Running

head: GROWTH ASSESSMENT

My Growth Assessment: Learning to Be a Learner

Margaret Gruss
Azusa Pacific University

Running head: GROWTH ASSESSMENT

History of Coursework

Fall 1
EDTC 511 Foundations in Educational
EDTC 571 Curriculum Foundations
Technology
Dr. Kathleen Bacer
Valerie Suffern
-Learned Adobe Acrobat and APA
-Explored issues in education
related to technology
-Started Delicious to Bookmark resources

-Understanding learning styles

-Created an active PDF
-Learned about Differentiation
-Learned about educational theories and
Theorists

Fall 2
EDTC 527 Special Topics in Educational
EDTC 517 Digital Communications
Technology
Barry Bettger
Joe Bruzzese
-Built a Personal Learning Network
-Used web based resources in lessons
-Started using Google Apps

-Built websites
-Discovered Twitter
-Began initiating Hangouts/Chats

Spring 1
EDTC 518 Global Learning/Cross-cultural EDTC 524 Instructional Design and
Classroom
Barbara McMillan
Development
Kathryn Price
-Developed a Global Learning Project
-Began a Telecollaborative Notebook
-Joined a Global Learning Project

-Studied Visual Design

-Created a Lesson Plan based on Backwards
Design
Spring 2

EDTC 523 Educational Applications of

Informational Design Hypermedia
Laura Silva
-Created Podcasts
-Designed GLP Website using Elements of
Design (Contrast, Repetition, Alignment,
and Proximity)

EDTC 521 Digital Imagery for Learning

Environments
Doyle J.
Potter
-Created posters and fliers using
Photoshop Elements
-Made videos with Premiere Elements,
including scripts, storyboards, and credits

Summer 1
EDTC 515 Emerging Trends in Technology EDTC 520 Managing Tech-Supported
James Brown
Curricular Tools
Elisabeth Silver
-Learned about and enrolled in a MOOC
-Created a MARP
-Created Google Slide and Powtoon
Presentations

-Created an excel spreadsheet

-Created a Google Form to use in my
District to collect & share online resources

Fall 1
EDTC 526 Practicum in Educational
EDTC 572 Advanced Educational
Applications of Technology
Psychology
James Brown
Dr. Kathleen Bacer
-Wrote Growth Assessment
-Studied 12 rules on how the brain works
-Developed Eportfolio Website
-Created a MARP on Attention and Memory
-Finalized and Initiated GLP

Running head: GROWTH ASSESSMENT

My Growth Assessment: Learning to Be a Learner

While completing the Masters in Educational Technology Program through Azusa Pacific
University, I have grown personally, professionally and technically. I have gained a wealth of
knowledge and skills, which will help me succeed as a technology-using educator in the 21st
century. After all, we need to educate the net generation differently not so much because
they are different, but because the world is different (Lindsay and Davis, 2013, p.1). While the
program has been challenging on many levels, the results have been surprising and rewarding.
Personal Growth
My personal growth is particularly rewarding. As I progressed through this program I
grew personally in three significant ways. First, my patience level with technology has increased
exponentially. As a result, I have become more courageous in using new technology. Throughout
all of this, I have learned much about myself, especially that I am capable of accomplishing more
than I than I thought I ever could.
One of the biggest surprises to me is how much I have grown personally in my patience
with technology, especially when it doesnt work. I entered this program with only a basic
knowledge of technology. My main goal was to learn technology, but I am so thankful for the
reduction in the anxiety I feel using it. My limited understanding meant that I would panic as
soon as something did not work. Naturally, when trying the new technologies required in these
courses, there were times when I could not get programs to work or assignments to upload. I
learned that often there is more than one way to make things happen, sometimes it just takes a
second try, looking online, or asking someone for help. I learned to be resourceful and seek out
solutions. When I encounter a problem, I no longer panic, but stop and think about what I can
try, where I can look, and whom can I ask.

