1

Kaelyn Bullock
JH/HS Social Studies Teacher, Shoreline Christian School
Spring 2016
INTRODUCTION
In 2006, I graduated from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I majored in
history and secondary education but none of my courses in undergraduate education included
training in properly incorporating technology in the classroom. I moved across the country upon
graduation to teach Social Studies at a small, private school outside of Seattle, Washington. As a
young teacher, I was comfortable using technology and incorporated it to the best of my ability.
As I considered getting a masters degree, I was drawn to a focus on Educational Technology. I
wanted to be sure I was using technology intentionally and effectively in my classroom. I was
pleased to find Boise State Universitys online program.
Each course in the program allowed me to apply my learning in very real ways. The
evidence of my learning will be presented in this this paper. Each class helped me prove my
competency for the Association of Educational Communication and Technology (AECT)
standards from 2012. There are five main standards: Content Knowledge, Content Pedagogy,
Learning Environments, Professional Knowledge & Skills, and Research. Each of the five
standards includes several sub-standards to describe what mastery entails.
This paper will allow me to prove my mastery of the AECT Standards. The paper will be
separated into the five standards. For each of the sub-standards I will describe the hyperlinked
artifact that demonstrates mastery. Most of these artifacts were used in my secondary-level
Social Studies classroom. I will describe how and why the artifact was made and explain how it
meets the standard. I will provide further information about how the artifact connects to current

2
educational theory and best practices. Finally, for each artifact I will reflect on how my mastery
of that standard has impacted my teaching.
STANDARD 1: CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
Candidates demonstrate the knowledge necessary to create, use, assess, and manage theoretical
and practical applications of educational technologies and processes.
Creating - Candidates demonstrate the ability to create instructional materials and
learning environments using a variety of systems approaches.
533 Playlist Lesson: This lesson plan was centered around a playlist of videos on YouTube. It is
on my educators YouTube channel. Click more to view the whole lesson plan that
accompanies the playlist. The goal of the lesson is to help secondary students become better
researchers.
When designing instructional materials, a teacher must attempt to match the content they
want to teach and the process the brain goes through to learn. Instructional Design models
encourage instructors to peak interest, present content, and allow for practice and assessment.
This lesson does just that, providing group discussion, individually paced videos and questions to
ensure understanding, practice researching content-based primary sources, and a game-based
assessment. This variety of systems: discussion, video, and games makes for rich learning.
Video-based lessons, asynchronous lessons allow for a great degree of personalization in
learning. Montgomery (2015) confirms that regular access to videos instead of a one-time
demonstration is extremely helpful for learning. Furthermore, the blended approach of video
instruction paired with face-to-face interaction is optimal for learning (Montgomery, 2015).
Integrating online videos seems to be a good starting point for many teachers looking to
integrate technology in their classrooms. In my own teaching journey, I had many videos in my

3
lesson plans and then had a realization that we did not need to watch videos as a whole class, in
fact it would be better if students watched on their own so they could pause, rewind, and rewatch as necessary. That realization helped begin my flipped-learning journey. As this lesson
demonstrates, I find it best to integrate videos and face-to-face interaction with students to ensure
optimal engagement with the material.
Using - Candidates demonstrate the ability to select and use technological resources and
processes to support student learning and to enhance their pedagogy.
541 Internet Enriched Lesson: Students will learn more about World War II by completing a
March Madness-style bracket. Students will post and comment on each others match-ups and
vote for winners using various websites. Knowledge learned will also be assessed using a webbased quizzing game.
This lesson plan integrates four resources to help students interact with each other around
the learning material. These websites allow students to post their learning and share their
opinions, new learning, and reflections. This interaction with the content and each other
enhances student learning. Sylvia (2014) recognizes that social media is a pervasive part of our
students lives and they must learn how to write public posts that enhance their digital footprint.
The sharing of learning and evaluating of topics through voting makes the assignment more
meaningful because there is a broad audience. Sylvia (2014), states, social media opens up a
greater variety of assignments that can help achieve outcomes at various levels of Blooms
Taxonomy in a way that is vibrant and current (p. 58).
Indeed the sharing of knowledge and ideas with social media is an exciting concept for
our socially connected students. The knowledge that their peers and the wider world will see
their work raises the stakes and, hopefully, improves quality. At the high school level, there are a

