Running Head: GROWTH ASSESSMENT

Growth Assessment: My Ed Tech Journey

Jose Ornelas
Azusa Pacific University

GROWTH ASSESSMENT

2
History of Coursework:

Term I: Fall II 2015

EDTC 511: Foundations in Educational
Technology
Dr. Kathleen Bacer
EDTC 571: Practicum in Educational
Applications of Technology
Professor Valerie Suffern

Term II: Spring I 2016

Key Learning

Learned Acrobat Pro

Achieved Digital Transparency via Sakai

Discovered a variety of online teaching

resources to enhance student learning
Gained a deeper understanding of learning
styles and behavioral theories

Key Learning

EDTC 517: Digital Communications

Joe Bruzzese

EDTC 527: Special Topics in Educational

Technology
Dr. Barry Bettger

Term III: Spring II 2016

Key Learning

EDTC 518: Global Learning/ Cross- Cultural

Classroom
Professor Barbara McMillan

EDTC 524: Instructional Design &

Development
Professor Kathryn Price

Term IV: Summer 2016

EDTC 521: Digital Imagery/ Learning
Environments
Professor Doyle Potter

Term V: Fall I 2016

EDTC 520: Managing Tech- Supported
Curriculum
Professor Elisabeth Silver

Learned to capture, edit, and produce high

quality photos and video via a variety of
software
Explored how the use of digital imaging,
video, and audio can enhance projects
Learned the basics of hypermedia and its
impacts on student achievement.
Discussed collaboration and feedback loop
options for enhancing student work

Key Learning

EDTC 515: Emerging Trends in Technology

Explored aspects of Digital Citizenship

related topics for online learning models
Got an introduction to Global Learning
Projects and ways to connect our classes/
schools to the world
Learned about unit planning for creating
more effective teaching
Delved into visual design principals for
websites, presentations, and lesson delivery

Key Learning

EDTC 523: Information Design &

Hypermedia, Professor Kathryn Price

Learned the basics of website Development

Explored and used a variety of virtual
collaboration options
Discovered the importance of Personal
Learning Networks (PLNs)
Learned about Bring Your Own Device
(BYOD) initiatives and roll outs

Reviewed our Districts Technology Plans

and created a useable professional
development plan
Collaborated with cadre mates to create a
software evaluation rubric and school
improvement plan
Developed my Major Applied Research

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Dr. James Brown

Project (MARP)
Learned about various paradigm shifts in
education, environment, and student
engagement

Personal Growth
Although I have always considered myself fairly religious, I had never really
known or appreciated the difference of becoming so much closer to God since joining
this program. This paired with the fact that I have learned so much about an area that I
am interested in and passionate about, technology, have become more organized, and
have grown in many areas, choosing to come to Azusa Pacific University (APU) for my
MA in Educational Technology (EDTC) turned out to be one of those key decisions that
can be termed a fingerprint of God.
I have been pretty in tune with God for most of my life, or so I thought. It wasnt
until this program that I finally began to really connect with God, through my prayers and
my daily conversations with him. The spiritual focus aspects of each of our courses and
the thoughtful conversations that resulted from our forums transformed my relationship
with God immensely. By interacting with our cadre and being guided through scripture
by each of our professors, I have grown a lot within my own faith and the spiritual
connections I have with my family, friends and God. Interestingly enough, I also felt way
more comfortable discussing and sharing my faith with others, something that previously
was difficult for me to do. Using the Faith in Action Study Bible (Muck, 2005), that Dr.
Bacer gave us, I would like to share a verse from Mathew 28:19-20, which reaffirms that
Spreading His message is something I know God wants us to do and something I pray
more courage to do well:
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to

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obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the
very end of the age.
Each day I find myself conversing with God rather than merely asking for requests and
favors in my prayers and have felt a grander connection to God, my wife, and kids, which
I am forever grateful.
I have also grown in other areas as well as a result of the Ed Tech program. I can
truly say that the experience of navigating through Sakai and the organizational skills
involved in completing this degree have made me a better student, educator, and even a
more well rounded individual. The amount of work and the quality of the assignments
combined with the perseverance involved in keeping oneself on top of program
requirements without the face-to-face interactions I was accustomed to, truly had a
significant impact in molding my learning experience. I have built a new and improved
version of myself, which undoubtedly has helped prepare me for whatever comes next in
my education and career endeavors. The newfound skills I have obtained have given me
the confidence to discuss technology trends and seek input from experts around me as
well as around the globe to further enhance what Ive learned. These experiences
reignited an ever-present passion for technology that Ive had since childhood, which I
hope to use to enhance my career and continue to foster my journey of life long learning.
Professional Growth
In joining this cadre and the EDTC program there are numerous ways in which I
have grown professionally and the impacts this program has had on my career are
plentiful. I have been able to apply what I have learned and have begun to help move my
school site and some of our staff into exploring new technologies. This has not only
helped forge new potential career opportunities for me through the interactions I have

