Graduates at Work: Teaching With Technology

CAPSTONE PROJECT: A NIGERIAN SECONDARY SCHOOL GOES GOOGLE.

“I came to Marlboro’s Teaching with Technology program to refresh skills related to my job as a technology integrator at the Central Vermont Career Center. I also intended on using my classes to help with the transcript review process for my initial teaching license. I got what I came for, and a lot more. I also enjoyed it more than I thought. I’ll cherish the relationships and community I made for a long time and I feel so much more supported professionally. I was challenged since I am not a native English speaker and my homework often took much longer than my peers. But I find now that I use my improved writing and communications skills every day in my job. Marlboro gave me so much more than I expected when I started the program.” In 2018 Emmanuel was hired by the Barre Supervisory Union as their director of technology.

CAPSTONE PROJECT: DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING A COLLEGE’S FIRST BLENDED ESL COURSES

“I enrolled in the MAT program to gain a deeper understanding of the principles behind instructional design. At that time, I was teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) at Holyoke Community College (HCC). My degree from Marlboro combined with my teaching experience quickly led to a new position as the instructional designer at HCC, and it’s a great job. I started teaching at Marlboro soon after graduation and it’s been a wonderful way to keep my skills and up and get re-energized every year by the students”

CAPSTONE PROJECT: FABLED LEARNING: GAMIFIED STANDARDS-BASED PATHWAYS AND PROFICIENCY-BASED ASSESSMENT.

“I will take what I have learned throughout my time in Marlboro and be able to spend my career in education with less frustration and more confidence. As pedagogies and the technologies used to implement them evolve I will be prepared to aid my fellow educators in using them in ways that are best for our students. I learned to be patient and resilient. I learned that I am reaching the end of what I can do by myself and am beginning a new journey of getting others to come on board with my objectives. I learned that there is still much to do. Marlboro has unlocked some chains, allowing my head to tilt a bit closer to the light.”

CAPSTONE: PEOPLEPREP, THE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEM

“Moving forward, my career potential has changed dramatically. Whereas in the past, I felt stuck in the low-paying loop of ESL teaching, new opportunities have opened up. E-learning and online course design are in high demand. Best of all, much of what I learned is already being used in my presidency at the Rotary Club of New York. I create videos and quizzes, and my entire style of writing is now at a professional level. My WordPress blog is starting to gather a following, my LinkedIn profile is getting views by recruiters, and my dream of becoming ‘location independent’ is becoming a reality. Going back to college at the age of 50 was difficult, expensive, time-consuming and scary at the onset. By embracing the challenge and—at times—chaos, I have forged a new beginning. To sit in the Marlboro Town Hall, where my beloved Robert Frost once lectured was a treat beyond description. I felt close to him across the divide of time and mortality. I read his poems at night in preparation for the cohort meetings the next day.” In 2017 Jasmin was appointed to assistant professor of TESOL and bilingual certificate programs at Touro College’s Graduate School of Education. Her first overseas engagement is at the Plekhanov University of Economics in Moscow to give workshops in TESOL, e-learning, and methodologies in augmented reality. In 2018 she started a fellowship in educational leadership and policy at Columbia University. “Marlboro was a great experience!” says Jasmin

CAPSTONE PROJECT: ONLINE TRAINING FOR STUDENT EMPLOYEES

“Marlboro is where my heart is. I started there as a single mom at 23 but couldn’t continue. I never dreamed that I would return to Marlboro College to complete a graduate degree. I succeeded by being persistent. During my studies, I became aware of my own career potential, and my abilities to expand and learn outside my comfort zone. Now I have the freedom within my current position to create training material for students. I realize that I can branch out to any fields involving directing educational operations, including other colleges, universities, and private schools. I’m considering working free-lance to train students who learn differently using educational technologies. I see a lot more opportunities than before I studied at Marlboro.”

“I found in my study at Marlboro that I sought out additional opportunities to enhance my responsibilities at work. While I continued to teach middle school language arts and K-8 technology, I sought a change in how technology is delivered at my school. I also found that my understanding of the ins-and-outs for how to make digital products ‘better’ grew. I became the go-to person within my building, and at times, supervisory union, for my opinion on a number of projects. When I look further into my professional future, I see my duties ultimately changing into those of a position within a supervisory union, as a leader of technology or a policy driver in some form. My experiences with my Capstone project, and Marlboro in general, will enable me to formulate a specific plan, use a variety of resources and contacts, and build a complex project for the betterment of the students and staff. Having been exposed to what’s out there in the form of information, ideas, and institutions that develop creative ideas, I will be better equipped to modernize how technology is utilized within the schools themselves.”

