2.

3 Authentic Learning
Candidates model and facilitate the use of digital tools and resources to engage students in
authentic learning experiences. (PSC 2.3/ISTE 2c)
Artifact Link - Engaged Learning Project
Reflection
This Engaged Learning Project was completed during the spring of 2014 in ITEC 7400
21st Century Teaching & Learning. This field experience involved developing an Engaged
Learning Project that had a high level of technology integration in addition to being a multidisciplinary, student-directed, long term learning experience for a sixth grade classroom. Taking
into account the student population of mostly ESOL students from lower socioeconomic
households with equitable access to technology in the classroom, I created an integrated Social
Studies/English Language Arts/Mathematics lesson that focuses on budgeting, career choices,
salary, cost of living, personal saving, investments, and costs of college attendance.
This engaged learning project was designed to provide students the opportunity to use
digital tools and resources for authentic learning and to encourage them to engage in high level
critical thinking skills to develop a budget and savings plan as well as provide an analysis of
their research data. Diverse student needs were addressed in the plan through the use of extensive
collaboration and support through peers, teachers, outside experts, and assistive technology as
needed. By allowing students to choose their own desired careers and budgeting expenses, they
would be able to take a key role in their learning and pursue their unique interests. This project
gave me the chance to model and facilitate technology-infused instructional design for my
colleagues. The use of rubrics and student reflection as a formative and summative assessment
demonstrated my ability to measure student learning and determine the level of technology

literacy. In the future, I would administer a prior knowledge survey before beginning this lesson
plan in the classroom so that the instructional time could be devoted to authentic learning tasks.
As one of my first projects in this graduate level program, this project had only a small
impact on the level of technology integration and a modest improvement in stakeholder interest.
This engaged learning project gave me my first opportunity to demonstrate my understanding of
technology integration so that I could assist others in improving their current levels of usage in
their classrooms. I was able to then offer coaching to teachers so that they could begin to take the
steps needed to address the needs of 21st century learners. This was the first step on the path of
my graduate program in Instructional Technology. Educators started to see the possibilities
available with technology, and they started to consider how they could use my assistance to
develop new learning opportunities for their students that used more technology.