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Fiom Besiie, to Necessity, to Besiie

}onathan Piatt
EB0C S26 Capstone Expeiience in Bigital Teaching anu Leaining
Bi. }ennifei Couiuuff
Azusa Campus (viitually)
1292u1S










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Section 0ne:
Intiouuction
Fiom the moment I met my wife, I knew we woulun't get along. You see, I was a
giauuate of Concoiuia 0niveisity - Iivine, anu Kayse was a giauuate of AP0. I knew that
much like 0SC0CLA oi AubuinAlabama families, when oui schools competeu, theie
woulu be no peace. Bowevei, when I was finishing my enlistment in the 0niteu States
Naiine Coips, I maue one last attempt to offei an olive bianch - I applieu at AP0 to eain my
Nastei of Nusic in Conuucting. This is wheie my heait was, anu this is what I uesiieu to
stuuy.
It wasn't long befoie my wife anu I uiu some basic math anu figuieu out that, if we
weie going to tiy foi oui seconu chilu, I'u bettei huiiy up anu get a teaching job. So a yeai
into my N.N., I switcheu ovei to the Teachei Euucation Piogiam in oiuei to secuie my
Single-Subject Cieuential. These classes weien't neaily as fun as the music classes that I
was useu to, but this is what my family neeueu.
A yeai anu a half aftei the Naiine Coips, while I was attenuing AP0 anu woiking
pait-time at Staibucks, I was offeieu a job with the Capistiano 0nifieu School Bistiict
(C0SB) as a Nusic Teachei. I was unbelievably thiilleu because, not only woulu I get to
bypass stuuent teaching foi some ieal teaching expeiience in one of the best uistiicts in the
state, but I woulu also get paiu to uo it! Neeuless to say, my family coulun't have been moie
blesseu by my S-houi iounu-tiip uaily commute fiom Azusa to Laueia Ranch. But, still at
this point, I was planning to finish my N.N. in Conuucting - aftei all, I have uieameu of
being a well-known conuuctoi since I fiist stuuieu conuucting in college.
I staiteu with C0SB in Febiuaiy with an unquenchable feai that }une woulu come,
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anu I woulu not have a job offei foi the following yeai. Foi that ieason, I immeuiately began
applying foi eveiy alluiing job in the state of Califoinia. The necessity of a bieau-winning
job began to look a bit uaunting. Faiily quickly, I noticeu a job at a chaitei school in an
enchanting place calleu Rivei Belta 0SB. As a new teachei, I hau to uoogle "chaitei school"
in oiuei to ieacquaint myself with the teim. Fiom the moment I applieu, theie was
something about this job that stuck out to me.iight up until they calleu me to set up an
inteiview. I coulun't believe that I was staiting to heai back fiom multiple schools about
position foi which I was applying.
Well, aftei a biief phone inteiview, my family maue a ioau tiip to Saciamento in
oiuei that I coulu inteiview foi the position of Nusic Biiectoi at Belta Elementaiy Chaitei
School (BECS). I coulun't believe the gieat expeiience that I hau inteiviewing foi the
position anu the waim ieception that I ieceiveu when I went back a couple uays latei foi a
tiial iun with some of the stuuents. Quickly, my uesiie to finish my N.N. was becoming
moie anu moie complicateu.
It wasn't a week latei that I was about to walk into a job faii at a local Bigh School
when I got a phone call fiom the Biiectoi of BECS. Even with my phone uiopping the call,
anu the winu blowing so haiu that I coulun't even wiite uown a phone numbei, I coulu
make out his voicemail as saying that he woulu like to offei me a job - a job that I knew
woulu immeuiately challenge my abilities as a teachei - especially as a new teachei.
BECS has a continually giowing stuuent population with a constantly expanuing
music piogiam. It's faiily unheaiu of foi a full-time elementaiy music teachei to woik at a
single site because schools have typically slasheu theii music piogiam to the point of less-
than-pait-time neeus. This is not the case at BECS because of its chaitei. The founueis of
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the school wiote the Aits so ueep into the fabiic of the school, that the music teachei woulu
piactically be the last non-classioom teachei to be ieleaseu. Pieviously, this school has
pioviueu music euucation foi each of its giaues K-6 with Recoiueis being taught in S
iu
,
Beginning Banu being offeieu in 4
th
giaue, anu Inteimeuiate Banu being available foi S
th

