Growth Assessment

Running head: LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CHALLENGE
Wendy Flores EDUC 526 Growth Assessment Page

Azusa Main Campus Spring II June 2014
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Looking Forward to the Challenge
Wendy Flores
Azusa Pacific University, Azusa
EDUC 526 Capstone Experience in Digital Teaching and Learning
Dr. Courduff
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1036835
May 12, 2014

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Looking Forward to the Challenge
Section One
Introduction
I entered the Digital Teaching and Learning program on the advice of Dr. Landers. I had
observed for many years the shift towards technology in the classroom and knew that it was a
great advantage to be prepared to incorporate the changing digital landscape into my classes. As
I began my teaching education I did not give technology much thought, my first lesson plans
never incorporated how students would use technology.
When I began my Masters classes I was in the midst of trying to pass the necessary CSET
requirements. I was in some ways stuck; I wanted to move forward but was at the mercy of the
tests and deadlines. I entered the Masters program in order to continue my education while I
completed my credential. Emotionally, this took a toll. There were many days where I felt that I
was not going to move ahead and complete what I had worked so hard to achieve. But as I come
to the end of this program I realize how much I have grown in my philosophy as a teacher. I am
not just preparing myself for the inevitable shift towards digital mediums in the classrooms I
embrace them and see their potential.
During the time that I completed my masters I was working as a tutor. I saw my tutoring
center shift from paper and pencil to iPad based programs. This helped clarify for me the benefits
and limits of how technology is used. In many ways the switch at my tutoring center mirrored
what is happening in many schools. The content is delivered digitally instead of through books
and lectures. However, the format of the content stays the same. Pretests, guided instruction,
independent work and mastery tests are still the focus of education. This shows me that
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traditional elements of education are still necessary but we are still not using digital technology
to its fullest potential in most schools.
As I continued my work in Digital Teaching and Learning my goals began to change and
take shape. At first I wanted to merely feel competent as a teacher in a digital environment. But
now I want to be a conscientious teacher that understands the true value and limitations of digital
formats. I now see that great digital education incorporates what great teachers have always
done. Technology can provide content, assistance and feedback in a faster and more convenient
way to students. Nonetheless, the quality of the education will be dependent on my abilities to
observe the needs of my students and communicate effectively through or in conjunction with
digital formats.
Personal Growth
I have learned that I flourish when I get to be creative. When I decided to pursue a career
in teaching, creativity was not at the forefront of reasons why I wanted to go down this path. I
liked the structure of math classes. I liked that all math problems had a clear answer. There was a
security in math that I craved. While those things remain important I have loved the challenge of
developing new ways of teaching content. I wanted to challenge myself to develop wild concepts
and connections to math. I wanted students to see how math enhanced their love for music, art
and design. This stemmed from the fact that so many people have shared with me their own
struggles with math education. It became clear to me that I wanted to teach math to those
students that hated math. I want to convince students that they could succeed in math while also
enjoying themselves.
I also used to think that I did my best work under stress. I habitually procrastinated in
high school. In college it became necessary to stick to a better schedule. When I entered graduate
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school I did not actively think about pacing my workload but just found that I wanted to remove
much of the stress that I had previously placed on myself. I also had the benefit of working part
time, which allowed me to spend my time wisely. There was one eye-opening week where I had
misread the syllabus and completed two weeks of work early. Over the next two weeks I
benefitted from the extra time and vowed to keep up the schedule. I have not always maintained
this schedule but I know that gone are the days when I leave things to the last minute. There are
too many other things to worry about to not get things done when I can get them done.
I have also learned to embrace the quiet time necessary for thinking and writing. As a
high school student I almost always did my homework while watching television. But now I
enjoy my hours spent in a library away from noise. I have heard so many students tell me that
they need noise in order to study but as I have continued my education in adulthood I realize how
much dilutes the process. As I reflect on these two aspects of my growth I realize how
fundamental this wisdom is. I have always been told to give myself a head start and a quiet place
to think. But as often is the case, the ego of the student overcomes the students desire to do well.
This has helped me understand the mindset of my future students. Many will feel that they can
do it all and on their own terms, and will ignore this same sage advice until they too find the joy
in a quiet time and place for intellectual growth.
