Nick Szarzak

11/14/2017

EDTECH 592

RATIONALE PAPER

STANDARD 1 - CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

Candidates demonstrate the knowledge necessary to create, use, assess, and manage theoretical
and practical applications of educational technologies and processes.

1.1 Creating: Candidates demonstrate the ability to create instructional materials and learning
environments using a variety of systems approaches.

In EdTech 502 I created a Photo Essay WebQuest that took a project that had been done
in my physics courses for many years and transformed it into a constructivist learning experience
that has allowed my learners to actively engage in self-regulated learning. This WebQuest has
been utilized by my fellow physics instructors for the past five years across all levels of physics
taught at my school. The project leads students through how to capture one original photo that
demonstrates a physics concept and provides resources and instructions to lead the learners
through both the research stage and then the writing process to create a conceptual essay
describing the physics in the photo and a bibliography formatted according to APA style
guidelines. The WebQuest is built around the American Association of Physics Teachers annual
photo-essay contest, and so the website guides learners to information about the contest, past
winners, and how to enter the contest which is a requirement of the project. The website also
warehouses links to many resources to assist the students in taking their photos, accessing quality
science educational resources online, and using the school library. Learners have the choice in
how they utilize these resources based upon their level of proficiency in physics, writing, and
photography. In addition, the WebQuest also includes a teacher page that breaks down the
project by purpose, rationale, intended learners, instructional objectives and standards addressed
by the project, a WebQuest model description, and how the learners are assessed. This has
allowed the learning environment created by this WebQuest to be utilized by other instructors at
my school, and it is also being utilized at one of the other high schools within my school district.

1.2 Using: Candidates demonstrate the ability to select and use technological resources and
processes to support student learning and to enhance their pedagogy.

In Edtech 541 I created a Science and Math Resources for Physics webpage. The
webpage contains resources that may be applied to laboratory investigations, research,
remediation, or enrichment. To create this artifact I evaluated and reviewed five different online
simulations that were chosen because these applications allow learners to explore phenomena
that fit into the content of the physics courses I currently teach. I spent considerable time
exploring the simulations and identifying their features and capabilities. My evaluation and
review of each simulation was then organized by my personal reactions, ease of use, educational
value, age and developmental appropriateness, and how each simulation applies to a specific
physics content topic. This allows me or any other physics teacher utilizing this webpage to
determine how to best incorporate these applications into a physics curriculum. I then curated a
list of links to 24 different physics and math websites chosen because they each warehouse a
very comprehensive bank of physics related resources spanning a wide range of topics. To serve
as a starting point for incorporating these resources into a physics curriculum, I provided
examples of how ten of these resources could be integrated into ten different physics lessons or
activities across many topic areas and processes related to teaching and learning physics. The
list is merely a starting point for how these resources may be used, and the list is intended to
grow as learners engage with these resources.

1.3 Assessing/Evaluating: Candidates demonstrate the ability to assess and evaluate the
effective integration of appropriate technologies and instructional materials.

In the context of education, technology has always provided tools that may function to
facilitate and enhance learning. For any tool to be effective in education it must be selected for
tasks in which it will provide some sort of advantage in completing a learning task. In EdTech
541 I developed at Relative Advantage Chart that allowed me to assess and evaluate several
available technologies that address many common learning problems in the high school physics
courses I teach. By aligning the technologies to these learning problems, the specific advantages
to incorporating the tools into the learning process could then be identified along with how these
advantages could lead to tangible learning outcomes directly related to the stated learning
problem.

While the Relative Advantage Chart provides a means to curate and evaluate specific
technologies, my report on Coherence Analysis EdTech 513 demonstrates how to evaluate and
assess the effectiveness of educational technology to deliver instruction through the use of
multimedia. Most technology tools nowadays incorporate multimedia in some form to assist in
the delivery of instructional messages, and so it is necessary to evaluate the technology not just
on the learning problems it addresses but in how the technology delivers the message.
Specifically, Coherence Analysis assesses the cognitive load placed on a learner when engaging
with technology. Multimedia can be a powerful tool for delivering content but only when it is
used in instructional materials in a manner that does not distract from the desired learning
outcome.

1.4 Managing: Candidates demonstrate the ability to effectively manage people, processes,
physical infrastructures, and financial resources to achieve predetermined goals.

