Running head: GROWTH ASSESSMENT

Growth Assessment

Ryan Stuehrmann

Azusa Pacific University

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History of Coursework

EDTC# Name Term Professor Key/Learnings

Completed

511 Foundations In Fall 1 2017 Bacer I learned how to troubleshoot

Educational problems I encounter on the fly, how
Technology to move on when things do not work,
and how to be patient when
frustrated while working online.
Cadre-mates were an important part
of learning.

527 Special Topics in Fall 1 2017 Bettger I learned not only what wikis, blogs,
Educational and podcasts are, but how to
Technology effectively use them as a teaching
tool. It will be able to give students
a quick podcast describing a lesson if
I am out for the day, or they need
clarification on something, I
explored RSS, its uses, and how to
have all the media you want in one
place, I discovered how to update my
text-message based personal learning
network, identify and share my top
favorite electronic web sources, and
create an ever changing place for
teachers to reflect and share about
classroom management strategies.

517 Digital Fall 2 2017 Bruzzese I learned how to use great tools like

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Communications forms, Weebly, spreadsheets, and
screencast-o-matic. The prayer

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element to this course was

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enlightening.

518 Global Fall 2 2017 McMillan This course gave me the resources to
Learning/Cross- create my own Global Learning
cultural Classroom Project (GLP), but forced me to learn
better web surfing skills. There was
a plethora of sites to use, but having
Diigo really helped organize
everything. I learned about
branding, promotion, and how
having successful GLP takes time
and exposure, but the project itself
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must be solid.

523 Educational Spring 1 Price I learned how to create a Polished

Applications of 2018 GLP website, and how to apply Web
Information Design design theory.
and Hypermedia

521 Digital Imagery for Spring 1 Temple I learned how to create a script with
Learning 2018 camera angles, compose videos with
Environments sound and effects, and learn
storytelling through pictures and
videos.

524 Instructional Design Spring 2 Wilson I created a backwards design unit

and Development 2018 plan, incorporated God into my GLP,
and designed life-long goals for my
students.

520 Managing Tech- Spring 2 Silver I reviewed and analyzed a

Supported 2018 technology plan, created a district
Curriculum Tools technology plan, and designed a
curriculum implementation plan.

515 Emerging Trends in Summer 1 Brown I studied massive open online

Technology 2018 courses, major applied research
projects, and digital citizenship
routines and created presentations
about all said subjects.

526 Practicum in Summer 1 Bacer I completed my personal growth,

Educational 2018 eportfolio, enotebook, and GLP
Applications of projects by reviewing coursework to
Technology find growth.

Stuehrm Personal Growth

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When beginning the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (EDTC) at Azusa Pacific

University (APU) in the fall of 2017, my ability to navigate the web and explore new

applications was quite limited. When encountering a problem, I would click two or three things

and stop. During the coursework of EDTC, I have learned how to persevere, ask for help, and

become patient when experiencing difficulty.

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There were several times in the beginning of the EDTC program where the type of study

and the pace seemed too difficult to overcome, yet I pushed through. EDTC 511, the class that I

struggled with the most was Foundations in Educational Technology (Bacer et al., 2017),

because of my lack of tech skills. The Bible Study Tools Staff notes that “Perseverance is vital

to growing in your faith…so we have to learn how to overcome obstacles, difficulties, trials, and

tribulation to experience victory in Christ,” (as cited by Bible Study Tools Staff, 2015, para 1)

and I have to agree growing in my faith has been the biggest contributor to success. The

satisfaction of accomplishing something worthwhile and difficult cannot be duplicated, and

Christ has helped me along this journey.

Asking for help in traditional seat-based courses entails raising one’s hand for help

during lecture or reaching out to a classmate for clarification. Being a solitary learner, I

completed the majority of my undergraduate work under my own power. As mentioned above, I

could not have succeeded in the EDTC program at APU without the help from Christ, my

professors, and my cadre-mates. We utilized Google Hangouts to communicate with each other

about scholastic and personal needs. Hangouts became a place for prayer and offering.

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A catechism instructor once explained that patience is not something bestowed upon all

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who ask for it, but a lesson presented to us that will give us an opportunity to be show patience.

