Final Project Design Document Stacy Mercer Purpose: The purpose of my website is to create my eportfolio as a demonstration of program mastery for the Instructional Master s Program at the University of Akron. This will serve as a learning showcase assessment of the knowledge and skills that I have acquired according to the ISTE National Education Standards for Teachers and Coaches (NETS-T and NETS-C). My eportfolio will provide an organized and professional documentation of the artifacts, field experiences, and reflections that I have learned, completed, and applied while working on this degree. People visiting my website will learn who I am, what I believe, what I have learned, what I can do, and how I am an asset for promoting the effective, effectual integration and implementation of technology in the classroom to enhance the overall educational experience. Submitting an exemplary eportfolio is also a requirement for graduation. Needs Assessment: The University of Akron has provided an extensive explanation and rubric that includes the guidelines and requirements for my eportfolio. I have read and studied these to assist me in the planning and development of my own eportfolio. I have also looked at and evaluated several exemplary teachers eportfolios and considered how they have interpreted these prerequisites to create their eportfolio. I have met with Dr. Tsai and Dr. Ward face-to-face to help clarify any uncertainties that I have encountered along the way, questions I have had concerning the eportfolio, and to evaluate certain needs as I was deciding on the most advantageous way for me to take the classes and obtain this degree. Before I had started this program, I was advised by two colleagues, whom had recently completed the coursework and graduated from this program, to get this master s degree because it would help me to become a more effective and efficient teacher. Both of these teachers were extremely excited about the significant, relevant, and applicable knowledge and skills that they had gained while obtaining this degree. They gave me some advice about collecting artifacts from my field experiences and some of the best ways to keep these artifacts organized for my eportfolio as I was working on this degree. As I have been working on this master s program, I have continuously talked with my administration about the needs of my school district concerning successful technology integration. We have discussed things that the students need to know and be able to do in order to be ready to thrive in our 21 st century global society and things the teachers need to know, understand, be able to do, and earnestly facilitate in their classroom to assist each individual student to reach their full potential. Audience: First, my professors, Dr. Tsai and Dr. Ward, will use this website to evaluate my growth as a technology user and my progression toward becoming a technology facilitator and leader in instructional technology education. They will use the rubric that has been provided to me to Instructional, Educational Foundations and Leadership 1
evaluate my work concerning the established competencies. I aspire to exceed the established requirements. Next, my peers and colleagues will be able to visit my website, give me valuable feedback about the strengths and weaknesses of my eportfolio, and to see an example as they are developing their own eportfolio. Peer review and comments are profoundly beneficial to the development of my eportfolio because they provide helpful feedback and give an additional perspective. Personally, I enjoy reviewing other people s work to ascertain what is expected and required. Finally, I will use this website as a professional showcase, to my current administration and/or future administration (during an interview), to display the knowledge, understanding, skills, and artifacts that I have gathered and developed while working on this degree and how I have applied this knowledge and skills in the classroom with my students. I aspire to promote a more meaningful, authentic integration of technology according to the TPACK framework within my school district and help the teachers, especially the digital immigrants, learn how to integrate technology to enhance the overall educational experience for all. I must first gain the support of my administration through sharing, explaining, and demonstrating the vital knowledge and understanding about TPACK and how it must be assimilated into the very foundational cornerstones of how we are using technology to impart the content knowledge to our students according to a redefined pedagogy that embraces the TPACK framework. Content/Subject and its fit with web site goals: Anyone who visits my website will gain an understanding of who I am as a teacher and student, what I believe concerning educational best practices, how I intend on continuing my teaching and learning through being a lifelong learner, and why I feel that this knowledge, skills, and understanding concerning technology integration and implementation is fundamentally important to all that are involved in the educational process. My eportfolio will include a title page that will have my picture, introduction video, contact information, a brief biography, my technology vision/mission statement, and the necessary hyperlinks to the pertinent documents, websites, and other applicable information that assists in showcasing the knowledge and skills that I have ascertained while working on this degree. I will include substantial field experiences aligned to the NETS-C standards, artifacts that I have developed while completing my coursework and the correlated reflections on my learning and field experiences. I will use the following categories/pages to organize my website: Homepage, Visionary Leadership, Teaching, Learning, and Assessments, Digital Age Learning Environments, Professional Development and Program Evaluation, Digital Citizenship, Content Knowledge and Professional Growth, and Resume. Presentation of information: My eportfolio will be an organized, easy to navigate web site that will showcase the knowledge and skills that I have gained and developed while working on this degree. The homepage will display hyperlinks horizontally across the top of the page to the other categories/pages. Each page will display a table that will clearly organize the information (ISTE standard, field experience, Instructional, Educational Foundations and Leadership 2