In EdTech 505 I created a proposal in response to a hypothetically published request for

proposals (RFP) from an educational research and development laboratory based in Boise, Idaho.
In this Response to RFP project I outlined the proposed evaluation plan to be completed by my
fictitious Chicago-based evaluation firm. The proposed evaluation plan would attempt to
determine the effectiveness and potential marketability of a training package designed to assist
administrators with school planning. The training package was intended for use by school
administrators and graduate students in educational administration. In constructing this artifact I
needed to demonstrate my understanding of the program to be evaluated and select appropriate
evaluation methods for each phase of the program evaluation. I then designed a schedule and
timeline for the evaluation tasks to be completed by both my evaluation team and the necessary
stakeholders along with a proposed budget for completing the evaluation. The RFP project
criteria necessitated evaluation design based on a set budget that could not exceed $50,000. This
required me to assemble an evaluation team with set responsibilities that included assigning
realistic and practical responsibilities to client stakeholders, designing and completing a pilot
program, and conducting market research and cost analysis for the proposed program. In this
capacity the Response to RFP demonstrates my ability to create a management plan for proposed
evaluation that will meet goals outlined by a third party client.

1.5 Ethics: Candidates demonstrate the contemporary professional ethics of the field as defined
and developed by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology.

The mass of digital resources educators have available today is exponentially larger than
it was only a few years ago, and these resources continue to grow on a daily basis. This also
presents todays educator with the ethical responsibility to find ways to make this content
available to students with special needs. To address this challenge, in EdTech 502 I developed a
Web accessibility hotlinks page which provides access to several free screen readers that are
intended to assist learners with limited or no vision, though the tools can be utilized by all
learners. These resources support making digital content part of a least restrictive environment.

When utilizing digital materials found on the internet, educators today have an ethical
and legal responsibility to themselves and their respective institutions to ensure they have a legal
right to use the materials they choose for their curricula. As a result I developed a website in
EdTech 502 containing a Copyright scavenger hunt for my colleagues to learn about fair use of
digital materials through Creative Commons, and how to request and ensure the right to use
digital content when a Creative Commons License does not exist for any given digital media.
Educators also have an ethical responsibility to teach their students to become responsible digital
citizens, part of which includes how to select digital media legally, and so the scavenger hunt is
not only a resource for teachers but also for students as we are all subject to the same copyright
laws.

STANDARD 2 - CONTENT PEDAGOGY

Candidates develop as reflective practitioners able to demonstrate effective implementation of

educational technologies and processes based on contemporary content and pedagogy.
2.1 Creating: Candidates apply content pedagogy to create appropriate applications of processes
and technologies to improve learning and performance outcomes.

In EdTech 506 I learned how principles of graphic design are applied to learning. Using
these principles I created a Final Project Website with activities. This project comprised several
lessons designed to address learning targets for mechanical energy already in place in the physics
courses I teach. The lessons are built into my project website and designed so many of the
activities allow my students to engage in self-regulated learning. The websites contain textual
instructions, but the process of completing the lesson is largely driven by the instructional
messages provided by the graphics I designed throughout the course for this project. In
designing these graphics I applied design principles related to color, space, depth, shape,
contrast, alignment, proximity, as well as repetition, organization, selection, and typography all
with the intention of maximizing learning. Although there are many principles for applying
graphic design for learning, what is common to each is that they are all intended to minimize the
cognitive load placed on the learner in acquiring information from graphics. This allows the
learner to maximize available cognitive processing of the information for the synthesis of
knowledge. In simple terms this means that all the graphics were designed to minimize
distraction while delivering clear and concise instructional messages to maximize student
achievement, and the lessons and activities contained within my final project website are built
around the graphics that drive the instruction.

2.2 Using: Candidates implement appropriate educational technologies and processes based on
appropriate content pedagogy.

In EdTech 541 I developed an Internet Enriched Lesson to utilize a flipped classroom

