Friday, December 18, 2015

MATLT FINAL

NARRATIVE

Course Description
This Capstone course requires students to synthesize their skills and knowledge acquired throughout the MATLT program. The Capstone project must present a practical application that is appropriate for a professional environment in the students’ chosen field of work, be appropriate for inclusion in a professional portfolio, and incorporate a relevant problem or issue that can be supported through formal research. Furthermore, the project should demonstrate significant content across the spectrum of MATLT courses and promote the accomplishment of professional and personal goals. In addition, students will create a professional brochure highlighting their skills, strengths, and educational preparation.(Ashford.edu.)



PLO 1 : Demonstrate knowledge and skills related to learning using technology.

PLO 2 : Demonstrate knowledge and skills in current and emerging instructional technologies.

PLO 3 : Design learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the needs of all learners.

PLO 4 :Apply research to support learning in a technology-enhanced environment.

PLO 5 : Exemplify ethical practices of technology usage.

PLO 6 : Evaluate technology resources to facilitate effective assessment and evaluation.

PLO 7 : Utilize technology to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings.

PLO 8 : Demonstrate the ability to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of learning and leadership.

Assessment & Evaluation Using Technology



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PLO 6 : Evaluate technology resources to facilitate effective assessment and evaluation 
PLO 7 : Utilize technology to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings.
Introduction
As an educator, thorough research in the course of study for term assessment can be referred to in two different activities: the gathering of information, (measurement) and the use of information for institutional and individual improvement (evaluation).
Therefore, assessment is a process used to improve performance or outcome. As a result, evaluation is a process used to determine the quality of performance or outcome and to make decisions based on that quality. Both processes can be formative or summative. Upon completing prior courses in the Master’s program the Internet has become a valuable tool in the learning process. Further, experience as an educator shows that the use of assessments and evaluation provide feedback on knowledge skills, attitudes, and the learning outcome of students.
 Prior MATLT Activity of Program Learning Outcomes 6 and 7
            The redesign of MATLT activity that demonstrates the attainment of PLOs 6 and 7 by using technology resources to facilitate effective assessment and evaluation are as follows: (1) demonstrate competence in their major fields of study; and (2) demonstrate an understanding of service directed at meeting the needs of others. The Constructivist, Social, and Situational Theories give in detail of what is expected in each categories of theorian as it relate to learning environment of individuals.
Principles and Theory Chosen and Why
            The basic principles chosen for this assignment are as follows: learning can be detected by observing an organism over a period of time: and learners build personal interpretation of the world based on experiences and interactions.     As an educator, observing the learning experiences of students mimicking their peers, family members or teachers has given credence to the theory of Cognitive Flexibility which focuses on the nature of learning, in relation to, complex and ill-structured domains.
Challenges and How They Were Overcome
            The challenges experienced during the redesign process was interesting. I could easily see the mistakes of the first time I attempted to use the prior tools for any assignment. I did not let my fear of being unable to use the tools correctly get the best of me. I took a deep breath and decided to give it my all to complete this task and feel great about doing it. The assignment I chose to redesign was one on using Bubbl.us, which uses different technological tools, such as, blogs, Wikis, podcasts and other Web tools. I realized, I needed more practice using these tools, and I hate for anything to defeat me. I am not your everyday “tech savvy” individual, but I will give this my best work by putting extra time into using the different tools, extra practices and help. I, also, appreciate the feedback from my instructors and classmates. The feedback changed my attitude about using technology, and I also gained more confidence after seeing the end results and grades for the assignments. However, I am capable of designing programs that I once had a very hard time putting together, because the learning experience helped me to face my fears about using technology in the workforce. I embrace the use of technology in the learning environment and in my home and with more practice I am sure I can become more effective when using technology.