4
number of privacy issues that arise when using social media. As a result, I prefer to find closed
platforms that allow the class to share with each other and not with the entire world. As students
learn more about academic posting and digital literacy the audience can and will expand.
Assessing/Evaluating - Candidates demonstrate the ability to assess and evaluate the
effective integration of appropriate technologies and instructional materials.
541 Relative Advantage Chart: This chart identifies common tasks for students in Social Studies
classrooms and suggests a technology that would make the task easier. It identifies the advantage
of using technology for the task instead of traditional methods.
This chart has a very clear connection to the sub-standard. It shows the task, the
advantage to using technology and the expected, positive impact on student learning.
Scholars agree that TPACK, the intersection of technological, pedagogical, and content
knowledge is essential for effective technology integration. Byker (2014) has found that many
new teachers may have content knowledge and technological know-how, but they fail to meet
up. The relative advantage chart demonstrates all three areas coming together.
While I have spent many years integrating technology into my Social Studies curriculum,
I have not always taken the time to make sure I was not using technology for technologys sake.
The relative advantage chart allowed me to articulate the points where technological,
pedagogical, and content knowledge come together in my classroom with tools I have been using
for years.
Managing - Candidates demonstrate the ability to effectively manage people, processes,
physical infrastructures, and financial resources to achieve predetermined goals.
505 Evaluation Report: This was an evaluation I completed on my schools sports eligibilitychecking system. I compiled this report after identifying the stated goals of the program,

5
interviewing stakeholders, and electronically surveying participants.
Schools are full of systems that are widely accepted by most people and rarely evaluated
for efficiency and effectiveness. Our sports eligibility reporting system was one such system. It
has been in place for a long time with little revision or discussion. During EdTech 505, I was
able to put it through the evaluation process and identified areas that needed to be changed,
emphasized, and discussed. In order to complete this evaluation, I needed to manage a process to
communicate with three different groups of people: teachers, students, coaches, and the
academic counselor and athletic director. I had to develop surveys and interviews that would
allow me to identify how these diverse groups viewed the same program. Managing all of these
tasks and the information that was collected was a challenging process.
Evaluation is the systematic process of collecting and analyzing data in order to
determine whether and to what degree objectives have been or are being achieved (Boulmetis,
2011). In the end, I was able to manage the various groups involved in the process and help to
evaluate whether or not the program was meeting its predetermined goal to help student-athletes
put their academics first.
Ethics - Candidates demonstrate the contemporary professional ethics of the field as
defined and developed by the Association for Educational Communications and
Technology.
502 Copyright Scavenger Hunt: I created this lesson plan website using HTML5 and CSS with
Dreamweaver. The lesson requires students to visit several different websites to learn more about
copyright and fair use. Students must answer questions and they can check them with the
answers linked at the bottom of the page.
This scavenger hunt served as an important lesson to my students and a reminder to me to

6
honor the rules of copyright. It is especially important to keep in mind the limits of fair use. As
more and more student work is displayed online for a wide audience, students and teachers must
be even more vigilant to ensure materials are posted in an ethical way.
As a classroom teacher, I spend a lot of time teaching students to not cheat. Often, I can
be the worst offender, taking materials, lessons, and images from anywhere to use for instruction.
I am trying to improve my practices and try to model this ethical behavior for my students.
Teachers must be better models of appropriate behavior and do their best to teach and enforce
ethical practices in the classroom.

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.

