Tim Stark

6/27/2017
EDTECH 592
Artifact Rationale Statements

STANDARD 1 - CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

Candidates demonstrate the knowledge necessary to create, use, assess, and manage
theoretical and practical applications of educational technologies and processes.

1.1 Creating: Candidates demonstrate the ability to create instructional materials and
learning environments using a variety of systems approaches.

Artifact #1: Virtual Field Trip - National Parks - EDTECH 502

Artifact #2: Social Networking Mini-Unit - EDTECH 543
For this standard I am using two artifacts The Virtual Field Trip - National Parks -
EDTECH 502 and the Social Networking Mini-Unit - EDTECH 543. The virtual field trip
instructional materials were created using the National Parks to teach about the five
themes of geography. Students explore each national park and then identify how the five
themes of geography can be applied to each park. This webpage was created using
Adobe Dreamweaver - demonstrating my ability to make websites using HTML and CSS
programming languages. The lesson process, instructor guide, and student assignment
were also created by myself.

In the social networking mini unit students need to choose a current global problem and
research how it impacts people on at least three different continents. These are each
learning activities that I have created with corresponding instructional materials. This
instructional unit uses Google Sites as a way to house the necessary information
students will access, showing another way that I am able to create instructional
materials. This unit has a lot of built in processes to ensure the classroom learning
environment is collaborative as well. Technology integration is present throughout the
lesson, especially the use of different social networks. Using these as a way to
communicate with others and to reflect on learning makes the Social Networking
Mini-Unit a good indicator of creating learning environments with a variety of different
systems.

1.2 Using: Candidates demonstrate the ability to select and use technological resources
and processes to support student learning and to enhance their pedagogy.
Artifact: Evaluation of Civil Rights Issues - RSS Feeds Lesson - EDTECH 501

In EDTECH 501 I had an assignment where the use of RSS feeds had to be integrated
into an instructional lesson. Being a social studies teacher I chose to make mine civics
related and centered around the idea of civil rights. The Evaluation of Civil Rights Issues -
RSS Feeds Lesson has students choose a specific civil rights policy issue and find
reliable web based resources about it. This lesson is rich in integrated technologies
including RSS, Google Docs, Feedly, Screencast O'Matic, Google+, and Lucidchart.
These different technologies are utilized as students show proficiency in standards about
media literacy and demonstrate skills that enable people to monitor and influence state,
local and national affairs.

Like many social studies topics, this lesson also includes a component to it that is a very
important life skill in our increasingly digital world. Students in the lesson are asked to
evaluate the sources that they find on their civil rights topic. This is then teaching them to
seek out reliable sources and be critical consumers of digital media. This aspect of the
lesson is a best practice in social studies teaching and integrates well with many English
Language Arts standards in the common core for high school students.

1.3 Assessing/Evaluating: Candidates demonstrate the ability to assess and evaluate

the effective integration of appropriate technologies and instructional materials.

Artifact: Typing Club Evaluation - EDTECH 505

This artifact is the evaluation project done in EDTECH 505. For this evaluation I chose to
evaluate the use of TypingClub for the teaching of middle school keyboarding. This
evaluation was done by myself for a class that I was actually teaching. There are a
variety of reasons why this artifact fits well for standard 1.3. The choice of this program
was decided by myself after researching several different programs. There are a lot of
different programs available to teach typing. Some are free, others are subscription
based. TypingClub was a free and robust program that I discovered and it allows me to
track individual student progress from a teacher account. It was a very convenient
program to use. I was also able to evaluate and determine the effectiveness of the
program. In the EDTECH 505 I completed a formal evaluation of the effectiveness of
TypingClub as a means of teaching students to type. Finally, this program was
integrated into classes that taught both computer skills and middle school economics
standards. By having students work through the program on a regular basis over a three
month period students were able to both complete other course objectives and improve
their typing abilities.

1.4 Managing: Candidates demonstrate the ability to effectively manage people,

processes, physical infrastructures, and financial resources to achieve predetermined
goals.

Artifact #1: School Evaluation - EDTECH 501

Artifact #2: Evaluation Proposal - EDTECH 505
There are two artifacts for standard 1.4 that I am using. The first is the School Evaluation
assignment from EDTECH 501. In this assignment I assessed the effectiveness of Cyclone
Academys (pseudonym for my actual employer at the time) use of technology. This
evaluation comments how the schools policies, approach to using technology, and staff
training are used. It also explains where there are needs for improvement. This artifact is a
good indicator of the standards management aspects as it identifies the areas in which the
school is excelling in its use of technology along with areas that do need to be addressed
and improved.

