We found 6 results that contain "maet"
Posted on: #iteachmsu
College of Education's Mini-MOOC on Remote Teaching
The Master of Arts in Educational Technology Program (MAET) at Michigan State University is honored to support the amazing work that educators are doing around the world as they transition to a range of remote teaching contexts. Our Mini-MOOC on Remote Teaching focuses on high-priority, digestible topics with the intent of applying them to practice tomorrow. Because educators are teaching across a range of remote teaching contexts, we include no-tech, low-tech, and high-tech strategies throughout the experience. This Mini-MOOC is a self-paced learning experience. For more information, including enrollment information, please go to the College of Education MAET Blog: https://edwp.educ.msu.edu/maet/2020/03/30/maetminimooc/
Authored by: Breana Yaklin
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: Educator Stories
Brittany Dillman's Educator Story
This week, we are featuring Brittany Dillman, MAET Graduate Certificate Program Coordinator, within the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education at MSU. Brittany was recognized via iteach.msu.edu's Thank and Educator Initiative! We encourage MSU community members to nominate high-impact Spartan educators (via our Thank an Educator initiative) regularly!
Read more about Brittany’s perspectives below. #iteachmsu's questions are bolded below, followed by their responses!
You were recognized via the Thank an Educator Initiative. In one word, what does being an educator mean to you?
Love.
Share with me what this word/quality looks like in your practice?
Being an educator is an act of love. I have always known this, but I don’t think I have always been able to (brave enough or self-secure enough) enact this in ways that I do now.
Have your ideas on this changed over time? if so how?
In previous versions of my educator self, I put content first. Now, I put learners first. This includes checking in with them kindly, sharing myself and my humanity (flaws, quirks, and challenges), and giving them lots of chances. I have learned so much from the work of Lisa Laughman and the MSU Health4U program about emotional wellness to help me make the shift from content first to learners first.
Tell me more about your educational “setting.” This can include, but not limited to departmental affiliations, community connections, co-instructors, and students. (Aka, where do you work?)
I am the Graduate Certificate (GC) Programs Director for the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program in the College of Education at MSU. This is my favorite job in my life (so far). In my position, I work very closely with my team to create and maintain curriculum, advise GC students, teach online and hybrid master’s-level courses, support a group of phenomenal adjunct instructors, promote our program and the amazing work of our instructors and learners via social media, recruit students, and anything else that comes up.
What is a challenge you experience in your educator role?
The biggest challenge we face in our program is the increasing prices of MSU tuition and the barriers that cause for potential learners, particularly those learners of color or disability. Our program is phenomenal and students are consistently, incredibly pleased with their experience with us, but the cost is prohibitive for too many learners. In addition to our “assigned duties,” my colleagues and I are looking for grants and other ways we can support our students financially. We haven’t had the success that we want with this, but are continuing to explore big and small ways we can support our learners.
Any particular “solutions” or “best practices” you’ve found that help you support student success at the university despite/in the face of this? What are practices you utilize that help you feel successful as an educator?
I work with an amazing team (program staff and adjunct faculty) and we intentionally focus time and energy on how we work as a team, building our team’s strength, and ways we can improve as a team. This provides the foundation for all of our other work. You’ll notice that most of my answers center around how my team functions because that is what supports me as an educator.
We have a shared mission and vision that we all believe in and buy into. We have it on our website, in our presentations, and on our meeting agendas. We use that to guide us in our decisions. I feel like that sounds a bit cheesy, but it’s true and it really helps!
We believe in and use backward design for course design, and also for program design and decisions to move us forward. So, we make decisions that lead us toward our mission and vision.
Along the way, we make mistakes and so we iterate. One of our instructors emailed me yesterday and wrote, “You are masters of iteration!” We aren’t perfect, but we try to get better.
We rely on each other and our strengths. I bring organization (and spreadsheets!). Other colleagues bring creativity, writing, and networking/connections. We don’t pigeonhole ourselves into these archetypes, but we build off of the best of what we can each bring.
We push each other, question each other, and engage in critical questioning with our ideas. We do this in safe and kind ways, but it helps us all get better when one person asks a question like “have we considered this other way?”
We treat each other, our learners, and instructors, as human beings who are amazing and flawed. We respect each others’ humanity and help when we can. It’s not perfect, but we do our best.