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Sometimes, waiting for classmates, or professors to respond can slow down one’s rhythm. Being

patient and asking God for strength eases the time it takes, not only for others to share

information, but for great thought to occur. Creativity is not waiting to be switched on; we must

be patient for solutions to present themselves. If Jacob can wait “seven years to get Rachel, but

they, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her” (Gen 29:20, New
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International Version), than I can surely wait a few hours or days for information about

something I am passionate about obtaining.

Being patient while waiting for assistance can help one persevere in any situation. Those

three facets certainly benefited me and other EDTC students in Cadre 31. When thought about

as a whole perseverance, patience and assistance are virtues that transcend the classroom and can

be applied to all areas of life. I could not have personally grown as much without any of the

above mentioned items.

Professional Growth

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another,” proclaims the gospel (1Peter

4:10, New International Version). Growing personally is quite important, but it is of no use if we

do not share it with others. Teaching is all about spreading our love for knowledge with our

students. The ways I will be applying my personal growth into my profession of teaching will be

through backwards lesson design, creating user friendly websites, and incorporating global

learning projects into my instruction.

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Educational goals are usually designed about tasks completed in class which leaves

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students asking why any of this matters. They have a great point. Learning to memorize things

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for a test will probably not help them much in the real world. That is where Wiggins and

McTighe’s backwards lesson design concepts enter the curriculum design process. Instead of

thinking about what a student can accomplish in class, the focus of the book, The Understanding

by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units, is on the idea that “understanding is far more

likely to promote transfer than simply memorizing information” (Wiggins, 2011, p 5). Transfer
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goals are much more meaningful than traditional standards. This change will increase student

engagement by showing them why and how these skills matter.

No one likes going to websites that are difficult to use, jumbled with dozens of links, and

assaulting our ears with pointless soundbites. Teachers will be the ones building educational

websites for students to collaborate on. Students and instructors will not want to collaborate if

the homepage of the project is a mess. Steve Krug’s Don’t Make Me Think Revisited (2014),

shows novices how to make a simple, easy-to-use website. Krug’s theories about how people

interact with the internet are spot on. These tips helped me create my GLP and will help me

create more websites my students can learn from and other classes can collaborate with.

With Krug’s, Wiggins and McTighe’s philosophies in mind, I created a powerful global

learning project (GLP) titled, The Value of Literature (Stuehrmann, 2018) that embraces other

cultures’ points of view, allows students to collaborate, and uses future minded, real world goals.

We need to learn about “different cultures and learning about the world as a whole” (Lindsay,

2013, p 1). My GLP engages students in different parts of the world. Students learned about and

discussed the value of literature outside the classroom. Their work and commentary could not

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have been replicated without the GLP I created.

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By making user friendly websites to facilitate global learning projects, I have increased

student collaboration far beyond the walls of any brick-and mortar classroom. Designing lessons

with real-world skills in mind has really opened my mind up to new instructional possibilities.

These newly designed lessons will increase student engagement because they will answer

students’ questions about why they practically need to learn each skill.

Technical Growth
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As previously discussed, I was rather green when it came to exploring new applications

and programs. We learned a multitude of programs and apps which gave me confidence to

explore new things. Technologically, I learned how to create and record video lessons, to create

a website, and to use a green-screen to enhance learning centered video productions.

There are thousands of videos on the subjects we are working on in our classes, but

nothing is better than hearing and seeing the instructor. Screencast-O-Matic (2012), is a website

that allows anyone to download their software for free. Once downloaded, one can easily select

the size of the screen they want to record, and whether they want their students to see them or

just hear their beautiful voices. Spanish instructors like to use the audio function of the

application to record proper pronunciations.

Learning how to create a website has been one of the most valuable lessons I have

learned in the EDTC program at APU. With the help of Don’t Make Me Think (Krug, 2014), and

the teachings of EDTC 523 Educational Applications of Information Design and Hypermedia

(Price, 2018), I learned how to create a polished, easy-to-use GLP with Weebly (2006). Since

this is a free site, I can teach students how to create their own creative and collaborative

websites.

