs, Movie Maker, Audacity, screencasts, and how to create Power Points as a movie presentation instead of just a slide presentation. Not only did I learn how to use them, but more importantly, how to create my own and incorporate them into my lessons. This was the one class I feel I got the most out of. For instance, it challenged me to incorporate items such as Wordles and blogs into my video presentations as an added tool instead of simply using them as individual entities. In EDUC 515 I learned how to use Weebly to create a class website and a personal blog along with websites like Knowmia, and ShowMe. Then, in EDUC 517, I learned how use Photoshop in order to cut, color, fade, expand, blend, and many other photo editing techniques. These skills will come into use in creating websites, worksheets, posters, letters and other items for my class. The one website that I see myself incorporating in my lessons is the Khan Academy website which was introduced to me in EDUC 512. The clear simplicity of their videos is attractive to me from both a teachers and student perspective. Before this MAs program, I had also never used any type of video chat or been involved with a virtual classroom. There is so much about technology that I have learned over the past year that it feels a bit overwhelming when I consider where I started. Now that I am almost through this program, I could not imagine going into teaching without these tools under

Jamie Morrow Murrieta Regional Center

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment Fall II

7 December, 2013

my belt. It has helped me feel more whole as an educator because I feel like I have a skill to offer to my students and my colleagues thats unique and beneficial to both teaching and learning. Life Long Learning Plan Trying to imagine going into the field of education without knowing what I know now is almost embarrassing. This program has taught me how important it is to not fall behind in technology because of how beneficial it can be for both me and my students. I have learned the importance of continuing to explore and expand on my knowledge in order to assist myself with differentiating my lessons, meeting the MIs of learners, and using technology to incorporate their learning styles into the my lessons. Continuing my learning and trying to keep ahead of the curve has always been important to me. Now I am confident that I have the knowledge to know where to find appropriate information. For instance, it has pushed me to subscribe to educational podcasts along with becoming a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Access to these types of educational communities has provided me with new ideas and approaches to teaching along with access to conferences, journals, lesson plans, and so forth to aid in my continuing education. During this program I have become much more aware of the technological needs of our students and how the educational system thus far, has fallen short of meeting those needs. In line with this is the need for more teachers to become educated in teaching with technology instead of being afraid of it. There is also the need for funding for our schools in order to provide sufficient technology supplies. Additionally, it has made me more conscious of the importance for educators like myself, to not only be able to understand how the technology works, but to really learn it so that one day we might be able to teach it to our colleagues. On a more personal note, it is important to better my skills with apps such as ShowMe and Knowmia so that they can aid me
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in creating a flipped classroom. I aspire to become more knowledgeable with these programs because I think they are the most appropriate and useful in creating flipped videos for a math class. Within the next five years I see myself continuing to learn how to maximize my knowledge of technology to incorporate it successfully into my teaching. I will continue learning from my mistakes along with my successes while expanding upon my level of classroom experience. Most importantly, I want to become an expert in flipped classrooms. One that will help my students and me become successful with mathematics. I want my students to be enthusiastic about learning math by breaking away from the traditional style of teaching and making it more relatable to their technologically advanced world. With that in mind, I realize I have my work cut out for me. Hopefully, ten years down the road, with more experience under my belt, I can breathe a little bit deeper and begin helping other educators do the same. Before I can even consider taking this step though, I really need to focus on my first five years. It is imperative to me, being the perfectionist I am, to hone down on my skills and really get to understand the process of creating lessons with technology, classroom management skills, and everything else that goes along with the process. Ten years seems like such a long ways away. For now my focus remains on improving upon, and incorporating in, the skills I have learned over the past year.

Jamie Morrow Murrieta Regional Center

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment Fall II

9 December, 2013

Section 2 Course History and Evaluation

Course

Course Title & Instructor Name

Term Completed

Key Skills Acquired * Creating WebQuests * Using Blogs * Understand copyright laws

Comments/Suggestions

* Great Instructor and great class * Never realized until this course how important it was to understand my own PC

EDUC 512

Instructional Applications Productivity Software

INSTRUCTOR:

2013 Spring 1

* Using spreadsheets * Understanding my own PC * Understanding Digital Citizenship * Creating PowerPoints

Jim Sullivan

Jamie Morrow Murrieta Regional Center

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment Fall II

10 December, 2013

* Introduction to understanding our PCs Learning in the 21st Century

INSTRUCTOR:

EDUC 511

2012 Spring I

* Introduction to understanding our iPad * Wordle

* This was exciting! He was very patient with everyones questions and really took the time to help us try and grasp the tools we were working with.

Jim Sullivan

* Creating Podcasts * Creating 5 step videos * Using Movie Maker * Using Audacity Digital Video in the Classroom 2013 Fall1
INSTRUCTOR:

* This was the most informational and I believe to be the most beneficial course of the program. * It allowed me to take what I learned about technology and apply it in a video format

* Creating Screencasts * Splicing audio and video segments * Using video and audio in the classroom * Using apps that support the creation of lessons with video * Understanding video equipment

EDUC 514

Timothy McKean

Jamie Morrow Murrieta Regional Center

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment Fall II

11 December, 2013

* How to use Photoshop to cut, blend, rotate, fade, add color, take away color, and other editing techniques. * How to blend together a number of pictures with numerous colors and textures. * How to add type to our photos. * How to create brochures and pamphlets using photos, text boxes, text type and other editing methods.