What topics or ideas about teaching and learning would you like to see discussed on the iteach.msu.edu platform? Why do you think this conversation is needed at MSU?
Because my program is educational technology, there is often an assumption that we know everything - all the tools, apps, programs, and all the tricks and shortcuts. We don’t. We ground our program in pedagogy and thoughtful design based on the TPACK Framework (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). I wish all Spartan educators would approach curriculum, design, teaching, instruction, and assessment from a thoughtful, human-centered perspective. How do you design your course to best fit your content, your context, your students, your available technologies, and pedagogies? Then, how do we teach in alignment with this? Then, how do we assess students? Then, how do we improve the whole cycle for the next round? Will specific technologies be a part of this process? Of course! But my wish is that we can keep students at the center of all our work. Two of my favorite MSU events that do this are the Accessible Learning Conference (held in the fall) and the Spring Conference on Teaching, Learning, and Student Success (held in May annually). So, if you are seeking fellow Spartans with this perspective, I recommend starting in those places.
What are you looking forward to (or excited to be a part of) next semester?
So much!
My colleagues and I have been taking some Quality Matters courses to learn more about their research, best practices of online education. So, I am excited to use some of my new knowledge this fall with students and experience the impact of some of the design decisions we have made based on our new and improved knowledge.
I haven’t taught, yet, in 2021 (based on my work schedule and some course buyouts) so I am excited to teach this fall. Our program shifted to a program-wide ungrading philosophy and practice in Fall 2020 and I am excited to get “back” into that now that we’ve had a chance to iterate and improve it.
I am looking forward to my children starting school (they just turned 5) and to experience their continued growth and learning...and being a parent of kids who are in school (a new experience for me)
Finally (and maybe most of all) I’m looking forward to fall weather. I know we need to appreciate all of Michigan’s amazing seasons, but fall is my favorite! I look forward to crisp days, colorful leaves, apple cider, donuts, and pumpkin spice flavored everything for the few short weeks it’s with us. I’m so sorry that pumpkin spice has gotten such a bad reputation in the last few years (though pumpkin spice flavored goat cheese does take the trend a smidge too far for even me). So, if there are fellow fall and pumpkin spice lovers out there who want to connect (or talk about pedagogy and teaching), please email me: dillmanb@msu.edu
Don't forget to celebrate individuals you see making a difference in teaching, learning, or student success at MSU with #iteachmsu's Thank an Educator initiative. You might just see them appear in the next feature! Follow the MSU Hub Twitter account to see other great content from the #iteachmsu Commons as well as educators featured every week during #ThankfulThursdays.
Read more about Brittany’s perspectives below. #iteachmsu's questions are bolded below, followed by their responses!
You were recognized via the Thank an Educator Initiative. In one word, what does being an educator mean to you?
Love.
Share with me what this word/quality looks like in your practice?
Being an educator is an act of love. I have always known this, but I don’t think I have always been able to (brave enough or self-secure enough) enact this in ways that I do now.
Have your ideas on this changed over time? if so how?
In previous versions of my educator self, I put content first. Now, I put learners first. This includes checking in with them kindly, sharing myself and my humanity (flaws, quirks, and challenges), and giving them lots of chances. I have learned so much from the work of Lisa Laughman and the MSU Health4U program about emotional wellness to help me make the shift from content first to learners first.
Tell me more about your educational “setting.” This can include, but not limited to departmental affiliations, community connections, co-instructors, and students. (Aka, where do you work?)
I am the Graduate Certificate (GC) Programs Director for the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program in the College of Education at MSU. This is my favorite job in my life (so far). In my position, I work very closely with my team to create and maintain curriculum, advise GC students, teach online and hybrid master’s-level courses, support a group of phenomenal adjunct instructors, promote our program and the amazing work of our instructors and learners via social media, recruit students, and anything else that comes up.
What is a challenge you experience in your educator role?
The biggest challenge we face in our program is the increasing prices of MSU tuition and the barriers that cause for potential learners, particularly those learners of color or disability. Our program is phenomenal and students are consistently, incredibly pleased with their experience with us, but the cost is prohibitive for too many learners. In addition to our “assigned duties,” my colleagues and I are looking for grants and other ways we can support our students financially. We haven’t had the success that we want with this, but are continuing to explore big and small ways we can support our learners.