anu 6
th
giaueis. Neeuless to say, with the musicals, the conceits anu the constant neeu to
boost the oveiall success of the piogiam, this job woulu stietch my skills in all uiiections.
So then, my wife anu I hau a huge uecision to make. We coulu ieplant oui family in
Saciamento, wheie we hau viitually no fiienus, anu stait a bianu new mastei's piogiam, oi
we coulu stay in Southein Califoinia wheie we woulu nevei be able to affoiu to buy a house
on a single income, but I woulu be able to finish my N.N. The options weie cleai anu we
chose to step out into oui fiist ieal auventuie as a husbanu anu wife. I switcheu my vA
benefits ovei to a Nastei's Begiee in Bigital Teaching anu Leaining anu we've nevei lookeu
back.
Alieauy this yeai, I have been thiilleu with the expansion of Beginning Banu to all
4
th
giaue stuuents. Pieviously it was optional, but with the puichase of moie instiuments, I
have alieauy been able to cieate auuitional expeiiences foi stuuents. Auuitionally, this will
set up oui Inteimeuiate Banu foi a seconu yeai of iecoiu numbeis anu the oppoitunity to
play music at a much highei level. All in all, I see an entiie school of about S4u stuuents
multiple times a week, in vaiious capacities (e.g. I have 4
th
uiaue ueneial Nusic on
Nonuays, in auuition to Beginning Banu (A) on Nonuay anu Thuisuay, anu Beginning Banu
(B) on Tuesuay anu Fiiuay). I am constantly finuing ways to take the piogiam to a highei
level of peifoiming anu a highei level of leaining - heie is wheie this Nastei's Piogiam is
ieally helping me as a music teachei.
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I woulu be lying if I tolu you I expecteu this piogiam to be uifficult. Ny goals foi this
uegiee weie to stait the classes, get the vA benefits that my seivice hau acciueu foi my
family, anu giauuate. Foi suie, this was a case of jumping into a pool that was ueepei than I
hau expecteu. Thankfully, the piogiam is uesigneu in a way that, each time the pool gets
ueepei, theie is always a piofessoi theie to guiue you until you aie able to tieau watei.

Peisonal uiowth
As a 0.S. Naiine, I leaineu many things about myself. 0ne of those things is how bau
of a stuuent I hau been my entiie life. I hau nevei valueu homewoik, stuuying, oi woiking
aheau on piojects. In spite of this, I staiteu to ieau, anu foim bettei stuuy habits even
befoie I left the Coips. I felt that foi the fiist time in my life, I woulu be able to accomplish
gieat things anu eain goou giaues that I coulu be piouu of.
Now, being a giau stuuent anu a fiist yeai teachei, living in a new aiea, expeiiencing
the stiuggles of having my wife in the hospital, anu two kius unuei the age of thiee, all of
my goals of being a gieat stuuent aie being tiuly challengeu. I have nevei hau such a heait-
wienching feeling as when I come home fiom woik, only to gieet my family foi about S
minutes befoie I go anu sit in the office while I attenu class oi get couisewoik uone. This
makes me veiy giateful foi the oppoitunity to eain this uegiee - but also veiy sau that I'm
missing hunuieus of houis with my wife, when oui faith anu maiiiage is stiongei than its
evei been; anu with my uaughtei, at what seems like the cutest stage of hei life thus fai.
As a music teachei, I always am looking foi ways to ielate my lessons to the iest of a
stuuent's euucation. Bowevei, by having such a gieat gioup of piofessois anu fellow
stuuents, I know that I will nevei have a question that cannot be answeieu by my AP0
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netwoik. I have met some absolutely biilliant teacheis who have tuineu me on to topics
that I nevei thought woulu have ielateu to music. Auuitionally, I have met some stuuents
with whom I hope to teach at some point in my caieei. The weekly shaiing of iueas anu
netwoiking of iesouices is a piiceless aspect of this piogiam that alone is woith its weight
in tuition.
Peisonally, this uegiee will make me the thiiu peison in my immeuiate family to
eain an N.A. in Euucation - my biothei's is also in Euucational Technology. I know that he
hau to uiive neaily an houi to each of his night classes; thankfully, I have been able to take
most of this uegiee viitually. Even so, when this uegiee is uone, I will be able to
momentaiily catch my bieath. I will have been taking classes full-time since August 2u11,
changeu jobs twice, completeu a teaching cieuential, staiteu two veiy uiffeient mastei's
piogiams, moveu ovei SSu miles fiom my wife's anu my families, anu hau a son.
0nfoitunately, the bieak will only be tempoiaiy, because I will begin my uATE Ceitification
in Febiuaiy anu BTSA in the Fall. Neeuless to say, by finishing this Begiee, I will be able to
take a ueep bieath, enjoy a pay inciease, anu be able to intiouuce my stuuents to some
awesome euucational technology.

