Educational Technology

Evidence of excellence in the use and integration of instructional technology in teaching ESL and world languages can be seen in the products I created for the EDIS 5070 Designing Technology for Enhanced Instruction course in the PGMT program.

Belief Statement

Having completed an Education Specialist degree in Instructional Technology in 2004, I initially thought more coursework in edtech was unnecessary. Still, as a required component of the PGMT program, I tried to approach it with the same curiosity and motivation that I brought to my other courses.

Educational technology has changed, to say the least. Some of the technologies emerging 18 years ago (YouTube, Google, Facebook, Skype, WordPress, and the LMS) became industry giants and changed the landscape of technology in education while other programs and platforms have taken a back seat in the world of big tech (Flash, Dreamweaver, My Space).

My philosophy on educational technology did not change, but I gained tremendous insight into some of the newer tools used by today's teachers particularly in formative assessments with applications like Nearpod, Peardeck, and Kahoot. I had never used these tools before, and it took some adjusting on my part, but I saw their immense value for integrating synchronous formative assessments during class sessions. They integrate quite well with student Chromebooks.

I also enjoyed programming virtual field trips with Google Earth Studio. In demonstrating this proficiency, I was able to create a product that showed my vision, passion, and love for Brazil in a context that would not have been possible to convey in a lecture (LINK). One of the principles I have long maintained about the use of technology in teaching is whether or not it has value in human learning. When technology can improve the efficacy of teaching and learning, its use is justified and warranted. When it fails in this respect, its value will be significantly diminished.

The most significant change in my philosophy of instructional technology is the need for digital citizenship in the K-12 curriculum. In 2004, such a concept might have seemed noble, but realistically unnecessary. One of my edtech proficiency assignments was to create a comprehensive digital citizenship curriculum for elementary school-aged children. This task taught me the critical need to educate young people about using digital technology safely and responsibly. Among the topics covered in my digital citizenship course were responsibility, empathy, safety, integrity, honesty, literacy, and training.

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Tech-Enhanced Lesson Plans

Lesson Plan 1 - Write and Publish a Book (4th-Grade) [LINK]
Tools: Book Creator

Lesson Plan 2 - Produce a Short Video Presentation (4th-Grade) [LINK]
Tools: Veed.io

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Other EdTech Proficiencies

EdTech Proficiency: Video Editing
Artifact: Intro to Telecollaborative Learning [LINK]
Tools: Adobe Premiere Pro CC

EdTech Proficiency: Virtual Field Trips
Artifact: A Visit to Brazil's Most Iconic Site in 30 seconds [LINK]
Tools: Google Earth Studio

EdTech Proficiency: Universal Design for Learning
Artifact: Subtitling Language Learning Projects [LINK]
Tools: Adobe Premiere Pro CC & Legacy Titler

EdTech Proficiency:  Online Learning Modules
Artifact: A Curriculum for Digital Citizenship [LINK]
Tools: Adobe Acrobat PDF

EdTech Proficiency:  Simulations/GIS/Story Maps

Artifact: Great South American Cities [LINK]
Tools: Knightlab.com

EdTech Proficiency: Choosing Tech
Artifact: Creating Student E-Portfolios with Website Builders [LINK]
Tools: Beaver Builder & Elementor

EdTech Proficiency: Robotics and Equitable EdTech Teaching Practices
Artifact: Dancing Ozobots [LINK]
Tools: Ozobots