approach for learning about wave mechanics in physics. The lesson is comprised of three
activities that implement a variety of educational technologies to facilitate learning. In the first
activity learners acquire background knowledge using an online, open source textbook. Students
record their responses to reading prompts by utilizing my school districts supported note taking
application and submitting responses on the districts adopted learning management system.
Those responses function as formative assessment of defined objectives, the results of which
may be used to customize in-class instruction. In the second activity learners engage with online
HTML5 simulations to complete virtual investigations of wave mechanics. These investigations
provide background knowledge through demonstrating idealizations of wave phenomena that are
often difficult to observe in the laboratory setting without previous knowledge of the phenomena.
These activities thus serve as pre-lab activities to enhance in-class investigations of wave
mechanics which follow the same objectives outlined for the online activity. In the third activity
learners explore an application of wave superposition called beat frequency by utilizing an online
resource containing embedded applications and a formative quiz. This activity again provides
the background knowledge for the subsequent in-class activity, where learners will participate in
a formative review utilizing an online Kahoot quiz developed for this Internet Enriched Lesson
that requires learners to apply their knowledge to new contexts and applications of the activity
objectives.
2.3 Assessing/Evaluating: Candidates demonstrate an inquiry process that assesses the
adequacy of learning and evaluates the instruction and implementation of educational
technologies and processes grounded in reflective practice.

In EdTech 501 I completed a Technology Evaluation and Summary of the school where I
currently teach. The evaluation utilized a survey that measured maturity model benchmarks
described in detail using the rubric linked here. The survey was completed by consulting my
schools building level technology integration specialist, members of the teacher technology
committee, colleagues at the school, my department chair, and by referencing the schools state
report card. Each benchmark rating is expounded upon in my summary report based on the
finding of my inquiries. Maturity benchmarks are subdivided and rated as either emergent,
islands, integrated, or intelligent. I was very surprised to learn that my school rated as integrated
or intelligent in every single category subdivision, which is a testament to the foresight and
planning undertaken by district officials in regard to technology planning. As a result the
greatest challenge facing my school is maintaining the balance between remaining current with
technology while allotting the necessary resources to keep the students and staff proficient with
all the technology resources in place. This process taught me a lot about the technology support
structures and training opportunities available for teachers in my district, and perhaps more
importantly the immense amount of planning, preparation, funding and resources involved in
developing a comprehensive technology plan.

2.4 Managing: Candidates manage appropriate technological processes and resources to provide
supportive learning communities, create flexible and diverse learning environments, and develop
and demonstrate appropriate content pedagogy.

In EdTech 541 I developed an Adaptive/Assistive Technologies webpage that identifies

and explains technology-enhanced strategies designed to aide learners with a wide variety of
special needs in achieving success in high school physics. The strategies are organized based
upon the special needs they address. The categories include strategies for students with
cognitive difficulties, physical difficulties, sensory difficulties, at-risk students, and gifted and
talented students. Each category includes links to technology tools that support the strategies
listed within each category. It is important to note that despite the organizational structure of the
web page, each of the strategies and corresponding technology tools can be used for the benefit
of all learners in achieving success in physics. These strategies and supporting tools thus foster a
supportive learning community that embraces diversity in the learning environment.

In EdTech 533 I started my own YouTube Channel and curated videos to create a Playlist
Lesson. In addition to the videos within the playlist the description contains a lesson overview,
recommended content areas, learner description and context, instructional objectives, alignment
to learning domain, student instructions, and an embedded link to a formative assessment of the
lesson. Ideally the playlist can be utilized to foster a flipped classroom approach by reducing the
time spent learning about the rules governing significant figures in class and thus freeing up
more time for students to practice applying those rules in class under the guidance of a qualified
instructor. The playlist lesson also creates a flexible means of remediation to support learners
who struggle with the content as the tutorial videos in the playlist may be viewed as often as
needed and at whatever pace the learner finds most advantageous.

2.5 Ethics: Candidates design and select media, technology, and processes that emphasize the
diversity of our society as a multicultural community.

Educators have an ethical responsibility to select or design curricular materials that

learners can access. In the realm of digital and online resources addressing student access is
more prevalent than ever. To address this issue in EdTech 501 I conducted research and
produced a presentation on how my own district and professional learning community addresses
Digital Inequality within our community of learners. Digital inequality arises any time learners
are somehow restricted or limited from accessing information and resources electronically.
Regardless if the cause of digital inequality is socioeconomic, cultural, or some combination of
the two, if left unchecked digital inequality will have the effect of disenfranchising learners who
cannot access online or electronic learning materials which is completely counter to the purpose
of embracing any form of educational technology. The presentation focuses on addressing issues
of population, accessibility, and awareness concerning digital inequality and how my school and
district addresses those issues. In terms of population this means knowing what percentage of
students have access to devices and the internet both at school and at home. In terms of
accessibility this means knowing how students can engage with their devices to access resources,
the processing power and software available on those devices, and the available bandwidth
learners have access to in order to access materials. In terms of awareness this means knowing
the level of proficiency learners have in utilizing computing devices and software applications to
access resources. Carefully considering these issues is essential because the only way as an
educator I can address digital inequality is to first have an understanding of the diversity present
within my own community of learners.