Piofessional uiowth
At AP0, my stuuies have taught me moie about my stuuents. I have leaineu how to
teach to theii stiengths in oiuei to maximize ietention anu make a moie lasting impact. I
have seen gieat examples of instiuction by my piofessois anu have uevelopeu healthy
stiategies foi maintaining safe anu euifying ielationships with stuuents. I have also leaineu
auuitional instiuctional stiategies that I plan to infuse into my teaching. Some examples aie
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classioom flipping (EB0CS1S), auueu iecognition of stuuent Nultiple Intelligences
(NIs)(EB0CS22), anu instiuctional technology that spaiks stuuent leaining anu
involvement (EB0CS1S).
Since the beginning of this mastei's piogiam, I have begun to take an active iole in
uisseminating useful infoimation to my colleagues. When I leain useful websites, uevice
tips, oi collaboiation techniques, I shaie them with fellow teacheis who might be
inteiesteu in expanuing theii teaching. I have founu that eveiyone fiom Kinueigaiten to
Leaining Centei teacheis have been inteiesteu in some of the infoimation that I have
gleaneu fiom this uegiee.
Since I stateu my giauuate stuuies, I have become incieasingly inteiesteu in
ieseaich. I finu it fascinating to test theoiies anu concepts in oiuei to consistently impiove
the ways that we teach. When I fiist ieau ieseaich fiom Robeit Buke fiom The 0niveisity
of Texas at Austin, anu }ames Byo fiom Louisiana State 0niveisity in Baton Rouge, I felt that
quantifiable ways of measuiing the nuances of teaching was something that inteiesteu me.
To take my fiist step into this aiena, I plan to conuuct an Action Reseaich Stuuy that
measuies the benefit of instiuctional technology within the music classioom. I will teach
two sepaiate 4
th
giaue classes the same lessons - one using tiauitional means of teaching,
anu the othei using auuitional technology uevices anu methous. Ny hope is to stait on a
path towaius finuing stiaightfoiwaiu ways to builu my music piogiam thiough the
implementation of technology-iich instiuction anu auuitional technology anu uevices foi
stuuent use.

