Reflecting on Growth: Two Years in the Instructional Technology Education Specialist Program

Whoa! The last two years have been a blur…. I’ve done so much reading, writing, research, and reflection! This time in the Instructional Technology Education Specialist Program (EdS) at The University of Montevallo (UM) has taught me a lot. In particular, I have put more thought into planning my instruction, reflecting on my practice, integrating technology, considering larger curriculum goals, and learning about the inner workings of educational institutions. When I started this blog at the beginning of my program, I struggled to write these posts and overthought every word I typed. While aspects of my personality still lead me to behave similarly even now, my writing has improved and I feel more confident discussing instructional technology practices.

In this final post, I will share three of my favorite artifacts from the OPL record I have kept throughout my EdS program. The OPL record is a collection of items documenting various trainings and professional developments I’ve attended; grants, papers, and posts I’ve written; instructional materials and videos I’ve created; and any other items reflecting my growth and leadership in the field of instructional technology. The three items I’ve selected each represent areas where I have felt the most benefit and seen the most growth in these past couple of years.

The first item I’ve selected is my Finalized Curated Wakelet. Wakelet is an online platform that allows you to create collections. These collections can be shared with others or they can even be created collaboratively. Prior to taking classes at UM, I was unfamiliar with Wakelet. When I began using the platform, I found it useful for storing, sorting, and categorizing resources for student use, teacher use, organization use, and collaboration. The Wakelet I’ve selected above currently includes 6 collections curated by me and 2 collaborative collections. The collections I created are designed for personal use as well as student use. The collections created for students include links to image sites, photo editing sites, school sites, online resources, digital tools, and Padlets. This curated Wakelet is a great tool for connecting all the technology resources my students access frequently and it allows me to easily integrate various resources into my curriculum and instruction. For this reason, this item connects best with CETL Framework 2G, which is to: Integrate technology with curriculum and instruction to provide an appropriate teaching and learning environment.

The AI in the Art Classroom presentation I worked on with a fellow art teacher is the second OPL item I’ve opted to share in this post. I’ve picked this item because it represents an experience that encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone. Collaborating with others is something I often find challenging; mostly due to a lack of self-confidence. For a similar reason, I generally avoid volunteering to share or present at conferences or professional developments. This “AI in the Art Classroom” presentation represents both of these things. Not only did I create this training with another art teacher, but the two of us also presented the presentation together at a local professional development. 

This item connects best to CETL framework 2F which is to: provide leadership in strategic alignment of technology with organization systems. This presentation aligned with my school district's technology goals specifically those related to instruction, and it documents me taking on a leadership role. Our presentation focused on using artificial intelligence (AI) specifically in middle and high school art classrooms. We addressed the pros, cons, and concerns related to the use of AI in both personal and professional settings and we discussed the implications of AI within the field of visual art and arts education. We introduced various AI programs and applications available to students and provided examples of how students might use them during their creative process. We closed our session with an open discussion where teachers could share AI tools they had already used, questions they had, concerns regarding implementing AI, and possible solutions to address those concerns. 

My final OPL item is my Action Research Defense Presentation. This presentation is the culmination of my yearlong research study on the integration of technology in visual arts classrooms. For this study, I collaborated with a small group of teachers and students to gather data on technology integration. I used a mixed-method approach to collect data and I conducted qualitative and quantitative analysis. My study looked at students' current technology use, their motivations, instructional strategies, and challenges. 

After completing this research, I have a better understanding of what types of technology students prefer to use and how they like to use it. I also know more about what motivates them to use technology and what challenges get in the way of effective technology integration. More importantly, I was able to gather valuable information on instructional strategies being used by other teachers in my school. I found that social media platforms, such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, are the most frequently used digital tools for middle school visual arts students when creating art. Alternatively, most of these students admitted to rarely utilizing teacher-provided resources. Looking at student motivation, I found that students are motivated most when they are given autonomy and choice. Thematic analysis of my teacher interview data revealed a number of challenges with technology integration, but it also highlighted a few strategies that could be used to overcome these challenges as well. 

The goal of this research was to enhance my own teaching practice, improve the visual arts curriculum, and contribute to the larger education community. By sharing my findings with classmates, colleagues, and a larger community of educators, I will be able to further collaborate and develop policies and practices that support high-performing learning environments for students. For this reason, this item aligns best with CETL framework 3G, which is to: collaborate with others in the policy development process by ensuring that policies support a high-performing learning environment.