The other artifact used to demonstrate proficiency is from EDTECH 505. The Evaluation
Proposal was an assignment where we were asked to create a proposal for a hypothetical
training curriculum provider. This curriculum provider had a training program that needed to
be evaluated for effectiveness and economic viability. The assignment involved developing a
budget (had to be under $50,000), creating a formal schedule for tasks to be complete, and
assigning duties to the staff conducting the evaluation. This artifact aligns well with the
management of people, financial resources, and processes which are a part of standard 1.4.

1.5 Ethics: Candidates demonstrate the contemporary professional ethics of the field as
defined and developed by the Association for Educational Communications and
Technology.

Artifact #1: Leaving Good Tracks - EDTECH 543

Artifact #2: Ethics and Equitable Access to Productivity Software - The Need for Google
Drive? - EDTECH 501
I have two artifacts showing competency for standard 1.5. First is a slide deck made in
EDTECH 543 about the use of social media by teachers called Leaving Good Tracks. In
it there are guidelines for how social media can be used to enhance ones teaching
practice. Under section two of AECTs code of ethics it is stated that educational
technology professionals shall honestly represent the organizations they are affiliated
with and take precautions to distinguish between personal and organizational views. The
rapid growth of social networks and social media in recent years has outpaced the
development of our ethics and often sensibilities when using it. Part of this slide deck
covers similar ethical guidelines to the AECT standards and gives advice on how to
make social media add value to ones professional practice.

My other artifact is from EDTECH 501: Ethics and Equitable Access to Productivity
Software - The Need for Google Drive? This paper explores some ethical dilemmas
specifically with sections 1.3 and 1.7 of AECTs code. Section 1.3 of the code of ethics
states that students should all have access to educational technologies needed for
success in their learning. Several issues relating to access to productivity software were
identified in the article. Section 1.7, which relates to the proper use and choices of
technology is also addressed within the artifact as well. The analysis of a specific
program and identification of specific ways that adherence to ethics could be improved
makes this artifact a good fit for standard 1.5.
STANDARD 2 - CONTENT PEDAGOGY
Candidates develop as reflective practitioners able to demonstrate effective implementation of
educational technologies and processes based on contemporary content and pedagogy.

2.1 Creating: Candidates apply content pedagogy to create appropriate applications of

processes and technologies to improve learning and performance outcomes.

Artifact: The Budget Simulation Project - EDTECH 532

The artifact I am using for standard 2.1 is from EDTECH 532. The Budget Simulation
Project is a game where students have to develop a budget for a mock family. Since
EDTECH 532 was centered around the idea of games and simulations for learning, this
final project for the class is just that, a simulation where students take on the role of a
family, need to find housing, setup utilities, and endure weekly crisis and fortune
scenarios ensuring their familys budget stays in the black. While students participate in
the project they use real world technology tools like spreadsheets to track their numbers,
and internet research to find a car, a place to live, and many other budget details. This
use of technology helps students learn real world skills. The game based nature of the
simulation also keeps student attention. I have found in past practice that teaching about
creating and keeping to a budget can be a dry topic. I have begun to use this game
based approach to budgeting and personal finance in my careers and personal finance
class that I teach. The amount of student engagement within the unit has increased
greatly and students seem to better remember the information about budgeting much
better using this process than in the past methods I have used to teach the topic. Given
this, the Budget Simulation is a great indicator of competence for standard 2.2.

2.2 Using: Candidates implement appropriate educational technologies and processes

based on appropriate content pedagogy.