course artifact, and reflection to the applicable standard) on the page in an easy to read and visually appealing way. The related ISTE standard will be included on each page. Each page will also display a hyperlink back to the homepage. I will use the following chart to determine the content for each page: Name: URL of your eportfolio: Student ID: Check objectives that apply Alignment Document for E-Portfolio Course Artifacts and Field Experience C-1 Visionary Leadership Coaches inspire and participate in the development and implementation of a shared vision for the comprehensive integration of technology to promote excellence and support transformational change throughout the instructional environment. a. Contribute to the development, communication, and implementation of a shared vision for the comprehensive use of technology to support a digital-age education for all students b. Contribute to the planning, development, communication, implementation, and evaluation of technology-infused strategic plans at the district and school levels c. Advocate for policies, procedures, programs, and funding strategies to support implementation of the shared vision represented in the school and district technology plans and guidelines d. Implement strategies for initiating and sustaining technology innovations and manage the change process in schools and classrooms C-2 Teaching, Learning, and Assessments Coaches assist teachers in using technology effectively for assessing student learning, differentiating instruction, and providing rigorous, relevant, and engaging learning experiences for all students. a. Coach teachers in and model design and implementation of technology-enhanced learning experiences addressing content Artifacts from IT Coursework Wiki Reflection Teaching and Philosophy Grant Writing Project (Planning for Tech) Integrating Project (Integrating & Implementing Tech) Artifacts from the Field Instructional, Educational Foundations and Leadership 3
standards and student technology standards b. Coach teachers in and model design and implementation of technology-enhanced learning experiences using a variety of research-based, learner-centered instructional strategies and assessment tools to address the diverse needs and interests of all students c. Coach teachers in and model engagement of students in local and global interdisciplinary units in which technology helps students assume professional roles, research real-world problems, collaborate with others, and produce products that are meaningful and useful to a wide audience d. Coach teachers in and model design and implementation of technology-enhanced learning experiences emphasizing creativity, higher-order thinking skills and processes, and mental habits of mind (e.g., critical thinking, meta-cognition, and self-regulation) e. Coach teachers in and model design and implementation of technology-enhanced learning experiences using differentiation, including adjusting content, process, product, and learning environment based upon student readiness levels, learning styles, interests, and personal goals f. Coach teachers in and model incorporation of research-based best practices in instructional design when planning technology-enhanced learning experiences g. Coach teachers in and model effective use of technology tools and resources to continuously assess student learning and technology literacy by applying a rich variety of formative and summative assessments aligned with content and student technology standards h. Coach teachers in and model effective use of technology tools and resources to systematically collect and analyze student achievement data, interpret results, and communicate findings to improve instructional practice and maximize student learning C-3 Digital Age Learning Environments coaches create and support effective digital-age learning environments to maximize the learning of all students. a. Model effective classroom management and collaborative learning strategies to maximize teacher and student use of digital tools and resources and access to technology-rich learning environments b. Maintain and manage a variety of digital tools and resources for teacher and student use in technology-rich learning environments c. Coach teachers in and model use of online and blended learning, digital content, and collaborative learning networks to support and Wiki Reflection Integrating Project (Integrating & Implementing Tech) Plan Evaluation (Planning for tech) Online Learning Paper (Strategies for Online Teaching & Learning) Philosophies of Education Paper (Philosophies of Ed) Ed Psych Paper (Ed Psych) Techniques Paper (Techniques of Research) ID Project (Instructional Design) MP 1-5 (Hypermedia) Instructional, Educational Foundations and Leadership 4
extend student learning as well as expand opportunities and choices for online professional development for teachers and administrators d. Select, evaluate, and facilitate the use of adaptive and assistive technologies to support student learning e. Troubleshoot basic software, hardware, and connectivity problems common in digital learning environments f. Collaborate with teachers and administrators to select and evaluate digital tools and resources that enhance teaching and learning and are compatible with the school technology infrastructure g. Use digital communication and collaboration tools to communicate locally and globally with students, parents, peers, and the larger community Website (Hypermedia) WBLS Project (Web Based Learning Systems) Online Project (Strategies of Online Learning) C-4 Professional Development and Program Evaluation coaches conduct needs assessments, develop technology-related professional learning programs, and evaluate the impact on instructional practice and student learning. a. Conduct needs assessments to inform the content and delivery of technology-related professional learning