EDU 697: Capstone: A Project Approach

Final Project

Welcome to my Capstone Project in my Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology Program through Ashford University.  I am thrilled to have reached this point and be able to share so many exciting projects that are only the beginning of my journey through educational design and technology.  It has been quite an experience and though I could never say that I would reach this point as a learner, I can honestly say that I'm proud that I can call myself a "Master of the Arts".

I hope that you will find these links to be useful, educational, and maybe even a little inspirational in your journey as an educator or learner.  Below is the link to the Homepage Wiki while the rest of the links will take you to the appropriate Program Learning Outcome housed in the Wiki itself.

Capstone Wiki Homepage

Each Program Learning Outcome's instructional design principles were utilized to create the assignment at various points in my degree process.  These assignments have undergone redesigns for this capstone project and those challenges, as well as challenges that may be encountered in activity implementation, are summarized in the Wiki page of the corresponding assignment.

Enjoy and please feel free to follow me, add comments, and share your journey!

Program Learning Outcome 1
"Demonstrate knowledge and skills related to learning using technology"
Instructional Design Principles

• Student-directed technology exploration and learner acquisition
• Guided use of point-and-click techniques
• Self-paced learning through simple and efficient images

Link to Assignment: Various Technology Acquisition Presentations

Program Learning Outcome 2
"Demonstrate knowledge and skills in current and emerging instructional technologies"
Instructional Design Principles

• Facilitator-based communication
• Use of technology in direct communication of learning objectives
• Student responsive needs-based learning

Link to Assignment: Screencast and Webinar

Program Learning Outcome 3
"Design learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the needs of all learners"
Instructional Design Principles

• Multiple ways to gain and retain information.
• Creative and responsive techniques.
• Collaboration with Assignment

Link to Assignment: Collaborative Storytelling Wiki

Program Learning Outcome 4
"Apply research to support learning in a technology-enhanced environment"
Instructional Design Principles

• Direct research-based project approach
• Step-by-step action research model
• Application of change management and research techniques to needs-based issues
• Use of technology to solve current and pressing needs

Link to Assignment: Mock Action Research Proposal

Program Learning Outcome 5
"Exemplify ethical practices of technology usage"
Instructional Design Principles

• Guided research through learner input
• Approaching research ethically and analytically
• Using standards to promote technology-driven focus

Link to Assignment: ECE Researcher Project

Program Learning Outcome 6
"Use technology resources to facilitate effective assessment and evaluation"
Instructional Design Principles

• Exploring technology in user-friendly, point-and-click techniques
• Gathering feedback and assessment through educational technology approaches
• Student-directed exploration
• Reflective survey analysis
• Learner's focus intentionality

Link to Assignment: Various Surveys

Program Learning Outcome 7
"Utilize technology to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings"
Instructional Design Principles

• Use of classroom participation to collect research results
• Data analysis through technology
• Findings communication
• User-friendly techniques to enhance ease of use and participation probability

Link to Assignment: Survey and Results to Collect Research Data

Program Learning Outcome 8
"Demonstrate the ability to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of learning and leadership"
Instructional Design Principles

• Working with multiple technologies to create differing results of the same information
• Strategically aligning steps of process to communication strategies
• Creating a cohesive and communicable product
• Discerning results for learner impact and change management strategy

Link to Assignment: MindMeister and Bubbl

EDU 655: Collaborative Storytelling E-Learning Assignment

Collaborative Storytelling: E-Learning Activity in an Online Environment
Students participating in this assignment are at the beginning of their Associate of Arts education at a university. This activity is meant to introduce them to an online environment in a Creative Writing course. Students are encouraged to view a pre-recorded screencast by the instructor and participate in the assignment in a self-directed manner.  

The instructor's role in the assignment will be to monitor Storytelling entries, modify them while communicating with the student, and post entries in the order in which received. The instructor will review and respond to questions and comments throughout the life of the assignment, as well as encourage and open communication in the wiki forum.

First, read the Needs Assessment to fully understand the purpose and objectives of this activity.

Needs Assessment

Next, follow the link to the screencast explaining the assignment to students.

Screencast

Finally, if necessary, follow the link on the right-hand side of this screen to view the wiki assignment created through WikiSpaces.  

Once the assignment has been viewed, it is important to go back to the previous mentioned learning objectives to note if and how the assignment accomplished them.  