Creating - Candidates apply content pedagogy to create appropriate applications of

processes and technologies to improve learning and performance outcomes. (p. 1)
534 Presidents Quiz: This is an Android app created by me using the MIT App Inventor website.
It quizzes students about presidential trivia. The link will direct you to my blog post about
making the app and my reflections about how it can be used in the classroom. It also summarizes
my process of designing the app.
In history classes, there are times when there are facts that need to be learned. Students
that match visuals with names and quiz themselves over and over will learn the information. This
is not very easy to do for some students because they would have to take the time to create
visuals and keep track of note cards to quiz themselves at different times. As we all know,

7
students almost always have their phones with them so this mobile app is the perfect solution for
them. Samuel and Hinson (2014) encourage the use of mobile technology for learning because it
can be game-based and used anywhere and anytime for learning. Creating this app and others
was a great learning experience for me. I enjoyed learning the new skill of coding. It also
reinforces the potential apps have for learning because they can be accessed whenever the
student needs it most.
I have not been able to use the Presidents app in my own classroom because it is only
available for Android. However, I have found that apps are easy to use in the classroom because
almost all students carry smartphones with them everyday. It is easy to use Quizlet, Kahoot, and
Socrative on a regular basis to help students review the information and check for their
understanding.
Using - Candidates implement appropriate educational technologies and processes based
on appropriate content pedagogy. (p. 141)
537 Blogging Activity: This unit plan about Colonial America involves students researching
information in gamified guilds and posting learning products and reflections on their blogs.
Educational technology is not something that should be added onto a lesson for the sake
of including technology. All lessons should start with good pedagogy that gets students actively
pursuing knowledge, thinking critically, and interacting with others. In this lesson the students
crowd source their research, work together to determine a road trip route to visit relevant
locations, post their products on their blogs, and comment on each others work.
Bartlett-Bragg (2003) outlined many ways to use blogs in the classroom and a process
that could be used to help students take ownership of their blogs and learning. She explains,
students move from personal knowledge publishing to reflecting on the knowledge learned and

8
providing guidance to readers, who may use the knowledge to enhance their own experience and
learning, as knowledge artefacts (Bartlett-Bragg, 2003, p. 8).
Since taking EdTech 537, I have confidently implemented blogs in many of my classes
and I also helped the second grade class start a blog. While the blogs did not turn out as well as
some researchers may claim, they are continuously improving.
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.
503 Instructional Design: This unit of instruction was designed for a second grade class to create
a class blog. Designing this unit involved surveying the learners and interviewing a subjectmatter expert.
The Instructional Design unit helped me to systematically plan instruction in a way I
never have before. I designed the instruction by following the ADDIE model. Larson and Lockee
(2014) define the ADDIE model as: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and
Evaluation. I had to determine what the students already knew about blogging and internet safety
through student surveys. With the surveys and teacher input in hand I designed an instructional
plan and developed learning materials. After the lesson was taught I received feedback from the
teacher, the subject-matter expert, and was able to evaluate what I would change for future
lessons. Learning about instructional design has certainly helped me to rethink the structure of
my courses, using brain-based research to systematically plan units. It has also inspired me to get
more feedback from students and reflect on my practice to help inform future changes.
Managing - Candidates manage appropriate technological processes and resources to
provide supportive learning communities, create flexible and diverse learning

