Synthesis Essay | capstone

Synthesis: Lessons Learned

By: Rachael Hilliker

It began with a late night of perusing the MSU website and stumbling upon the Masters of Arts in Educational Technology program description. I thought about all the formal education I had received in the previous 4 years. I had achieved my Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts online, through a community college. I wasn’t prepared to pick a major yet so I just picked a basic degree. I went on to achieve my Bachelor of Science in Human and Social Services Administration from a private university, also through an online program. I enjoyed helping people and the idea of working in that field seemed rewarding. I had applied to various jobs and was feeling as though I needed something more. The thought out of making a career out of some of the jobs I was pursuing didn't seem as exciting to me as it did prior to receiving these degrees. I worked in human services for a county office and discovered that my degree was less helpful for promotion than actual experience was. Dealing with all of the politics involved was challenging and I knew that it wasn’t the career path I should take. I enjoyed my educational opportunities in the past but wondered if a graduate degree may be that something more I desired. Although I was not a teacme, the MAET program was very appealing to me and it encouraged non-teachers to apply.

In classes past, I had found myself as a student thinking about how if I taught this class would I do it differently? I questioned the online course designs, mechanisms for collaboration, and felt guilty about my judgments. Was I being too critical of others who had worked hard on developing these classes? Was I just being picky? I came to the conclusion that perhaps I just had a knack for understanding course design. This isn't always done by those who have actually studied learning theories but may just have expertise in the course subject matter. I discovered that many teachers and college professors are not given any instruction on how to set up courses utilizing tools within the university's LMS of choice. Furthermore, I found that many teachers do not use technology tools due to limited budgets, lack of training and time constraints while developing lessons. The thought of being able to consult teachers and professors and providing my knowledge and expertise in this area was very appealing. Step one: apply as a lifelong learner and sign up for the graduate certificate classes that pertain to educational technology.

What am I doing taking full time classes while working full time? What if this program isn't as easy for a non-teacher? Will anyone in my cohort take my opinions seriously if I have no classroom experience other than a few job duties training others here and there? Day one: And so it begins. As I read the syllabus for my classes I sighed with relief. Not only did the classes not intimidate me but I felt as though the upcoming lessons were exactly what I had hoped for. The first two classes, CEP 810 Teaching Understanding with Technology and CEP 811 Adapting Innovative Technology to Education, were proof positive that this was the degree I was meant to have. I had so many “ah-ha” moments as I was reading research and theories as it pertained to educational technology. Many of the assignments were challenging initially but not in a way that discouraged me. I wanted to understand some of the things I had previously regarded as “gut feelings” and then dive deeper under the surface to reach the “why” and “how” of the topics. I knew when I took an undergraduate statistics class online in a previous program that the instructor had simply taken the synchronous lesson plan and put it in the LMS we were using. There was no consideration for pedagological appropriateness. There were no innovative approaches to the lessons. It was simply module after module of text lectures, example problems from the text book, and online quizzes that were timed. There was an online discussion forum in the LMS that we were to use to produce our homework assignments. If we had questions we were to email the instructor. It, in my personal opinion, was not structured to fit the online environment that hosted it. Just because a course can be taught online doesn’t mean it should be. If it is, it is necessary to consider how you teach the information differently this way. These first two classes in the MAET program made me realize that the concepts and tools given in these classes would benefit all teachers, trainers, instructors or professors who consider incorporating technology into their lesson plans.

