I have just completed my first course for the Master's of Educational Technology program at Boise State University. Over the past several weeks I have refined my academic skills and created artifacts that will prove useful in my work and throughout the program. While there were some challenges that I faced, I was able to overcome them and I feel proud of the work that I completed and I am looking forward to my next course.
As I worked my way through the assignments, I noticed that I had difficulty mastering APA formatting. In the past I had used MLA format and APA required a significant change in how I approach citation. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association quickly become my best friend. When it was time to create Google Presentations, and I was unsure of citation methods for images, I found help in my Google+ stream as well as other online resources.
EDTECH 501 required the creation of several different artifacts. Overall, I feel that my best one would have to be the RSS tutorial video that I created. I had created tutorial videos in the past but this was the first time I included subtitles, had a script, and used slides to illustrate my point instead of a screen-cast. I was pleased with the final result and was happy to get suggestions for refining my skills.
Over the course has helped provide me with a starting point at my school. We are currently in the process of revising policies and budgeting procedures. The information from this course will be useful as I work on developing these documents and as I work with the school community on improving technology integration.
mrbrenlea
Sunday, May 4, 2014
School Evaluation Summary
For EDTECH 501 this week we were asked to research as school and evaluate it using the Maturity Model Benchmarks developed by H. R. Sibely and Chip Kimball. The process has helped me gain a better understanding of how to evaluate a school and to flag areas for improvement. Currently I am working on revising the curricula at my current school and modifying policies to ensure that all stakeholders have a clear understanding of technology at the school. I am also working on creating a guiding document that will help determine purchase requests and guidance for IT Facilitation.
As useful as this assignment was, I also found it limiting. According to the copyright information, the Maturity Model Benchmarks was created in 1998. As I completed the survey, I noticed several areas that needed revising to include the technology that has developed of the past 16 years. In particular, Communication Systems place the emphasis on E-mail. While E-mail is an integral part of communication, it fails to take into account instant messaging, video conferencing, and other tools for online communication.
In the next academic year, I plan on conducting a similar survey with input from teachers. I feel that this process will help everyone develop a better understanding of where we are.
My survey and summary are below:
Survey
Summary
As useful as this assignment was, I also found it limiting. According to the copyright information, the Maturity Model Benchmarks was created in 1998. As I completed the survey, I noticed several areas that needed revising to include the technology that has developed of the past 16 years. In particular, Communication Systems place the emphasis on E-mail. While E-mail is an integral part of communication, it fails to take into account instant messaging, video conferencing, and other tools for online communication.
In the next academic year, I plan on conducting a similar survey with input from teachers. I feel that this process will help everyone develop a better understanding of where we are.
My survey and summary are below:
Survey
Summary
Friday, April 11, 2014
Digital Inequality
In EDTECH501 this week, the class was asked to look into Digital Divide and Digital Inequality at our schools. To ensure that I received a variety of opinions, I created a short survey and asked the staff to respond. Out of a possible 26 teachers only four responded. The responses match with anecdotal conversations that I have had with teachers throughout the year. None of the issues raised was a surprise for me. What I did appreciate was the possible solutions that people provided, as this has given me some great ideas to implement within the school.
In creating the presentation I decided to mainly stick with images on the slides and refrain from as much text as possible. In order to fully understand the presentation, please view the presentation with the presenter notes.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Tech Trends
In EDTECH 501 this week I had to analyse one tool in the Horizon Report. I decided that I would focus on mobile learning. In the Horizon Report this is listed as something that is in the Near-Term Horizon which, according to the report, is within 12 months of mainstream adoption within schools. My school is currently in the process of putting together a purchase order for the next school year. As part of the process, I have to present to the staff a comparison of devices that we can order to replace the laptops that we have.
When I started this project, I thought I knew what the answer would be. After careful analysis, personal experimentation, and professional reflection, I am happy to report that my findings actually are opposite to what I had predicted. Now all I need to do is find a supplier in Korea.
When I started this project, I thought I knew what the answer would be. After careful analysis, personal experimentation, and professional reflection, I am happy to report that my findings actually are opposite to what I had predicted. Now all I need to do is find a supplier in Korea.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Horizon Report Guiding Questions
The Horizon Report from the New Media Consortium is an annual report put together by educators around the world to highlight emerging trends in technology. After reading the report I was asked to respond to the guiding questions that were provided by my instructor.
The report didn't contain anything that was shocking to me. Instead, the report reassured me that I am on the right track and helped me to realize that the issues I face are shared by many other educators as well.
I continue to be fascinated by the idea of mobile learning. At my current school we are looking at replacing the old laptops with newer ones. Teachers at my school have a clear preference for one device. I feel that it is my job to thoroughly examine the advantages and disadvantages to each system and present the staff with a detailed analysis. This will form the crux of my investigation.
The report didn't contain anything that was shocking to me. Instead, the report reassured me that I am on the right track and helped me to realize that the issues I face are shared by many other educators as well.
I continue to be fascinated by the idea of mobile learning. At my current school we are looking at replacing the old laptops with newer ones. Teachers at my school have a clear preference for one device. I feel that it is my job to thoroughly examine the advantages and disadvantages to each system and present the staff with a detailed analysis. This will form the crux of my investigation.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
EDTECH Research
EDTECH Research
The assignment this week had us identify a learning objective that we would like to achieve in the classroom which either require or could benefit from the use of Educational Technology. Once we identified our goal, we had to research for resources that related to our goal. At my current school we are currently piloting E-portfolios with some classes with the possibility of implementing them school wide in the next school. For this assignment I was interested in identifying what research has been conducted on the topic.
