Nancy Curley

 Summative Evaluation of the Portfolio process

I had been teaching pretty much the same subjects at the same school and grade level for 14 years when I first heard that Onslow County was forming a cohort for a MAED in Instructional Technology from ECU.  The first informational session hosted by Dr. Ron Preston was a packed house. After listening to Dr. Preston describe the program, I left the session very excited but also apprehensive.  I was entering my 50’s, had been out of school myself for many years, and was not sure I was up for the challenges of graduate school.

 I decided to apply early and take just one class to start off. EDTC 6010 was taught by Dr. Slagter van Tryon in the fall of 2012.  I remember clearly the stress I felt completing the very first assignment on Blackboard which seems funny to me now.  Dr. Slagter van Tryon is the reason I decided to continue on in the program.  She was very encouraging and helpful through that first class.  My experience there grew my confidence to continue on with the cohort and ultimately apply for and be hired as an Instructional Technology Coach in the fall of 2013. The newsletter which is the artifact for 6010 gave me a clear idea of what the field of instructional technology was and of the theoretical and historical basis for Instructional Technology.

As I continued in the program, each new class introduced me to theory and content that I could directly apply to my new position within the county.  EDTC 6020 and EDTC 6025 required me to apply the ADDIE model to the development of an ISD project.  Comparing the different ISD models such as ASSURE, Dick and Carey Model and Rapid Prototyping helped me to understand the careful step by step planning and evaluation that must be implemented to successfully plan instruction for students and for professional development modules for my school.  The artifacts for these two courses are linked in that the first from 6020, emphasized the front end analysis in the ISD process.  The 6025 project complemented the 6020 project by emphasizing the evaluative aspects of ISD planning.  Prior to taking these courses I had never planned for or conducted professional development for teachers. These two courses laid the foundation for future courses and for my new position as an Instructional Technology Coach in the public school system.  The knowledge of the analysis phase of the ADDIE model has been invaluable to me in my job in order to prepare for and plan instruction for teachers.

The module for EDTC 6037 demonstrates my ability to integrate technology into the math, science and healthful living curriculums.  In this course we looked carefully at the Common Core and Essential Standards objectives for North Carolina and applied the ASSURE model in order to integrate technology into those areas of the curriculum.  In this artifact we provided a narrative to the planning for integration of technology into a math lesson of our choosing.  The emphasis was not just on the use of technology tools but in applying ISD theory to structure the lesson well by knowing the audiences, writing objectives, choosing appropriate strategies, media and materials for instruction.  This artifact set me on a successful path to work with K-12 teachers to help them to implement the use of technology in their classrooms and to be able to justify the process as well grounded in research based principles. 

The multimedia portfolio created as the artifact for EDTC 6139, Selection and Integration of Multimedia for Prek-12 Schools, changed the way I looked at technology tools for the classroom.  Each entry was well researched on criteria for its usefulness in the K-12 setting.  Through that process I learned that it is not enough to say here is this cool website or software tool.  Instead anything I recommend to a teacher to use will be tested for not just features but if our school systems can support its use, if it contains advertising that may be inappropriate, if there is a cost involved, and what is its potential use to differentiate instruction and support school and state objectives.

The final two entries in my portfolio I feel show my blossoming as a teacher leader and technology leader in my school.  The Policy Manual that was written over the semester of EDTC 6149, Administration of School Technology Programs.  Each section of the manual was well researched and written to be potentially used in an actual school setting.  Finally the final report for the internship, EDTC 6992, shows my ability to fully accept all aspects of being a technology leader at my school.  My experience in the Graduate School has been a profound experience for me professionally and personally.  It truly has changed my thinking, my circle of influence and my life.