EDU 652: Topics as a Learning Activity

Early Childhood Education Researcher Project:  Topics Learning Activity

Students who participate in this activity are a part of a post-secondary education class pursuing their Associate’s or Bachelor’s degrees.  The activity is meant to be self-guided with frequent feedback at checkpoints by the instructor.

A “topics” learning activity is “the lowest-level learning object in a course or other knowledge product, it is the building block of instruction that accomplishes a single learning objective” (Horton, 2012).  The learning objectives, as stated in the Needs Assessment, are to

-Create a presentation that summarizes research.

-Know basic facts about an Early Childhood Education researcher.

It is of great importance to the work of Early Childhood professionals that they are rooted in the work of the past.  “Knowledge of history of early childhood education gives early childhood educators a sense of their roots in the past and an idea of how current approaches to working with children and families have grown out of previous thought and practice” (Feeney et al., 2010).

First, read the Needs Assessment to fully understand the purpose and objectives of this activity.

Needs Assessment

Next, follow the link to view the wiki assignment created through WikiSpaces.  Notice how each step is outlined clearly and has feedback options attached to it.  Each step of the learning activity could be considered a “topics” learning activity, in that it is a basic accomplishment of the learning objective attached to the assignment.

Early Childhood Education Researcher Assignment

Once the assignment has been viewed, it is important to go back to the previous mentioned learning objectives to note if and how the assignment accomplished them.  

Some additional resources for student reflection are as follows:

• Think about ways that the history of your family, community, culture, or country has influenced your life.
• Reflect on why it might be important to know about your own history and history in general.
• How did programs that you attended as a child, or that you have observed or taught in, seem to reflect what is described in the history of Early Childhood programs?
• Which of the programs researched could you picture yourself working in, teaching in, or running the overall program of?

(Feeney et al., 2010)

Resources

Christensen, D., Feeney, S., Moravcik, E., Nolte, S.  (2010).  Who Am I in the Lives of Children? An Introduction to Early Childhood Education (8th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Merrill.

Horton, W. K. (2012). e-Learning by Design (2 ed.). San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

EDU 652: Connect-Type Activity

Parent-Guided Scenarios: Connect-Type Activity
This connect-type activity allows participants in the previous "do-type activity" to make their learning come to life!  Students who participated in the Home Alone class in which they learned key skills in independence and safety can partner with their families to practice their skills.

After the scenario or scenarios are complete, family members are encouraged to give feedback on their experiences through a simple survey conducted through SurveyMonkey.  This allows instructors of the class to formulate next steps when evaluating appropriate class structure and learning objectives, as well as prepare future students and families for their classes.

First, read the Needs Assessment to fully understand the purpose and objectives of this activity.

Needs Assessment

Next, follow the link to complete the survey that gives feedback to instructors and administration of the Home Alone class. The survey involves three short pages of questions, each involving different aspects of the class, child, and experience.

Parent-Guided Scenario Survey

This activity focuses on a "job aid" philosophy in which students are given tools to "provide help performing a task right when and where they need it" (Horton, 2012).  As students progress through a sample scenario like staying home alone, losing a loved one in a crowded place, or waking up to the smell of fire, they learn to rely on their parents for advice, but practice recalling key ideas from the material in their class.  The home connection is an integral part of the successful student's progress because it "leads to self-confidence, curiosity, the enjoyment of mastering new tasks, and other healthy attitudes, all of which contribute to successful learning" (Scholastic.com, 2013)  This type of interaction with one's family creates an accepting learning environment in the home.

Resources

Free online survey software & questionnaire tool. (n.d.). SurveyMonkey. Retrieved July 15, 2013,

from http://surveymonkey.com

Horton, W. K. (2012). e-Learning by Design (2 ed.). San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

The Home-School Connection | Parents | Scholastic.com. (n.d.). Scholastic, Helping Children

Around the World to Read and Learn | Scholastic.com. Retrieved July 16, 2013, from http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/parent-teacher-partnerships/home-school-connection.

EDU 652: Instructional Design and Delivery: Do-Type Activity Assignment

Choose the Ending: Do-Type Activity
In this type of assignment, learners are asked to perform functions in order to better understand material or processes.  "Do activities transform information into knowledge and skills.  In Do activities, learners discover, evaluate, condense, refine, and most importantly, apply knowledge" (Horton, 2012).  Specifically, in this "practice activity", learners take skills they already have and refine them, expand on them, and acquire new abilities (Horton, 2012).
A non-linear slideshow can be an ideal practice activity for older children or junior high students because they interactively connect with the material.

