Chris Fosket
Professional Portfolio
The following is an outline of my course experiences, while a participant in the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program, at Michigan State University.
Annotated Transcript
Spring 2010
CEP 810- Teaching for Understanding with Computers
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Instructor- Michael Partridge
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Currently referred to as Teaching for Understanding with Technology, this was my first course in the certificate program through Michigan State University (MSU), via a satellite offering in my district. I had always had a love for technology, but was unaware as to how much more I could grow! CEP 810 introduced me to the foundations of the Educational Technology program, as I learned of the concept of Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK), something I was totally unfamiliar with at the time. CEP 810 was also my introduction to Gmail, Blogger, and Google Docs. I haven’t looked back since!
CEP 811- Adapting Innovative Technology to Education
Instructor- Michael Partridge
As this course piggy-backed the CEP 810 experience for me, my blogging skills and ability to develop instructional tools for my students did as well. As we developed our Stand Alone Instructional Resources (StAIR), I found myself learning how to use Moodle and teaching myself how to better use Microsoft PowerPoint in order to come up with an animated lesson which incorporated technology on what, at that time, was a much more limited scope. Fortunately, I was spending a lot of time on the Distributive Property and came up with a lesson which, at that time, I was proud of.
Summer 2010
CEP 812- Applying Educational Technology to Problems of Practice
Instructor- Michael Partridge
Now referred to as Applying Educational Technology to Issues of Practice, this course gave me the opportunity to expand on what I’d learned in CEP 810 and 811, by having me develop a WebQuest, as well as an instructional and identify an area in which I felt I could make improvements to my instruction in the classroom environment. As a special educator, my challenges throughout the program were in selecting which curriculum to focus much of my time on. Much of the time, I chose mathematics, but I was also able to key in on an instructional area related to study skills, which proved to be helpful for the population of students with which I work. My WebQuest focused around mathematics, where my problem of practice focused on ways in which I could improve the study/academic skills my students had, in order to help them experience a higher level of success in any classroom setting.
Summer 2015
CEP 800- Psychology of Learning in School and Other Settings
Instructors- Cary Roseth, Ph.D., Diana Campbell
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The title says it all. There was a great deal of psychological reference and research in this course, which served as a refresher for me in some ways, having done my undergrad with a focus on emotional impairments. One of the tasks in this course was to better grasp the concept of “understanding student understanding,” and recognizing students as individuals, as to better support their learning needs in the classroom. I was able to do this with the creations of lessons around the Distributive Property, a reflection on a Quizlet project I did while co-teaching Geometry, and in an interview, I held with a current college student on the Writing Process. While I enjoyed much of the new information I encountered, I believe I more so enjoyed the opportunity to express my knowledge through the use of technologies I’d not yet explored, being given the task of creating a podcast and some animated slide shows and exhibiting the ability to edit them as well.
CEP 815- Technology and Leadership
Instructors- Benjamin Gleason, Ph.D., Sarah Keenan
While I had returned to the Master’s in the Art of Educational Technology (MAET) program to change my certificate into a master’s degree and I greatly enjoy technology, I did not anticipate that I would enjoy the leadership component so much. Long resigned to a career strictly as a teacher, I experienced a new perspective of thought here, as I learned about the 7 transformations of leadership and was encouraged to dig deeply into challenges leaders face on a daily basis. My instructors challenged me time and again to review, rethink, and revise, always trying to see differing perspectives which may arise as difficult decisions needed to be made. I also greatly enjoyed the opportunity to reflect in creating a manifesto, which, for me, was a personal reflection of my role as a special educator, and helped me to recognize things in my practice which I’d done for so long, but not reflected on as being significant.
CEP 822- Approaches to Educational Research
Instructor- E. David Wong, Ph.D., Daniel Freer, Emma Ha Nguyen, Ph.D.
Our course syllabus described the course as intense and given the quantity of information and having CEP 800 and 815 at the same, time, this was definitely the case. The course exposed us to many different types of research, proper ways in which to cite and explore research materials, as well as how to express, more concisely our findings within the research we explored. While I found the course to be somewhat tedious, I felt I was provided a nicely developed progression of learning throughout, and I thoroughly enjoyed my topic of school start times, while completing my Review of Literature. There are so many things we can do in the order of what is best for kids!
Fall 2015​
CEP 820- Teaching Students Online
Instructors- Anne Heintz, Ph.D., Elizabeth Boltz
Teaching students online required me to really dig into my curriculum at a time when I had just begun a new position. The class was given current standards and models for online learning and pushed to delve deeper into the concept of the flipped classroom. Tasked with creating an online curriculum for my classroom, as I'd just started in a new district, I chose to take advantage of the opportunity to introduce my special education classroom(s) to and teach them about a handful of the Google suite of educational apps, which they'd previously not been introduced. This included Gmail, Drive, and Docs (students were eventually introduced to Slides and Classroom as well). Students were also able to experience both synchronous and asynchronous communication as they had to edit a document a peer had done.
Spring 2017
CEP 817- Learning Technology Through Design
Instructors- Aman Yadav, Ph.D., Diana Campbell, Ph.D., C. Cheng, C. Richardson
Initially intimidated by the concept of trying to design/create material, as it related to technology, this course turned out to be so much different than what my expectations had been going in, as I learned much about my thought processes and work/study habits. While I was able to surprise myself with some creative thought and feel as though my Problem of Practice was very valid, I found that drawing attention to the concept of "incubation" was invaluable. It highlighted the importance of taking the time to step back, gather one's self and approach a challenge with a fresh mindset and possibly perspective. I take this forward to remind my students that it's okay to step away from work that is frustrating or challenging and return to it refreshed.
Summer 2016
CEP 813- Electronic Assessment for Teaching and Learning
Instructors- Paul Morsink, Ph.D., Sarah Keenan
Assessing students in a digital context to inform our instruction was the key in CEP 813, as we were challenged to move away from "teaching to the test" and dig more deeply into student needs. I really felt challenged in this course to dig more deeply, to flesh things my responses while completing assignments, and to truly examine what it was I was working to accomplish for my students. This was a challenging course to take in the summer, as I did not have access to curricular materials in my new school district. Much of the work I created required me to draw on prior knowledge. Despite this, I felt I was able to do so rather effectively. As a special educator, working with students with emotional impairments, I found myself looking for ways to assess student need on a socio-emotional level, in regards to how each student may approach a subject emotionally, thus having an effect on student effort and performance.
Summer 2017​
CEP 807- Capstone in Educational Technology
Instructors- Matthew Koehler, Ph.D., Aric Gaunt, Sarah Keenan, Brittany Dillman
In this final course, I was not sure what to expect. The concept of Capstone brought with a true factor of intimidation, which left me uncertain as to how I would be challenged to display the knowledge I had gained throughout my time in the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program. I have greatly appreciated the pace, the care with which this course was constructed and that care that was taken to ensure that the Capstone process would be manageable and beneficial. I have been amazed as I have taken time to reflect and construct projects within this course at how much content was actually covered in what seemed like such a short period.