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Establishing Myself as a Life-Long Learner: the Integration of Technology and Learning
Nicole Sheppard
EDUC 526 Capstone Experience in Digital Teaching and Learning
Professor: Matt Hixson
Azusa Pacific University-Azusa Regional Center
Live Binder: http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=788333
June 9, 2014














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Section One
Introduction
Two major life events come to mind when I think back on my journey of becoming a
teacher. The first event occurred in my junior year of high school when my American Literature
teacher gave us an essay assignment entitled: What is Your Passion?. I had never before
thought about what my passion was in life. Through that essay, I found out that my passion is
people. Originally, I thought this translated into some type of medical profession since I always
enjoyed the sciences. I began my undergraduate work as a declared biology major, yet quickly
learned that living life with my head in books studying was not a way to live. The second event
that changed my course of life happened during my sophomore year of college. My advisor sat
me down one day and asked me what I wanted to do after college. At this point, I was stressed,
tired, and felt as if I was drowning in my studies. I had no idea what I wanted to do, so she asked
me why I like science to begin with. After talking for a bit, we realized that I love explaining
how and why things happen in the body and in science. She suggested that I look into getting my
credentials and seeing if that would be a better fit for me. I changed my major to physical
therapy, giving myself breathing room to relax and ad a youth ministry minor to my plate with
the new direction of working with students.
Since my sophomore year of college, I have been on this crazy and wonderful journey of
becoming a teacher. This occupation has fulfilled me, stretched me, challenged me, and humbled
me in ways I never knew possible. When asked about how I liked me first year teaching, I
always told people that it was the most challenging, tiring, yet rewarding year of my life. I finally
feel I am living out my passion that I discovered almost ten years ago. I enrolled in Azusas
credential and masters program because I knew I would want to further my education and with
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the job market being so tough on educators, I knew it would be a good idea to get my masters at
the same time. At the time of enrollment, I was hired to work as a biology teacher in the Pomona
Unified School District. I worked there for the duration of my credential, and now I am currently
teaching at a private, Christian school as a middle school science teacher, where I have been
working during the duration of my masters program. During the credential program, I heard of
other credential students suggesting going the digital route with their masters because they said
it would make us as educators more marketable. This program has been so eye opening and
classroom appropriate that I have been able to use the skills I have learned in this program
directly into my classroom! As my time in the program comes to an end, I know I need to be pro-
active and keep connections in order to continue to be a life-long learner of the integration of
digital technology in the classroom.
Personal Growth
Getting my masters has always been a non-negotiable goal of mine. My mother taught
my siblings and I that education is one of the most important things we would do with our lives
(second to following Christ and marriage). This was so ingrained in us since my mother received
her license as a nurse and her masters in anesthesia during and after she had my older sister, my
younger sister, and myself. My mothers journey was a long, tiring, difficult one, but she always
said it was the best thing she could do for herself and for us. Since then she has been the major
income for our family. Therefore, I knew that to make myself a better person and educator and to
really be knowledgeable about my practice, a masters was always on the horizon for me. I have
learned that I work extremely well under pressure and deadlines, which I never knew before.
Working as a full-time teacher and getting your masters is definitely not an easy task! There
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were many late nights and early mornings, but I learned that I take my job as a student just as
serious as my job as an educator.
Spiritually, this journey has been definitely one with twists and turns. I have relied on the
Lord so much during this time of working and striving to finish my masters degree. I found
myself praying everyday before I got up in the morning for the Lords strength to get through the
day and to experience His joy through difficult and tiring times. There is not a day that passed
that I did not thank God for the job and program I was a part of. In addition, the colleagues I met
through the program helped me both academically and spiritually. Even though I often drove
forty minutes or more to class some nights (some weeks multiple times a week!), I was always
rejuvenated because of the time I spent with others who knew what I was going through. I truly
felt like I was part of a teacher family where we all could vent, encourage one another, and just
be ourselves. My experience in the program would have been very boring and lonely without my
cohort helping me and encouraging me along the way.
In addition, my fianc has been attaining his bachelors in architecture in San Diego, and
with his program ending two years after I graduated with my bachelors, I knew this was perfect
timing to get credentialed and my masters before we got married. In this way, I feel God has
blessed me so much with the ability and time to get these educational goals accomplished before
getting married. Similarly to my mothers wishes, I too want what is best for my eventually
family and attaining this degree will financially help my fianc and I to start our lives together.
Furthermore, through this program I have realized just how much I like learning myself. I love
being a student and learning new things, especially if and when I can apply it directly to my life.
For me personally, my masters signifies many things I have wanted for myself and for my
