Showcase
Michigan State University
Below is my showcase of work while attending Michigan State University in the Masters of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET). These are the pieces I am most proud of. I have organized my work under the following categories: thinker, creator, and teacher. They showcase how I am a creative thinker, designer, and problem solver within my educational field. Each of these aspects have developed my learning and teaching skills, and encouraged my thinking for the future.
Thinker.
I am a thinker.
While attending graduate classes, I've been able to explore my problem solving and creative thinking abilities. Below are activities that have formed the way I will think for the future. Each has attributed a new way to think about myself as a learner and a teacher.
Cooking with TPACK
One of my first classes in the MAET program introduced me to TPACK. TPACK stands for Technology Pedagogy Content Knowledge. It is a theory to help teachers effectively teach students a subject and incorporate technology. My blog entry for this course shows how I had to repurpose  "technology"  using everyday house items to teach the content. This exercise strengthened my frame of mind for thinking throughout my courses in and outside of the classroom.
21st Century Classroom
Sometimes being a thinker means rethinking. Each course I attended in the MAET, not only made me think but also rethink what I already do. This particular activity allowed me to rethink the typical classroom. I challenged myself using technology I was unfamiliar with and created a learning space conducive for learning. Students need space to think themselves, where ever that may be. I am still constantly thinking about my learners and what would benefit them to be successful. Check out my rethought out classroom design.
Personalized Learning Infographic
During this class, I had to determine a wicked problem, which was personalized learning. I questioned my problem by asking why and saw it through different perspectives, which allowed me to dig deeper into surrounding issues. While thinking about this wicked problem through the eyes of others, it began to challenge my thinking. One question that has stuck with me is, why is curriculum not changing with technology? To this day, I am constantly thinking about the curriculum I am using and how it could be better suited for students with technology. The infographic I created truly shows how my thinking has changed.
Creator.
I am a creator.Â
I have always considered myself as crafty but not a designer. In my graduate courses, I have challenged myself and developed how to think as a creator and became a designer. Below are samples of how I explored creativity in my time at Michigan State. The courses in the MAET program promoted creativity in me which has inspired me to use it in my teaching. Here are some samples of me as a creator.
Perceiving
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Perceiving is to identify something through multiple senses. It is in the eye of the beholder which sometimes allows us to recreate. For this activity, I had to reimagine a book I have read many times in my classroom. It is a popular Mo Williams book that I perceived as a new concept. I was able to reimagine my this story to establish new meaning. This lesson gave me the ability to take a second look behind the cover to discover new meaning. My creativity took me to a meaningful place. I can now look at books through a different perspective and teach my student to do the same.
Maker Lesson
One of my very first classes at Michigan State challenged my creativity and design process. For this particular activity, I created a lesson plan around a maker kit. I used circuit stickers as my maker kit throughout this class. While using circuit stickers I exercised my creative side through trial and error to design a lesson around them. This lesson encompasses creativity as well as different content to achieve an engaging lesson. This maker lesson inspired me to allow my students to show their creativity. I realized the importance to encourage my students to try new ways to discover their desired results.
Cardboard Activity
This was an inspiring activity. I had to use cardboard to represent my view of learning. I used my creativity along with whatever cardboard I had around the house to interrupt my view of learning. Using cardboard to represent something is so simple yet challenging. I realized how you can create through cardboard. This lesson changed how I see creativity and the importance of it in our young students. It motivated me to do this with my students to help them develop their creativity as well. Check out Room S17 to see our first-grade cardboard challenge.
Teacher.
I am a teacher.
I use my creative thinking along with experiences to teach others. Below are the lessons I created from the challenges I have faced in my classroom. This is the teacher in me using my problem-solving skills to design a better learning environment for my students. I hope you can see my devotion to learning, teaching, and of course my students.
Grammar Check
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As a lower elementary teacher, I imaged it would be difficult to create an online learning space for my students. Through this class, I was able to create an online grammar check for my current learners. I noticed my students needed additional support to learn grammar since we do not have a grammar curriculum in the district. This course opened my eyes to the access of online learning. This class has changed my thoughts about online learning and opened up the possibilities for any type of student. I am currently using this online grammar check to help my students dive deeper into grammar. Check it out!
Math Facts
In this course, I had to determine a problem of practice within my teaching. I choose math facts. I saw a deficit with my students and wanted to find a solution through the design process. This course taught me the power questioning to dive deeper to find the root issues. Through questioning and the design process, I was able to redesign new strategies to promote productive math in my classroom. Below are my prototypes I designed for my students to become fluent in math facts.
Research
As an educator, I am constantly thinking about my classroom. I want to educate myself to improve the learning environment for my students. In my classroom, I have a high percentage of ESL  (English as a Second Language) students. I have not been trained effectively to teach ESL students so I was curious about what strategies I could implement into my room to benefit those learners. Through research, I discovered multiple strategies to use as well as not use, to help ESL students. This class changed my views on how I look at research and its benefits to my profession. Below is my paper highlighting those effective strategies.