STANDARD 3 - LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Candidates facilitate learning by creating, using, evaluating, and managing effective learning
environments.

3.1 Creating: Candidates create instructional design products based on learning principles and
research-based best practices.

In EdTech 513 I created a Multimedia Presentation on identifying common types of

forces used in physics analysis. The presentation was designed to minimize cognitive overload
of the learner while engaging their cognitive processing for transfer of content. This was
achieved by applying the multimedia principle to enhance student learning by combining text
and graphics, and the contiguity principle which dictates that corresponding text and graphics
appear on the same slide. By minimizing the text presented to the learner, the working memory
required by the learner to engage with the content is reduced. Supporting text is included in the
speaker notes of the presentation to be used by a potential presenter or as supplemental
information for the learner.

In EdTech 502 I built a Solar System Virtual Tour comprised of set of several web pages
linked together using a navigation menu and external style sheet. My goal in designing the tour
was to promote a constructivist learning experience for my students that demonstrates how
models in science are developed and refined. Specifically, science attempts to build models to
explain observed phenomena and data. As data collection techniques evolve and improve so
must physical laws and models to explain that data. Rather than presenting information to
learners through direct instruction, the Solar System Virtual Tour provides learners with internet
resources that include video, text, animations and simulations of different planetary models, and
comparisons of those models. The tour allows for open navigation and each page of the tour
provides leading questions for learners to answer as they engage with the resources presented,
along with an answer key to allow learners to check their understanding.

3.2 Using: Candidates make professionally sound decisions in selecting appropriate processes
and resources to provide optimal conditions for learning based on principles, theories, and
effective practices.

In EdTech 534 I learned the basic architecture of app design and had the opportunity to
design my own custom Android app. The app was developed based on an extensive App Design
Proposal. The proposal required that I identify the purpose of the app, which for my app was to
provide a learning management system for projectile motion. The app would provide resources
for users to learn how to perform calculations involving projectiles and a means to test solutions
to calculations based upon initial conditions. The proposal also included peer-review and a user-
test plan that put the initial iteration of the app into the hands of subject matter experts, a
dissemination plan for the intended user of the app, plans for future development of the app, and
extensive technical details regarding the design and functionality of the app. My app testing
team of subject matter experts consisted of two physics teachers and one chemistry teacher, with
their feedback leading to the Final Working App. The two physics teachers were chosen because
their content knowledge allowed them to focus their testing on the proper functionality of the app
while the chemistry teacher was chosen to provide perspective on how a new physics learner
might perceive the app.

3.3 Assessing/Evaluating: Candidates use multiple assessment strategies to collect data for
informing decisions to improve instructional practice, learner outcomes, and the learning
environment.

In EdTech 533 I created a Media Literacy Lesson that was designed assess high school
physics students on their ability to analyze the physics governing various movie scenes presented
within the lesson. The lesson incorporates multiple assessment strategies in that learners are
asked to demonstrate their physics analysis skills in a variety of ways and with varying levels of
scaffolding and difficulty. Several YouTube videos are embedded within the lesson and each
video is presented with corresponding assessment questions. Student responses to those
assessment questions are recorded using Google Forms. Students are first asked to present an
argument that compares and contrasts sample student critiques of movie physics presented in an
embedded video. In the next video learners are provided with guided steps to perform some
basic data collection and physics calculations related to the presented video. Students then must
draw conclusions about the validity of the scene based upon the results of the data collection and
analysis. The analysis questions for the next movie scene have less scaffolding and require the
learners to employ similar problem-solving methods but with more complicated analysis than in
the previous assessment in order to draw conclusions about the movie scene presented. The
lesson then offers students the choice of two different assignments that apply the analysis skills
assessed within the media literacy lesson to a movie that the learner chooses. Since each part of
the lesson assesses the learners utilization of different problem-solving strategies with varying
levels of difficulty, the lesson may be presented to learners in several parts to allow an instructor
to customize subsequent instructional practices based upon the results of a given portion of the
lesson.

3.4 Managing: Candidates establish mechanisms for maintaining the technology infrastructure
to improve learning and performance.