By the middle of my first semester I was applying for the actual MAET program. I was absolutely ecstatic to begin this challenge as a full program. I had gotten used to the fact that the program actually involved doing things I loved like tweeting, trolling our class Facebook group pages, spending time researching articles that came through my RSS feed, testing out free educational technology tools, etc. However, I did not expect one of my summer courses, CEP 820 Teaching K-12 students online to be as challenging as it was. When I first discovered we would be creating an online course in the LMS of our choice I was pretty excited. I soon realized that without being in a classroom I wouldn’t just be designing the course layout and which technology tools to incorporate, but I would also need to create all of content. I began searching for various forms of content: videos, assignments, etc. I picked an LMS only to discover a few weeks in that the app for the LMS does not do everything the online version of it did. I was disappointed because I had to start over with a new LMS. I learned many valuable lessons in the class. I learned that not every LMS will work for a given topic or pedagogy. I learned that it is important to carefully consider how students can best learn the subject matter utilizing the various tools that are appropriate. I put many hours into developing a course that I am proud of. I picked a subject matter that I was personally interested in. I carefully considered my potential students backgrounds and interests. I found various formats to convey the course objectives. I created a course that was in many ways, just a remix. This leads to my next set of challenging courses-where we discussed how everything is a remix.

Two of my favorite classes were CEP 818 Creativity in Teaching and Learning and CEP 817 Learning Technology Through Design. Both of these classes were taught by Punya Mishra and a team of others. Prior to taking these courses I had always considered myself creative. I love to bake ridiculous cakes, sew, craft, build, etc. I also enjoy thinking outside of the box when troubleshooting or problem solving at work and in my personal life. I had thought that these classes would be a chance for me to show my creative side to others in my work. I had no idea that these two courses were going to push me so much further than I had ever imagined. In each class we looked at re-mixing others work. I hadn’t realized that for so long that was what I was already doing in other areas. I would regretfully spend a lot of time getting ideas from Pinterest on my next craft project and although I may change something here or there I was really just remixing the ideas of others. In the past when I designed something, anything really, I was not consciously aware of the design development process I was engaging in. These classes both helped me to be more aware of my strengths and weaknesses when trying to convey ideas. I feel as though my visual vocabulary was developed and that my willingness to put on paper what my design process is was a necessary tool for me to develop. Previously, in design, my main concerns were the surface elements. I now have a much deeper understanding of the iterative process of design. Designing a website for people to look at requires some thought and planning. However, designing an educational website for students to engage with the materials requires many other considerations. For starters, examining how the design considers the TPACK framework.

The first time I heard of TPACK, I was completely clueless. I had no previous exposure to the framework needed for creating lesson plans. Finding the soft spot on the Venn diagram, throughout all of my assignments, was definitely a tricky task. However, it was the single most important concept taught during the course of my program. Other students in the program may have had exposure to PCK during their undergraduate studies if they majored in education. I, however, had to absorb, digest, and develop critical thinking skills on this topic for the first time in my studies. I was absolutely impressed with this theory. Learning about multiple representations of ideas and objectives gave me a huge insight into the type of learner and pseudo teacher that I am. It also helped me understand the importance of what I like to call “shock and awe” in education. Choosing the most compelling, inspirational and often times abstract representations of information to assist the student in engaging with the subject matter is key. Proper integration of technology into the curriculum so that it is an actual tool that a student can learn with and through is one of the most important considerations a teacher or instructor can make. A tool is not a tool if its use provides no added value to the task at hand. It simply becomes a distraction to the goals. Just because we have access to high priced technology, does not mean it is necessary for the success of our teaching or for our students learning experience.

In all of my assignments, I hope that my work exhibited creativity, a deep understanding of TPACK, as well as careful and thoughtful planning. My learning experience throughout this program cannot be summed up in a mere 2,000 words. Pictures cannot effectively convey my growth as a learner over the last year and half. The distance I have come is not a linear measurement. I had to undo some incorrect concepts I previously held as true. I had to allow myself to think so abstractly that the risk of being wrong only meant a welcomed opportunity for growth. I had to put myself in the shoes of others whose experiences were not like mine. I shared ideas, collaborated on projects, and dug as deep into my creative ideologies as I could. I laughed, I cried, I was regretful and I was proud. What began as an ambiguous educational goal became an adventurous start to a lifelong learners’ quest for challenges, achievements and inspiration. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to participate in this amazing program. My perspective on teaching and learning has been forever changed. I hope to have future opportunities to share my enthusiasm, passion and knowledge of educational technology. Fingers crossed.