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In EDTC 521 Digital Imagery for Learning Environments Lesson 3: Music, Sound &

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Script Planning (Temple, 2018), we learned how to plan a script and film it for an assignment

named The Big Show. I chose to create a short film explaining how to study for and prepare for

their Caesar performances. I used Adobe Photoshop Elements (2018), to insert a royalty free

graphic into the background of a green-screen stage. I also imported royalty free graphics via

green-screen at the end of the video showing a dragon breathing fire. Having created a video
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like this is great because I do not have to remember my lines each year. It shows students what a

final project looks like, and that I have taken the time to memorize lines too.

Teachers often refer to the things they know how to do as tools. Using a green screen

and Screencast-O-Matic (2007), to make effective educational videos and learning how to create

a website for free will help shift my paradigm of technology toward that of augmentation. I have

already and will continue to share my knowledge of these three technologies with colleagues and

students.

Life Long Learning Plan

• Continue professional development through Massive Open Line Courses (MOOC)s

• Work with the district tech team over the summer

• Pilot new applications and programs with my cohort, department, school, and district

Conclusion

Without reviewing all our coursework from APU’s EDTC program, it would be easy for

one to forget all of the amazing work that was completed. From personal, professional, to

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technical growth, my learning is immeasurable. Learning how to ask peers for assistance, have

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patience and push through difficult times, apply backwards design, intertwine global learning

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into my classes, design educational based websites and videos, take MOOCs, work with the

district tech team, and be a forerunner in adopting, learning, and applying new programs and

applications at my worksite. Learning all these skills has prepared me to attack integration of

technology from an entirely new perspective. This cutting edge perspective will help future
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digital citizens and 21st century learners thrive in an ever-changing global learning community.

APU has prepared me to facilitate this change effectively and confidently.

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References

Adobe Photoshop Elements [Computer Software]. (2018). Retrieved from

https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-premiere-elements.html

Achieve Learning System. (2015). Retrieved from

https://www.achieve3000.com/terms-of-use

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. (2017). (Version 2018.001.20040) [Computer Software]. Retrieved

from https://www.adobe.com/

Bacer, K.(2017). Foundations in Educational Technology. Online Master of Arts in Educational

Technology. School of Education, Azusa Pacific University. Azusa, CA. Retrieved from

https://sakai.apu.edu

Bacer, K, Brown, J, Bruzzese, J, Courduff, J, McMillan, B, Price, K, Silver, E, Temple, T,

Wilson, T. (2016-2017). Online Master of Arts in Educational Technology. School of

Education, Azusa Pacific University. Azusa, CA. Retrieved from http://sakai.apu.edu

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Brown, J. (2018). Emerging Trends in Technology. Online Master of Arts in Educational

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Technology. School of Education, Azusa Pacific University. Azusa, CA. Retrieved from

https://sakai.apu.edu
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Krug, S. (2013, December 19). Don’t Make Me Think Revisited. San Fransisco, CA:

Peachpit Press

Lindsay, J & Davis, V. (2012, February 28). Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds. Upper

Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson

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Perseverance Bible Verses. (2015). BiibleStudyTools Staff. Retrieved from

https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/perserverance-bible-verses

Price, K. (2018). EDTC 523: Educational Applications of Information Design and Hypermedia.

Online Master of Arts in Educational Technology. School of Education, Azusa Pacific

University. Azusa, CA. Retrieved from https://sakai.apu.edu

Screencast-O-Matic. (2007). Screencast-O-Matic audio and video recording software [computer

software]. Retrieved https://screencast-o-matic.com

Rusenko, D., Fanini, C., Veltri, D. (2006). Weebly. Retrieved from https://hc.weebly.com

Temple, T. (2018). EDTC 521: Digital Imagery for Learning Environment. Online Master of

Arts in Educational. Technology. School of Education, Azusa Pacific University. Azusa,

CA. Retrieved from https://sakai.apu.edu

Stuehrmann, R. (2018). The Value of Literature. [Global Learning Project]. Retrieved from

http://www.thevalueoflit.weebly.com

Wiggins, G, & McTighe, J. (2011, March 11). The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating

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High-Quality Units. Alexandria, Virginia: ASCD

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