In EdTech 501 I synthesized an overview of Technology Use Planning that included how
usage may be applied for learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure and productivity based on
research conducted in creating this artifact. In the overview I identified the pros and cons of
short and long term technology plans that may be adopted at the district and classroom levels and
summarized my own experience in technology use planning. Regardless of whether planning is
completed for the short or long term or in how the planning is applied, successful technology
planning must incorporate mechanisms for the sustainability of resources. While hardware and
software applications utilized in education will always change with time, resources that utilize
technology tools must not be dependent on the tool. In other words, scrapping resources every
time a new piece of hardware, software, technology plan is put in place is neither practical nor
productive for increasing student achievement, which is ultimately the intention of technology
use planning.

One example of establishing mechanisms for maintaining technology infrastructure

would be the Social Networking and Community Building project website I built in EdTech 541.
The site includes activities that guide learners to set up Twitter accounts using their school-
issued email accounts and how to post Tweets related to the project presented on the website.
The project also requires learners to utilize Voicethread accounts and provides resources for both
students and instructors to create K-12 Single Educator Licensed accounts. Additionally the
project site includes instructor resources for creating and managing Weebly student websites and
tutorials for students to create, edit, manage, post to and publish Weebly blog websites. While
these resources are created to facilitate the project presented on the website, each application can
be applied to a wide variety of educational applications and thus these applications function as
technology infrastructure.

3.5 Ethics: Candidates foster a learning environment in which ethics guide practice that
promotes health, safety, best practice, and respect for copyright, Fair Use, and appropriate open
access to resources.

All educators have the responsibility to create healthy and safe learning environments,
and as a teacher who embraces educational technology in my curriculum I have an ethical
responsibility not only to demonstrate best practice in respectful online communication, but to
teach my students how to engage in proper etiquette when utilizing digital communication. To
address this very important need I created a Netiquette in the Online Course webpage in EdTech
502. The site is intended to guide learners on how to communicate effectively and respectfully
using online homework help forums with both fellow students and the physics teachers at the
high school where I teach. The procedures and benefits of embracing proper netiquette detailed
on the site are constructed based on the three pillars governing appropriate student conduct at my
school known as The West Way. The process to achieve netiquette in online forum posting is
built on these pillars of involvement, respect, and success. By embracing the structure for
student conduct already in place at the school the website is able serve as an excellent resource
for students that delivers a clear and consistent message on how to utilize the powerful tool of
online communication forums and allows all Physics students at my high school equal access to
assistance via this means.

3.6 Diversity of Learners: Candidates foster a learning community that empowers learners with
diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and abilities.

In my opinion, educators empower learners by implementing mechanisms and creating

resources that allow learners to actively engage with learning content as opposed to passively
receiving instruction. In order to achieve this goal it is necessary for me as an educator to
facilitate access to such resources regardless of learner background, personal characteristics or
abilities. My physics students all have school-issued iPads, and so in EdTech 541 I researched
the Assistive Technology features available on the iPad that would have relevant application to
the courses I teach. The results of my findings are organized by the modalities of vision,
interaction, hearing, media, and learning which makes directing learners with special needs to
appropriate assistive technology features on their devices a clear and efficient process. I then
took this process of finding ways to empower a wide diversity of learners a step further in
EdTech 541 by developing an Adaptive/Assistive Technologies webpage. In this project I
analyzed technology resources currently utilized in the courses I presently teach for the purpose
of identifying strategies intended to assist learners with a variety of special needs. These
included technology-enhanced strategies for students with cognitive, physical, and sensory
difficulties, as well as strategies to assist at-risk and gifted and talented learners.
STANDARD 4 - PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Candidates design, develop, implement, and evaluate technology-rich learning environments

within a supportive community of practice.

4.1 Collaborative Practice: Candidates collaborate with their peers and subject matter experts
to analyze learners, develop and design instruction, and evaluate its impact on learners.

In EdTech 503 I completed an Instruction Design (ID) project that developed training for
science teachers at my high school to implement the Schoology Learning Management System
(LMS) in all courses taught within the department. This ID project was divided into three
reports, the third of which focused on evaluation of the design. A large part of this evaluation
process focused on collaboration done with a subject matter expert (SME). The SME for my
project was a veteran science teacher with experience teaching and learning using a LMS and a
fellow student in EdTech 503 named Kurt Schaefer. We were paired up for peer-evaluation
because of our common science background. While my ID project was built to deliver training
to science teachers, his was intended to teach chemistry content to AP Chemistry students. We
evaluated each others projects and developed tools to assist each other in the evaluation process.
Collaborating in this manner also allowed each of us to experience ID both from the perspective
of the designer and of the participant. This process led not only to a thorough evaluation of the
ID project and where it could be improved, it also resulted in ideas for how future iterations of
the training could be expanded or enhanced to develop new learning objects.