Over the past couple of years I have also become more aware of how much I affect my
community. I can be anxious and easily overwhelmed and did not think of myself as having a
particularly positive outlook on life. However, while dealing with the stress of grad school and
life in general, I realized how vital it was to contribute to a positive and supportive community. I
have made great life long friends while completing this program and the support that they have
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given me is precious. I want to reciprocate that love and support back and foster that type of
environment in my classroom.
Professional Growth
My first experience as a teacher was in Seoul, South Korea. I was not interested in
teaching as a career I was interested in traveling. That first year of teaching was at times close to
disastrous but also illuminating and life changing. It was challenging, fun and exhausting. Upon
my return to the United States I was not sure I wanted to teach but found myself increasingly
drawn into the field.
I had little to no training in Korea. Never the less it was an amazing experience. As a
teacher, I did what I had to do to get through the day. This included a lot of busy work and
reliance on semi educational games. By the end of the year I had developed confidence and
organizational skills but still lacked a strong foundation in teaching methods to flourish in my
new career.
Through my studies at Azusa Pacific I learned why the things that worked, succeeded and
why the strategies that did not, failed. I have also learned to venture out and create more complex
lesson plans. At times I still worry about all the details that could go wrong. I worry about
putting so much time into a project just to see students be unresponsive to a new activity. I have
learned that it is important to take it all in stride, that every activity does not have to run
smoothly for my students or myself to learn.
In Instructional Applications of Productivity Software, I designed for the first time a
WebQuest. It was exciting to create a project that included math and design in such an intriguing
way. It helped me answer the inevitable question from students, when will I use math. Now I
can create projects that help students ask, What new worlds can math help me explore?
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From my experience in Learning in the 21
st
Century, I was able to incorporate social
media into the curriculum. This was one of the biggest eye openers of my entire program. I had
always believed that a great community helps deliver a great education. I wanted students to
collaborate and support one another instead of competing with one another but I was not aware
of how this could be done with technology. In many ways I thought technology killed the
classroom community. This class helped me develop a unit plan that was centered on
collaboration with other students and was made possible through social media apps. I was able to
use free, easy to access software to deliver content to students but most importantly build support
channels for my students.
Technical Growth
A secondary reason that I entered the Digital Teaching and Learning program was that I
felt very comfortable with computers. I liked learning about technology and what they could do.
Most importantly I liked fixing problems that I encountered in everyday.
What I have gained from this experience is a better understanding of technology systems.
I have better concept of how technology works as a whole within the educational system, and
how to work with given resources. I also learned how to advocate for certain digital resources by
showing that they are more cost effective and beneficial.
Life Long Learning Plan
I hope to one day pursue a PhD in education. It has been a running theme since my first
classes here at Azusa Pacific to explore the power of community in education. Being a Latin
American woman, I know first hand how empowering and damaging a community can be to
educational success. I was fortunate to be raised by parents that never waivered in their
commitment to helping my brother, sister and I achieve academically. On the flipside, I have
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seen parents in my community that do not support or bother with their childrens education. At
times this is due to ignorance or circumstances. My fear is that Latin American students grow up
thinking that they do not belong to an intellectual community.
For my Multicultural Education class with Dr. Yee-Sakamoto I developed a plan to help
Latin American students develop a cultural identity that valued and highlighted Latin American
contributions in areas such as art, music and literature. I would really like to develop this concept
further to help students see themselves as capable of high academic achievement. In order to do
this I need to continue to submerge myself in research. This is why I would like to pursue a
doctorate and contribute to our understanding of the identity and experience of Latin American
students.
I also understand the value of professional development. Prior to my masters classes I did
not notice how important it was to have ongoing training. But as I learned how quickly the
educational landscape changes I see the need to involve myself in a community that supports
professional development. I hope to join a teacher organization such as National Council of
Teachers of Mathematics or an organization committed to edtech training.
Section Two
History of Coursework
Name:

Term:
Wendy Flores

Spring 11 2014

LiveBind
er
URL:
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1036835
Course
Course Title &
Instructor Name
Term
Completed
Key Skills Acquired Comments/Suggestions
EDUC
511