programs that result in a positive impact on student learning b. Design, develop, and implement technology-rich professional learning programs that model principles of adult learning and promote digital-age best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment c. Evaluate results of professional learning programs to determine the effectiveness on deepening teacher content knowledge, improving teacher pedagogical skills and/or increasing student learning Pre-Admission Competencies Verification Teaching and Philosophy Wiki Reflection C-5 Digital Citizenship coaches model and promote digital citizenship. a. Model and promote strategies for achieving equitable access to digital tools and resources and technology-related best practices for all students and teachers b. Model and facilitate safe, healthy, legal, and ethical uses of digital information and technologies Plan Evaluation (Planning for tech) Grant Writing Project Instructional, Educational Foundations and Leadership 5
c. Model and promote diversity, cultural understanding, and global awareness by using digital-age communication and collaboration tools to interact locally and globally with students, peers, parents, and the larger community (Planning for Tech) C-6 Content Knowledge and Professional Growth Educational technology facilitators understand the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology in PK-12 schools and assist teachers in applying that understanding in their practice. Educational technology facilitators: a. Engage in continual learning to deepen content and pedagogical knowledge in technology integration and current and emerging technologies necessary to effectively implement the NETS S and NETS T b. Engage in continuous learning to deepen professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions in organizational change and leadership, project management, and adult learning to improve professional practice Teaching and Philosophy Wiki Reflection c. Regularly evaluate and reflect on their professional practice and dispositions to improve and strengthen their ability to effectively model and facilitate technology-enhanced learning experiences University of Akron: Alignment Document for E-Portfolio Course Artifacts and Field Experience Rationale for organization: I have chosen to organize my website in this way because it is the most logical way according to the ISTE standards and it directly aligns with the eportfolio rubric provided by the University of Akron. I feel that the homepage must be aesthetically pleasing and organized in such a way that the visitor is impelled to continue navigating through the pages to view the contents of each page. I intend on using tables, title headings, and color to organize the information in a visually appealing manner. I plan on organizing my eportfolio in this manner so the course/field artifacts and evidence are clearly aligned to the ISTE standards. I will also include a statement that explains why and how these artifacts are aligned. Media, acquisition or development, and rationale for using: I will use a variety of media, multimedia, and hypermedia to enhance my eportfolio in order to showcase the knowledge and skills that I have learned through gaining this degree. I plan on Instructional, Educational Foundations and Leadership 6
embedding pictures and videos of myself and my students (parents have previously signed a waiver to allow their child to be photographed and/or videotaped) using technology to teach and learn in the classroom. I will use Photoshop to enhance these images, when appropriate. I can also use audio recordings to enhance the presentation of my website or perhaps a voice thread that I have used with my students. I will use various websites/apps and images to enhance the overall presentation of the content information that I plan to include, such as screenshots, Thinglinks, screencast-o-matic.com videos, and other applicable components to showcase the knowledge and skills that I have gained in the most cohesive and cumulative way. Color scheme and rationale: I absolutely love the color purple! I always chose purple for everything that I possibly can, so it only makes sense to me that the primary color I use is purple. I love this color palette because it is basic and focused on the color purple. I feel that this color choice is a good representation of who I am. Therefore, I have decided on the following color scheme: file:///c:/users/merce_000/desktop/asexual%20flag%20color%20palette.html Outline of web site organization: I plan on using the TPACK framework and the resulting developed pedagogy that I have acquired while learning about TPACK when I am deciding on which articles, artifacts, and content that I will include in my website to showcase the knowledge and skills that I have learned concerning technology integration and implementation. http://www.matt-koehler.com/tpack/tpack-explaine d/ Instructional, Educational Foundations and Leadership 7
Text Outline of my eportfolio website: I. Homepage a. vision statement about the website b. About me i. Education information ii. Career information iii. Favorite educational quote or saying iv. Personal/family information c. Profile picture d. Contact information e. Link to the University of Akron f. Links to the Visionary Leadership, Teaching, Learning, and Assessments, Digital Age Learning Environments, Professional Development and Program Evaluation, Digital Citizenship, Content Knowledge and Professional Growth, and Resume Pages II. Visionary Leadership b. 4 Course artifacts III. Teaching, Learning, and Assessments b. 7 Course artifacts IV. Digital Age Learning Environments b. 5 Course artifacts V. Professional Development and Program Evaluation b. 3 Course artifacts VI. Digital Citizenship b. 2 Course artifacts VII. Content Knowledge and Professional Growth b. 2 Course artifacts Instructional, Educational Foundations and Leadership 8
Visionary Leadership Content Knowledge and Professional Growth Teaching, Learning, and Assessments Homepage Digital Citizenship Digital Age Learning Environments Professional Development and Program Evaluation Instructional, Educational Foundations and Leadership 9