4.2 Leadership: Candidates lead their peers in designing and implementing technology-
supported learning.

In EdTech 503 I helped create a Leading Discussion Voicethread Group Presentation.

This presentation was created in Google Drive with audio narration added using Voicethread.
This required extensive collaboration between my assigned leading discussion group members as
we each contributed slides and audio narration for the completed presentation. The completed
Voicethread presentation was shared with all the participants of my section of EdTech 503 and
was created to foster dialogue and debate for instructional design solutions pertaining to case
studies assigned as part of our weekly reading assignments. Within the presentation our group
analyzed three case studies pertaining to selecting instructional strategies and selecting
technologies that support instruction. We also offered up proposed design solutions for each of
the three case studies. The culmination of the presentation presented our classmates with two
discussion questions: one question pertaining to the analysis of one of the case studies presented,
and one question pertaining to how the principles presented in the weeks reading assignment
applied to the development of the semester-long instruction design project. Our classmates then
posted responses to these questions in the course discussion forum while our leading group was
responsible for providing constructive comments and feedback to each classmates discussion
post.
4.3 Reflection on Practice: Candidates analyze and interpret data and artifacts and reflect on the
effectiveness of the design, development and implementation of technology-supported
instruction and learning to enhance their professional growth.

Each week in EdTech 541 I created project websites to warehouse and curate resources
developed to meet some technology infrastructure need in integrating technology into the
classroom curriculum. The project resources were developed based on a variety of research and
reflection projects completed before, during, and after these projects websites were built. These
research findings and reflections are archived on my EdTech 541 Learning Blog. Just as one
example, I conducted research on Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) in several school districts
including my own. This is a critical step in designing any technology supported instruction
because the AUP provides the necessary context for how learners are expected and permitted to
engage with these technology recourses, and provides me as an instructor with guidance in
developing instructional tools based upon guidelines and policies for best practice mandated by
the district administration and school board.

In EdTech 534 I developed a variety of educational apps for Android devices. During the
first half of the course the apps I developed were based upon project templates. In my EdTech
534 Learning Blog I detailed the design process, the required customizations I created for each of
the projects, and identified the coding architectural design features unique to the projects. This
process was critical in developing my own custom app as the final project for the course, and my
blog also details my process of synthesizing the course projects to propose, design, and build my
final app which was designed to assist physics students in learning about and analyzing projectile
motion.

4.4 Assessing/Evaluating: Candidates design and implement assessment and evaluation plans
that align with learning goals and instructional activities.

In EdTech 505 I wrote a Program Evaluation Report of SAMR Model Implementation

for the 1:1 iPad Initiative in my school district. The report detailed the formative evaluation I
designed and carried out during the summer of 2017 that assessed the current level of SAMR
Model implementation of the science department at my school, and also evaluated the available
professional development and support resources provided by the school district to promote
model implementation. The district adopted the SAMR Model for technology integration for the
purpose of guiding teachers to leverage instructional technology to transform student learning to
facilitate new learning tasks that would be previously inconceivable without 1:1 technology. The
evaluation plan included three program goals written based on the school districts already
established instructional technology goals for the 2017-2018 school year. Writing the goals
necessitated communicating with appropriate stakeholders, which in the case of my evaluation
included both the science department chair and the assistant superintendent for curriculum and
instruction. Implementing the evaluation plan required that I conduct research into the
professional development programs available directly related to SAMR model implementation
and into the building level supports in place to assist teachers in integrating the model into daily
instruction. The data collection instrument for the science department was a Google form survey
that utilized a variety of data types in order to address each of the evaluation goals. The analysis
of the results was then tailored to match the specific data collected and used to determine if the
program goals had been achieved by the evaluation participants.

4.5 Ethics: Candidates demonstrate ethical behavior within the applicable cultural context during
all aspects of their work and with respect for the diversity of learners in each setting.