9
environments, and develop and demonstrate appropriate content pedagogy.
542 PNW Flag Design PBL Unit: This Project-Based Learning unit asked groups of students to
design a flag representing a migrational group to the Pacific Northwest. They were asked to
present their flag design and convince viewers of the importance of the group in a video. The
plan, resources, and assessments are all included on the website. The unit followed the suggested
structure of the Buck Institute, a leader in Project-Based Learning.
A Project-Based Learning (PBL) unit is a complex web of activities and resources that
results in a rich learning experience for students. I have always been curious about PBL and this
course allowed me to learn the official process. Cheu-Jey (2015) asserts that PBL calls, for a
student-centered approach to knowledge acquisition (p. 63). I strive for this student-centered
approach in my classroom but managing the PBL process can be difficult. The website I created
with Google Sites allowed my students to experience the PBL process with flexibility. They
were able access, resources, rubrics, and the schedule whenever they needed it.
Placing materials online on a website or Learning Management System is a necessity in
todays classroom. It allows parents to stay informed about classroom happenings and students
can access materials for just-in-time learning, when they really need it. Furthermore, as a
teacher it helps to keep evenings free when needed information can be accessed by students and
parents in a central, accessible place. In my classroom I have used Edmodo and Google
Classroom.
Ethics - Candidates design and select media, technology, and processes that emphasize the
diversity of our society as a multicultural community.
501 Digital Divide: This screencast presentation defines the digital divide, gives examples of
how it impacts education, and questions to consider for overcoming the divide.

10
The screencast was made in my first EdTech class. Any discussion about educational
technology must start with the question of access and this presentation does just that. It evaluates
common areas in my school setting where the digital divide comes up like wealth and age gaps.
Ultimately, I suggest that there must be a balance to keep our school moving forward and
mindfulness of those people that struggle to keep up.
The project was based on the U.S. governments National Educational Technology
Plan from 2010. Herold and Doran (2015) point out that the digital divide has changed since
that report, most schools now have access to technology but it is not being used effectively by
teachers. My school continues to suffer from lack of devices and some of our families do not feel
comfortable letting their students have unlimited access to technology. Our technology is mostly
limited to the computer lab, but we have done our best to increase access to WiFi in our
buildings. We are currently planning to purchase mobile technology for the school and I look
forward to closing the divide we experience at our school.

STANDARD 3-LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

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

Creating - Candidates create instructional design products based on learning principles

and research-based best practices.
503 Instructional Design: For this project, I reached outside of my subject area and designed an
instructional unit for second graders. I surveyed the students on prior knowledge and met with a
subject-matter expert to help students create blogs. The classroom teacher continued to use blogs
with her second graders for the rest of that school year.

11
This Instructional Design unit used the ARCS model to motivate and structure the
learning. The ARCS model was developed by Keller in 1983 and calls on instructors to gain the
attention of students, make the content relevant, build confidence that students can meet the
learning objectives, and gain satisfaction by completing a task. In this lesson I gained attention
by telling jokes. Then I helped them realize the relevance of their learning by explaining their
work would be posted online for other to see. They gained confidence that they could complete
the task when they found out they would be able to work on it with a partner. Finally, they had
the satisfaction of posting a blog their parents could read. They continued to update their blogs
for the rest of that school year. Motivation is such a core piece of teaching and the ARCS model
is an excellent framework for building motivation into lessons, I continue to remind myself to
follow this model in designing instruction in my own classroom.
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.
501 Annotated Bibliography: I used Google Scholar and the Albertsons Library to find peerreviewed articles to support the use of blogs and gamification in the classroom. I created APA
citations, summarized each source, and evaluated the sources usefulness for determining the
efficacy of lesson.
This artifact was very useful to me as I considered gamifying some of my courses. It was
a big change to my curriculum and I was not sure how colleagues, parents, and students would
receive it. Supporting my instructional decision with educational research was a helpful move.
While I was not questioned about my motives, I was able to include peer-reviewed references on
some of my materials. The articles also provided helpful ideas on how to implement that