Solving Problems           
The problem that which seems to stick with me is the uncertainty about how this assignment should be done. I feel at time some of the instruction were somewhat broad or it could have been me reading too much into the assignments. I am a visual learner and I know face-to-face interaction with this course would have been more beneficial.
Conclusion
            In conclusion, assessment is a process to improve performance or outcome. Evaluation is a process to determine the quality of performance or outcome and make decision based on that quality. Data collections in schools are no surprise. For years, school districts have collected a vast array of student and institutional information, including such items as test scores, enrollment data, attendance data, budgets, AYP data, finance information and human resource data. According to Shen, J., Cooley, V. E., Ma, X., Reeves, P. L., Burt, W. L., Rainey, J. M., & Yuan, W. (2012), a principal’s ability to use data to monitor important school conditions, is itself, a condition that is associated with student and school success, however, a broader frame is needed to help principals achieve better accountability for the conditions in their schools that impinge upon student success. With the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB-Public Law 107-110), in addition to, the Race to the Top (RITT) provision of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (APRA-Section 14005-6, Title XIV, Public Law 1115-5), holding principals squarely accountable for student outcomes and school condition, implies that principals need better tools for monitoring their own work, especially the work of using data to monitor and inform the process of improving school-level conditions for raising student achievement. Using technology has been that tool to aid the school with some of those problems due to diversity.

References

Shen, J., Cooley, V. E., Ma, X., Reeves, P. L., Burt, W. L., Rainey, J. M., & Yuan, W. (2012).Data-Informed Decision Making on High-Impact Strategies: Developing and Validating an Instrument for Principals. Journal of Experimental Education, 80(1), 1-2


Original

Supporting the Needs og All Learners





PLO 3 : Design learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the needs of all learners.

Redesigned of Prior Assignment
 Step 1: Identify objectives for online group work.
Learning Objective
·         Student will identify warning signs of bullying behavior.
 Performance Objective
·         By the end of the lesson students will be able to demonstrate the different kinds of bullying and identify ways to personally make a difference in their school.
Step 2: Design an assignment.
During this lesson, students will start to recognize the different types of bullying, causes, and ways of dealing with it. Through literature and Internet, students learn how to handle bullying.  Students will develop presentations to teach others how to handle bullying.
Step 3: Develop assessment strategies for objectives.
Activities
·         Ask students how they define bullying, and write definitions or words on the board addressing the different kinds of bullying (violence, exclusivity, rumors, etc.). Learning Objective (Summative)
·         Students will define and give the characteristics of bullying. ( using computer and Inter) Learning Objective (Summative)
·         Ask students to complete a quiz , individually. Performance Objective  (Formative)
·         Involve students in the follow-up- discussion, using questions (PDF) for reflection.(students are to write a 1 to 2 page reflection paper) Performance Objective (Formative)
As an instructor, I would create and use effectively balance number of assignments, guidelines would be in place for assessing writing skills in online learning. The use of a rubric is very important. A rubric is a type of scoring guide that assesses and articulates specific components and expectations for an assignment.  I would post comments to discussion boards, email messages discussion questions, encourage student’s participation, make known instructor’s expectations and components of an assignment; become more aware of their learning process and progress; approve work through timely and detailed manner with feedback.
The teacher will assess student’s presentations using the attached rubric.
Step 4: Justify each assessment strategy
          The assessments strategies for the learning objective activities show the learners achievements at the end of the lesson and assess what the learner has mastered.  According to the textbook of Oosterhof & Conrad, 2008 stated the assessment is considered valid if it measures what it claims it supposed to measure. Therefore, the gold standard for assessment effectiveness is validity. But, if objectives and assessments do not match up, validity is compromised because the assessment cannot measure what it is supposed to measure. A lesson learned, I will never forget when doing assessments. Summative assessments are used to check learning achievement at the end of the lesson.
          The performance objective assessments strategies exemplify what the students have learned through their knowledge of learning in the course. The methods used can be in the form of an Exam, mid-term exam, research paper or presentation. According to Jain & Yuan-Cheng, 2013, formative assessments, are continuously embedded in the teaching and learning process of a curriculum, attempts to improve learning achievements by offering feedback in the process. The objective of formative assessment is to provide feedback to students rather than to evaluate them for course grades.  This feedback is used in educational contexts and is generally regarded as crucial for improving learner knowledge and skill acquisition (Pridemore & Klein, 1991). The feedback also, gives learners the opportunity to develop their cognitive strategies and to rectify misconceptions through the training period (Azevedo & Bernard, 1995).  The knowledge gained in this course has enhanced my teaching skills, assessments strategies, objectives, and ways of communicating with learners.
I have gained the understanding of what is expected of learners online. In online learning, it is important to keep learners engaged in the online learning environment. The experience of working in small groups was a great experience.  Jay, 2011, states projects require an extensive amount of effort by students in an online course, general agreement exists among faculty that the team effort should be assed, graded, and with feedback provided. The grading should represent both (1) the quality of the product developed jointly by team, as well as, (2) the degree of participation and quality of construction by each individual student involved in the group process.