Artifact: Integrating Language Arts to the Economics Classroom

Choosing appropriate technologies for given age groups is an important skill for an
educational technology professional and is at the heart of standard 2.2. My artifact for
this standard, Integrating Language Arts to the Economics Classroom, is an eBook that I
created for EDTECH 541. Students in this assignment use iBooks Author to create their
own eBook about different factors in economics that impact supply and demand. iBooks
Author is a great program for students in the high school grades to utilize. It is available
for free on any Apple Computer, making it a viable choice for many schools. This is a
powerful tool for writing and designing your own book. Students can very easily write the
informational text for the book they create using the program. Further, the ability to
include pictures, video, and sound within their ebook using iBooks Author also should
not be overlooked. Creating a project that is both creative and professional looking can
be a large motivating factor for increasing student engagement. The writing and book
creating portion of the assignment integrates with English Language Arts standards as
well making this a good option for cross curricular collaboration. Given the use of
technology tools for the assignment and how the assignment allows students to show
mastery of specific economics standards, this artifact is a good match for standard 2.2.

2.3 Assessing/Evaluating: Candidates demonstrate an inquiry process that assesses

the adequacy of learning and evaluates the instruction and implementation of
educational technologies and processes grounded in reflective practice.

Artifact #1: Relative Advantage Chart - EDTECH 541

Artifact #2: Video Enhanced Lesson Plan - EDTECH 541
Being able to disseminate technologies that are the right fit for the right situation is an
important task for any teacher. Two artifacts demonstrating my competence in this
standard come from EDTECH 541. First, the Relative Advantage Chart lists 21 different
technology resources for different problems for challenges an economics teacher may
face. The relative advantage for each resource is explained in the artifact. This shows
the ability to assess the adequacy of different technological resources. Since exploring
these different resources for the assignment I have begun to use many of them in the
economics course that I teach each spring. Standard 2.3 includes the ability to engage
inquiry and assessment of different technologies. This artifact does just that. Specific
challenges in the teaching of economics had to be identified and resources to address
these challenges had to be found and proposed. Further, each resource was assessed
on its value added in terms of meeting this economics teaching challenge. My later use
of many of these resources also shows my ability to reflect what I learned and actually
use it in my classroom.

The Video Enhanced Lesson Plan utilizes the YouTube channel ACDCLeaderships
videos on supply and demand. This artifact matches well with the assessment and
reflective aspects of standard 2.3. This lesson plan shows how I can find and evaluate a
specific educational technology resource as well as use it in my own teaching within my
subject area, social studies. In the beginning of the lesson plan I also justify the use of
these videos for the instruction.

2.4 Managing: Candidates manage appropriate technological processes and resources

to provide supportive learning communities, create flexible and diverse learning
environments, and develop and demonstrate appropriate content pedagogy.

Artifact: Typing Club Evaluation - EDTECH 505

The artifact I am using for standard 2.4 is my Typing Club Evaluation. This evaluation
was done for EDTECH 505. I chose to evaluate my own program for teaching touch
typing skills to middle schoolers. The choice of this program was the result of significant
research and time last summer to choose the appropriate program. Last year in my
courses I managed the administration of the program in a 7th and 8th grade computer
skills and economics course. There are several reasons why this artifact works well for
standard 2.4 One of the strengths of this program was the flexibility for all different levels
of computer skills, matching well with the flexible and diverse learning environments
component. The program also has many game based elements which drive student
motivation and make for a supportive learning community. Finally, through the evaluation
that was completed in EDTECH 505 I was able to determine the effectiveness of the
program itself. It was determined that the program was quite successful at teaching the
skill of touch typing to both grade levels of students in terms of their typing speed and
accuracy which. This fact shows my ability to demonstrate the use of appropriate content
pedagogy.

2.5 Ethics: Candidates design and select media, technology, and processes that
emphasize the diversity of our society as a multicultural community.

Artifact #1: Assistive and Adaptive Technologies - EDTECH 541

Artifact #2: Relative Advantage Chart - EDTECH 541
In EDTECH 541 one of my projects was Assistive and Adaptive Technologies. The
selection of different resources for educational technology need to be able to suit the
needs of different learners. What might be effective for students with cognitive disabilities
may not be suitable for students with say for example oppositional defiance. This
webpage contains a slide deck with different technology resources that can be utilized
with students with varying learning abilities in an economics classroom. Some of the
examples include:
Gen-i-Revolution a game based approach to learning personal finance for at-risk
students.
Speech to text programs for those with physical impairments. The one in the slide
deck uses an iPads built in capability for this.
The Quizlet Live website for students with cognitive disabilities. This creates a
game where students can review core content knowledge repetitively, allowing
for better retention.
A stock market simulation game called Wall Street Survivor. Think fantasy
football except for stocks.
This artifact meets the ethics standard as it is sensitive to the different types of learners
who are present in a classroom. The resources are focused to meet students where they
are and help them build further knowledge.