12
particular strategy. Taking the time to do research on educational trends and changes is an
important and helpful step to ensure that what you are doing will have a positive impact on
student learning.
Assessing/Evaluating - Candidates use multiple assessment strategies to collect data for
informing decisions to improve instructional practice, learner outcomes, and the learning
environment.
542 PBL Assessments: In 542, I designed a Project-Based Learning unit asking students to
design flags for the Pacific Northwest. This website provides the formative and summative
assessments to be used throughout the unit.
A large project with many different components requires frequent formative assessment
and clear standards, aligned with learning objectives for summative assessment. To make sure
students were on the right track, students completed project logs. They submitted rough drafts of
their flag design and received feedback from the art teacher and me. I would regularly check-in
with students on their scripts throughout the process and collected a rough draft. The summative
assessments for all elements were available to students on the website.
Rubrics for final products have always been a necessity. However, as my instruction
becomes more student-centered and the process of learning is emphasized, I realize that I must
incorporate much more formative assessment. Technology tools such as Google Drive and
Classroom have made it much more practical to provide frequent check-ins because I can
comment directly on their documents as they work.
Managing - Candidates establish mechanisms for maintaining the technology
infrastructure to improve learning and performance.
505 Response for Proposal: This is a response for a proposal for a fictitious call from Far West

13
Laboratories. The company was asking for plans for evaluating their training curriculum. This
report details my plan for evaluating the program.
Educational technology is often guilty of buying the latest tool and software and then
forgetting about it or not using it to its full potential. This was the problem Far West Laboratories
was facing, they developed e-curriculum for training that they never did anything with, and they
needed a formal evaluation to determine what their next steps would be. In the response for
proposal, I put my evaluation skills to work planning what I would do. I included bios, described
survey plans, and provided a breakdown of the necessary budget. This demonstrates that I can
make a complex plan to maintain a technology program.
The response for proposal would translate well to school districts looking to study
whether or not tech purchases should be made. It all begins with clear objectives, but if those
become muddied it is important to take a few moments to figure out where people are at
(students, teachers, and administrators) and then determine what needs to be done to get the
technology working to improve student learning.
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.
533 Copyright/Fair Use Lesson: This media literacy lesson uses Google Forms to guide students
to various videos to help them understand how to ethically use other peoples work for their
projects.
Many students and teachers alike are happy to use any resources they find and include
them in their work. The Edtech program has done a good job of emphasizing that is not ethical.
Professors lead by example, using public domain materials or purchasing rights to use. This has

14
helped me be more aware of my own faults and I also wanted to give that awareness to my
students. The Copyright/Fair Use lesson plan was made for my EdTech 533 class and I used it
for all of my classes during the first week of school. I am very pleased with the tone it set for the
rest of the school year; students have frequently used terms like, fair use and public domain
which would not have been in their vocabularies if not for this lesson. I will continue to use it in
future years and will try to lead by example in the same way my professors have done.
Diversity of Learners - Candidates foster a learning community that empowers learners
with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and abilities.
541 Adaptive/Assistive Technologies: The linked slideshow describes scenarios that would be
difficult for students with learning challenges in a Social Studies class and suggests technologies
to alleviate those challenges.
My classrooms have a great number of students with learning disabilities. Social Studies,
being a text-heavy course, can be really difficult. However, over the years the number of
technologies to help these students has grown dramatically. The nice thing about these
technologies is that many of them are free, It is important to choose an appropriate and efficient
device or tool, which does not necessarily have to be an expensive device designed just for
educational purposes or for students with disabilities (Alnahdi, 2014, p.19). This slideshow
reviews common problems that students may face in Social Studies classes and identifies a
technology, mostly free that helps them close the gap they may experience due to their disability.
In my experience, I have been surprised by the number of parents and students that do not know
the capabilities their phone has and how they can use their devices for educational, assistive
purposes, not just entertainment and communication. This presentation could easily be shared
with the school counselor and parents to make them aware of the tools their students can use to

15
help them be more successful in the classroom.

STANDARD 4-PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Candidates design, develop, implement, and evaluate technology-rich learning environments
within a supportive community of practice.