CAPSTONE: HIGH SCHOOL COURSE TO SUPPORT STUDENT VIDEO INTERVIEWS OF VERMONT POLITICAL FIGURES

“I look at online instructional design so differently now. I see so much more that could be done with textbook online resources and course design.  I can now walk into a technology integration job with confidence. I walk forward with confidence that I can tackle the next great challenge effectively, whatever that may be.”

“I got my dream job. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say, I’m creating my dream job. Since late in 2016 I’ve been working as the creative director of web & video services for Martin & Associates, helping K12 schools improve their websites and communications. I remember the director of admissions asking where I wanted to be in five years, and it was this job that I fantasized about. The problem was that this job didn’t really exist then. But now Martin & Associates founder Justin Martin saw a niche from his work in public schools in New England, and we’re filling it. We offer schools and nonprofits what they are always in desperate need of: a good website and communications team without hiring a communications director.

“In my job, I use everything I learned at Marlboro. The pedagogy, the web design, the video editing, the project management. I used to needle our degree chair constantly because I didn’t like WordPress, the tool we used to learn media production for educational uses, but now I work in WordPress every day and see what he was trying to teach me about how to find the right tools to make teaching more effective. Thanks to Marlboro I can speak the language of education and I share its values.”

“My boss always says, ‘Schools are huge investments for communities, and these communities expect to see the tangible effects of that investment. Part of our mission is helping schools communicate the tremendous, and often groundbreaking work these kids and their teachers are doing in schools today.’ We’re working with a school right now that has a full, jet airliner, VR simulator. Seeing the work these kids are doing gets you excited to tell their story and show the depth of their learning.”

“I was in one of the first graduating MAT ​classes, and loved it. I’d been a classroom teacher for 15 years and was always being asked to help teachers use technology. I told my principal I wanted to do more of this kind of work and he said I needed to get a master’s and the then-brand-new EdTech endorsement. So, I found Marlboro and went for it. I’ve been a technology integrator every since. Currently, I cover six schools in the Rutland area as the only tech integrator, and work with three IT support staff. It’s crazy, but I learn something new every day and really make a positive difference in how teachers teach and students learn.”

• Quality Assurance Manager, SunSetter Products.

“When I was a graduate student at Marlboro College, SunSetter Products recruited me for a unique position as a Technical Support Specialist. My Capstone project was to train independent Sunsetter dealers to use a custom online ordering system. I had to become the expert at installing and repairing all SunSetter products, writing about them and developing training programs for the people who use them. I use many of the lessons learned at Marlboro on a daily basis in my work. In 2012 I became an adjunct faculty person at Southern New Hampshire University, where I created and began teaching an online course called Introduction to GIS. In 2018 I was promoted to quality assurance manager at Sunsetter Products. My ability to understand processes, document them, train people, and continually improve procedures had not gone unnoticed. We are reinventing the way Sunsetter builds products and I am going to be a significant contributor to this process.”

CAPSTONE: CREATION OF AN ONLINE OPEN EDUCATION RESOURCE COURSE

“In the past two years, I have gained so much more respect at my job, which I attribute in part to the courses I took at Marlboro College. My knowledge and expertise have been recognized in my supervisory union as I have been asked to be part of the proficiency-based learning transition team working closely with the curriculum coordinator. I started my journey at Marlboro to merely take courses towards an EdTech Specialist Endorsement, but soon after enrolled in the master’s program. Since my job directly correlates to my studies, I was able to apply what I learned in my classes immediately. The courses were practical to my work and provided me with a lot of tools for refining my job. I am also hoping to pursue freelance work as an instructional designer to supplement my income and build a robust portfolio. My time at Marlboro has boosted my confidence and made me understand that ability is often just a shift in mindset. I have realized that when I put my mind to it, and am interested in the subject matter, learning comes easy, and Marlboro made learning fun.”

• Senior Instructional Designer at Waters Corporation

“While I thought I was getting my master’s in order to teach, I ended up going down a very different path, something I never would have found had I not come to Marlboro. So, what am I doing now?  My day job keeps me quite busy as the only eLearning Specialist for a company of 10,000+ employees, and I love it. Every day I am working on something creative and finding new ways to make digital learning fun and interactive. My part time job as owner of On My Own Reading keeps me busy during the evenings and weekends as I work to get a learn-to-read system I created to the market. This system was a product of my Capstone, and was started in my very first class, Human Computer Interaction, which changed the way I look at things forever. The great thing about this is that my daughters have also been creatively involved throughout the whole process. Learning is something I do every day, it never ends. Going to Marlboro opened my eyes, and it also opened more doors than I realized possible.” See full profile.