The relative advantage chart from EDTECH 541 also demonstrates resources that
reflect multiple cultures. In the artifact, the following educational resources are good
examples of multicultural awareness for students:
Gapminder
Social Explorer
Google Public Data
Planet Money T-Shirt
World Population History
 Planet Money Podcast
Pew Research Center

STANDARD 3 - LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Candidates facilitate learning by creating, using, evaluating, and managing effective learning
environments.

3.1 Creating: Candidates create instructional design products based on learning

principles and research-based best practices.

Artifact: Early Human Migrations out of Africa - EDTECH 503

The project Early Human Migrations out of Africa was created during EDTECH 503. This
was a large instructional design project where I designed a World History Unit centered
around how the first humans left Africa and migrated to other regions of the world. There
are several reasons why this project is a valid indicator of proficiency for standard 3.1.
First, there are many best practices included within the lesson. In this project there was
an analyzation of the learners and the instructional activities clearly build students
towards completing an instructional objective. The activation of prior knowledge is
present in the lesson - this is key to constructivist learning and learning opportunities are
scaffolded so students can learn from one another as well. Student learning is monitored
frequently with assessments that become more cognitively complex as the complete the
unit. The unit begins with an introduction designed to grab student attention. There is a
lot of student choice in the lesson allowing them to choose their own resources that they
feel they can best learn with. Finally, their interest is kept through a variety of different
types of learning materials and resources. A variety of instructional design principles are
also utilized. A learner analysis was conducted which included a needs assessment
survey. The planning of the instruction also was analyzed with Blooms Taxonomy and
the instructional process was organized by using an ARCS table.

3.2 Using: Candidates make professionally sound decisions in selecting appropriate

processes and resources to provide optimal conditions for learning based on principles,
theories, and effective practices.

Artifact: Life Under Oppression, Growing Up Under The Wall - EDTECH 542
The artifact: Life Under Oppression, Growing Up Under The Wall was a project I completed
in collaboration with Lindsay Hoyt, another Boise State EDTECH student in EDTECH
542. Through the project, we developed a project based learning unit centered around
the Cold War Era of the United States. This artifact involved selecting processes and
resources that make it a good fit for standard 3.2. First to discuss are the processes. It is
a project based learning unit. These types of units allow for students to explore their own
interests and this self interest drives further inquiry and deeper learning. The hook for the
learning activity involves reading a picture book - it is one that is designed for older
readers though - called The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain. Students then
write a letter to congress, complete a primary source analysis, and develop their own
infographic showing a comparison between the United States and the Soviet Union. The
learning philosophy of this unit is closely tied to constructivism, as many of the activities
involve the students engaging in their own inquiry and the learning is based on their
experiences as they complete the lesson. The resources of the lesson are also good
indicators of competency with the standard. Students use primary sources which are a
best practice for social studies education. Technology is also integrated into the lesson
itself as students use the program Piktochart for their final learning activity and keep a
digital learning log throughout the lessons duration.

3.3 Assessing/Evaluating: Candidates use multiple assessment strategies to collect

data for informing decisions to improve instructional practice, learner outcomes, and the
learning environment.

Artifact #1: Early Human Migrations out of Africa - EDTECH 503

Artifact #2: Program Components Section - Typing Club Evaluation - EDTECH 505
The first artifact I am using for 3.3 is the Formative and Summative Assessment section
of Early Human Migrations out of Africa from EDTECH 503. There are two different types
of assessments built into this instructional unit including the creation of a map and
threaded discussion questions. The map itself is a complex assignment that involves
students researching the necessary information on their own from a list of suggested
sources. The discussion assessment is a cognitively complex question where students
will need to defend their selection of 5 significant events in human migration. The
discussion nature of this allows for students to build off one another to further their
knowledge of the topic.

The other artifact I am utilizing for this standard is the Program Components section of
the Typing Club Evaluation from EDTECH 505. In this project there were a variety of
assessments set up by my lesson design that included typing pretests, regular check-ins
on typing speed, and analyzation of the TypingClub program data to help me guide 7th
and 8th grade students on improving their typing skill. While the cognitive complexity of
this type of assessment is much different than the first artifact, it does show that I can
gather information using technology tools and use it in a way to inform both current and
future decisions. In the final sections of the evaluation there is also commentary on the
next steps that need to be done when using the TypingClub program as a result of the
assessment and evaluation results.

