Growth Assessment Master of Art in Education: Digital Teaching and Learning EDUC 526 Azusa Pacific University Instructor: Hixon http://vanspronsenportfolio.weebly.com/ Kimi Van Spronsen 5/6/2014
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Introduction Although I did not always know that I wanted to be a teacher, this calling upon my life became evident throughout my college year. When I graduated with my BA in Mathematics I had a passion and a love for not only math but for students in high school. I had the amazing opportunity to be hired directly out of college at a private Christian school, Maranatha High School, located in Pasadena. Therefore when I entered the combined credential and Masters program not only was I facing a full time student role but I also was a first year teacher! This scenario tested my endurance at times but it also gave me the chance to immediately implement what I was learning into my classroom. I chose to do a Masters in Digital Teaching and Learning because this is the change that is coming to the classroom. The world in which we live is continually changing and moving forward and I want to make sure that I am preparing the next generation for this change. The school at which I work has implemented a 1:1 I-Pad program and I have been one of the forerunners in technology use in the classroom and have had the chance to assist and lead other teachers in this endeavor. I had a desire to deepen my knowledge of what was available in the technology aspect of education and so dove head first into a Masters focusing on Digital Learning. Personal Growth
As I come to the end of this program and look back I can easily see the ways in which I have grown and changed. One of the hardships of going through this program while being a brand new teacher was learning to balance and dedicate time to each area. I had to learn how to be both a student and a teacher simultaneously and I believe this is where I saw the most growth! EDUC 526 Azusa Pacific University Kimi Van Spronsen Growth Assessment Spring II/2014 Page 3
Teachers have to be life long learners but rarely do we get the opportunity to learn and experience what that looks like in daily life. I discovered for myself that it was more than time management it was developing an inner drive and consistency to pursue excellence in all things. Often it would have been easy and even understandable to fall behind in either teaching or my schoolwork but thats not how life works. I require excellence in my classroom and need to hold my self to the same standard. I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn to do both simultaneously and believe it will greatly assist me as I move forward in my career. Professional Growth
One of my goals as an educator is to be a Life Long Learner, and this program helped me pursue this goal. As an educator I need to continually grow and be up to date on the changes that occurring not only in the world but also in the educational realm. This program gave me connections and avenues to open these doors. I grew not only in knowledge of technology but also in technology implementation! So many times it is easy to know about the technology but the implementation process can be difficult and harder to accomplish. Working at a 1:1 I-Pad school I have immediately implemented many of the lessons that I have learned throughout this program and I have then turned around and taught them to my colleagues. I work closely with the Technology Director at my school and my Masters has given me an opportunity to be a part of Professional Development Days and decisions concerning where the school is headed. Technical Growth
Despite this Masters focusing on technology this is perhaps the area I saw the least growth in. However the reasoning behind this for me was simple. I have an insatiable curiosity for technology in the classroom and spent large amounts of time researching and playing on my own as I sought out new technologies for my own classroom. The greatest technical growth I EDUC 526 Azusa Pacific University Kimi Van Spronsen Growth Assessment Spring II/2014 Page 4
witnessed was in the use of video editing in the classroom. Although I have always understood how to edit and put film together I never had an opportunity to build my own videos and be on the technical side of the editing. In addition learning about lighting and perspective as seen through film was eye opening for me since the artistic side of my brain is often lacking in creativity in that department! Life Long Learning Plan
As wonderful as having this M.A.Ed in Digital Teaching and Learning is, any technologically centered field will have a shelf-life as technology is constantly changing. It is important for me to continually seek out and stay abreast of new technologies and methods. Through educational communities and ED TECH camps, just to name a few, I am excited to continue to pursue this knowledge and not loose my curiosity for this area of study. In the future I would love to move from the teaching side of the school into administration, so I am currently considering pursuing both a masters and PHD in Higher Level Leadership. However at the moment I am content to take a step back and use the knowledge that I have learned in my classroom and wait and see what God desires for me to do next.
SECTION TWO: Name:
Term: Kimi Van Spronsen
Azusa Pacific University Live Binder URL: http://www.livebin ders.com/play/play ?id=1019633 Weebly Portfolio URL: http://vanspronsenportfolio. weebly.com/ Course: Course Title & Instructor Name Term Completed Key Skills Acquired Comments/Suggestions EDUC 526 Azusa Pacific University Kimi Van Spronsen Growth Assessment Spring II/2014 Page 5
EDUC 511 Foundations in Digital Teaching and Learning
GILBREATH FALL 2013 Overview of Program LiveBinder Creation So What, Who Cares Paper This was an excellent introduction to the program. I would suggest using Weebly instead of Live Binder since Live Binder is not user friendly or easy to navigate. EDUC 512 Instructional Application Productivity Software
TEMPLE FALL 2013 Creating a WebQuest Although WebQuests have been useful in the past they are becoming a bit outdated in the classroom perhaps alter this to authoring an iBook instead. EDUC 513 Digital Age Literacies
MULHAUSSER SPRING 2014 WEB 2.0 Tools Presentation I loved this class and all of the tools presented! EDUC 514 Digital Video in the Classroom
SELAK FALL 2013 Educational Video Video Editing This class was rich in resources and possibilities. Additional support in actual video editing would be appreciated. EDUC 515 Evolving Education Technologies
LEE SPRING 2014 Case Study Classroom Website This class was informational and was more theory focused. I did enjoy the Digital Citizenship discussions but it might be useful to create actual lessons for students instead of just discussing the need for it. EDUC 526 Azusa Pacific University Kimi Van Spronsen Growth Assessment Spring II/2014 Page 6
EDUC 522 Learning in the 21 st Century
COURDUFF FALL 2013 Curricular Unit plan integrating technology and multiple intelligences Summary Video This ranks as my number one class of the program! Although the most challenging and time consuming I learned more from this class than any other in my credential program and it was directly applicable to my classroom. EDUC 525 Web Design for the Classroom
MULHAUSSER SPRING 2014 Portfolio Website Classroom Website This class was helpful and hands on. Provided me with creative ideas and support as I create my own interactive classroom website. EDUC 526 Capstone Experience/Digit al Teaching and Learning HIXON SPRING 2014 Portfolio AR Proposal I enjoyed having the time to look back through the program and see what I have accomplished through my portfolio.
Evaluation of the impact of the Digital Teaching and Learning Program
The greatest impact I received from this program was the acquiring and exploration of using multiple intelligences in my classroom through technology implementation as seen in EDUC 522. Dr. Courduff is an amazing teacher and truly challenged me to think about my students in a new light! The workload was hard but the outcome was rewarding and completely altered how I view my classroom when I walk through the door.
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Program Evaluation Please describe your overall experience at APU. This can include the people you have been in contact with for admissions, advisement, front desk people etc. I have had overall a positive experience at APU. I completed not only my Masters here but my undergrad as well and I have been pleased with the communication and skills I have received. At times it would be difficult to discern exactly what was required for the Masters program but the answer was always only an email away and easy to obtain. Thank you for a fabulous experience!
Reflect on and address the strengths and weaknesses of the credential/program. Include any recommendations for program and/or course improvement. The program as a whole was a wonderful experience. The amount of tools and resources shared along with many of the projects completed were extremely useful and hands on. However I did feel that often parts of the classes repeated projects or shared the same tools over and over again. I understand that each teacher has a different set of resources to share but I sat through a How To for Google Drive at least 3 times. I am glad to have the knowledge but hearing it three times in three different courses was a bit over kill.