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I have also grown in being willing to try new techniques, technologies, and ideas as I
discover them. Prior to this program I almost needed a guarantee of success before I would even
attempt something new in my classroom. Having been pushed out of my comfort zone through
the course assignments, I have discovered that there many wonderful ways to enhance my
teaching using technology. I am convinced that the only way to find them is by trying them out. I
have definitely grown in my flexibility and problem solving skills to make new things work. This
confidence has allowed me to explore technologies that I didnt even know existed.
Additionally, I have learned a great deal about myself. Through the devotionals and
spiritual forums, I have been able to focus on my personal relationship with God and how I live
it out. Through the community of my cadre I have learned how to view myself, life and others
through Gods eyes. It has been particularly helpful to see how my cadre-mates respond in
faithful ways to the very same frustrations and difficulties I face. Most importantly, I have
learned that I can succeed in the face of seemingly impossible situations where I think I just
dont have enough time, talent or knowledge to complete a task. Like Martin Luther King, Jr.
once said, Faith is taking the first step even when you dont see the whole staircase (Burgess,
2012, p.158).
Though this program is only 15 months long, it has produced changes in me as a person. I
have become a person who perseveres. I keep working even when the deadlines seem
impossible. I try new things that I have never done before, and I keep trying until I make them
work.
Professional Growth
While growing personally, I have also grown professionally. Throughout this program I
have gained skills in how to collaborate with others, meet the needs of my students, and develop

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a Personal Learning Network (PLN) to continue my learning as an educator. I dont know what
my exact job will be in the next few years, but I am looking forward to where God will lead me
with this new degree.
The format of this Masters program is such that I was part of a cadre that moved through
the courses together. Many of the courses had projects that required collaboration with one or
more of my cadre mates. I focused on bringing my strengths to the projects and letting others do
the same. In the class on Managing tech-Supported Curricular Tools, by the time we met for the
first project, my cadre mate already had a plan and had started to implement it. My other cadre
mate and I followed that plan and refined it as we worked together through Google Docs. In the
next project, my two partners had no clear direction so I took the lead with organizing the project
and delegating tasks. The two experiences were quite different but worked well given the people
involved and the nature of the projects. I have never been fond of group projects, but have grown
in my ability to work with others efficiently and productively. With all of this collaboration, I
have also developed ways to give criticism constructively so that people can more readily receive
it.
Through the devotionals and forums I have learned to look at my students more as Gods
precious creations. I will continue to seek new and better ways to use technology to teach in
order to meet their individual learning styles/needs. This came out especially in the Instructional
Design and Development class where I designed a unit using Backwards Design and in the class
on Digital Imagery where I learned to focus on my intended audience as I created the projects.
Another part of my professional growth involves developing a way to continue to grow
professionally. Two ways to do this is through a Personal Learning Network (PLN) and through
Massive Open Online Classes (MOOCs). A PLN is a way that I can guide my own professional

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development through connecting with others. I do this primarily through Twitter, which I
discovered in the class Special Topics In Education, along with PLNs. I had never understood
Twitter before and didnt see the point. As I worked on developing a PLN, I tried it. Twitter links
me to many online resources and ideas to improve my teaching. I have become a believer. In the
class Emerging Trends in Technology, I was introduced to MOOCs. I had heard of them before,
but hadnt really investigated them. I was required to sign up for one and was overwhelmed by
number available. I had a hard time choosing just one and look forward to having the time to
take more.
I have always sought to be the best teacher that I can be. Through this Masters program, I
have grown to be a better teacher than I was. I have greater skills and knowledge to work with
my colleagues and my students. Best of all, I have learned how to continue growing as an
educator.
Technical Growth
Finally, I have grown in my use of technology in the world of education. I have learned
how to use technology to create what I need in my lessons, manage my classroom, and
communicate with my students and their parents. I also learned how to use technology to connect
with other educators to collaborate and develop professionally. Most important, I learned how to
learn technology. The specific programs and technologies will change over the next 10 years, but
I now know how to adapt and learn with them.
In every class I created projects of one form or another. I had not made any kind of
presentation using technology before and found this to be daunting and empowering at the same
time. I learned how to create videos using Adobe Premiere Elements and posters in Adobe
Photoshop. Adobe Acrobat has been instrumental as I work with open resources to teach