Any particular “solutions” or “best practices” you’ve found that help you support student success at the university despite/in the face of this? What are practices you utilize that help you feel successful as an educator?
I work with an amazing team (program staff and adjunct faculty) and we intentionally focus time and energy on how we work as a team, building our team’s strength, and ways we can improve as a team. This provides the foundation for all of our other work. You’ll notice that most of my answers center around how my team functions because that is what supports me as an educator.
We have a shared mission and vision that we all believe in and buy into. We have it on our website, in our presentations, and on our meeting agendas. We use that to guide us in our decisions. I feel like that sounds a bit cheesy, but it’s true and it really helps!
We believe in and use backward design for course design, and also for program design and decisions to move us forward. So, we make decisions that lead us toward our mission and vision.
Along the way, we make mistakes and so we iterate. One of our instructors emailed me yesterday and wrote, “You are masters of iteration!” We aren’t perfect, but we try to get better.
We rely on each other and our strengths. I bring organization (and spreadsheets!). Other colleagues bring creativity, writing, and networking/connections. We don’t pigeonhole ourselves into these archetypes, but we build off of the best of what we can each bring.
We push each other, question each other, and engage in critical questioning with our ideas. We do this in safe and kind ways, but it helps us all get better when one person asks a question like “have we considered this other way?”
We treat each other, our learners, and instructors, as human beings who are amazing and flawed. We respect each others’ humanity and help when we can. It’s not perfect, but we do our best.
What topics or ideas about teaching and learning would you like to see discussed on the iteach.msu.edu platform? Why do you think this conversation is needed at MSU?
Because my program is educational technology, there is often an assumption that we know everything - all the tools, apps, programs, and all the tricks and shortcuts. We don’t. We ground our program in pedagogy and thoughtful design based on the TPACK Framework (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). I wish all Spartan educators would approach curriculum, design, teaching, instruction, and assessment from a thoughtful, human-centered perspective. How do you design your course to best fit your content, your context, your students, your available technologies, and pedagogies? Then, how do we teach in alignment with this? Then, how do we assess students? Then, how do we improve the whole cycle for the next round? Will specific technologies be a part of this process? Of course! But my wish is that we can keep students at the center of all our work. Two of my favorite MSU events that do this are the Accessible Learning Conference (held in the fall) and the Spring Conference on Teaching, Learning, and Student Success (held in May annually). So, if you are seeking fellow Spartans with this perspective, I recommend starting in those places.
What are you looking forward to (or excited to be a part of) next semester?
So much!
My colleagues and I have been taking some Quality Matters courses to learn more about their research, best practices of online education. So, I am excited to use some of my new knowledge this fall with students and experience the impact of some of the design decisions we have made based on our new and improved knowledge.
I haven’t taught, yet, in 2021 (based on my work schedule and some course buyouts) so I am excited to teach this fall. Our program shifted to a program-wide ungrading philosophy and practice in Fall 2020 and I am excited to get “back” into that now that we’ve had a chance to iterate and improve it.
I am looking forward to my children starting school (they just turned 5) and to experience their continued growth and learning...and being a parent of kids who are in school (a new experience for me)
Finally (and maybe most of all) I’m looking forward to fall weather. I know we need to appreciate all of Michigan’s amazing seasons, but fall is my favorite! I look forward to crisp days, colorful leaves, apple cider, donuts, and pumpkin spice flavored everything for the few short weeks it’s with us. I’m so sorry that pumpkin spice has gotten such a bad reputation in the last few years (though pumpkin spice flavored goat cheese does take the trend a smidge too far for even me). So, if there are fellow fall and pumpkin spice lovers out there who want to connect (or talk about pedagogy and teaching), please email me: dillmanb@msu.edu
Don't forget to celebrate individuals you see making a difference in teaching, learning, or student success at MSU with #iteachmsu's Thank an Educator initiative. You might just see them appear in the next feature! Follow the MSU Hub Twitter account to see other great content from the #iteachmsu Commons as well as educators featured every week during #ThankfulThursdays.