How a student best learns has always been a characteristic unique to the learner. As a
result as an educator I am ethically obligated to design my courses to meet the needs of as
diverse population as I possibly can, and educational technology offers unique opportunities to
help meet those unique needs. In EdTech 533 I created a video blog, or Vlog, outlining the Pros
and Cons of YouTube in Education. This Vlog was created to aid the physics professional
learning community at my school in ways in which we can utilize our course YouTube channel
to better meet the needs of our student population. In the Vlog I expound upon how online
videos can function to support student remediation as well as enrichment. In addition,
YouTube videos support a flipped classroom environment where students spend more of their
class time engaged in active learning rather than absorbing direct instruction, thus fostering a
supportive community of practice for both learners and instructors. These aspects of YouTube
videos in education promote tangible differentiation both during and outside of class time. Also
of important note, while creating this Vlog I learned how to upload subtitles and sync those
subtitles so the closed captioning within the video perfectly matches the on screen narration,
which in and of itself is a powerful tool that allows for customization in how learners engage
with online videos.

STANDARD 5 - RESEARCH

Candidates explore, evaluate, synthesize, and apply methods of inquiry to enhance learning and
improve performance.

5.1 Theoretical Foundations: Candidates demonstrate foundational knowledge of the

contribution of research to the past and current theory of educational communications and
technology.

In EdTech 504 I developed a Synthesis Research Paper on Fostering Self-Regulated

Learning in a Constructivist Learning Environment. In this project I outline the role of both the
constructivist learner and instructor based on the principles of the learning theory along with how
constructivism has developed and evolved. In addition to reporting on the foundational context
of the theory I also report my research findings on how various approaches to implementing
educational technology have been applied to create infrastructure for self-regulated learning
environments, which is a crucial requirement for achieving constructivism. My research findings
were subdivided into applications of computer-based learning environments, simulations, digital
learning games, and online homework applications.

Throughout my coursework in this masters program I have created digital artifacts

designed for blended, asynchronous learning environments that promote constructivism and self-
regulated learning based on the lessons learned in my synthesis research. The quality of those
artifacts is reflective of the fact that they have been developed based upon research. In EdTech
506 I developed a series of lessons intended to teach physics learners about the Law of
Conservation of Energy. The lessons were built around an online simulation and accompanying
resources, all of which are supported by the graphics I created throughout my semester
coursework. This project was developed based upon research completed throughout the course
on how graphic design is applied to learning. The theoretical foundations for the development of
the project are then presented in my final project Justification Paper, thus demonstrating how I
have applied research to my foundational knowledge as an educational technologist.

5.2 Method: Candidates apply research methodologies to solve problems and enhance practice.

In EdTech 505 I designed and implemented a program evaluation that analyzed the level
of integration of the SAMR model with 1:1 iPads by the science department at the school where
I teach. An essential step in the design and implementation of this program evaluation was
completing an Evaluators Program Description (EPD). This artifact functioned as the
foundational template that allowed me to create and implement each component of my program
evaluation project. The EPD first identifies the type of evaluation; formative in the case of my
project. This was necessary in order to select an appropriate evaluation model for the program
evaluation. I ultimately selected the Transaction Model and used it to design my evaluation
procedure. The EPD also reports on the evaluation questions developed after I conducted my
preliminary research into the program and completed my initial communications with the
necessary stakeholders. These questions were used to create the program evaluation objectives.
Additionally, the EPD outlines the basic structure of how the program evaluation will be
conducted and how the data collected will be analyzed, with each column of the EPD
demonstrating how a different facet of research methodology pertaining to program evaluation is
applied to the design and execution of my program evaluation.

5.3 Assessing/Evaluating: Candidates apply formal inquiry strategies in assessing and

evaluating processes and resources for learning and performance.

In Report 2 of my Edtech 503 Instructional Design Project (Part 3a-3d) I provided

extensive detail on the need, strategy, and approach for the training to be implemented in the
instructional design. The rationale for each section is based upon my research into inquiry
strategies. For example, my choice of a generative approach to the training supplemented by
additional supplantive scaffolds was based upon my choice to structure the training on the
Cognitive Apprenticeship model of constructivist learning with my role as an instructional
coach. To facilitate this model implementation I applied the formal inquiry strategy of creating
an attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction (ARCS) table which evaluates the learners
needs and desired outcomes, and then outlines the process and resources of the instructional
design.