3.4 Managing: Candidates establish mechanisms for maintaining the technology

infrastructure to improve learning and performance.
Artifact #1: Maturity Benchmarks Survey Sheet - EDTECH 501
Artifact #2: School Evaluation - EDTECH 501
For standard 3.4 I am using the Maturity Benchmarks Survey Sheet from EDTECH 501.
This artifact contains a survey form that I filled out assessing my former employers (I
have since moved to a different school) use of technology. This artifact is a good
indicator for this standard as it required the evaluation of the school, Cyclone Academy,
on a large variety of different technology benchmarks including administrative policies,
curriculum integration, technology support, connectivity, and innovation. In the survey, I
was able to find areas of both strength and weakness in the schools technology use. A
rating system of emergent, islands, integrated, and intelligent was used in the survey
and commentary was provided justifying each rating. Key examples from the survey
which show proficiency in 3.4 include recommendations to connect the school districts
technology plan to the professional development of teachers. Further, it was identified
that the school should allocate more funds for teachers to integrate different
technologies into their classroom teaching.

A secondary artifact, the School Evaluation from the same course provides further
commentary on each of the areas. In addition to identifying the reasoning behind the
different rankings, this artifact explains ways that the school could become more
intelligent in its technology use. Specific recommendations in the evaluation about
student and stakeholder use of the schools technology resources are given to better
student outcomes and stakeholder involvement.

3.5 Ethics: Candidates foster a learning environment in which ethics guide practice that
promotes health, safety, best practice, and respect for copyright, Fair Use, and
appropriate open access to resources.

Artifact #1:Copyright and Creative Commons Scavenger Hunt - EDTECH 502

Artifact #2: Netiquette - EDTECH 502
The first artifact for 3.5 is the Copyright and Creative Commons Scavenger Hunt EDTECH
502. In the scavenger hunt students explore the importance of copyright and how the
emergence of the internet has led to creative commons licensing. It is a very good
artifact to show respect for copyright, fair use, and open resources. This assignment
goes beyond just definitions though and asks students to put their new knowledge in
action by applying what they know to several examples at the end. The resources are
also varied in the assignment giving students an opportunity to access a variety of
different media as they learn about and demonstrate understanding of the topic. In the
past two decades the way that student access information for research has completely
changed. No longer are we using hard copies of journals or even going to a brick and
mortar library to access peer reviewed material. This assignment introduces students to
the ways that we approach the issue of copyright in a digital world.
 The other artifact, Netiquette, is another assignment from EDTECH 502. This set of rules
is a good artifact for the first guidelines of standard 3.5 as it establishes for students the
basics for how they should act in an online environment, ensuring that an effective
learning community can be maintained.

3.6 Diversity of Learners: Candidates foster a learning community that empowers

learners with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and abilities.

Artifact #1: Netiquette - EDTECH 502

Artifact #2: Assistive and Adaptive Technologies - EDTECH 541
Two artifacts for this standard are a good fit. First is the Netiquette assignment from
EDTECH 502. It establishes a baseline of online expectations that foster the basis for a
learning environment. The increased ability to communicate with other people across the
world digitally has not been matched with a development of proper etiquette for doing so.
In educational settings students need to have clear guidance on what is and is not
acceptable behavior when communicating with teachers and peers in such an
environment. With such expectations students from a variety of different backgrounds
can feel welcome.

The other artifact for this standard that shows competency is Assistive and Adaptive
Technologies from EDTECH 541. This assignment gives resources for teachers to use to
help students with different learning disabilities. When students get the resources they
need in order to learn they can feel welcome in a classroom and excel. The list of
resources in the artifact covers a broad range of different disabilities and learning traits.
When employed in the classroom this can help to foster an environment where students
feel the learning is being provided to them at their level and with the tools they need to
be successful whether it is tools that allow students with a physical impairment to
communicate, or for a student with dyslexia to have equitable access to information.

STANDARD 4 - PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Candidates design, develop, implement, and evaluate technology-rich learning environments
within a supportive community of practice.

4.1 Collaborative Practice: Candidates collaborate with their peers and subject matter
experts to analyze learners, develop and design instruction, and evaluate its impact on
learners.