Technical uiowth
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I've heaiu that holiuay family get-togetheis often become ask-youi-tech-savvy-
sibling-foi-uevice-auvice uays. I have uefinitely uone my faii shaie of sibling-schmoozing
foi tech auvice with little to no othei ieason foi making the phone call. This uegiee has
helpeu me with my tech ueficit anu has tuineu me into much moie of a contiibution to
society - as fai as Eu Tech is conceineu. Now, I am the one with the cool tiicks to maneuvei
thiough the scieens anu folueis of an iPau, to zoom, swipe, scioll, pinch, anu tap like a pio,
anu to connect, scan, chaige, mount, anu sync my uevices like the genius that I've always
wanteu to be.
In ieality, I feel like this uegiee is not enough. I am still not a contiibuting membei of
my own PLN. I am a consumei. I uo not cieate Eu Tech blogs, memes, oi aiticles that seive
any puipose. yet! Thiough the couisewoik, a seeu has been planteu that has humbleu my
faith in my cuiient skill. Nuch like the iole of a Naiine Coips Biill Instiuctoi in the life of a
young ieciuit, theie is a piocess of bieaking uown befoie the giauual builu-up of a Naiine.
I know that it will take much moie time, euucation, anu uevelopment foi me to become an
euucatoi that is able to use technology with the confiuence anu expeiience that I woulu
piefei.
Peisonally, I have begun to use my iPau infinitely moie than I evei useu to. Eviuence
of this, is the incieaseu numbei of times that I've uioppeu it anu hau to ieplace it's scieen. I
use it in my teaching with the Reflectoi app (EB0C S12) in oiuei to inciease my mobility in
the classioom while still allowing me to visually communicate with the class.

Life Long Leaining Plan
Since my time in the Naiine Coips, I have felt confiuent in my wish to continually
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iefine myself thiough euucation, peisonal ventuies, anu matuiity-instilling activities. These
things make me a bettei chilu of uou (not that uou looks at any of those things), husbanu,
fathei, anu euucatoi. Because of this, I tiuly want to establish a ihythm foi myself that
incluues euucation confeiences, less-tiauitional methous of piofessional uevelopment,
inuiviuual mentoiship, ieauing anu wiiting, anu iisk taking that expanus my cieativity anu
thiist foi innovation. This is something that I want to instill in my stuuents anu in my own
chiluien, because I feel stiongly that cieativity - much like what takes place in music - is a
cycle of failuie anu iebuiluing that shapes us as inuiviuuals anu as innovatois.
In five yeais, I see myself in a similai job to wheie I am now. I hope to expanu to a
miuule school piogiam wheie I have the oppoitunity to woik with stuuents fiom S
iu
giaue
iecoiueis, thiough 4
th
giaue beginning banu, anu onwaiu thiough miuule school music. I
feel stiongly that stuuents aie ueeply affecteu by music - the life-lessons that it teaches, anu
the spiiitual anu emotional outlet that it piesents. I think that I woulu like to continue to
teach elementaiy anu miuule school music foi at least S yeais befoie moving onto any
othei ventuies.
Aftei S-1u yeais, I woulu consiuei expanuing my expeiience towaius high school oi
college teaching. I feel that I woulu uo well as a college piofessoi of music, even though I
know that I woulu neeu to engage in moie giauuate music stuuies befoie that coulu
become a ieality. I love the fine-tuning that comes fiom woiking with expeiienceu
musicians, although I think I coulu builu a high school piogiam to involve a similai kinu of
musical excellence. I woulu like to be seen as a teachei with whom kius aie exciteu to woik.
I want to builu piogiams that aie centeieu on self-motivation, self-contiol, anu self-
ieflection. I want to have many expeiiences of stuuents leaving my classioom as gieatei
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leaineis, citizens, anu inuiviuuals than when they aiiiveu.

Section Two:
Bistoiy of Couisewoik anu Couise Evaluation
In this piogiam, I've leaineu many lessons that aie focuseu aiounu technology anu
the tools anu methous that suiiounu it; but I have also leaineu valuable teaching lessons
that uon't iequiie the use of technology. 0f these lessons is the benefit of use Nultiple
Intelligences (EB0C S22) to ieach youi stuuents in a way that best fits theii bouy's neeus.
0ne of the best ways that I've uone this is by auuing multiple inteipeisonal, intiapeisonal,
anu kinesthetic activities that allow the stuuents to leain anu piocess in a way that best fits
theii neeus. Fiom heie, I have seen auueu attention, inteiest, anu ietention fiom stuuents.