* This was my most fun class. I would spend hours doing work and not realize it. It really challenged my artistic thinking.

Photoshop EDUC 517

INSTRUCTOR:

2013 Spring I

David Lopez

Jamie Morrow Murrieta Regional Center

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment Fall II

12 December, 2013

* How to use Weebly in creating a Blog * How to use Weebly in creating a class website * How to create a Pod cast * How to us GarageBand in creating classroom videos * How to incorporate the use of apps such as Comic Life, Animoto, and TouchCast * The advantages and disadvantages of using photos from instagram * How to create a Twitter account

* This was a very broad based course. It took me a few weeks to realize it covers so many topics and that we are just touching on them, not necessarily focusing to deep on any one imperticular * It provided a lot of useful information that I have been able to apply in other course work

EDUC 515

Evolving Educational Technologies

INSTRUCTOR:

2013 Fall 1

Lance Martin

Jamie Morrow Murrieta Regional Center

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment Fall II

13 December, 2013

* Incorporating MIs into our lesson plans * Incorporating technology to meet needs of individual MIs * How to appropriately interact with MIs * Using apps and websites to meet the different needs of MIs * Creating Unit Plans to meet the needs of MIs using technology

EDUC 522

Learning in the 21st Century 2013 Fall 2

INSTRUCTOR:

* A more clear explanation of what Project 1, 2, and 3 are all about. I dont believe that what is on Canvas and what is on the Syllabus are the same or in the same order * Very sweet instructor * Enjoying the course

Lisa Rodriquez

* How to create an Action Based research project * How to analyze research results * How to create a Cirricula Vita 2013 Fall 2 * Reflection on my personal growth * How to use the Wesleyan Quadrilateral * How do add teacher detail to a unit plan
Jamie Morrow Murrieta Regional Center EDUC 526 Growth Assessment Fall II

* The wording of the assignments was confusing until Dr. Courduff cleared it up for us * This is a good reflection course ` * It forced me to organize all the work I have done and see the results of the work as a whole piece

EDUC 526

Capstone Experience/ Digital Teaching and Learning

INSTRUCTOR:

Jennifer Courduff, Ph.D.

14 December, 2013

Evaluation of the impact of the Digital Teaching and Learning Program

As a result of the Digital Teaching and Learning Program I will definitely use forms of audio and video in my classroom. It is my goal to create a successful flipped classroom. With this in mind I have grown fond of the website Knowmia.com which was introduced to me in EDUC 515. It is a great tool for educators in creating dynamic video. When creating your videos they give you a vast amount of options depending on your needs. You can import visual aids, add voice and/or face recording and record illustrations as you draw them. Being that I am an aspiring math teacher I plan on using all of those tools to aid in my videos. Importing visual aids such as graphs, charts, and number lines will support with providing great visual demonstrations. Using the voice and face recording will allow me the opportunity to speak directly to the students when needed throughout the video. Also, using live illustrations in the video to capture my own writing on each screen provides yet another opportunity to highlight and point out specific information. Knowmia also offers an assignment wizard tool. This tool gives me the ability to create assignments within the video lessons. The assignment wizard tracks the students actions in real time and allows me to measure their individual progress. If I face the need to create differentiated instruction for any of my students, then the assignment wizard will let me customize it for specific students on my list. It is my goal to use the assignment wizard in my videos as a way of assessing each students comprehension of the subject area covered in the video before they come into class the following day. This will give me an upper hand on knowing if they watched the video, to what extent they completed the assignment and their level of comprehension of the assignment. In creating my flipped classroom this is my intended tool
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for creating the videos that the students will watch at home. It is my goal to spend less time lecturing in order to create more individual time with my students in class. Program Evaluation It is my opinion that the best thing about this program is the people teaching it. There is so much information to cover in a program that is trying to teach technology, that having a staff that takes the time to support, whole heartedly, the struggles and sacrifices of their student body (which is mostly working adults) is a statement about the high quality of the program. I felt as though each class helped to build on the others which provided me the opportunity to hone my skills. It also challenged us to take those skills into a real working environment and then provided us the opportunity to discuss the experience and compare it with other like educators. This was helpful in seeing how the correct use and implications of technology can drastically improve the way our students receive and use the information we teach them. This program has provided so many tools for me to bring into my classroom that otherwise I would have missed out on. Other than being overwhelmed with some of the large, in-depth assignments and the short amount of time to finish them, I have nothing negative to say about the program. It is definitely something I would recommend to other educators who are looking at getting an upper hand in incorporating technology into their classroom and pushing themselves to become a more well rounded educator.

Jamie Morrow Murrieta Regional Center

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment Fall II

16 December, 2013

Jamie Morrow Murrieta Regional Center

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment Fall II

17 December, 2013