This annotated transcript, shows my journey to complete my Master of Arts in Education degree (MAED) at Michigan State University (MSU). You will find the course titles, instructors, grade and a brief description of what I learned in each course below.
summer 2013
cep 820: teaching students online
Instructors: Anne Eileen Heintz & Sandra Sawaya GPA: 4.0
CEP 820 was my first course at Michigan State University. Here, I was able to experiment with different platforms to host an online class. I decided to use Weebly and have used this platform for all my other MSU work such as class blogs and this electronic portfolio. The main assignment was to create three units for an online class on your website. I focused on making sure my website was accessible for all students, had different ways for students to interact with each other online and that students learned through different types of learning (reading, watching, discussions, projects, etc.)
fall 2013
kin 855: psychosocial bases of coaching
Instructor: Dr. Dan Gould GPA: 3.5
Psychosocial Bases of Coaching focused on how athletes and coaches prepare for competition mentally. I was able to create a coaching philosophy as a set of rules on how I wanted to run the Westfield State club hockey team. Every player pays $1,200 - so playing time has to be close to equal. I play each line equally throughout the game except for special teams and the last five minutes of the game to try to win it. I learned that in order to be a great coach that I need to be able to motivate my players, build relationships with them through communication and understand my players.
spring 2014
kin 854: legal & admin. issues of coaching
Instructor: Rick Atkinson GPA: 4.0
Legal & Administration Issues of Coaching looked at the responsibilities associated with being an athletic director or a coach. Some of the topics it covered were negligence, liability and waivers, Title IX and making sure that athletes, staff and supports were all safe. In the course, there were several moot cases that I experienced and learned how to deal with issues such as having to cut teams due to financial reasons and hazing. One of the major assignments that I created in the course was an emergency action plan for each of the facilities at the high school that I worked at.
summer 2014
kin 856: physical bases of coaching
Instructor: Dr. Scott Riewald GPA: 4.0
Physical Bases of Coaching focused on the anatomy, biomechanics and injury prevention of athletes. I learned a lot through different projects targeting those three categories. The course started by using Dartfish software to break down the movements of an athlete during a slapshot. I broke the slap shot into phases and outlined what muscles were used during each. I also learned about common hockey injuries and how to prevent them by creating a fitness plan with exercises focusing on those injury prone areas. Finally, I created a professional network with athletic trainers, doctors, dentists, strength and conditioning coaches and physical therapist in case one of my players gets injured.
spring 2015
cep 805: learning math WITH technology
Instructor: Dr. Ralph Putnam GPA: 4.0
Learning Math with Technology looked at integrating apps and online tools to help students learn different math skills. In this course, I created an Online Research Library for sophomores who need help in geometry and in algebra 1. In Masschusetts, sophomores need to pass a standardized state test in mathematics in order to graduate. This website that I created, would cover all the chapters in the two courses that tenth grade students take. Each topic would be broken down by chapter with resource links to show students the correct way to solve their problem. On my library page, I also hosted a tech tool resource page for websites that helped with other topics outside of geometry or algebra 1.
summer 2015
CEP 813: ELECTRONIC ASSESSMENT
Instructor: Dr. Paul Morsink GPA: 3.5
Electronic Assessment gave an in-depth look at how we evaluate our students comprehension. I was able to create a variety of typical assessments during the course but also learned a few outside the box assessments as well. One of the projects where I learned the most was using Minecraft to build an assessment. Students would be able to learn and answer questions as they travel around a digital world created by a teacher. Being able to create something that was outside my comfort zone is just one example of my growth as learner through MSU.
Spring 2016
KIN 868: Skill development in athletes
Instructor: Dr. Andy Driska GPA: 4.0
Skill Development in Athletes focused on the best approaches for age appropriate activities to acquire skills. It also covered how certain traits or environments could expose athletes to better opportunities. I learned how there are three types of individual constraints when it comes to an athlete acquiring skills: structural, functional and environmental. These constraints can help build an athlete profile. For example, if I am looking for an ice hockey goalie, an athlete who is flexible, mentally tough and born in a cold climate might have had more chances to build on their skill sets than someone who isn't mobile, gets thrown off their game easily and born in the desert.
summer 2016
ed 800: concepts educational inquiry
Instructor: Dr. Steven Weiland GPA: 3.0
Concepts of Educational Inquiry was an introduction class to the Master's program at MSU. It discussed the history of education and the different teaching theories and philosophies. I learned about famous Americans and how their impact on the world changed education. One prominent American who created most of his own education by reading any book he could get his hands on was Abraham Lincoln. Learning about President Lincoln and his journey to educate himself led me to believe that students control their own destiny and it's what you make out of your education that counts.
Spring 2017
cep 817: learning technology through design
Instructors: Carmen Richardson, Cui Cheng & Diana Campbell GPA: 4.0
I did not know much about the design process before enrolling in learning technology through design. In this course, I was asked to create a problem of practice that I experience in the classroom and to come up with a solution. My problem of practice for the course was figuring out a way to store fitness scores so that they could be used throughout the district. Through the design process of empathize, define, ideate, prototype and test, I was able to create an online fitness score database using google sheets. This will allow the physical education department to track scores and share them with all three schools electronically.
summer 2017
ed 870: capstone seminar
Instructor: Dr. Matthew Koehler GPA: TBA
In the capstone seminar, I was able to reflect on my journey to attain a Master's Degree at Michigan State University. The major assignment in the course was to build an electronic portfolio that showcased myself as a learner and as a potential employee. The portfolio included: a showcase of featured work, resume, annotated transcript, educational essays and pieces of flair to make each portfolio unique. Each week I was able to communicate with peers using Flipgrid to receive feedback on my portfolio. This allowed me to connect with my peers like no other course I have taken.
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