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: Educator Stories
Candace Robertson's Educator Story
This week, we are featuring Candace Robertson, Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) Assistant Director. Candace was recognized via iteach.msu.edu's Thank and Educator Initiative! We encourage MSU community members to nominate high-impact Spartan educators (via our Thank an Educator form) regularly!
Read more about Candace’s perspectives below. #iteachmsu's questions are bolded below, followed by their responses!
You were recognized via the Thank an Educator Initiative. In one word, what does being an educator mean to you?
Brainstorm.
What does this word/quality look like in your practice? Have your ideas on this changed over time? If so, how?
In practice, this looks like listening to learners and brainstorming with them to maximize their learning experiences and future professional opportunities. This is done with empathy and creative thinking, as I act as a solution-oriented sounding board. It also looks like me brainstorming as a reflective practitioner to improve the content, experience, and my facilitation abilities.
Tell me more about your educational “setting.” This can include, but not limited to departmental affiliations, community connections, co-instructors, and students. (AKA, where do you work?)
I work for the College of Education’s Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program, in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education (CEPSE). I advise our MAET students and teach courses for our program as well, among my other responsibilities. My interactions with learners and our instructors ranges from in-person, to hybrid, to fully online.
What is a challenge you experience in your educator role? Any particular “solutions” or “best practices” you’ve found that help you support student success at the university despite/in the face of this?
A current challenge I am facing in my advising and teaching role is the hardships that PK-12 educators (many of our students) are facing in their professional roles and how that is impacting their ability to make the time and cognitive space needed for their graduate coursework. To support this challenge, our program provided training in trauma-informed practice to our instructors. On the student side, we worked with MSU’s CAPS to offer group connection sessions to focus on mental health.
What are practices you utilize that help you feel successful as an educator?
It helps me feel successful as an educator when a learner shares a positive or critical reflection of their experience with me. In working with educators as our learners, I want to be the best that I can be and when I’ve created the setting where the learner feels comfortable enough to reach out and share feedback at any point in the experience, I know that I’ve done well in building a trusting community focused on growth – my own included.
What topics or ideas about teaching and learning would you like to see discussed on the iteach.msu.edu platform? Why do you think this conversation is needed at MSU?
I would be very interested to learn more about what other educators on campus are doing to support students who are facing challenging work demands and how they are accounting for this in their teaching and learning spaces. This is especially needed at the master’s level, where the majority of students are working full-time and balancing those demands with their graduate experience.
What are you looking forward to (or excited to be a part of) next semester?
We are excited to be able to offer our hybrid and overseas (face-to-face) cohorts this summer, after postponing the last two summers due to COVID-19. I’m excited for the opportunity to bring our students together safely in the same physical space to watch them explore and create together!
Don't forget to celebrate individuals you see making a difference in teaching, learning, or student success at MSU with #iteachmsu's Thank an Educator initiative. You might just see them appear in the next feature!
Read more about Candace’s perspectives below. #iteachmsu's questions are bolded below, followed by their responses!
You were recognized via the Thank an Educator Initiative. In one word, what does being an educator mean to you?
Brainstorm.
What does this word/quality look like in your practice? Have your ideas on this changed over time? If so, how?
In practice, this looks like listening to learners and brainstorming with them to maximize their learning experiences and future professional opportunities. This is done with empathy and creative thinking, as I act as a solution-oriented sounding board. It also looks like me brainstorming as a reflective practitioner to improve the content, experience, and my facilitation abilities.
Tell me more about your educational “setting.” This can include, but not limited to departmental affiliations, community connections, co-instructors, and students. (AKA, where do you work?)
I work for the College of Education’s Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program, in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education (CEPSE). I advise our MAET students and teach courses for our program as well, among my other responsibilities. My interactions with learners and our instructors ranges from in-person, to hybrid, to fully online.
What is a challenge you experience in your educator role? Any particular “solutions” or “best practices” you’ve found that help you support student success at the university despite/in the face of this?
A current challenge I am facing in my advising and teaching role is the hardships that PK-12 educators (many of our students) are facing in their professional roles and how that is impacting their ability to make the time and cognitive space needed for their graduate coursework. To support this challenge, our program provided training in trauma-informed practice to our instructors. On the student side, we worked with MSU’s CAPS to offer group connection sessions to focus on mental health.
What are practices you utilize that help you feel successful as an educator?
