Enhancing my

Teaching through
Technology
Growth Assessment
Master of Arts in Education: Digital Teaching and
Learning
EDUC 526
Azusa Pacific University: Murrieta Campus
Instructor: Matthew Hixson

http://melissacotantscapstoneportfolio.weebly.com/
Melissa Cotant
5/21/2015

Introduction
My journey in education began when I was volunteering in my
daughters first grade classroom. As I was working with the students, I
realized that I really enjoyed working in the classroom. The more I
volunteered, the more passionate I became about education. It was then that
I decided to return to school. I knew that it would be a long road ahead of
me, but I was definitely willing to travel down that long road. I was not
getting any younger therefore, I decided to take the quickest route. I enrolled
at Riverside Community College and I received my Associates in Arts and my
Associates in Science in one year. I then transferred to Azusa Pacific
University because I discovered that I could obtain my bachelors and my
teaching credential in two and a half years. As I was finishing up the
credentialing program, I decided that I was going to continue my education
at APU by obtaining my masters in technology because its the new wave of
the future. As I began the masters program, I was a substitute teacher in the
Moreno Valley Unified School District. Therefore, I did not have much access
to the technology tools. My goal for pursing a masters degree in technology
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Murrieta Regional Center

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment

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was to be a more effective teacher in this digital age. I believe that

technology in the classroom can be a positive learning tool. My intent is to
provide every one of my students with technology skills that will help them in
this digital world.
Personal Growth
Through this program, I have experienced a substantial amount of
personal growth. First of all, I had the opportunity to study Howard Gardners
Multiple Intelligences. I learned more about the eight learning styles and
how to identify them in individuals. I was also able to discover my two
learning styles, which are musical and intrapersonal. These two learning
styles were not a surprise to be because I have always enjoyed music and
doing things alone. When I study, I accomplish more when I am listening to
music. Also, its easier for me to learn something new when I study without
distractions. I am not much of a procrastinator, but when I take on too much,
and I am working under pressure, my two learning styles help me to meet
deadlines.
Through this program, I had to learn how to find a balance between my
family life, my new career as a teacher, and my education. It has been very
difficult trying to make every one of my daughters swim meets, make lesson
plans, and complete assignments on time. I am the type of person who is
driven to strive for success in every area of my life. The only way I knew how
to balance things was to sleep less. There have been many times when its
been difficult to stay up late and eating late at night was the only way that I
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Murrieta Regional Center

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could stay awake to complete my assignments. I know that sleeping less

than eight hours a night is not healthy, but its the only way I could manage
everything.
On a personal level, completing this degree means a great deal to me.
I am the first of four children to graduate with a bachelors and masters
degree. My mother and my brothers only completed high school and my
father only completed fourth grade. My father never had the opportunity to
complete his schooling because in the country where he lived, the males had
to start working at an early age to make a living. My father has seen the
importance of getting an education and being the first in my family to
receive a masters degree will make him very proud. I also have four children
of my own and for them to see their mom return to school and graduate with
a masters degree shows them that if they are determined enough, they can
do it as well. Every member of my family has been very supportive of me
and I will be very honored if they could all share that special day with me.
Professional Growth
Through my study at APU, I have grown as an educator in many ways.
One of my goals as an educator is to be a lifelong learner, and this program
has helped me pursue this goal. I learned how to create lessons that will
meet the learning needs of all my students by incorporating all eight learning
styles. In order to keep my students interest, I learned how to create lessons
that are engaging, which will allow my students to remember them in years
to come. I have also learned how to differentiate instruction by having my
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Murrieta Regional Center

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students work in heterogeneous groups where my students learn from one

another other.
Through this program, I have also learned how to incorporate many
instructional strategies into my teaching. In EDUC 514, I learned how to
make commercials and instructional videos. By implementing video into my
classroom, my students have learned how to work together to create their
own storyboard in order to produce their own class video. They also learned
how to work as a team to perform their part. Watching the final product will
allow them to see how their hard work became a success.
In EDUC 522, I learned how to incorporate technology into my lesson
plans to enhance student learning. In this class, I recognized that there are
many ways in which students learn. Through Howard Gardners Multiple
Intelligences, I learned how to teach in different ways to reach all my
learners by first becoming familiar with their learning style. I learned how to
use Apps, Google Docs, Virtual Manipulatives, Comic Creator, and other
various technology tools into my lessons to address all of my students
learning needs. This class helped me to become knowledgeable in the
various learning styles and how to reach my students with the various forms
of technology tools in order for my students to be successful.
Technical Growth
At the beginning of this program, I was not very tech savvy. I was only
familiar with PCs, email, and how to search the Internet. As I continued in the
program, I became very familiar with Apple products. I now own and prefer
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Murrieta Regional Center

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment

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using my Mac computer, my iPad, my iPhone, and my iPod over other

products. I have gained a vast amount of technological knowledge in this
program and I am now very confident in the use of technology. In EDUC 512,
I learned how to create WebQuests, which are online teacher created
lessons. I also learned about various apps like Doceri, Evernote, and
Dropbox. In EDUC 514, I learned how to edit and create video by using
iMovie. Making videos allowed me to use the right side of my brain by forcing
my creativity to develop. One of my favorite classes was EDUC 525 where I
learned how to create my own website on Weebly. Through these courses, I
am now very knowledgeable in many forms of technology.
Life Long Learning Plan
As a first year teacher, I have many areas in where I still need to grow
and develop. However, this program has prepared me with a toolkit full of
resources to help my students be successful in their learning. It has also
taught me how to create engaging lessons through the use of technology. I
have become more knowledgeable through various forms of technology in
the classroom. However, since technology and education are constantly
evolving, I will continue to attend workshops, conferences, and trainings in
order to stay up to date in the latest technological advances in education.
For this reason, I will always be a lifelong learner and therefore I will never
stop being a student.
In five years, I see myself growing and developing as an educator. I
also see myself implementing technology in my classroom to meet the needs
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Murrieta Regional Center