Collaborative Practice - Candidates collaborate with their peers and subject matter experts
to analyze learners, develop and design instruction, and evaluate its impact on learners.
503 Instructional Design: For this project, I reached outside of my subject area and designed an
instructional unit for second graders. I surveyed the students on prior knowledge and met with a
subject-matter expert to help students create blogs.
Teaching in a small school where I make up the entirety Social Studies department, I
dont get to collaborate with my peers very often. Designing this unit for the second grade class
was a great experience. I interviewed the teacher about the students and looked at learning style
inventories before setting out to design instruction of how to teach them to write blog posts. This
step was crucial because it is important to understand your learners and gain rapport with the
teacher. It was also very interesting to get the teachers feedback on my lesson. I enjoyed this
intentional process of collaboration. I continue to try to collaborate with co-workers and fellow
teachers (on Twitter) in a less formal way. The instructional design process will be even more
helpful as I look to move into a role of coaching teachers to integrate technology into their
lessons. This course really helped me to understand the importance of gaining the trust of the
classroom teacher and getting to know the students before you begin your design. Throughout
the program I have been able to collaborate with my EdTech classmates and I hope this will

16
continue over venues like Twitter.
Leadership - Candidates lead their peers in designing and implementing technologysupported learning.
501 Tech Trends: This blog post was written in reaction to my reading the Horizon Report for
Higher Education that outlines promising tech trends. I found gamification on that report and
developed materials for integrating it in my own classroom; those materials are linked in the blog
post.
August 2015 Presentation: This slideshow was used at a Professional Development event I
presented at called the August Event. Before dismissing to edcamp-style discussions, I primed
attendees minds introducing frameworks of Constructivism-based technology integration, using
research I collected from EdTech 504.
Many teachers resist the use of educational technology because they feel overwhelmed by
the number of resources out there. In 501, we were introduced to the Horizon Report that helps
educators determine what trends have emerged and the educational benefits of those tools. I took
one trend and developed educational materials to share with others based on those trends.
Furthermore, I have partnered with a local, professional development organization, Alta Vista to
lead workshops for teachers in our area. The slideshow is from that presentation. Throughout this
program, I have worked hard to share my learning with others and help them realize the benefits
of student-centered technology.
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.
EdTech Learning Log: This blog I maintained for many EdTech courses: 501, 534, 541, and 542.

17
Many of the posts are reflections on the assignments I created each week in class.
A large component of learning is reflection, without it we may go through the motions
without taking the time to think through our new skills and ideas. Incorporating new technology
especially requires that the teacher think about how well the technology was used as a tool to
meet learning objectives. Boyd, Gohrman, Justice, and Anderson (2013) asserted that the public
space of blogging and the interactions with fellow educators can help lead to pedagogical
change. I would agree that the interactions from my classmates and professors helped me to think
more deeply about the choices I make in the classroom. It was also nice to use this blog as a way
to consider how I might use my learning from the course in my actual classroom, especially in
cases when it was not so obvious. Finally, blogging really helped build community resulting in a
safe, open learning environment. I hope to maintain my blog to reflect on and share my practices
with a wide audience.
Assessing/Evaluating - Candidates design and implement assessment and evaluation plans
that align with learning goals and instructional activities.
505 Evaluation Report: This artifact is an evaluation I did of the sports eligibility program at my
school. The eligibility system is meant to hold athletes accountable to their first priority,
academics. I gave surveys and interviewed stakeholders to determine how well the program was
meeting that goal.
Evaluation is a systematic process of gathering information in order to see if objectives
are being met or in order to make a decision (Boulmetis & Dutwin, 2011). I used the goal-based
method of evaluation to determine if the program was meeting its stated objectives. I collected
quantitative data, distributed surveys with the Likert scale as well as qualitative data, shortanswer questions and interviews with key personnel. In the end, I found that the program was