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with personnel in our district, but has also helped our school site with validation visits
from organizations such as (Advancement Via Individual Determination (Avid) and the
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) with the plans put in motion using
what Ive learned through this program. The various assignments such as the Backwards
design planning for unit design, our critical analysis of our districts technology plan, our
Professional Development Implementation Plan, and in depth looks at new teaching
styles like Project Based Learning have all helped give me a new set of tools that allow
me to look at school site initiatives and problem solve more effectively.
Through the EDTC program I learned about and engaged with a variety of
resources that I can use as an administrator myself as well as to help support the staff on
our campus. As a group our cadre explored new ways to enhance the delivery of lessons
through virtual fieldtrips, blended learning models, and experienced Massive Online
Open Courses (MOOCs). All of the various resources and learning models have allowed
me to grow professionally and have given me a wide range of ways to enhance
curriculum and increase student engagement. By building my own Professional Learning
Network (PLN), subscribing to publications, joining online communities, and learning
about organizations such as the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
I learned about the current trends within educational technology and where we are headed
and I am better prepared for whatever comes next.
Frazier (2016) highlights one of the many reasons why PLNs are so important:
After youve created a network and have developed ties with members of your
community, reach out to engage with them elsewhere. Engage them in
conversation around their work or a topic youre interested in over coffee or a
Google hangout session. Either way, dont be afraid to reach out and build those

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connections. In doing so, you will be able to engage with other professionals in a
way that will keep you on your toes and provide a phenomenal, no cost means of
professional development.(para. 5)
As a result of these learning opportunities, I was able to help start our schools
Technology Integration Committee, begin to forge forward with a professional
development plan, and began my own Global Learning Project (GLP) project, which are
all helping to bring Bell Gardens High Schools technology implementation to fruition.
Technical Growth
Prior to enrolling in the EDTC program I had some very basic technology skills
that helped me navigate around the internet and trouble shoot some very basic computer
issues. Through the courses in our program I have learned new and innovative ways to
enhance curriculum, lesson delivery, and my presentations.
There are various examples of my technical learning like the Web 2.0 tools and
collaborative ways of interacting through the world- wide-web. I also learned to use
online tools such as: Quick Response (QR) codes, voicethreads, online Google hangouts
and even to use a variety of multimedia tools like screencasting and Photoshop.
One of my learning highlights was working with Acrobat Pro and all the various
ways the program can be used to enhance student work, my own teaching, and even help
in organizing functions in and around a school. Other examples of technical learning
highlights included learning to create websites from inception to launch and editing
video/ photos. We not only learned to create and edit our sites, but benefitted immensely
from the feedback of our peers and professors all throughout the process. The feedback
helped assure that our work was visually appealing and that our website design/ layouts
were effective. From a design standpoint the advice guaranteed that our layout was the

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best way to present our information. Baggio (2011) states:

If every screen is clamoring for attention, the brain doesnt know what is
important and when it can rest. Nothing really stands out when everything is emphasized.
So excessive use of emphasis causes the learner to tune out.(p. 56)
Willaims & Tollett (2006) also make a case for the importance in having good design for
your website:
It is certainly possible to have a web site that is worse for your business than no
website at all. The quality of your website should be comparable to your work..
because the initial impression from a website can directly and concretely affect
peoples impression of you (p. 155)
The information Ive learned has been used to create websites, videos and
multimedia tools that I have used for my personal use as well as for resources that Ive
used at my school site.
Learning Plan
Although my My Ed Tech journey through APUs EDTC program has come to an
end, my journey to continue to learn is far from over. The EDTC program has given me a
wealth of knowledge that has inspired me and given me the tools to continue learning as
much as possible about technology as it relates to education.
The Web 2.0 tools paired with my ever expanding PLN will allow me to tackle all
trends and seek information on any educational technology topic which is headed our
way. By attending the various professional development opportunities via conferences,
web-inars, group chats through asynchronous and synchronous forums or hangouts
online, I can keep up with the latest or just whatever peaks my interest. I have also joined

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various online groups via Edmodo and other such pages to keep up as well. Social media
will also play a role as part of my wide array of options in my PLN to stay current.
Along with the various online forms to continue my life long learning, through the
EDTC program I subscribed to various publications such as Tech & Learning in hard
copy form and joined organizations like ISTE. As part of the effort to help bridge global
connections between my students and the outside world, I will promote and start more
GLPs. This will not only help my students, but will also give me an opportunity to learn
from and meet other educators from all across the planet. I will also work along side our
districts technology implementation committee to continue to aide in the advancement of
technology in our district.
Although for the moment a pause in my formal higher educational endeavors is
due, the thought of continuing my journey for a Doctorate degree has crossed my mind.
At the moment though, I would like to enjoy some time to reflect on the learning from the
EDTC program, to more concretely put into action, and enjoy the weekends again with
family and friends.
Conclusion
Not fully knowing what this venture would entail and how much I actually would
learn, I entrusted the decision to begin this program to God. He answered with an
experience that is truly unmatched by helping to build a greater spiritual connection and
learning opportunities that have been instrumental in my personal, professional, and
technical growth. I have been given the opportunity to learn and create many things I am
proud of. All of which will undoubtedly open doors for me as my career progresses,
allow me to continue to fuel my interest in technology, and keep me prepared for
upcoming educational technology trends, whatever they may be.

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References
Baggio, B. (2011). The Visual Connection: You listen with your eyes. New York: Proteus.
Frazier, J. (2016) Creating Your Personal Learning Network & Why Its Important Technology Post. (n.d.). https://www.naspa.org/constituent-groups/posts/creatingyour-personal-learning-network-why-its-important
Muck, T.C. ed (2005). Faith in Action Study Bible New International Version.
Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan
[Untitled image of Tomorrowland trailer]. Retrieved from
http://www.scifiwright.com/2015/06/tomorrowland/
Williams, R., & Tollett, J. (2006). The Non-Designers Web Book. Berkley, CA:
Peachpit Press.
Winters, D. (2011) The Last Blast [Digital Image]. Retrieved from
http://www.spd.org/2011/05/texas-monthly-dan-winters-disc.php