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future. It represents my strength, knowledge, profession, passion, and future all in one. I am
completely proud and satisfied having completed this program at such a young age.
Professional Growth
This Digital Teaching and Learning program has been a Godsend to my career as an
educator. I have been blessed enough to have had a job for both my credential year and masters
year of my graduate experience at Azusa. From day one, I have been able to use the skills, apps,
and techniques that I have learned in the program directly to my classroom, often within twenty-
four hours of learning it through this program! Understanding technology and how it can
enhance what I am doing in the classroom has made a dramatic change in the way I view myself
as an educator. As many of my instructors have said in the past, technology is not meant to
replace the teacher, but instead the teacher must be a facilitator of technology their his/her
classroom. I have kept that statement close to my heart and mind as I continue to integrate
technology into my classroom. It has been empowering to learn how to engage and encourage
students to take part in their own process of learning through technology. It is simply amazing to
see the students faces and to see their level of interest and knowledge increase with the
integration of technology in my classroom.
As a science teacher, technology and the academic content of my studies are a perfect
match within the classroom. For instance, there are many programs and applications of devices
that aid in the process of measurement, calculations, and simulations that students benefit from.
It is so interesting to me just how much learning and teaching has changed even since I was in
high school. Most of my high school years were spent taking notes from a PowerPoint,
memorizing items from study guides and taking various assessments (all quiz or test based) with
a few projects here and there. It is so exciting and refreshing to be an educator at a time like this
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in which many changes are being implemented to integrate technology in the classroom to
enhance student learning and engagement. As an educator I can make concepts more real by
using iMovie, or iPad simulations etc. that students will be more apt to remember. I can only see
myself using more and more technology as the years goes on, especially as technology continues
to evolve and improve itself.
Through this program I have grown personally and spiritually grown as well. The people
I met through my program helped encourage me both in my career and in my walk with the
Lord. I prayed often for strength and patience to live out my faith daily while helping my
students. It was so great to spend one or two nights with colleagues to discuss our successes and
struggles as teachers. Going though this program online or on my own would have been much
less beneficial for me in the long run. Getting my credentials and masters degree is a goal I
wanted for myself to better my faith, my future, and myself.
Technical Growth
When I entered into this program, I knew very well how to make PowerPoint
presentations that were relevant, not too flashy, and visually pleasing, which included videos. I
thought I had a pretty good grasp on technology, but I quickly learned there was much more to
technology in the classroom than embedding videos into PowerPoint presentations. Through the
EDUC 512 and EDUC 515 courses, I learned about the use of social media and education as well
as many apps I could use in the classroom to motivate and engage students as well as programs
to keep me organized. One of the best classes I attended was the EDUC 514 class in which I
learned how to create engaging videos myself that could be incorporated into my classroom
immediately. With the rise of YouTube and instant videos, this was one of the most beneficial
skills I gained through this program. Finally, the second most beneficial class I took was the
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EDUC 525 web design class. This course taught me how to appropriately and efficiently host a
website that students and parents can use with ease. My classroom website changed how my
students had access to in class labs, worksheets, and homework. As a result of this program, I
currently use Edmodo for a computer elective that I teach and I use iPad apps that relate to
science that my kids can use that are hands on.
Self-Assessment Questionnaire
Life-Long Learning Plan
Through this program, I have learned that feedback for me both personally and
professionally is extremely important. While sometimes critical feedback is though to hear, as a
professional I am very reflective and thinking about how I can better myself personally and
professionally. To continue my development, I will keep up with not only technology evolutions,
but also occurrences in education as well. I like attending in-service and professional
development meetings when they are on topic and relevant to my job. Technology is always
changing, which means I must be proactive as I continue in my career to learn about evolving
technologies as the years continue. I plan on attending annual conferences, including technology
conferences for educators in order to stay up to date. In addition, I will keep in contact with my
colleagues through the media sites we learned about in class in order to exchange ideas about
what each of us are using in our classroom. Twitter will be a huge aspect in this endeavor since a
lot of talented and popular educators often tweet new technologies they are currently using in
their classrooms. I would like to continue to my skills in Photoshop and website building as my
career continues. I envision myself still teaching middle school science with a more technology-
revolved classroom in which students turn in and complete assignments online.
Section Two
History of Coursework
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EDUC 511: Essential in Ed Tech and Learning
Instructor- Doyle Potter
Key Learnings: I learned how to keep an online portfolio and essential basics of linking and
embedding technology into a website. I also began my thoughts on how I was going to use
technology in the classroom.