It helps me feel successful as an educator when a learner shares a positive or critical reflection of their experience with me. In working with educators as our learners, I want to be the best that I can be and when I’ve created the setting where the learner feels comfortable enough to reach out and share feedback at any point in the experience, I know that I’ve done well in building a trusting community focused on growth – my own included.
What topics or ideas about teaching and learning would you like to see discussed on the iteach.msu.edu platform? Why do you think this conversation is needed at MSU?
I would be very interested to learn more about what other educators on campus are doing to support students who are facing challenging work demands and how they are accounting for this in their teaching and learning spaces. This is especially needed at the master’s level, where the majority of students are working full-time and balancing those demands with their graduate experience.
What are you looking forward to (or excited to be a part of) next semester?
We are excited to be able to offer our hybrid and overseas (face-to-face) cohorts this summer, after postponing the last two summers due to COVID-19. I’m excited for the opportunity to bring our students together safely in the same physical space to watch them explore and create together!
Don't forget to celebrate individuals you see making a difference in teaching, learning, or student success at MSU with #iteachmsu's Thank an Educator initiative. You might just see them appear in the next feature!
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Focusing on iteration and growth: Making the shift to ungrading
Topic Area: Student Success
Presented By: Candace Robertson, Brittany Dillman, Liz Boltz
Abstract:
How can we support student success by removing the barrier of grading? What impact would this have on feedback and iteration? Members from Team MAET (Master of Arts in Educational Technology) will share how they worked through these questions and others to move the majority of program courses to an ungrading philosophy as an act of social justice. In this session, you will learn from the triumphs, challenges, and solutions from their journey.Session resources:Google Slidedeck (website)
Presented By: Candace Robertson, Brittany Dillman, Liz Boltz
Abstract:
How can we support student success by removing the barrier of grading? What impact would this have on feedback and iteration? Members from Team MAET (Master of Arts in Educational Technology) will share how they worked through these questions and others to move the majority of program courses to an ungrading philosophy as an act of social justice. In this session, you will learn from the triumphs, challenges, and solutions from their journey.Session resources:Google Slidedeck (website)
Authored by: Candace Robertson, Brittany Dillman, Liz Boltz
Assessing Learning
Host: CTLI
"Welcome to My Classroom" Series: Dr. Brittany Dillman
Please join the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation as we showcase some of MSU's educators and the great work they are doing. Step into a virtual space alive with enthusiasm and curiosity as passionate educators unveil their most effective teaching methods. From technology integration and active learning strategies to inventive assessments, each presenter offers a glimpse into their teaching journey, providing attendees with a collection of adaptable ideas. Engage in discussions, ask questions, and connect with peers to cultivate a collaborative spirit that transcends disciplines.
The fourth in the Welcome to My Classroom series will feature Dr. Brittany Dillman, educator and Director of Graduate Certificate Programs for the College of Education’s Master of Arts in Educational Technology. Brittany loves working with the MAET program especially her roles of advising all GC students, curriculum development for GC and MAET courses, and teaching both online courses and hybrid courses. She is also a CTLI Affiliate sharing her experiences and expertise in ungrading. For this Welcome to My Classroom, Brittany will showcase a single assignment, from design to grading, as an example of her educator practice.
Brittany has a doctorate from the Educational Psychology and Educational Technology program at Michigan State University. She is curious about teachers’ decision making process. She taught middle school mathematics for a decade prior to coming to MSU. Brittany is organized by nature and loves to alphabetize and color code. She loves being silly with her family, traveling, making books on Shutterfly, teaching MAET courses, and working with MAET students. Learn more about Brittany at her website.
Our Welcome to My Classroom series aims to be a catalyst for continuous improvement, uniting educators in their commitment to elevate the art of teaching. Join us in celebrating the dedication and creativity that drive education forward, as we learn from one another and collectively enrich the learning experience for both educators and students alike.
The "Welcome to My Classroom" series will function like a pedagogy and practice show and tell where educators from throughout MSU's ecosystem share something from their teaching and learning practice. Examples of an educator's showcase could include a walk through of a specific activity or assignment, sharing out the integration of a particular educational technology, describing their process of redesigning a learning experience, and more!
*for any educator interested in hosting a Welcome to My Classroom, please contact Makena Neal at mneal@msu.edu
Navigating Context