The resources I found ranged in usefulness and quality. In my research I found useful discussions that will be important for my school to have at this point. None of the research that I found mentioned the possibility of opening up the E-portfolios to allow comments from beyond the people involved in the classroom. The E-portfolio platform that my school is researching would require a password in able to view which can be shared with parents and students in other schools. I am interested in exploring the impact this type of portfolio has on students learning.
The assignment this week had us identify a learning objective that we would like to achieve in the classroom which either require or could benefit from the use of Educational Technology. Once we identified our goal, we had to research for resources that related to our goal. At my current school we are currently piloting E-portfolios with some classes with the possibility of implementing them school wide in the next school. For this assignment I was interested in identifying what research has been conducted on the topic.
The resources I found ranged in usefulness and quality. In my research I found useful discussions that will be important for my school to have at this point. None of the research that I found mentioned the possibility of opening up the E-portfolios to allow comments from beyond the people involved in the classroom. The E-portfolio platform that my school is researching would require a password in able to view which can be shared with parents and students in other schools. I am interested in exploring the impact this type of portfolio has on students learning.
Friday, February 21, 2014
RSS in Education
My assignment for EDTECH 501 was to create a tutorial for teachers that covered three key points: 1. The benefits of RSS feeds and readers, 2. Setting up a RSS reader, 3. A discussion on their potential uses within education. The research and creation of my tutorial video allowed me to expand upon my experience with RSS readers and screen capturing software.
Several years ago I was an avid user of Google Reader. I used Google Reader to stay on top of the blogs that I followed for professional development reasons. When Google shut it down, I tried out Feedly. At the time Feedly didn't match my needs and I eventually drifted away from using it and migrated more towards Flipboard. Since I already had some knowledge of Feedly, I decided to focus my tutorial on The Old Reader. That way I could compare and contrast the services offered by each. After going through the set up process for both Feedly and The Old Reader, I have come to the conclusion that I enjoy the flexibility of Feedly more. The service it provides is more intuitive then The Old Reader and the flexibility in changing the layout of the feeds is enjoyable.
To create my tutorial video I decided to use Camtasia 2 and PowerPoint. I have used Camtasia 2 in the past but only for basic screen capturing. For this assignment, I decided to push myself to try combining screen shots with recordings of a presentation. This was my first time trying to take many different recordings and combining them together to make a one video. Overall I am pleased with the video. Although I am unsure if I should put citations for the images, even though the images were either personal or found in the clip-art gallery of PowerPoint.
When thinking about the use of RSS feeds and readers, I found myself being restricted because of the age restrictions and the need for parental permission when dealing with elementary students. In intermediate and secondary school, I can see RSS readers proving to be an invaluable too across the curriculum for both teachers and students.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Elements of Educational Technology
Elements of Educational Technology
As part of my assignment this week, I had to read A Definition of Educational Technology by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) and highlight three aspects as the most important. This was a difficult task, as I found that all aspects outlined in this paper are vitally important when considering Educational Technology. However, I found that many of the aspects were related.
In the end I decided to focus on Ethical Practice, Facilitation, and Resources. The other aspects that were emphasized in the paper were, at least in my opinion, able to be combined into Ethical Practice and Facilitation. Resources stood apart for me as I often get the impression that people are keen to bring in more technology into the classroom but oftentimes do not consider the bigger picture and the impact on budgeting, human resources, and infrastructure.
A Definition of Education Technology helped to clarify the duties and responsibilities that I have as an IT Facilitator. In the future I am sure that I will be referring back to this article as a guide to help ensure that I am conducting myself in a professional manner.
Note:
While reading I made notes using Popplet. This application is very easy for students to use and is available using Internet browsers or mobile applications. It also includes embed capabilities and the option to add multiple others. There is both a free and paid version of the application and you can also subscribe to be able to create more Popplets.
As part of my assignment this week, I had to read A Definition of Educational Technology by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) and highlight three aspects as the most important. This was a difficult task, as I found that all aspects outlined in this paper are vitally important when considering Educational Technology. However, I found that many of the aspects were related.
In the end I decided to focus on Ethical Practice, Facilitation, and Resources. The other aspects that were emphasized in the paper were, at least in my opinion, able to be combined into Ethical Practice and Facilitation. Resources stood apart for me as I often get the impression that people are keen to bring in more technology into the classroom but oftentimes do not consider the bigger picture and the impact on budgeting, human resources, and infrastructure.
A Definition of Education Technology helped to clarify the duties and responsibilities that I have as an IT Facilitator. In the future I am sure that I will be referring back to this article as a guide to help ensure that I am conducting myself in a professional manner.
Note:
While reading I made notes using Popplet. This application is very easy for students to use and is available using Internet browsers or mobile applications. It also includes embed capabilities and the option to add multiple others. There is both a free and paid version of the application and you can also subscribe to be able to create more Popplets.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Welcome!
Hello, my name is Brendan Lea and welcome to my learning log for the Master's of Educational Technology program at Boise State University. The purpose of this blog is to record, reflect, and share with you as I go through the program. I look forward to working, learning, and sharing with all of you.
When I do not bring work home, I love to read, play video games, pet my cat, and go for long walks along the beach. I am also an active Toastmaster and I am enjoying using this avenue to improve my public speaking and leadership skills. From a young age I have been involved in theater and have taken on almost every conceivable role in a production.
I hope you will enjoy reading my learning log over the next several years. Feel free to leave a comment, follow me on Twitter (@mrbrenlea), or add me on Google+. Also, please check out my other site mrbrenlea to learn more about me. Let the fun begin.
I hope you will enjoy reading my learning log over the next several years. Feel free to leave a comment, follow me on Twitter (@mrbrenlea), or add me on Google+. Also, please check out my other site mrbrenlea to learn more about me. Let the fun begin.
*EXTRA*
For those of you interested in my presentation from Hong Kong, I have included it below. Also, feel free to drop me a line if you need help with anything. I will do my best.
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