EDUC 512: Instructional Applications of Productivity Software
Instructor- Kristi Hernandez
Key Learnings: I learned about many iPad apps that are useful to classrooms. Specifically, I
mastered skills using Keynote, Numbers, and Pages using an iPad.

EDUC 514: Digital Video in the Classroom
Instructor- William Bill Selak
Key Learnings: I discovered many avenues of video-making and different types of shots used in
both photography and video editing. I mastered concepts related to iMovie including lighting,
video clips, audio recording, and transition additions. I created a YouTube channel for future
professional use.

EDUC 515: Evolving Educational Technologies
Instructor- Jason Seliskar
Key Learnings: Through this course I learned the benefits of Twitter, Google, and other
technologies out there for educators. This class taught me how to stay relevant in technology
after the completion of my program.

EDUC 522: Learning in the 21
st
Century
Instructor- Jennifer Courduff
Key Learnings: I learned about the multiple intelligences, and now have an understanding of
how to adapt lessons and unit plans to each intelligence in my classroom. I also learned what
apps, websites, and technology is accessible for each MI in order to expand my students
knowledge and engage them in the classroom.

EDUC 509: Motivation and Learning
Instructor- Kathryn Scorgie
Key Learnings: Through this course I studied the concept of motivation and how this relates to
students in the classroom. I studied the history and current studies on where motivation comes
from and what other notions of a person it is tied to (self-efficacy, thoughts of intelligence, past
experiences, etc.). I learned how to apply my knowledge to specific students in a case study I
wrote for this course. I am now better equipped to understand unmotivated students and have
learned strategies to motivate students about their academic studies.

EDUC 525: Web Design for the Classroom
Instructor- Linda Muhlhauser
Key Learnings: I learned various concepts behind website design and concepts necessary to run
an efficient site. I used Weebly for my classroom site and now have a website that students and
parents benefit from and have access to all materials necessary for success in my classroom.

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EDUC 526: Capstone Experience in Educational Technology and Learning
Instructor- Matthew Hixson
Key Learning: I have reflected on my own progress and growth through this program and
learned how I am going to continue to be a lifelong learner even after my program comes to an
end. I learned how important it is to continue to be reflective as an educator in order to better my
profession and myself.

Evaluation and Impact of the Program
One new instructional tool I have implemented in my classroom this year is the use of
Edmodo in the computer elective that I teach to both seventh and eighth graders. Currently, I use
Edmodo as a place where my students submit assignments and view their grades. I have enjoyed
this website since it is very easy to use, and it saves paper since the students simply upload their
assignments right to Edmodo. I decided to use Edmodo in my classroom as soon as a learned
about it in the EDUC 515 course. In class, we talked about this program being used as a way to
flip a classroom, which is something I really would love to research and build more into my
curriculum for my science courses for my students.
For next year, I would love to use Edmodo for all of my classes. My vision is that
Edmodo would be the central hub where students would turn in homework assignments, and
view videos in order to reflect on the skills and concepts in class. In this way, I would love to use
Edmodo as more of a flipped classroom rather than just a place for students to send in
homework or assignments in class. Students are constantly on the Internet, and losing papers is a
struggle for a lot of my middle school students. I believe that students will benefit from this
because they can view the assignment online, and submit it there as well. The only complication
I struggle with in implementing a more digital basis for homework and assignments is that when
is comes to studying for tests of finals, the students might struggle finding or organizing these
online assignments for themselves. This is something I need to continue to research as I
implement this into my classroom.
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Program Evaluation
Overall, my experience in both the credential and masters program at Azusa Pacific was
terrific. I was also an undergraduate student, so the transition into a graduate program was easy.
Whenever I had a question about paperwork, finances, or requirements, I always received speedy
responses and issues were resolved in a week or less. With that, I do feel there are areas of
improvement in the program as well. It would be beneficial to have a timeline for students
entering the program that includes credential work, masters work and clear credential work. I
was unaware of the clear credential program until the last day of my credential work, which was
somewhat stressful. Having a timeline would be beneficial for graduates for they could see the
big picture and plan their lives accordingly. In addition, it would be great to offer a financial
workshop that consisted of all possible grants and loan forgiveness programs available for
educators upon entering the program. Finally, I believe that the EDUC 515 and 515 course could
possibly be combined into one course. I loved both professors, but I took these courses in the
same quarter and they seemed to have a lot of overlap. I also feel this way about the EDUC 526
and EDUC 522 courses. This would also help graduates save money if these courses were
combined.