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of all my students. Additionally, I see myself obtaining a Subject Matter

Authorization in Introductory Mathematics so I can teach my greatest
passion, which is middle school math. In ten years, I hope to be doing the
same but also becoming the math coach at a local middle school. I am not
certain what is in store for my future, but one thing I know for certain is that I
will be in the classroom touching the lives of many students to come.

History of Coursework and Course Evaluation

SECTION TWO:
Course:
Course Title &
Instructor
Name

Term
Complet
ed

Key Skills
Acquired

Comments/Suggestion
s

EDUC
511

FALL II
2012

Overview of
Program
LiveBinder
Creation
Creating a
Wordle

This was a great

introduction to the
program. However, I
would suggest using
Weebly instead of
LiveBinders. I had a
difficult time trying to
work with LiveBinders.
Weebly is so much
easier to use. It also
has a great selection
of themes.

Creating a
WebQuest

I really enjoyed
creating my own
WebQuest. It is a
great learning tool to
engage students with
the use of the

Essentials in
Educational
Technology
and Learning

GILBREATH

EDUC
512

Instructional
FALL I
Applications
2012
of Productivity
Software

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Murrieta Regional Center

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment

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SULLIVAN

EDUC
514

Digital Video
in the
Classroom

Internet.

FALL II
2012

HOLDER
EDUC
515

Evolving
Educational
Technologies

SPRING I
2013

MARTIN

EDUC
517

Working with
Digital
Imagery

SPRING II
2013

HIXSON

EDUC
522

Learning in
the 21st
Century

RODRIGUEZ

SPRING I
2015

Melissa Cotant
Murrieta Regional Center

Educational
Video
Commercial
Instructional
Video
Video
Editing

This was a great class!

I enjoyed making the
videos. I now use this
learning tool in my
classroom today.

Classroom
Blog
Classroom
Website
YouTube
Blog
Prezi
Audio
Podcast
Panorama
3D Photo
Photo
Composite
Photo
Restoration
Web Banner
Poster

This class had many

useful resources. The
classroom blog was
fun to create.

Planning
Guide
Multiple
Intelligences
Lesson Plan
Multiple
Intelligences
Unit Plan
Summary
Video

The workload in this

class was very heavy.
However, I learned a
great deal in this
class. The strategies I
learned were very
helpful and I applied
them in my classroom
immediately.

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment

Spring II

This was my favorite

class. I enjoyed
editing images and
making them my own.
I also loved the 3D
effects. My project of
choice was the
restoration of an old
photo. It was
amazing!

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EDUC
525

Web Design
for the
Classroom

SUMMER
2013

Classroom
Website

This class was very

helpful in creating my
own classroom
website. I was also
able to obtain creative
ideas from my peers.

SPRING II
2015

Portfolio
AR Proposal
Growth
Assessment
Curricula
Vitae

This class was very

time consuming. I had
to add my work from
all my courses onto
LiveBinders. However,
I used Weebly
because I was not
fond of LIveBinders.

POTTER
EDUC
526

Capstone
Experience in
Digital
Teaching and
Learning
HIXSON

Evaluation of the impact of the Digital Teaching and Learning

Program
In EDUC 515, I was introduced to Google Docs, which has been very
useful in my classroom. I enjoy using Google Docs for many practical
reasons. First, when my students need to write an essay, I can correct it on
Google Docs and send it right back for corrections. It is great because it is
paperless. The next reason is that it automatically saves and my students
will not lose any of their work. Lastly, my students have access to Google
Docs wherever there is a computer. I love Google Docs! Thank you for the
awesome instructional strategy.
Program Evaluation
My overall experience with APU has been very positive. The staff has
been amazing. Whenever I had a question or needed help with something,
my questions were always answered in a timely manner. The professors not
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only cared about me as a student, but also as an individual. Whenever I had

a pressing need in my personal life, the professors were always ready to lift
me up in prayer. Dr. Lim has been one of the most influential professors at
APU. She has always been great at encouraging students to finish the course.
She is a very remarkable individual. Thank you APU for the most fabulous
experience in education!
A strength that I encountered in the program is that all the instructors
were very experienced in the form of technology that they were teaching.
They were very helpful and they always answered all of my questions. The
tools and resources shared were also very beneficial to me as an educator.
One weakness that I encountered in the program is that LiveBinders
was only addressed at the beginning of the program and never mentioned
again. It would have been helpful if every course reminded the class to
upload everything onto LiveBinders. Personally, I would not recommend
using LiveBinders. I think it is difficult to use and the look is not very
interesting. I would recommend using Weebly because it is easier to use and
the graphics are amazing.

Melissa Cotant
Murrieta Regional Center

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment

Spring II

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May 2015

Melissa Cotant
Murrieta Regional Center

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment

Spring II

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May 2015