Foundations in
Digital Teaching and
Learning

INSTRUCTOR:

Fall I
Dr.
Gilbreath
Live Binder and focus
for what I wanted to
accomplish throughout
the program.
I enjoyed getting to meet Dr.
Gilbreath. This introductory class
made me feel very supported as I
began the program.
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EDUC
512

Instructional
Applications
Productivity Software

INSTRUCTOR:

Fall I

Kristi
Hernandez
Better understanding of
day-to-day software. I
also learned how to do
a WebQuest.
I enjoyed the technical emphasis.
EDUC
514

Digital Video in the
Classroom

INSTRUCTOR:

Fall 1

Bill Selak
Using iMovie and
YouTube
It was difficult to apply some of
the software into a math course.
Felt that more hands on work
would have been beneficial.
EDUC
515

Evolving Educational
Technologies

INSTRUCTOR:

Spring I

Dr. Lee
Digital Citizenship and
evaluating technology
Would like to see more real world
examples of how educational tech
is being used right now.
EDUC
522

Learning in the 21st
Century

INSTRUCTOR:

Fall II
Dr.
Courduff
Understanding multiple
intelligences and
applying Blooms
taxonomy
Really grateful for the work that I
accomplished in this class.
Learned a lot about my own
creativity and ability.
EDUC
526

Capstone Experience/
Digital Teaching and
Learning

INSTRUCTOR:

Spring II

Dr.
Courduff
Reflection and unit
planning.
Workload was a bit
overwhelming. Perhaps things
like Vita could be started in
previous courses.

Evaluation of the Impact of the Digital Teaching and Learning Program
One of the first apps I was introduced to in the Instructional Applications course was
EduCreations. For me, it is a much more accessible form of digital video that my students or I
can use. EduCreations will be a great way to provide supplemental material to students that are
struggling or as a way of implementing the flipped classroom model. My main goal will be to
use EduCreations to give a quick overview of key topics or terms so that students are more
prepared to work on complex problems during class.
Program Evaluation
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My experience at Azusa Pacific has been a true blessing. The friends, professors and
challenge helped me transition out of a difficult time in my life. I have struggled with anxiety
through various times in my life. Prior to beginning the credential and masters programs I felt
lost and had a serious lack of self-esteem and self worth. I needed to be a part of something
important and found that here. It has been wonderful to be at school that constantly upholds
Genesis 1:27. I have felt welcomed by my professors and constantly reminded that God desires
us to value each and every student. This reminded me that God has a plan for my life and that I
should remind my students of their worth and purpose every day that they are in my classroom.
My time at Azusa has been challenging but equally rewarding and I am very thankful that I have
been able to continue my education here.
I was very grateful to Mrs. Hernandez for taking the time to review basics of word
processing and spreadsheets. Even though this topic was familiar, it is easy to assume that
students understand the basics or correct formatting. This has taught me that it is important that
my students be trained in the proper use of software in the classroom, especially if I work with
populations that do not have as much access to technology as others. I am also happy that this
was also echoed in courses I took with Dr. Courduff. I know that properly training students will
be both empowering for students and contribute to healthy classroom management.
One of the classes that I had mixed feelings about upon completion was Digital Video in
the Classroom. Bill Selaks knowledge and passion for teaching and subject matter were evident
throughout the course. However, after completing assignments and final projects I felt as if I
could have done better or had a clearer goal in mind when creating and editing videos. I always
felt as if I had gained some knowledge of creating video but had not improved my skills as much
as I would have liked. I would have appreciated more hands on time in the classroom to plan,
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film and edit videos rather than discussing the new software or gadgets available for use. For this
subject in particular, group work in the classroom would have helped me understand and
troubleshoot issues rather than trying to develop and create a video all on my own. In many ways
I know the focus of the class was to get our feet wet with video but I would have liked to feel
more accomplished and know that I contributed in creating a video that exceeded high
expectations.
Social media was another theme that ran throughout the program. I like that the program
pushed me towards using tools such as blogging and Twitter but I would also like to see some
discussion on how, as teachers, we can make social media a more meaningful community
experience rather than a digital assignment.

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Running head: LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CHALLENGE

Wendy Flores EDUC 526 Growth Assessment Page

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