Artifact: Early Human Migration Out of Africa - EDTECH 503

Early Human Migration Out of Africa is an instructional mini-unit based around the early
human migrations out of Africa. In the unit students learn how humans migrated out of
Africa to inhabit the rest of the world. This project was dependent on collaboration with
both classmates and coworkers at my work at the time, Minnesota Virtual Academy.
Through the help of classmates in EDTECH 503 I was able to get helpful suggestions for
improving the project. Commentary from one coworker at MNVA was helpful when they
served as a subject matter expert when the project was near completion to ensure this
would be a realistic unit to teach. Other teachers at the school assisted me in the learner
analysis section of the project allowing me to survey their students who would be a part
of my class the following year. This unit eventually became a shared lesson in our World
History class at the school, showing my willingness to share what I create with others so
all students can benefit.. Each of these are indicators of my ability to work with and
collaborate with others. Drawing on a variety of different resources I was able to teach a
lesson with clear instructional objectives. It is technology rich allowing students to both
view multiple different types of media for information and to work with a variety of
technologies in the lesson.

4.2 Leadership: Candidates lead their peers in designing and implementing technology-
supported learning.

Artifact #1: Tech Trends Presentation - EDTECH 501

Artifact #2: Educational Technology Survey - My Own Professional Practice
The Tech Trends Presentation from EDTECH 501 was something that I developed to
introduce a variety of technology tools to staff at my past employer, Minnesota Virtual
Academy. This presentation is developed with best practices in mind, specifically for
presentations. Text in it is limited to increase learner engagement. I have since gone on
to present several times each year for different staff development days on topics such as
LMS best practices, collaborative and open resources, and during interdistrict EdCamps
that we have had recently.

A second artifact that I have to share on this topic is a survey that I created as part of an
interdistrict collaboration committee. This committee, which is called the Northeast Area
Service Collaborative, consists of teachers from school districts in Carlton County, MN.
The goals of the committee are to collaborate in how we use our resources and meet the
needs of students and teachers. This survey was a result of collaborating with other area
teachers from other school districts. The ISTE standards and their implementation in the
classroom are the primary components of the survey. A secondary component of the
survey identifies how well teachers are able to use the different hardware and software
at the schools. Our goal was to learn about the technology proficiency of teachers at the
different schools who were part of this committee. Through this survey we are able to
identify areas of need for future technology training and target staff development where it
is most needed. This survey information will be used in the fall as the committee I am a
part of plans professional development days.
4.3 Reflection on Practice: Candidates analyze and interpret data and artifacts and
reflect on the effectiveness of the design, development and implementation of
technology-supported instruction and learning to enhance their professional growth.

Artifact: Typing Club Evaluation - EDTECH 505

The Typing Club Evaluation from EDTECH 505 is a great indicator for standard 4.3. This
evaluation involved looking into the effectiveness of the use of TypingClub for teaching
students touch typing skills. This evaluation involved analyzing quantitative data on
students typing throughout a six month time span. Quantitative data was also gathered
from the teacher running the program itself. These two data sets were then used to
comment on the effectiveness of TypingClub as a teaching tool for touch typing. In the
discussion portion of the evaluation I was able to discuss and reflect upon the success of
the program and suggest future changes should the program continue to be used for
typing instruction. This evaluation has allowed me to identify several ways to improve my
teaching of touch typing and I will be making some slight changes to how the program is
used including greater use of the badging features of the program and adjusting the
lessons to better target the specific typing ability of students. Without this evaluation I
would not have gone through such a thorough process and I am looking forward to the
increasing student learning this coming fall.

4.4 Assessing/Evaluating: Candidates design and implement assessment and

evaluation plans that align with learning goals and instructional activities.

