Mark Hansen's Educational Technology Showcase
When I started my journey into the study of Educational Technology it was because I was intrigued by the ways in which we could harness technology to enhance learning in our schools. I was also a little nervous because I feared the unknown waters of technology in education and did not know quite how the two would fit together. However, due to things rarely happening in isolation, as I was learning about Educational Technology I was also getting on the job training in another area of education; Project-Based learning. Soon I began to see how the two could be used to compliment each other and began applying the concepts I was learning from one within the other. Suddenly, both seemed a lot less scary and a lot more doable. While I am still exploring both (and how they are related) I have seen enough to know that Project-Based learning and Educational Technology pair well and can easily be used to enhance each other's affects on learning. Below is a showcase of my exploration in using Educational Technology in conjunction with Project-Based learning to enhance learning.
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Personal Learning Plan
I begin my showcase with a glimpse at my Personal Learning Plan about mid-way through my exploration of Educational Technology and Project-Based learning. I include it to highlight my views that the field Educational Technology is vast field that still needs a lot of exploring and to show some of my plans to become a leader in such exploration. Although I don't mention it in the video as I was making the video I began to realize that my thoughts presented in it are synonymous with my ideas on Project-Based learning. |
Flipped Classroom Wiki
This next item in this showcase is a Wiki that was designed to provide a plethora of resources for teachers looking to "Flip" their classroom. I include it in the showcase to demonstrate how flipped classroom strategies/technologies can be used Project-Based learning classrooms. Also, since this was created as a part of Project-Based learning it demonstrates the power of Wikis in collaborative Project-Based learning. While making the wiki I learned to think about technology as a tool to enhance learning and to use it as a creative solution to issues that sometimes arise as a result of Project-Based learning. |
Stand Alone Instructional Resource
Moving along in the showcase, my next item is a Stand Alone Instructional Resource. This assignment taught me to apply the UDL principles to my use of technology in the classroom, which in turn encouraged me make the integration of technology within my classroom more effective. It also highlights my dive into Project-Based learning by being stand alone "workshop" and represents some of the creative ideas that my teaching partner and I came up with in order to manage not only the 67 students in my classroom, but all of the projects as well. |
Digital Story
Next in the showcase is a digital story I put together which highlights one of the uses of Twitter in a Project-Based learning classroom. It is included to not only show how social media (Twitter) can be used in Project-Based learning but also to show the effectiveness of using such tools in an educational environment. While creating it I began to realize that I had grown significantly in my use of technology within my classroom and that I was well on my way of using technology to help with student learning/demonstration of their learning rather than just using it for the sake of using it. |
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To Kill a Mockingbird Online Learning Module
Finally, the showcase highlights one of my proudest accomplishments; my online learning module about Social Justice and the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. While creating this module I learned several skills needed to successfully teach an online course as well as the ways in which such modules could utilize Project-Based learning in order to make the learning more meaningful. The creation of this module also helped me to understand how to integrate literature within a Project-Based learning structure that makes use of authentic, real-world projects. |