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Common Core Mathematics. I have made presentations using Emaze, Powtoons, as well as,
podcasts using SoundCloud and podbean. I had never imagined myself creating websites and yet
I have already created five. I was surprised to realize that I no longer get lost on websites when I
go looking for information. Having built them, I now understand the architecture of a website
and can navigate them more quickly and efficiently.
This Masters program was also my first introduction to Learning Management Systems
(LMS). We used Sakai and Edmodo for our classes and I currently use Google Classroom in my
teaching. I have used Google slides and forms in presenting to students and getting feedback
from them. I also use Google calendar to post assignments and announcements. As digital
natives, my students learn well with these technologies, preferring to receive information
quickly, with instant gratification, and interacting simultaneously with others (Shelley, 2012,
p.16).
Even before this program I loved sharing lessons and ideas with my colleagues. The
technologies I have learned, such as chats/hangouts, Google Forms and Twitter provide an easier
and more efficient way to distribute resources to them. In addition, learning about specific
programs and websites like Edutopia and Blendspace provides me with even more knowledge to
share.
While I have at times wanted to pull my hair out, I am thankful for all of the technologies
I have learned and been exposed to. Many of them are already useful in my teaching; helping me
to meet my students needs in new and different ways. Most of all, I am thankful that I have
learned to be a learner of technology. I know I have barely scratched the surface with all that is
out there, and each new technology I learn makes it that much easier to learn the next one.

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Life Long Learning

Perhaps the most important thing that I have learned through this Masters program is how
to use technology to further my own learning. Prior to this program I viewed technology as just a
means to keep track of attendance and grades, to email others, and occasionally look something
up. Now I understand that I can not only use technology to develop lessons and use while
teaching, but also to connect with other educators to mine depths of what is available and stay
abreast of new developments.
This is an exciting time in education and while there are many resources available, there
is much more on the horizon. To keep up with these changes I will be monitoring educational
sites and reading blogs to find resources and lessons to use in my classroom. I am currently using
Google to search for what I need and Delicious to archive what I find. I will continue to connect
with other educators through Twitter, Edmodo, RSS feeds and by subscribing to websites.
I also plan to continue learning by enrolling in MOOCs and going to conferences. I want
to take several higher level Math classes, as well as classes in coding, curriculum development,
and Italian. I am also interested in classes on organization, planning, and technology that can
enhance my teaching. I have attended the California Mathematics Councils conference and
intend to get back to the Computer Using Educators conference, too.
As previously stated, I am trusting that God has a plan for my life and will reveal it in His
time. I am open to online teaching, perhaps in a blended setting of two days on campus, three
days online. Since my district is not providing technology in the classroom on a regular basis, I
will continue to press for more technology and training to be given to the teachers.

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Conclusion
This program really has been a wild ride. I truly didnt know what I had signed up for,
but knew that focusing on educational technology would be key to my future as an educator and
a learner. What I have learned, combined with the connections I have made, has transformed me.
I have gone from a teacher who wished I knew how to use technology, to an educator striving to
find new and innovative ways to incorporate technology into lessons in order to provide my
students with the best learning opportunity possible. While I still have much to learn, I am
excited for what the future in technology holds for education, and look forward to being a part of
it.

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10

References
Azusa Pacific University. (Image). (2015). Online Master of Arts in Educational Technology.
School of Education and Behavioral Studies, Azusa Pacific University. Azusa,
CA. Retrieved from http://sakai.apu.edu
Bacer, K., Bettger, B., Brown, J., Bruzzese, J., Potter, D., Silva, L., Silver, E., Simmerok,
B., Suffern, V., (2015). Online Master of Arts in Educational Technology. School
of Education and Behavioral Studies, Azusa Pacific University. Azusa, CA. Retrieved
from http://sakai.apu.edu
Burgess, D. (2012). Teach like a pirate. San Diego: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Lindsay, J., & Davis, V. A. (2013). Flattening classrooms, engaging minds. New York: Pearson.
Shelly, G. B., & Gunter, G. A. (2012).Teachers discovering computers:integrating technology in
a connected world (Seventh ed.). Boston: Cengage Learning.