Artifact: Early Human Migration Out of Africa - EDTECH 503

The artifact Early Human Migrations out of Africa from EDTECH 503 is a good indicator for
tudents
standard 4.4. First, this mini-instructional unit was tied to a clear learning goal: S
will develop a timeline and map tracing the migration of the earliest humans from Africa
to other global regions including the Americas and analyze different environmental
factors that enabled or motivated migration. This ultimate learning goal is met through a
variety of activities that scaffold students in being able to reach it. Included in the
scaffolded learning activities are a textbook reading, a series YouTube videos, and
website resources that students have choices to use for the projects summative
assessment. The assessment portion of standard 4.4 is also thoroughly met. Included in
the assessment for the unit are formative assessments in the form of checkpoint
questions, and participation in a slideshow with the teacher. A two-part summative
assessment is also present and includes the digital creation of a human migration map
and participation in a threaded discussion. This instructional unit also was evaluated by
a subject matter expert at the school to ensure that it adequately met the instructional
goals.
 4.5 Ethics: Candidates demonstrate ethical behavior within the applicable cultural
context during all aspects of their work and with respect for the diversity of learners in
each setting.

Artifact #1: Digital Divide Presentation - EDTECH 501

Artifact #2: Web Accessibility Hot Links - EDTECH 502
The Digital Divide Presentation is the first artifact I am presenting for this standard. In the
presentation the problem of lack of internet access is discussed. The school I studied for
this project was an online high school I was working for at the time. While it may not at
face value seem that the digital divide is a cultural issue, the degree of how people are
impacted by this is greatly impacted by where people live and their income levels - both
of which can speak to diversity of learners. Having an understanding of this digital divide
provides the ability for teachers to adapt their practices to the access students have to
technology resources both at school and in their homes.

The other artifact I have as an indicator for this standard is the Web Accessibility Hot
Links from EDTECH 502. This assignment was about how web pages and web tools can be
set up to help people with varying disabilities. Many people have visual impairments that
limit their ability to use online resources. This artifact can demonstrate not just my realization
of this, but my ability to create websites using HTML and CSS that are accessible to many
different users. Finally, this website, in addition to being accessible, lists a variety of different
accessibility tools. By using these learners with a variety of impairments can have greater
access to learning material.

STANDARD 5 - RESEARCH
Candidates explore, evaluate, synthesize, and apply methods of inquiry to enhance learning
and improve performance.

5.1 Theoretical Foundations: Candidates demonstrate foundational knowledge of the

contribution of research to the past and current theory of educational communications
and technology.

Artifact: Community of Practice Summary

For standard 5.1 I am using the Community of Practice Summary from EDTECH 504. In
this research summary I worked with a group of other students giving a research
summary on communities of practice. Three different articles were used in the summary
including one dating back to 1991, one from 2007, and one from 2012. Through this
work we were able to create a summary on how these learning communities have
evolved and what traits are present in their success. Through the assignment we first
had to identify an older article about the learning theory. From there we found more
updated research to identify how the theory has evolved over time. The process
completed in this assignment becomes a good indicator for standard 5.1 because the
summary shows a strong foundational knowledge of communities of practice both in its
foundations and in its more current models. The work I did in this artifact has also begun
to influence the way that I approach teaching my entrepreneurship course. Given that so
much learning can potentially happen in a community of practice I took special care to
ensure that students were able to begin making connections with entrepreneurs across
the state of Minnesota, touring a variety of businesses and introducing them to ways to
become connected to such a community of practice.

5.2 Method: Candidates apply research methodologies to solve problems and enhance
practice.

Artifact #1: Proposal Paper - EDTECH 504

Artifact #2: Synthesis Paper - EDTECH 504
One of the areas of educational technology that has captured my interest is game based
learning and gamification of learning. There are some topics that students need to learn
that dont always capture a lot of interest. Learning to type seems to be a classic
example. With this problem of student engagement in mind I chose in EDTECH 504 to
research Game Based Learning and Gamification. I have two artifacts for this project to
present. First is the Proposal Paper. This is a formal proposal for the topic that I wrote in
the course. In the proposal the main topic of my research is stated along with my
reasoning for wanting to research the topic.

My Synthesis Paper is a formal research paper done on the topic of Game Based Learn
and Gamification. The paper itself makes correlations between this topic and
constructivist learning. Through my research in this topic I was able to identify several
ways that my courses can utilize more game based strategies. Some of them include
finding a gamified typing instruction program, identifying a game to use in a human
geography course that highlights the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and lastly,
finding another mission based game to teacher personal finance. I have not yet used the
personal finance game, but the others were a success in my teaching last year and will
continue to be used going forward.

5.3 Assessing/Evaluating: Candidates apply formal inquiry strategies in assessing and

evaluating processes and resources for learning and performance.

