EDU 900:
Tech-Infused Classroom

Course Learning Outcome 1:

Unit 3: Knowledge Constructor

• A. Research Strategies - plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for intellectual or creative pursuits, while evaluating the accuracy, perspective, credibility, and relevance of the information, media, and/or data.

• B. Curation of Information - curate information from digital resources to build knowledge by using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions and/or explore real-world issues and problems and develop ideas and theories for answers and solutions.

Artifact

Infographic: ISTE 1.3.b Tips for Teachers 

Reflection

This unit focused on ISTE for Students Standards. 1.3, knowledge constructor.  By building this infographic, I demonstrated the sub-standards Evaluate Information, Effective Research Strategies and Curate Information. The first time I read through the ISTE Standards, I thought there was too much education jargon for no good reason.  As the course went on, we took a closer look at how these standards play out in the classroom for effective education.  I found it challenging trying to show understanding of the standard, while also keeping the infographic interesting, engaging, and easy to read. 

Course Learning Outcome 2

Unit 6: Creative Communicator

▪ A. Communication Platforms and Tools - choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their new creation or communication while responsibly repurposing or remixing digital resources.

▪ B. Communicating Ideas and Information - communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such a visualizations, models or simulations, which also publishes and/or presents the content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences.

Artifact

Integration Plan

Reflection

This Integration Plan was the final course assignment.  This curates appropriate tech tools to transform the lesson, and how to keep the lesson engaging for students.  I had never made a lesson plan before, let alone taking one and showing how to integrate technology, ISTE/PDE Standards, and the SAMR Model for tech integration.  I asked several friends who are teachers to look at this and give suggestions for improvement, and they said the content and methods were strong.  As the culmination for my first Graduate course, this assignment tested me and showed me what I am capable of accomplishing.

Course Learning Outcome 3

Unit 5: Computational Thinker

• A. Problem Definitions - formulate problem definitions suited for technology-assisted methods such as data analysis, abstract models and algorithmic thinking in exploring and finding solutions.

• B. Data Collection - collect data or identify relevant data sets, use digital tools to analyze them, and represent data in various ways to facilitate problem-solving and decision-making.

• C. Breaking Down Problems - break problems into component parts, extract key information, and develop descriptive models to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-solving.

Artifact

Unit Assignment.  Question: Can you share an example where computational thinking and knowledge construction intersects in a real-world context, and how might you use this example to inspire and engage your students? ( The dreaded question .."When are we going to use this in real life?").

I love showing students how I use the tools they are learning in my role as an Instructional Technology Specialist.  This year, I led a new process for identifying and purchasing a new staff computer.  We will be repeating this process for the upcoming High School Chromebook replacement in the summer of 2025.  This required a strong amount of computational thinking and knowledge construction to make effective and meaningful decisions.

Our team begins with defining the problem (1.5.a).  What are the needs of students and staff?  What works well with the current device?  What features would be helpful that we don’t have?  From there, we will research what devices exist that meet those needs - this requires effective research strategies (1.3.a).  Looking at one website or listening to one sales representative is irresponsible in making large financial decisions.  We evaluate this information (1.3.b) to see if it is relevant, accurate, and credible.  After we narrow down what devices would meet our needs, we purchase several samples and gather data from key stakeholders (1.5.b).  For our teacher laptops, we had a “road show” - taking 7 devices to the school buildings, asking teachers to test the devices, rank them, and share with us what features are most important.  I took this data into smaller components (1.5.c) and used algorithmic thinking (1.5.d) to auto-calculate a weighted rating scale by building.  This helped us determine what device we should purchase at a large scale and justify those decisions to all stakeholders (1.3.c - curate information).

Reflection

This assignment focused on the Computational Thinker ISTE standard for Students.  I was able to demonstrate a real-world application of how I used the ISTE Standards with a data-driven model for a specific outcome.  When I was collecting data for the project I described, I wanted to present the results in a way that was easy to understand at a glance.  That's where the formulas and conditional formatting came in to play.  By connecting what I already did with the things I was learning, it made me feel like I had a better grasp of the Standards and their purpose.