18
meeting its objectives but I suggested some ways to streamline the process and areas of the
program that needed to be better communicated. Going through such a process of evaluating a
program was time-consuming but well worth it, especially if you are going to make large
investments hoping to improve student learning. Learning about evaluation also helped me
understand that planning for any new program should always include a place for evaluation
along the way.
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.
502 Netiquette Project: This website was created by me in Dreamweaver, using HTML5
language and CSS styles. The webpage is intended to inform high school students about the
concept of netiquette, or online manners and standards of behavior.
It is important for teachers and students alike to be on their best behavior when
interacting with others online. Wallis (2012) asserts that many netiquette resources are not clear
or serious enough and that educators, who likely use social media in a professional context, have
an important role to play in helping teenagers navigate their online behavior. As we introduce
more blogging at our school I think it is important to remind students of these guidelines. In the
past month, I have had to speak with a student about the possible legal consequences that could
have come if he left negative things he said about another student published on his blog. It is
certainly a constant battle to help teenagers to realize the consequences of their actions. The
same standards that I outline on this website I would expect for my students and myself.

STANDARD 5-RESEARCH

19
Candidates explore, evaluate, synthesize, and apply methods of inquiry to enhance learning and
improve performance.

Theoretical Foundations - Candidates demonstrate foundational knowledge of the

contribution of research to the past and current theory of educational communications and
technology. (p. 242)
504 Synthesis Paper: This paper synthesized research from various learning theories, behaviorist
and constructivist, in particular to argue in favor of a constructivist use of technology. It utilized
several sources and made the claim that technology use should be agentive, discovery-based, and
community-oriented.
This synthesis paper was a central component to my study of educational technology.
One of my main goals in joining the program was to gain an understanding of why technology
should be used. In starting this class, I was not enthusiastic about digging deep into educational
theory. However, through my research, I was able to cultivate a clear vision for technology use.
It should be agentive, used by students to for wide purpose, to better understand and even
change the world. Next, it should be discovery-based. While there is a time and place for drilland-practice websites, technology should be rooted in questions and research. Finally, students
working with technology should not be doing it in isolation, but rather to collaborate and interact
with others. These markers should be the goal for technology integration. There is, of course, a
place for more behaviorist uses of technology but teachers should strive for these three
constructivist goals.
Method - Candidates apply research methodologies to solve problems and enhance
practice. (p. 243)

20
537 Blogging Proposal: This artifact contains a letter written to the Education Committee at my
school. It outlines how and why I would use blogs in my classroom. It also details a framework
for blogging based on a referenced, scholarly article.
While blogging is becoming more popular in K-12 classrooms, it is still greeted with
uncertainty by administration because of privacy issues and fears of blogs being using to bully or
harass others. After taking EdTech 537, Blogging in the Classroom, I was convinced that the
advantages outweighed the disadvantages. To help our Education Committee see my rationale
for blogging, I created this proposal explaining the benefits of blogging in the classroom and
outlining a research-based best practice for blogging. I used Boise States library databases to
find current, scholarly journal articles related to the topic. The reasoning used in the proposal
remains the same. I have used blogging in my classroom with success, however I would like to
work toward including more of the guidelines that Bartlett-Bragg (2003) suggested.
Assessing/Evaluating - Candidates apply formal inquiry strategies in assessing and
evaluating processes and resources for learning and performance. (p. 203)
501 Tech Maturity Report: This artifact was created to evaluate where my school stood in regard
to Technology Maturity Model Benchmarks. I systematically went through each standard and
rated my school, based on some feedback from my colleagues collected and compiled using
Google Forms. I also provided anecdotal evidence based on my own experience.
Every school has a culture that exists. Many rules and procedures go unspoken with little
evaluation. However, those cultures and guidelines need to be looked at from time to time. My
school has a very unique culture. Teachers have a lot of autonomy and they like it that way.
Unfortunately, the autonomous islands are not so great when our school needs to look forward
for a technology plan. Going through the Technology Maturity Benchmarks helped me realize