Artifact: Typing Club Evaluation - EDTECH 505

I am using my Typing Club Evaluation from EDTECH 505 for this standard. I chose to
evaluate one of my own programs for this class and I was interested to see how effective
the program TypingClub was at teaching the skill of touch typing to 7th and 8th grade
students. The inquiry process involved researching many of the ways that typing is
taught. I knew that I wanted to find a program that would track student progress and be
adaptive to student ability. In this case the program TypingClub was the specific learning
resource that I found to use for teaching typing and was the resource relating to
standard 5.3. There were several other components to my course to that were a part of
 the process of students learning good typing habits that were also a part of the
evaluation as well, further making this resource a good indicator of standard 5.3 that are
discussed in the evaluation including pretests, post-tests, and regular check-ins to
monitor student progress and the actual effectiveness of the program as a teaching tool.
Through the evaluation I was able to definitively see the success this program had in my
classroom. Further, I was able to identify ways that this same program can be modified
to provide even greater learning gains for my students.

5.4 Ethics: Candidates conduct research and practice using accepted professional and
institutional guidelines and procedures.

Artifact: Synthesis Paper - EDTECH 504

For standard 5.4 I am using my Synthesis Paper from EDTECH 504 as my artifact. This
was a research paper about the topic of game based learning and gamification of
learning in constructivist learning environments and through this research I was able to
find ways that games and gamification can be integrated into my practice and lead to
greater student engagement. There several aspects of the synthesis paper that make it a
very good indicator of standard 5.4. One of the requirements of the paper was to follow
the 6th edition APA guidelines. Included within those are the formal citation of resources,
and other research formatting norms including a formal abstract, title page, and section
headings. This paper also had institutional guidelines to follow such as using peer
reviewed articles along with following length and component guidelines. Through the
articles that I found for the paper I was able to synthesize new knowledge and
understandings about how constructivist learning principles can be enhanced through
games and gamification of learning. The combination of these aspects of the artifact
make it a good indicator of standard 5.4

LIST OF ARTIFACTS

EDTECH 501 - Introduction to Educational Technology: Saba, Summer 2015

1. Evaluation of Civil Rights Issues - RSS Feeds Lesson (1.2)
2. School Evaluation (1.4, 3.4)
3. Ethics and Equitable Access to Productivity Software - The Need for Google Drive? (1.5)
4. Maturity Benchmarks Survey Sheet (3.4)
5. Tech Trends Presentation (4.2)
6. Digital Divide Presentation (4.6)

EDTECH 502 - The Internet for Educators: Evanouski, Fall 2015

7. Virtual Field Trip - National Parks (1.1)
8. Copyright and Creative Commons Scavenger Hunt (3.5)
9. Netiquette (3.6)
10. Web Accessibility Hot Links (4.6)
EDTECH 503 - Instructional Design: Trespalacios, Spring 2016
11. Early Human Migrations out of Africa (3.1, 4.1, 4.5)
12. Assessment Materials Early Human Migrations out of Africa (3.3)

EDTECH 504 - Foundations of Educational Technology: Rice, Fall 2016

13. Community of Practice Summary (5.1)
14. Proposal Paper (5.2)
15. Synthesis Paper (5.2, 5.4)

EDTECH 505 - Evaluation for Educational Technology: Thompson, Spring 2017

16. Typing Club Evaluation (1.3, 2.4, 3.3, 4.3, 5.3)
17. Evaluation Proposal (1.4)

EDTECH 532 - Educational Games and Simulations: Haskell, Spring 2016

18. Budget Simulation Project (2.1)

EDTECH 541 - Integrating Technology into the Classroom Curriculum: Gerstein, Spring 2017
19. Integrating Language Arts to the Economics Classroom (2.2)
20. Video Enhanced Lesson Plan (2.2)
21. Relative Advantage Chart (2.2, 2.5)
22. Assistive and Adaptive Technologies (2.5, 3.6)

EDTECH 542 - Technology Supported Project Based Learning: Rice, Summer 2016
23. Life Under Oppression, Growing Up Under The Wall (3.2)

EDTECH 543 - Social Network Learning: Gerstein, Fall 2015

24. Social Networking Mini-Unit (1.1)
25. Digital Footprints: Leaving Good Tracks (1.5)

Other Resource:
26. NASC Committee Survey March-May 2017 (4.2)