Step 5. Create a rubric.
Multimedia Project : Stop the Bullying!


Teacher Name: __________________ __________________


Student Name:     ________________________________________

CATEGORY
4
3
2
1
Requirements
All requirements are met and exceeded.
All requirements are met.
One requirement was not completely met.
More than one requirement was not completely met.
Organization
Content is well organized using headings or bulleted lists to group related material.
Uses headings or bulleted lists to organize, but the overall organization of topics appears flawed.
Content is logically organized for the most part.
There was no clear or logical organizational structure, just lots of facts.
Workload
The workload is divided and shared equally by all team members.
The workload is divided and shared fairly by all team members, though workloads may vary from person to person.
The workload was divided, but one person in the group is viewed as not doing his/her fair share of the work.
The workload was not divided OR several people in the group are viewed as not doing their fair share of the work.
Mechanics
No misspellings or grammatical errors.
Three or fewer misspellings and/or mechanical errors.
Four misspellings and/or grammatical errors.
More than 4 errors in spelling or grammar.
Content
Covers topic in-depth with details and examples. Subject knowledge is excellent.
Includes essential knowledge about the topic. Subject knowledge appears to be good.
Includes essential information about the topic but there are 1-2 factual errors.
Content is minimal OR there are several factual errors.




Step 6: Create a 5 item Quiz
There’s a lot to learn about bullying. This is your chance to show what you’ve learned about how, what bullying is and who it affects.
1.      ____What is bullying?
A.    The behavior hurts or harms some physically or emotionally.
B.     There’s an imbalanced of Power between the person bullying and the target.
C.     The target struggles to make the bullying stop.
D.    All of the above
2.      ____ What’s the most common thing students report being bullied about?
A.    Looks
B.     Abilities
C.     Intelligence
D.    Wealth
3.      ____How significant is bullying of students with disabilities?
A.    10 times less than their peers without disabilities
B.     20 time less than their peers without disabilities
C.     2 to 3 times more than their peers without disabilities
D.    The same as their peers without disabilities
4.      ____Most bullying typically takes place at the following times and places:
A.    After school as the child travels home
B.     In the Morning on the way to school
C.     During school hours while children in unstructured activities (e.g. recess, in the hallway or bathroom etc.)
D.    During school hours and while students are in class
5.      ____Which of the following statements about ways boys and girls bully is true?
A.    Boys tends to bully with physical behavior while girls bully with words.
B.     Girls tends to bully with physical behavior while boys bully with words
C.     Boys and girls tend to bully in essentially the same way
D.    Bothe boys and girls use a combination of physical behaviors and bullying with words


REFERENCE
Jay, H. (2011) Assessment of Individual Student Performance in Online Team Project
            Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, Vol 15 (3) p5-20.
Jian-Wei, L., & Yuan-Cheng, L. (2013). Harnessing Collaborative Annotations on Online
            Formative Assessments. Journal Of Educational Technology & Society, 16(1), 263-274.
Oosterhof, A., Conrad, R. M., & Ely, D. (2008). Assessing learners online. Upper Saddle
            River, NJ: Pearson.
www.teachingtolerance.org Teaching Tolerance.