• Educational Technology Integration Specialist at the Center For Technology in Essex. VT.

“I was hired at the Center for Technology before I graduated. The center’s curriculum is primarily project based, so there is a lot of room to incorporate technology skills and standards into the classroom. Developing a benchmark of technology skills is so important as these teachers are guiding students into a technology-filled marketplace. This year I have been focusing on professional development for the staff on topics from file management and media to digital research and Moodle. I am also active with Vita-Learn North West, run workshops in Moodle for the district, and do some web consulting on the side. I’m so grateful for the skills and education I received at Marlboro.” See full profile.

• Engineer, Sovernet Communications.
• Faculty, BSMIS program.

“I’ve always looked at teachers and thought, ‘Why are they using technology here? Why are they trying to force it when it doesn’t fit?.’ The MAT program helped me answer the questions of when to use technology and when not to, and how to evaluate them from a pedagogical standpoint. Finding out how they use technology, and coming from my place of always using technology, I was able to work with my employer to understand how IT could be used properly both in the educational environment and in my corporate environment. I used the concepts that I learned in the MAT program and the MSIT program to reevaluate the current software, and build a new knowledge database. The MAT program is not just for educators.” See full profile.

CAPSTONE: LYME CRUSH: A GAMIFICATION OF LEARNING TO RAISE AWARENESS, EDUCATION, AND PREVENTION OF LYME DISEASE.

“The knowledge, connections, skills, and experience I have acquired while at Marlboro’s Teaching with Technology program changed how I view myself and the world around me. This transformation helped me get a new job offer as a systems tech at Addison Central School District (ACSD) in Middlebury, Vermont, just before graduating. My studies improved my confidence both personally and professionally. I no longer doubt myself or what I am capable of doing. I feel more equipped with the right tools, pedagogy, and technical knowledge so that I can confidently collaborate with other educators in the field of educational technology. What I have learned at Marlboro is invaluable to me as I start my new job. Marlboro planted the seeds of experiential learning, collaboration, and transformation, and I am excited to become a planter of these seeds at my new job.”

CAPSTONE PROJECT: ELECTRONIC, INTERNET-ENABLED, PHYSICAL STORY BOOKS

“The ability to engage in inquiry and play is a hallmark of the Marlboro experience that sets it apart from other institutions. This experience was a good reminder that technology is becoming increasingly dynamic, a reality that may be complicated by people becoming too dependent upon specific tools. This requires flexibility in the way users approach technology for personal learning and instructing others. My coursework allowed me to engage in an authentic exploration of science, technology, engineering, math, and the arts, at the same time I was practicing my skills as an instructional designer. By allowing me to design my own projects, based on my own questions and passions, I feel more confident about my ability to innovate and help others do the same. As a result, I have accepted several invitations to present some of my work with paper circuitry at workshops, Vermont classrooms, and conferences such as Vermont Fest and Dynamic Landscapes. My educational journey has been a living testament to my own persistence, the culmination of everything I’d brought with me to Marlboro. As a result, I am leaving Marlboro with more than just skills. I am leaving with more self-confidence.”

CAPSTONE: THE PERPETUAL MUSIC MACHINE: A FLIPPED MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM FOR MUSIC

“I enrolled in the MAT program to expand my self-definition and improve my music teaching to middle schoolers. I discovered a world of tech tools, pedagogy, and precedent, but most importantly I got perspective from interesting classmates and instructors. As a teacher I often found myself immersed in patterns of always putting others first, with my own value, significance, and growth as an afterthought. The Marlboro community gave me witness, revitalization, self-discovery, and the feeling that I can go successfully in various new directions in my career.”

CAPSTONE: MAKING A COLLABORATIVE WEBSITE FOR HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATORS

“The courses I took at Marlboro enabled me to dig into the realm of educational technology deep enough to see the difference between something useful and a shiny new device that replicates what is already available. Progress in education with regard to educational technology depends on its ability to effectively support the delivery of instruction. I’m using what I learned in the Marlboro courses in online teaching for both The Virtual High School (VHS) and the Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative (VTVLC). With what I learned in the program and especially about project planning in Capstone, I will be able to help my students plan their projects while I use technology to help them learn online.”

