Brian Deyo's Professional Portfolio
Reflection fro Standard 6 Principles, Theories, Models
6. Principles, Theories, Models - Understand many theories and models, choose from among them appropriately, and apply them effectively.
640 Exam Notes for Classmates / 798 Independent Study
Reflection on Principles, Theories, Models Work Product
This learning experience came to fruition through two semesters of work. I was first enrolled in EDTEC 640 with Dr. Allen where the students created PowerPoint modules for the Center for Teaching and Learning at SDSU. These modules were part of a larger project that attempted to teach university professors principles of effective use of PowerPoint for their class presentations. At the beginning of the semester, we studied many principles of psychology and prepared for the exam. I created a 52-page document that included my own transcripts from the course videos, chapter summaries of the books we read, and a cross-reference for connecting principles with the canonical questions of the course. This document helped myself and fellow students prepare for our course examination.
As the semester progressed from the reviewing the theories to creating the projects, Professor Allen recognized my expertise in PowerPoint and asked me to act as a project coordinator as well as technical support for my fellow students. I was available for the students to e-mail me questions. I acted as a liaison between the students and Dr. Allen. I attended office hours with Dr. Allen and documented student progress and areas for student support. Finally, I conducted exit interviews with fellow students for later analysis by Dr. Allen.
This project carried over into EDTEC 798 as an independent study project with Dr. Allen and Marc Pastor of SDSU’s ITS Department. At this stage, I was given the student modules and asked to revise them. We wanted to convert these modules to an updated PowerPoint template and refine the content of the modules to be as clear and concise as possible. Finally, I prepared these revised modules for use in the Horizon Wimba presentation software.
The EDTEC standard I am demonstrating with this project is the understanding of many theories and models. I am also demonstrating my ability to choose from among these theories appropriately and apply them effectively. In EDTEC 640, I internalized many principles, theories, and concepts gleaned from the course content. As the project coordinator, I was able to help clarify these concepts, theories, and principles with my fellow students. Through my detailed documentation, I demonstrated how these concepts, theories, and principles supported each other and interacted with each other. When I worked on the next phase of the project as part of my independent study, I was able to put this working knowledge of the theories, concepts, and principles into practice. I demonstrated my mastery of these ideas through my work product revisions.
I feel that this work demonstrated my ability to take on various roles as the project progressed through different stages of development. Initially, I was focused on synthesizing the research presented in EDTEC 640. Then, I was able to coordinate the efforts of many students and support them when they needed my guidance. As I progressed into my independent study, I became the primary educational technologist revising the work products. At this stage, I looked to Marc Pastor and Dr. Allen for support and guidance. Being able to flow between multiple roles within the same large project gave me a better perspective on how the project “parts” make up the “whole.” This project was an example of my ability to manage a complex project and work with people in a role of guidance and support. I also demonstrated how I can modify my role when the project needs me to access different skills in my instructional designer’s toolbox.