Original 

Supporting the Needs of All Learners
According to Richard M. Felder and Rebecca Brent (2005), students have different levels of motivation, different attitudes about teaching and learning, and different responses to specific classroom environments and instructional practices. When instructors thoroughly understand the differences, they will have a better chance of meeting the diverse learning needs of all their students. Therefore, three categories of diversity that have been shown to have important implications for teaching and learning are differences in students’ learning styles (characteristic ways of taking in and processing information); approaches to learning (surface, deep, and strategic); and intellectual development levels (attitude about the nature of knowledge and how it should be acquired and evaluated).
First, personal experiences and learning in prior courses have enhanced my knowledge in understanding the importance of designing, in order to, to support the needs of all students. As educators, it is important to understand that not all students learn on the same level, nor do all students have the same learning styles. They have different backgrounds, strengths, weaknesses, interests, levels of motivation, and approaches to the learning environment.  However, teaching methods vary. Some teachers mainly lecture, while others model instruction or activities using a variety of tools to meet the needs of all learners. Students may be auditory leaners, visual leaners, and kinesthetic learners, therefore, learning styles are definitely different since students are diverse learners in the learning environment.  As an educator I learned to incorporate the use of differentiated instruction in the learning environment to provide opportunities for all learners. For instance, in my place of employment, we review test scores, observations and assessments to assess students’ progress on an academic task and we are able to pin- point the student’s strength and weaknesses.
Second, we, as educators, have utilized a variety of teaching tools and instructional strategies which can be used for delivering learning experiences. Some of these include, the Internet, Computers, videos, Power Points, blogs, and Smart Boards in the classroom environment. The results from those observations, assessments and feedbacks, in the classroom, have aided in improving our performances, skills, and behavioral issues. In addition, students and teachers were both beneficial in the end results of data collected. Likewise, there is a great appreciation for the feedback received in these situations. As an educator, it helps to build on the classroom instructional strategies, as well as, help students improve their academic process. This method, not only, improves my way of bringing the lesson to my students, but it helps me to be able to do interventions to make sure all of my students’ needs are being met.
The main challenge I faced with this assignment is the fear and uncertainty.  As a student, I can truly understand how my students feel when there is that burden of not knowing or do not get the correct understanding of an assignment. Since my course of study, I have gained a lot of knowledge and understanding of using educational technology for the learning environment. I love working with my hands, and redesigning one of my prior assignments.
This sounds wonderful and would be absolutely grand if there were no doubts. However, I chose to make a Power Point on a lesson at my place of employment, where I work with Pre-K students. In this lesson, we are teaching them about the plant life cycle, which happens to be pumpkins. It’s that time of the year when our students get excited about Halloween. Based on this, I read back over my principles and theories to see if they were in line with the activity that I chose for this assignment. I could clearly see the connection with the assignment and the redesigned Power Point of the Connect Dot Activity that I used with the students.  I, also, was able to discover the need to keep students more engaged in the activity for learning purposes rather than allowing them to think it was for pleasure or fun. The lesson was all about the students understanding of how plants grow.
In conclusion, the personal experiences and learning in prior courses have given me more knowledge and understanding of the importance of designing instructional strategies to support the needs of all students. I am coming away from this course of study with an understanding that not all students learn the same way nor do they share the same learning styles. I am leaving this course with an understanding that instructional strategies must meet the needs of all learners regardless of their ethnicity. As an educator I gained a broader knowledge of incorporating different instructional strategies in the learning environment to provide opportunities for all learners.
                                           REFERENCE
Richard M. Felder & Rebecca Brent (2005). Understanding Student Differences. Journal of Engineering Education, 94(1), 57-72.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Applied Research Topic


I currently work in elementary school, I have created a authentic application of the information we  have learned throughout the MATLT program at Ashford University.

Learning Setting



The organization setting for this learning setting is in Westernline Elementary School

Organizational Sector

The agency is the Elementary Public School

Organizational Mission & Purpose

It is the mission of the Western Line School District to prepare students to reach their greatest
potential academically, socially, culturally, and ethically by providing a quality education.

Technology Resources


Our mission is to supply students and staff the technology and information services needed to fulfill 
the requirements of Western Line School District, now and in the future.
We are dedicated to helping the Western Line School District students and staff use these services to 
fully meet their professional and academic needs.
These services include but are not limited to:
  • Providing, maintaining, and supporting hardware and software
  • Maintaining and providing access to mission critical data within a secure environment
  • Providing documentation, education and training for the Western Line School District



Ethical Practices of Technology Usage



PLO 5 : Exemplify ethical practices of technology usage.

