​​The​
Wonder​
Years​
 By Marcus Clark





​School. Filled with backpacks, pencils, pens, highlighters, books, and paper.  At least that is what most of us were used to.



School. Filled with computer bags, laptops, tablets, and online books.

What is the difference between those two schools? Only a couple of changes were made that enhances the overall learning of “old school” teaching. Technology has made a grand entrance into the classrooms of today’s school.



What is the same between these two schools?  It’s the teachers and the desks. Some things will never change. Teachers are the most important part of educating students. Teachers must adapt, react, and create a learning environment capable of reaching every student at a desk, online or not.



If not for my entrance into to graduate school, I would have no idea that effect that technology has on learning.



​Student.  What am I suppose to do with this paper? Students are gravitating to a whole new world that teachers are finding hard to compete with during schools hours. Consisting of technology, social media, and the “WOW” factor. Generation Y are children born with constant access to technology, including computers and cell phones. Does this sound familiar? If you enter into a school building, you may see the

following:

             1. Earphones / Headphones
             2. Cell phones
             3. IPods
             4. Tablets
             5. Laptops
This could be alarming to those not familiar with the emergence of technology into the curriculum. Earphones are being used to listen to notes created by teachers. Cell phones are being used to take school or classroom surveys. IPods are letting students listen to lectures and watch demonstration videos. Laptops are being to produced, view, edit, blog, and post all sort of assignments. As I saw the evolution happening before me, I wanted to be part of this movement.



​As I embarked on my continuing education journey with Educational Technology, I was hoping to see how technology could influence the thinking and learning possibilities for students. I wanted to know if there was an alternative to teaching that would engage students at a higher level. My choice to enroll at Michigan State was based on the reputation of the graduate program and the diversity of the professors I would be learning from. I wanted professors to be well rounded and not limited to state learning. Being from Texas, I wanted to build relationships with a community I was not familiar with and would not have a chance to know on a more personal level.



​Michigan State was going to be a BIG change from what I am accustomed to. I completed my Bachelors Degree from Stephen F. Austin State University, a small school, where everybody knows everyone.  It was the first time I would be in an online learning program. I had my doubts about the relationship I would be able to have the professors, and would the BIG name of the school correlate with the hardness of the expectation. Meaning the attitude of the professors would be to take no prisoners, only the strong will survive.



​The MAET program is set up for you to be successful. Beginning with the certificate program CEP 810 “Teaching for Understanding with Technology” gave me the confidence I need to think that, “yes, I can do this”. At this stage of my learning, I was equipped with a Personal Learning Network (PLN).  This network allowed me to learn from other learners, interact with classmates, and receive knowledge from.  Due to the creation of social media, my network spread throughout the country. Having this allowed me to expand my thinking on ideas because I could get instant feedback from members of my PLN. Members could leave opinions on my blog which was created in CEP 811 “Adapting Innovative Technologies in Education”.

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​At my school, we use the Rigor and Relevance Framework as a guide to teaching our students. This framework has four quadrants that represent simple recall and understanding, more complex thinking, and represent action or a higher level of application.

During the early stages of MAET grad work, I was introduced to Technological Pedagogical Content knowledge, or TPACK. It’s a framework that incorporates technology into the curriculum. I was accustomed to hearing many types of frameworks mainly because my school district was looking for a different way to teach.  As a teacher, this framework requires you to be knowledgeable about the content that you teach.  It also requires understanding of the process of teaching, and how to make students gain a deeper understanding of what is being learning while “Making It Stick”.  TPACK involves careful planning and will need to be adjusted based on the audience you are engaging. Student grade level, learning abilities, and technology skills need to be considered for successful implementation in the classroom planning.
 

​Technology is an interest of mine and becoming a leader is a goal that I hope to accomplish after graduation. CEP 815 “Technology and Leadership” was a class that would help me reach my goal and purpose for continuing my education. As a leader in technology you must invite change based on how technology is constantly reinventing ideas and creating new ones.  You must be willing to research all resources that become available because not all has a purpose in the classroom. 

Effective learners are always learning, observing, and taking calculated risks.  MAET teaches us that having a vision is an integral part of becoming a leader in technology.  Evaluating the past and observing the present to prepare for the future is a way to develop a vision.  There are times where technology will be placed upon students on a just because basis. Just because we have the resources to use technology, we must know how to make it relevant and meaningful for the student. 

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At the same time that I was beginning to take 820 “Teaching K-12 Students Online”, my school was, again trying something new.  We invested our resources in Moodle, a Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment.  I was excited with the possibilities I could do with my own classroom from what I would be learning in this course.  Our school made it a requirement to be a proficient user with this e-learning platform.  Studies have shown that students in online learning conditions performed modestly better than those in “regular “ classroom instruction. 

A science teacher at my school put those results to the test. The first semester he taught his class with regular book, pencil, and paper.  The second semester he taught exclusively with Moodle. His results showed a 13-point drop in the class average. 

As great as the addition of online learning, it cannot be done without teacher led discussions and lectures.  There is great benefit in utilize this type of learning.  Teacher communication is increased because they are more accessible with an online presence such as emailing and blogging. Students are more involved in their education because of the variety of resources they will have.  Students become aware of the expectations and are held accountable more.  When students have to miss classroom time, classroom assignments are available online anywhere and anytime.  Taking this course gave me insight to how to coordinate online learning in my classroom.  This course gave me tools that will help in developing a course exclusive online at our school for our students who are capable of enrolling in the class.
 

​CEP 817 “Learning Technology Through Design” and McClouds “The Six Steps”.

             1. Idea / Purpose
             2. Form
             3. Idiom /Genre
             4. Structure
             5. Craft
             6. Surface

When designing a lesson, you have to be able to take yourself out of the design process.  You are not designing it to be interesting to you, but of interest to the users.  When it comes to pictures, colors, videos, activities, it must be adjusted to the interest of the students.  Your design should consist of many different ways of expressing that content.  Each student has a different learning ability and no student should be left behind because of the teacher’s dislike of an idea or concept.  If a teacher believes that pictures are a waste of space, then students that learn with pictures will be handicapped.  If students have a hard time reading in plain black and white text, then students will be left behind if the teacher does not want to take the time to add color.  If it’s difficult for a student to read a lot of material at once, the teacher should accommodate those by having a podcast or video available.

This course has taught me that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but reinvent the presentation.  There is so much information out in the world of education that is readily available at the click of the button.  Your ability to take and use that information is the challenge we are faced with today, instead of being faced with having to create the wheel from scratch.   How can we take the information that we found a present it in a new exciting way?

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I have learned that no matter what you design, teach, or learn, things are always changing.  Develop a network of like professionals and share in experiences.  What you are having trouble with, someone has already been through it and may be able to provide you with support and tips to fight through.  Don’t be afraid to fail or of being different.  Were we not created to be the same, so embrace it.  Be flexible, patient, and open-minded.  There are always ways to do it bigger and better.









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