21
that in order to move forward in technology, we need to hold each other more accountable.
Fortunately, my school is also realizing this and as we consider purchasing new technology we
are trying to have a shared vision and unified professional development to help us become more
mature.
Ethics - Candidates conduct research and practice using accepted professional (p. 296) and
institutional (p. 297) guidelines and procedures.
504 Learning Theories Paper: This artifact gives a brief overview of constructivism, identifies
the major contributors, main principles, and ways the theory is applied in classroom teaching.
The paper is a synopsis of current, scholarly journal articles about constructivism and how
educators are applying this theory in tech-enhanced learning environments. These articles were
found on the online databases of Boise States library.
When I was completing my undergraduate studies in education, the theory of
constructivism attracted me. However, as a pre-service and then a novice teacher I desired the
control that behaviorism and direct instruction gave me. As I have matured as a teacher I have
moved toward a constructivist approach, completing research for this learning theories paper
confirmed my leanings and provided practical applications for a constructivist classroom.
Lattucas (2006) quote resonated with my teaching style:
Constructivist pedagogy doesnt relieve the teacher of the responsibility to teach; it
expands the definition of teaching. Teaching is not delivering content. It is the act of
designing experiences that enable learning. (p. 356)
Whatever educational theory you lean toward, it is helpful to understand its origins, criticisms,
and intended applications of it. This research has made me more confident to use a constructivist
approach as I prepare student-centered, inquiry based lesson plans that integrate technology.

22
Conclusion
Being a part of the EdTech Program at Boise State has been wonderful. I have really
enjoyed interacting with my professors and classmates around a topic I am passionate about. I
have learned about some new technology tools and more importantly, solidified my philosophy
and vision for technology use. Unexpectedly, I learned more about instructional design and
program evaluation. Surprisingly, I have come to appreciate learning theory. As my school looks
ahead to some big technology upgrades, I leave this program with confidence that I will be able
to significantly contribute to making our technology program successful.

23
Bibliography
Alnahdi, G. (2014). Assistive technology in special education and the universal design for
learning. Turkish Online Journal Of Educational Technology, 13(2), 18-23
Bartlett-Bragg, A. (2003). Blogging to learn. The Knowledge Tree, 4.
Boulmetis, J., & Dutwin P. (2011). What is evaluation? The ABCs of Evaluation: Timeless
Techniques for Program and Project Managers (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Boyd, A., Gorham, J. J., Justice, J. E., & Anderson, J. L. (2013). Examining the apprenticeship
of observation with preservice teachers: The practice of blogging to facilitate
autobiographical reflection and critique. Teacher Education Quarterly, 40(3), 27-49.
Byker, E. J. (2014). Needing TPACK without knowing it: Integrating educational technology in
Social Studies. Social Studies Research & Practice, 9(3), 106-117.
Cheu-Jey, L. (2015). Project-based learning and invitations: A comparison. JCT: Journal Of
Curriculum Theorizing, 30(3), 63-73.
Herold, B., & Doran, L. (2016). U.S. Ed-tech plan calls attention to 'digital-use divide'.
Education Week, 35(15), 8.
Januszewski, A. & Molenda, M., Eds. (2008). Educational technology: A definition with
commentary. New York: Taylor & Francis.
Lattuca, L. (2006). The constructivist pedagogy were looking for. Journalism & Mass
Communication Educator, 60(4), 354-358.
Montgomery, A. (2015). Blending for student engagement: Lessons learned through the video
vignette. In Proceedings of E-Learn: World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate,
Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2015 (pp. 125-129). Chesapeake, VA:
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

24
Samuel, J. C., & Hinson, J. M. (2014). From mundane to mobile: Best practices for changing
static content into interactive learning. Journal Of Applied Learning Technology, 4(3),
25-27.
Sylvia IV, J. J. (2014). Using Bloom's Taxonomy to assess social media assignments. Journal
Of Interdisciplinary Studies In Education, 3(1), 50-60.
Wallis, K. (2012). Social media etiquette: How to behave and stay safe online. Education
Journal, (142), 8.