The Masters of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology (MATLT) program at Ashford University prepares students to become effective trainers and teachers in schools and diverse organizations around the globe. During my studies, I have had the opportunity to develop and hone skills, enabling me to become a trainer of teachers. These skills have been developed through learning the Performance Learning Outcomes

As I worked through the courses, I tried to make my assignments as complete and thorough as possible. There were many challenges along the way, but I feel that I was able to push through and design powerful projects that are ready to go with my students.

There were four main challenges that I had to face. First regarded creating a wiki site. Several of the links in the courses were broken or pointed to locations on the web that were no longer operating, like Wiki Spaces. I looked for several wiki platforms but gave up and built my wiki in Google Sites instead.

Second, since my school district was pushing for us to use Google Classroom, I sought permission early to use that platform instead of Coursesites. I knew that I would have to learn Google Classroom on my own. It turned out to be very easy and profoundly robust compared to other environments that I have worked in. What I especially like about Google Classroom is that the platform saves everything to a folder in your Google Drive. Nothing gets lost, ever.

Third, I had difficulty with building a blog. I was familiar with Wordpress but didn’t like the layouts the other blog platforms offered. To tell the truth, I was a bit anxious about publishing my thoughts to the web, but it ended up becoming a fantastic thing. My instructor was very encouraging, and that gave me the inspiration to turn my little link of Smore pages into a true blog. My blog can be found at http://Teaching.With.Tech/.

The final challenge I encountered plagued me from the start. I was already nervous about having my written words posted to the world, so having to record a video or narrate something had me terrified the entire program. I put off one assignment until the last minute just because I needed to record a few minutes of narration. I knew how to do it, so it wasn’t for lack of skill but rather because of anxiety. The last two things that I recorded in narration were Powtoon videos that I animated and narrated. I feel they came out beautifully.

In the end, perseverance wins out. None of these design challenges were impossible, but these were my own stumbling blocks. I feel that I met the challenges and surpassed expectations.

The electronic portfolio was developed using Smore. Smore is a free platform for creating digital newsletters; I chose to chain several Smore newsletters together to develop my blog. The portfolio can be accessed through my blog, http://Teaching.With.Tech or directly on Smore at https://www.smore.com/7k2ws/

Program Learning Outcome 1 requires the demonstration of knowledge and skills related to learning using technology. All of my assignments have used technology, and I had the opportunity to help my peers when they were having difficulty. However, the evidence I have selected for PLO1 and PLO3 are the same, an animated slideshow introducing students to my virtual classroom.

Program Learning Outcome 2 requires students to demonstrate knowledge and skills in current and emerging instructional technologies. I consider online learning to still be an emerging technology. While my peers were using Coursesites as directed, I instead chose to use Google Classroom, knowing full well that my instructors would not be able to assist me. Google's environment is easy to work in and very robust. If you would like to tour my online classroom, the class code is: cu1ers1

The core value of Program Learning Outcome 3 is to design learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the needs of all learners. To improve in this area, I took a chart that I created early in the program that defined the roles instructors and students play in the online classroom. Rather than create another powerpoint, I developed a short, animated video using PowToon. PowToon is a simple platform that allows users to create animated and narrated cartoons (Powtoon, 2018). I have selected this technology because it is age-appropriate for my target audience (approximately aged 11-13). If I were working with an older age group, I would have selected a different technology, such as a Prezi presentation, to present this information. Since my audience consists of younger children, a cartoon was a logical choice to offer, in addition to the original, text-based graph. I have also chosen to include a transcript of the narrated video to further assist students who might be hearing impaired.

Program Learning Outcome 4 requires the application of research to support learning in a technology-enhanced environment. Early in the program, we reviewed a great amount of literature supporting using technology in the classroom, but only if the technology fit the task and not to use technology just because. We also learned how to make mind maps, and I have worked through the entire program perfecting my skill with mind maps. I have already begun using bubble.us with my students, and they love the opportunity to move and manipulate their data.

Program Learning Outcome 5 is to exemplify ethical practices of technology usage. The greatest challenge that I faced during this assignment was how to present dry and occasionally cumbersome material to students in a way that would captivate their attention. I feel that this infographic allows my students to see chunks of information without being overwhelmed. We often wonder if our student’s brain’s are re-wired, and the short answer is yes, they are. Students have grown up in a world that is “always on”. There is a constant feed of information and entertainment; the entire sum of human knowledge is contained in the back pocket of most of my students. To compete in a world full of digital distractions, it is necessary to provide education as “snackable content”, bite-sized pieces that leave students craving more. This infographic provides just a little information, but ways that students can find more. It is my nature to always want to provide a wealth of information at once to my students – a data dump. I had to break from my traditional mode in order to provide just a sampling to my students.

The goal of Project Learning Outcome 6 is to use “technology resources to facilitate effective assessment and evaluation,” while Program Learning Outcome 7 requires instructors to “utilize technology to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings.” The tool I chose initially was insufficient for my requirements. In my redesign, I have reconsidered the use of Survey Monkey and instead have worked Google Forms into my online classroom. By selecting a new tool, I can collect student data efficiently while also having the ability to analyze the results and findings, communicating them publically or privately with my learners in Google Classroom.

Increasing productivity and improving gains are important not just to large organizations and corporations, but also for education. Program Learning Outcome 8 requires instructors to “demonstrate the ability to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of learning and leadership” (Ashford University, 2018). To demonstrate mastery of this outcome, I have reflected back to the wiki made during a prior course. The wiki was hosted by Wiki-Site.com. The wiki was decent at the time, but it was immediately obvious to me that this particular tool would not suit my needs. After much research and deliberation, assessing what the needs are for my learners, I opted to go with a simpler, more elegant and user-friendly tool, Google Sites.

It is difficult to rank the Performance Learning Outcomes in any order because many of them work together. I believe that it is important for me to adhere to ethical principles in using technology (PLO 5) first. Second, I believe strongly in making content accessible for all students (PLO 3)(Ashford University, 2018). Third, I focus on PLOs 6 and 7 to support assessment and evaluation of data. Because I am more technology inclined than some of my peers, PLOs 1, 2, and 4 are not as important to me. Since I am a little more skilled than my peers, PLO 8 tends to be used very frequent when I am asked for a suggestion for technology. I do not mind helping, and I hope to eventually become a trainer of teachers.

The Performance Learning Outcomes were a great outline for both my portfolio and the program as a whole. Upon completion of the program I feel both competent and encouraged to finding a “dream job”. It has been my pleasure to work through this course, and the MATLT program.

Ashford University. (2018). EDU 697 Student Guide. Ashford University Student Guide. Ashford University. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejoc.201200111

Brandy Andreas Hoelscher is a 2003 graduate of Texas A&M University, majoring in history and minoring in English. Mrs. Hoelscher began her teaching career in 2004 as a substitute teacher, and entered the classroom as an alternatively certified intern in 2007. With more than ten years service, Mrs. Hoelscher has demonstrated a continual passion for student achievement and infuses technology into her lessons. She is a SMART Exemplary Educator (SEE), Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Expert, and a Google Certified Educator (level 2). Mrs. Hoelscher has also piloted programs stressing computational thinking and developed a robotics club. In her spare time, Mrs. Hoelscher enjoys creative writing, website and graphic design, and singing like a rock star to her steering wheel while commuting to and from work.

Email: bahoelscher@gmail.com
Website: http://Teaching.With.Tech/
Location: Midland, TX, USA
Phone: 832-567-0977
Twitter: @hoelschertech