My Program Evaluation Report for EdTech 505 utilized a survey (see Appendix B)
disseminated to and completed by the science department at the school where I teach. This was
done to gather data on the current level of progress in applying the SAMR technology integration
model to 1:1 iPads. The survey employed a variety of question types to collect quantitative data
and qualitative ordinal data through forced choice Likert Scale questions, nominal data,
monitoring data, and responses to interview-style free response questions. The choice of survey
question format was selected based on the formative nature of the program evaluation, the
evaluation model, and the evaluation goals. This strategy of aligning appropriate data sources to
the collection method was essential in identifying and applying the appropriate data analysis
techniques used to determine the results reported in the evaluation. In other words, applying
formal inquiry strategies led directly to my determinations of whether each of the three program
objectives outlined in my evaluation report were met by the evaluation participants.

5.4 Ethics: Candidates conduct research and practice using accepted professional and
institutional guidelines and procedures.

During my coursework I completed two annotated bibliographies. Each was written

following APA guidelines for both the references included and for formatting the annotated
bibliographies. In my EdTech 501 Annotated Bibliography I focused on researching how to
increase student discussion in online communication forums. In the process I learned to use the
research tool in Google Docs, specifically Google Scholar, to search for academic, peer-
reviewed articles to support my instructional objective. This was my first experience using peer-
reviewed research to support educational research and with using online tools to locate such
articles. In my EdTech 504 Annotated Bibliography I focused my research on how cognitive and
constructivist learning theories may be applied to digital learning environments. In the process I
expanded my digital research tools to include utilizing Boise State Universitys online
Albertsons Library to conduct research of peer-reviewed resources. In addition, while
completing this annotated bibliography I learned to include in-text citations properly formatted
according to APA style guidelines. In creating these artifacts I learned how to acquire resources
to support instructional objectives and claims of best practice that are both academically relevant
and supported within the research community as well as how to cite those resources so other
academic professionals can both reference my research and provide peer-review of my work.
LIST OF ARTIFACTS

Please list all unique artifacts that were used in this paper. Simply list the course name and title
of the artifact. After the name, indicate the AECT Indicator it is used to illustrate. List the
courses in numeric order. If one of the artifacts is split into two or more parts (example, the
EDTECH 503 ID project) as you describe it above, you can list the two parts as unique artifacts.
Please number the list so that the total number can be quickly ascertained.

EDTECH 501 Introduction to Educational Technology: Schroeder, Fall 2013

Technology Evaluation and Summary (2.3)

Digital Inequality Presentation (2.5)

Technology Use Planning (3.4)

Annotated Bibliography (5.5)

EDTECH 502 The Internet for Educators: Sweany, Fall 2013

Photo Essay WebQuest (1.1)

Copyright Scavenger Hunt webpage (1.5)

Web Accessibility Hotlinks page (1.5)

Solar System Virtual Tour (3.1)

Netiquette in the Online Course webpage (3.5)

EDTECH 503 Instructional Design: Trespalacios, Fall 2014

ID Project Report 3 (4.1)

Leading Discussion Voicethread Group Presentation (4.2)

ID Project Report 2 (5.3)

EDTECH 504 Theoretical Foundations of Educational Technology: Friesen, Spring 2013

Synthesis Research Paper (5.1)

Annotated Bibliography (5.5)

EDTECH 505 Evaluation for Educational Technologists: Instructor Thompson, Summer 2017

Response to RFP (1.4)

Program Evaluation Report (4.4, 5.3)

Evaluators Program Description (5.2)

EDTECH 506 Graphic Design for Learning: Parlin, Spring 2016

Final Project Website with activities (2.1)

Justification Paper (5.1)

EDTECH 513 - Multimedia: Hall, Spring 2015

Coherence Analysis Report (1.3)

Multimedia Presentation (3.1)

EDTECH 533 YouTube for Educators: Snelson, Fall 2015

Playlist Lesson (2.4)

Media Literacy Lesson (3.3)

Vlog with Closed Captioning: The Pros and Cons of YouTube in Education (4.5)

EDTECH 541 Integrating Technology Into the Classroom Curriculum: Gerstein, Spring 2017

Science and Math Resources for Physics webpage (1.2)

Relative Advantage Chart (1.3)

Internet Enriched Lesson (2.2)

Adaptive/Assistive Technologies webpage (2.4, 3.6)

Social Networking and Community Building project website (3.4)

Assistive Technology features for iPad (3.6)

EdTech 541 Learning Blog (4.3)

EDTECH 534 Mobile App Design for Teaching and Learning: Hsu, Fall 2016

App Design Proposal (3.2)

Final Working App (3.2)

EdTech 534 Learning Blog (4.3)