First, read the Needs Assessment to fully understand the purpose and objectives of this activity.

Needs Assessment

Next, follow the link to the slideshow presentation and work through it as if you were a middle-school aged student, between the ages of 10 and 14.

Choose the Ending Slideshow Presentation

Keep in mind:

• The slideshow is meant to be worked through independently, not slide-by-slide.
• Older children will benefit from the humor, the amount of wordiness, and the choice in vocabulary.
• The evaluation process at the end is meant to be face-to-face between learner and instructor to affirm that the appropriate knowledge was gleaned from the assignment.

Ideally, this assignment would be used in a small-group setting, perhaps a Home Alone class offered by the Police Station or Park District, and would be coupled with a real world scenario basis highlighting situations that reflect realistic feelings, ideas, and criteria.


Resources

Dominguez, M. Children's Safety in Public Place--10 Useful Tips. Ezine Articles. Retrieved July 8, 

2013, from ezinearticles.com/?Childrens-Safety-in-Public-Places---10-Useful-Tips&id=47778

Horton, W. K. (2012). e-Learning by Design (2 ed.). San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

Haley, C. Taking Care of Your Latchkey Kid | Parenting | Disney Family.com. Disney Family.com

Recipes, Crafts, Parties and Family Time Ideas. Retrieved July 8, 2013, from

http://family.go.com/parenting/pkg-teen/article-782592-taking-care-of-your-latchkey-kid-t/

Sparky-Home-Page. Sparky the Fire Dog. Retrieved July 8, 2013, from http://www.sparky.org/

EDU 652: Instructional Design and Delivery: Absorb-Type Activity Assignment

Website Analysis: Absorb Activity
This activity includes elements required by the text entitled e-Learning by Design.  It consists of "information and the actions learners take to extract and comprehend knowledge from that information" (Horton, 2012).  They are known to be an "efficient way to extend current knowledge and skills" for learners who "understand the fundamentals of a field and can increase their knowledge by absorbing new details".  Allowing users to understand and complete the activity at their own pace creates independence and self-direction during completion.

First, read the Needs Assessment to fully understand the purpose and objectives of this activity.

Needs Assessment

Next, follow the instructions below, pertaining to this website:

Magda Gerber's RIE Philosophy

1. Review the entire website, reading each page thoroughly for the best possible understanding of the material proposed.

2.  Consider the following:

• How you could use the content in your own center or classroom.
• How the content is relevant to our mission as Early Childhood Educators.
• How appropriate the ideas are in lineage with your personal vision as a leader in the childcare field.
• If you are an Infant or Toddler teacher, what significant changes (positive or negative) in the children exposed to these principles will be realized.
• What sort of principles are missing in the philosophy.

3. Complete the survey to offer opinions and enlightenments.

RIE Philosophy Survey

Finally, the results and offerings from the surveys will be tabulated and shared with the entire group once everyone has contributed.

Thank you for your participation in this important project!

Resources

Horton, W. K. (2012). e-Learning by Design (2 ed.). San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

Educaring: Resources for Infant Educarers. (2013). Retrieved from www.rie.org on June 29, 2013.

Like a Toolbox With No Tools...

RSA Animate: Ken Robinson: Changing Education Paradigms

Maybe you've seen this video, but I just watched it today.  It truly speaks for itself, but my last post (here) speaks about this very epidemic happening in our public education system.

The most intriguing part of this video was the point made regarding the increased use of ADHD medications in order to sedate children's creativity (3:37).  Another important viewpoint for me was the way that the arts open up our children's creativity and we become alive through that process.  But in our current system, this process is, for lack of a better word, squashed (5:45).
(Also notable, 7:40, the notion of "Divergent Thinking")

As an educator in the field of early childhood, I've had the opportunity to witness firsthand and participate in the fruitful growth our youngest citizens. It's in the free-choice, the individualized support and the true meaning of scaffolding that we see the greatest "light bulb" moments.  Why such a disparity between ECE and elementary education?  How do we conscientiously and tangibly bridge this gap?

I can find all sorts of justification for my frustration with the public school predicament.  What I want to find is more of a real-world how-to guide on what I can do to make a difference, both as an educator and as a parent. This is not only my cry for help, but new-found mission.