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=>?!
@AA
Founuations of
Euucation
Technology

INSTR0CT0R:
Boyle Pottei
Summei
2u1S
LiveBinuei set-
up.
Intio to
Piogiam.
This class gave a simple
intiouuction to the
piogiam anu got me going
in the iight uiiection. It
wasn't too uifficult, but it
piepaieu me foi what was
coming.
=>?!
@AB
Instiuctional
Applications of
Piouuctivity
Softwaie

INSTR0CT0R:
Kiisti
Beinanuez

Summei
2u1S
Woiu
Piocessing anu
spieausheet
fluency.
WebQuest
Pioject.
iPau app uses.
Nail Neige.
I feel like this is one of
those classes that I shoulu
take eveiy S yeais foi the
iest of my life. Theie is so
much gieat infoimation
that I coulu continually
benefit fiom this gieat info.
Thankfully, now I can
ieseaich these tips anu
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tiicks on my own. Kiisti
was a fantastic piofessoi
foi this couise!!!
=>?!
@A@
Evolving
Euucational
Technologies

INSTR0CT0R:
}ason Seliskai

Fall 1 2u1S
PLNs, Twittei,
anu blogging.
Eu Tech apps
anu piactical
uses within the
classioom.
}ason is a wealth of
knowleuge! This was the
couise that tolu us B0W to
stay involveu anu up-to-
uate on Eu Tech. Aftei this
class, I have the powei to
be in chaige of my own
piogiess.
=>?!
@BB
Leaining in the
21st Centuiy

INSTR0CT0R:
Bi. }ennifei
Couiuuff


Fall 1 2u1S
Nultiple
Intelligences.
Eu Tech uses
within the
classioom.
This is a gieat couise
because it blinusiues us
with Nultiple Intelligence
application. By thiowing
this info into the piogiam,
we weie foiceu to be veiy
specific on how we use the
apps anu websites that
we've been leaining about.
I was veiy happily
suipiiseu by the gieat info
that I leaineu about myself
anu my stuuents.
=>?!
@AC
Bigital viueo in
the Classioom

INSTR0CT0R:
Bill Selak

Fall 2 2u1S
viueo euiting.
Lighting.
Photo types foi
viueo
composition.
uoogle+
Community
shaiing.
This class excites me the
most because I love the
iuea of incoipoiating viueo
piouuction into my geneial
music classes.

=>?!
@BD
Capstone
Expeiience
Bigital Teaching
anu Leaining

INSTR0CT0R:
Bi. }ennifei
Couiuuff

Fall 2 2u1S
Action Reseaich
Cuiiiculum
Poitfolio
Cuiiiculai vita
uiowth
Assessment
This class gets all of oui
uucks in a iow in oiuei to
complete the piogiam. It
uefinitely foices us to uiaw
fiom all of the infoimation
that we've leaineu to this
point. I'm exciteu to uo the
Action Reseaich anu shaie
what I've leaineu.

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Piogiam Evaluation
0veiall, I have been pleasantly suipiiseu about the amount anu quality of
infoimation that I've ieceiveu fiom AP0 anu this piogiam. Fiom the Nusic Bepaitment, to
Teachei Euucation, to Bigital Teaching anu Leaining, I have met wonueiful piofessois who
aie knowleugeable anu iespectable. I know what kinu of a teachei I want to be, baseu on
some of the examples that I've seen; fuitheimoie, I know that although I love Eu Tech, I uo
not want to make it the futuie of my foimal euucation. I want to get back to stuuying music
as a piinciple subject. I know that technology will now have a laige emphasis in how I teach
music, but my sights aie set on being the best music euucatoi that I can be.
This piogiam is a gieat iuea foi any teachei simply uue to the benefit that
technology has in each classioom. The ability to finu, manage, anu pull fiom blogs, tweets,
anu confeiences is a tool that coulu help teacheis to finu answeis to neaily any question
about Eu Tech. I think that this piogiam has useful assignments that help to acquaint
canuiuates with tools foi stuuent engagement anu success.
Finally, I think the best pait of this piogiam is the piofessois who aie incieuibly
knowleugeable about theii couises anu Eu Tech in geneial. In my opinion, AP0 has some of
the gieatest instiuctois, each teaching an aspect of Bigital Teaching anu Leaining foi which
they have a passion. I coulun't have been happiei about the piofessois with whom I hau the
oppoitunity to woik.