My Showcase of What Matters,
What Counts, & What Clicks!
This showcase page is meant to highlight coursework and projects that I have completed throughout my Master of Arts of Education program at Michigan State University. The area of concentration for my masters was mathematics and science content with much emphasis on technology integration. Below, you will find a variety of examples that I produced in the MAED program which are meant to exemplify my skills and abilities acquired in mathematics, science, and technology instruction.
Science Matters!
Understanding and applying scientific inquiry was much of the emphasis of my science learning at MSU. I learned that scientific inquiry deals with being aware of the world around you and asking questions to investigate and further examine.
The first document that you will find is the long-term investigation that my group mates and I completed. The emphasis of this project was applying what we had learned about scientific inquiry and putting it into real-world context. The question that my partners and I investigated was what physical conditions either prevent or contribute to the molding of a banana? We spent several weeks working through the experiment to determine our controlled variables, our uncontrolled variable, what environments that we would utilize, and completing the data. It was an excellent opportunity to assess my understanding of the concepts taught in class as well as working with others. Google Docs was a tool that I readily used throughout this course. With being a participant of an online program, I had classmates living across the world. Therefore, utilizing Google Docs for group projects was an excellent way of breaking the distance barrier. It was easy for all parties to provide insight to the document and was also very easy to share.
The first document that you will find is the long-term investigation that my group mates and I completed. The emphasis of this project was applying what we had learned about scientific inquiry and putting it into real-world context. The question that my partners and I investigated was what physical conditions either prevent or contribute to the molding of a banana? We spent several weeks working through the experiment to determine our controlled variables, our uncontrolled variable, what environments that we would utilize, and completing the data. It was an excellent opportunity to assess my understanding of the concepts taught in class as well as working with others. Google Docs was a tool that I readily used throughout this course. With being a participant of an online program, I had classmates living across the world. Therefore, utilizing Google Docs for group projects was an excellent way of breaking the distance barrier. It was easy for all parties to provide insight to the document and was also very easy to share.
The second project that you will find is my "Inquiry Lesson Sequence" Project. This project took the place of my final project and therefore, was used as way to assess and apply the knowledge that I acquired throughout the semester. In this project, I worked with nine of my students. The focus of this lesson sequence was investigating a concept more closely by way of using inquiry strategies and methods. Students examined the question is the surface of the Earth more affected by what happens inside of it or outside of it? It was an excellent opportunity to determine what knowledge I had learned and what strategies that I could use to enhance science instruction into my classroom. |
Math Counts!
Much of what I learned in my math learning was understanding the progressive stance of teaching mathematics; not only teaching students how to solve a problem, but more importantly, why the students came to that answer. Both components are essential for making connections in math concepts and achieving math comprehension. Aside from weekly assignments, we had completed a semester-long project known as the "Final Action Research Project." We were asked to come up with a question that somehow relates to math. We then investigated this question more closely throughout the semester through student observations and testing our hypothesis. My question was what impact does integrating literacy in mathematics play in the students' overall comprehension and application? With the full implementation of Common Core shortly approaching, I felt that this would be an excellent question to explore more closely the benefits of utilizing reading comprehension strategies into math instruction.
Below, you will find both my Final Action Research Project Google Doc write-up along with my Prezi presentation. The Prezi presentation was created to visualize my final action project with pictures of students working as well as student samples throughout the investigation. Overall, I learned that there were great benefits in integrating reading strategies into math instruction.
Below, you will find both my Final Action Research Project Google Doc write-up along with my Prezi presentation. The Prezi presentation was created to visualize my final action project with pictures of students working as well as student samples throughout the investigation. Overall, I learned that there were great benefits in integrating reading strategies into math instruction.
Technology Clicks!
Much of my technology learning was exposing me to a variety of different technologies to utilize in my classroom to produce meaningful instruction. This meaningful and authentic instruction was derived from the TPACK Theory, which balances pedagogy, technology, and content. This was essential for creating instruction that would benefit my 21st century learners.
One type of technology that I utilized was creating vodcasts, or video podcasts. "The Power of Poetry" was a vodcast that I had created to enhance teaching my students about the genre of poetry. This is an excellent way to teach my students in an appealing and engaging way.
One type of technology that I utilized was creating vodcasts, or video podcasts. "The Power of Poetry" was a vodcast that I had created to enhance teaching my students about the genre of poetry. This is an excellent way to teach my students in an appealing and engaging way.
Another type of technology that I learned about was Glogster Edu, more commonly known as glogs. Essentially, it is an online source where people can create online posters or collages. The second project on display was a glog that I had created, which visualized my understanding of creativity and its benefits within the classroom. This was a unique and creative way of assessing what I had learned about creativity and how this tech tool could enhance my instruction.