Guadalupe Bryan
Teaching, Technology, & Tolerance
Graduate showcase
On this page, you can explore work I completed while a part of the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program at Michigan State University. I am showcasing the work I am most proud of as well as work that reflects and informs my teaching.
I chose to divide the work into three sections: Curiosity & Creativity, Collaboration, and Reflection. I feel that the MAET program pushed me to realize the value of curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and reflection as a student and as a teacher. The experiences I had as a learner in completing my coursework influence the decisions I make within my classroom, which I discuss in more detail in my synthesis essay.
For each piece of work, I provide a brief description. To view more details about a specific piece of work, click the provided links.
CURIOSITY & CREATIVITY
The work showcased in this section reflect topics that inspired creativity and curiosity within me. Often these piece of work pushed me to become more engaged with topics and issues of practice that impact my approach to teaching with technology. One broad takeaway from the work outlined below is that each, in some way, reinforced the importance of creativity and curiosity, and moreover, the importance of student choice in my classroom.
In this video, I review three main ideas and three real-life implications presented in the article "Creative & Computational Thinking in the Context of New Literacies" (Deschryver & Yadav, 2015) in under three minutes. I used RenderForest to create the video.
In researching creative and computational thinking, I began to grow more interested in New Literacies and my ability to effectively prepare my students to be successful in a technology-enriched world. This work also impacted my view regarding the necessity to deliver high-quality instruction to all students, but especially to those who most lack meaningful experiences with technology.
Creative Thinking 3x3x3
For a research project, I decided to explore inequities in achievement & access presented by technologies in schools. Specifically, I looked at how students in low-income communities, Title I schools receive instruction relating to new literacies. I examined how technologies & the new literacies that accompany them impact achievement inside & outside of the classroom. This was especially important to me because I teach in a low-income community at a Title I school. I wanted to learn how to make the most out of our technology while delivering high-quality instruction in an English class.
New Literacies & Educational Equity
I used Sketch-Up, a 3D design software, to design a classroom based on what I would value in an ideal classroom.
By researching different types of classroom design and their implications, I am better able to understand how a classroom environment can impact students' learning. I also am able to advocate for learning spaces that I believe would be beneficial to my school, like an outdoor classroom or mindfulness & meditation calming room which benefits students dealing with trauma.
Sketch-Up: Classroom Design
COLLABORATION
In this section, I focus on work I completed collaboratively with peers. I would say, for each of the artifacts below, the process towards the final product wildly varied. Some work was done in person, but other work was done collaboratively through video chats and group messages. When I reflect on the role of collaboration in my learning, I notice some of the benefits and constraints that I must bear in mind when assigning group work in my own classroom. I will say, with each group we completed totally different final products and the dynamics varied from group to group. I can also say that each group taught me how to be a better peer resource and a more reliable and responsible group member. Although technology can greatly aid individuals' productivity and success in collaborative work, the absence of physical technology or thorough, meaningful instruction can greatly impede some students' abilities to be as successful as their peers; This too I will keep in mind.
Alongside my peers, I examined a wicked problem in education. Specifically, we looked at the problem of teaching complex thinking. We collected data from a survey distributed to education professionals. Ultimately the research seeking potential solutions to teaching complex thinking led us to a clear solution: Allow more opportunities for student choice. The four classroom strategies we suggested included to provide more opportunities for authentic inquiry Genius Hour, project-based learning, and general student choice in assessments. In the following school year, I implemented Genius Hour in my classroom, and I intend to continue to do so in the future.
Wicked Problem: Teaching Complex Thinking
As part of my first year in the MAET program, my cohort was assigned the task of organizing and hosting a Maker Faire. My partner & I developed a circuit making station for our visitors to create unique name tags, upon their arrival.
Initially, I wasn't sure how the maker movement would play a role in my job as an English teacher. However, as my school moves to create a maker space, this experience and my exposure to the maker movement have put me in the position to acquire a possible leadership role within my school.
Click below to read my blog post and learn more about the Maker Faire and my experiences with the maker movement.
Maker Faire
My partner and I conducted an experiment using Piaget's stages of development. This experience opened my eyes to how important it is to meet students where they are, especially in a middle school setting, like my own.
Often we expect too much of students. Many of our students are at different places developmentally. Middle school is an especially complicated time for students, emotionally, mentally, academically, and developmentally speaking. There are major variations from one student to the next in any of these areas. A year can make a major difference, and that's something I'll remember.
Piaget Experiments
REFLECTION
In the reflection portion of my showcase, I provide two reflective pieces of work which I believe speak to who I am as an educator on a fundamental level. Both of the pieces are reflective. One piece, the learning reflection, focuses on what I believe are the foundational beliefs I hold when it comes to my personal pedagogy and the role of technology in education. In the second piece, titled Educators Confronting Racism, I reflect on the importance of social justice in education. Additionally, I provide a wealth of digital tools and resources to promote social justice in education. As a pair, I believe these two reflective pieces clearly show who I am as an educator.
For this reflection, I considered which learning theories most influence my pedagogical decisions and practices within my classroom. I decided that constructivism most aligns with who I am as an educator, and my approach to teaching and learning consisted of three basic pillars: Student choice, technology, and student inquiry.
Learning Self-Reflection
This blog post is a reflection in the aftermath of the events that took place in Charlottesville in 2017, which resulted in the death of a protestor. I believe social justice should be a pillar within all classrooms--It definitely is within mine. In this blog post, I share my personal reflection as well as a wealth of resources for educators to use when confronting issues of racism, hatred, and prejudice in their classrooms. Sometimes these issues feel difficult to even consider confronting, but knowing where to look for high-quality resources is a good place to start.