Ethical Practice of Technology Usage
        I will discuss a prior class assignment from course out of my MATLT and then want to demonstrate my knowledge of the program learning outcome (PLO) number five to "exemplify ethical practices of technology usage".  The discussion will be in regards to bullying on Internet and ethical rights in the classroom when using the computer. I will include a discussion about the principles and theories, discuss and explain the how Cyber Bullying involves the use of technology to intimidate, or harass others. It has been considered in some ways more dangerous than any other form of bullying.  The discussion will be in regards to bullying on Internet and ethical rights in the classroom when using the computer. I will include a discussion about the principles and theories. I will discuss and explain Cyber bullying in the classroom. As I reflect on the bullying of students in the classroom setting, one can easily tie these two design principles (Learners build personal interpretation of the world based on experiences and interactions & knowledge acquisition is described as a mental activity that entails internal coding and structuring by the learner) to the situation of bullying. Bullying issues have become a problem for many, specifically, students who are easily influenced by their peers, because they tend to learn and adapt to behaviors that are inappropriate.
Cyber bullying or bullying through the use of electronic communication technologies has become a serious problem for children and adolescents. Like traditional bullying, it can be characterized by aggressive, repeated, and intentional acts that involve an imbalance of power between the victim and perpetrator. Cyber bullying is also unique in that it can be transmitted anonymously and reach victimized children and adolescents day or night, at home or at school. The possibilities can expose victims of cyber bullying to repeated and chronic abuse and can lead to high levels of psychological distress including symptoms of depression (Bonanno & Hymel, 2013; Schneider, O'Donnell, Stueve, & Coulter, 2012), anxiety (Aoyama, Saxon, & Fearon, 2011; Campbell, Spears, Slee, Butler, & Kift, 2012), and suicidal ideation (Bauman, Toomey, & Walker, 2013; Gini & Espelage, 2014).
        I have created a Power Point from a prior course from week four of EDU 609 I want to present for reading and comprehension of how cyber bullying or bullying can take place in the learning environment. Students will research the many ways that bullying can take place and what can be done to prevent cyber bullying or bullying.

The theory which stands out to me is G. Karesely Cognitive Flexibility Theory. Karesley, (2000) cognitive flexibility theory, focuses on the nature of learning in complex and ill-structured domains and separates itself from many theories because it deals with the acquisition of advanced knowledge.  Spiro and Jehng (1990) states, “by cognitive flexibility, we mean the ability to spontaneously restructure one’s knowledge, in many ways, in adaptive response to radically changing situational demands… this is a function of both the way knowledge is represented (e. g., along multiple rather than conceptual dimensions) and the processes that operates on these mental representations (e. g., processes of schema assembly rather than intact schema retrieval)” (p. 165.).  Cognitive flexibility theory is a learning theory that enables teachers to promote the use of educational technologies in the learning process, as well as, allow students to dig deeper into the complexities associated with the educational curriculum. In my opinion, if students are educated on the facts of bullying or being the bully, they will be able to build on their prior knowledge and reorganize their thoughts to use technology to help with the learning environment instead of using it in a negative way toward their peers or fellow colleagues. Students will learn to respect others rights as an individuals no matter what choices he or she may make in life.
Bullying issues have become a problem for many, specifically, students who are easily influenced by their peers, because they tend to learn and adapt to behaviors that are inappropriate. However, students can be taught to understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues to relate to technology. Respect others ideas and background and acknowledge their contribution, Students can be taught a collaborative approach with others, both in person and technologies, to identify information problems and to seek their solutions.

The challenges experienced during the redesign process is second guessing my work. My fear mode kicks in and I began to panic. I will not give in, even though, I find myself in a few rough spots. I have this fear of not doing the correct quotations (APA Style) and design when putting together my Power Point. I will continue the task no matter what the end results may come out to be. I find myself in a bind many times but, I will not give up on my education. I know there will be many challenges that will be more difficult than others, but, I have the will to continue and beat the odds and work even harder toward my goal to, which is, to complete the Master’s program. The more I go back and work with some of the tools the work is better. I am able to designed the Power Point better the second time around. I can see where I made mistakes in the activity with hope they were corrected with finishing the activity.

REFERENCE


  Holfeld, B., & Leadbeater, B. J. (2015). The nature and frequency of cyber bullying                                 behaviors and victimization experiences in young canadian children. Canadian Journal of                School Psychology, 30(2), 116-135. Retrieved from                                                          http://search.proquest.com/docview/1690433295?accountid=32521
Kearsley, G. (n.d.). Cognitive flexibility theory. Retrieved September 7, 2002, from E

          Explorations in Learning & Instruction: The Theory Into Practice Database Web


Meridian: Winter 2001. A Middle School Computer Technologies. Journal a Service of NC        State University, Raleigh, NC Vol (4), Issue (1).  Retrieved from

Ribble, M. (2015). Digital awareness: Using technology appropriately. Retrieved from
Spiro, R, J.& Jehng, J. (1990). Cognitive flexibility and hypertext: Theory and
technology for the non-linear and multidimensional traversal of complex subject matter. D. Nix & R. Spiro (Eds.), Cognition, Education, and Multimedia. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.