“It was a big leap for me to be working on a technology-focused degree. I was a math teacher in a public middle school, and using technology was not my natural tendency. In the program I at times felt quite frustrated and over my head, but each time I persevered navigating around a technologically-induced obstacle was an important success for me. I also assumed my interest in mindfulness wasn’t something I could use in this program. I was so happy that it turned out not be the case. I learned that mindfulness can be taught using technology just like any subject, and that technology use is not must for gamers and the like who seem to lose themselves, it can be used to learn to find yourself. I also found it so helpful to draw on the resources of my classmates—there was a lot of collaboration and humility. Through the course of the program, I came to recognize that being informed about educational technology is fundamental to teaching today. It has become, in rapid time, a universal means of communication, and it’s essential that teachers know how to use appropriate technology tools to teach. This degree provided me more than an opportunity to become comfortable with technology, it provided critical skills for me as an educator.”

CAPSTONE PROJECT: DECLARING WAR ON APATHY: INSPIRING AND PREPARING STUDENTS TO TAKE SOCIAL ACTION

“My studies at Marlboro have helped me to envision an entirely new way of teaching and learning. I’m a double alumnus: the Teaching for Social Justice master’s formulated my pedagogy and philosophy—my identity as a teacher; the Teaching with Technology master’s program completely revolutionized the way I teach. Now my teaching is only limited by my imagination. I learned that the opportunities to build and transform curriculum/lessons as well as create and implement online learning are ever expansive and limitless, thus making absolutely any idea within the realm of possibility. I discovered how to make relevant connections with seemingly unrelated concepts between academics and real-world learning, and I gained access to numerous resources that support every step of my teaching from conceptualization to implementation. The most valuable gift is how the academic experience has helped me to learn about myself. My strengths and weaknesses, my limitations, my capabilities, the intrinsic and extrinsic connections I am now able to make within and with the world around me.”

CAPSTONE: INFUSING MULTICULTURALISM INTO THE ELEMENTARY CURRICULUM

“The MAT program helped me realize how passionate I am about educational technology. While I was studying in the program, I was lucky to also be employed as a technology integrationist. This provided real-life context for the content I was learning, as well as a lab for engaging and teaching students. As I went through the program I gained experience with my work both with teachers and in the classroom. Naturally, I began taking more of a leadership role and earned the respect of my colleagues, as I became more creative and confident. With Marlboro’s MAT-T program, I now have the skill set and passion to confidently collaborate and work in an educational environment where I can make a marked positive difference to my constituency. My new job is as an e-learning developer for Vermont Information Processing (VIP).  I create training materials for the companies LMS, used especially for on-boarding. Having my master’s really helped me get this position.”

“During the time I spent in the program, I was promoted from senior informational technologist to technical team lead at NYU, with a track to become technical team manager within the next six months. Coming into this master’s program I knew one thing: I wasn’t an educator, I was a technologist who installs and maintains applications in an IT department. I wondered how I would speak to change in the classroom when I haven’t taught? But during my studies, I matured in the understanding of educational pedagogy and what it means to be a teacher, and a student for that matter. I now understand that what I do is so much more than keeping the technology working. I am able to speak intelligently on not only the implementation of technology, but how its use affects how students learn. I feel like my career is now whole, that Marlboro College’s Master’s in Teaching with Technology has filled the missing piece of my career puzzle. I can honestly say that I learned a lot and was transformed for the better.”

“Throughout my time at Marlboro, as my skills began to develop and grow, and as my confidence in managing the technology grew, I began to see myself as a leader. One of the greatest successes during my time at Marlboro would have to be the completion of my Capstone Project, bringing “Making” and Makerspace pedagogy into my library. It was a journey filled with frustration, tears, hard work, rethinking, flexibility, and sheer joy. I cannot think of a better culmination to my Marlboro experience than completing this work of passion. I feel more capable as a teacher and reinvigorated, which has helped me push past comfort levels and give myself and my students greater challenges.

“As an undergraduate at Marlboro, I experienced a similar sensation when I completed my Plan of Concentration. It was also over a year’s worth of work, toiling through tough times and staying focused in order to accomplish a wondrous task. In so many ways the undergraduate and graduate schools are exactly alike. The rigor of the work, the importance of self-motivation, the need for clear writing and speaking skills, and the impetus for following one’s passion are all key components of both programs. I am ever more grateful for Marlboro and the strength I find here.”

CAPSTONE PROJECT: CREATING A 3D ONLINE HISTORY COURSE

“The whole idea of 3D Vermont started as part of my Marlboro College Capstone project. 3D Vermont’s yearly challenge has grown large enough to attract press outside of Vermont, but more importantly, it continues to teach history in a very engaging way through 3D modeling and 3D printing. Initially, I came up with the idea to teach history this way to disinterested high school students. I had them each build an exact 3D model of a building our town. Once the students were invested and excited about their building, I had them research it’s history and includes it a text file with the building model. Frankly, I was surprised how well it worked as a teaching tool. Now the yearly Town History in 3D Competition has the support of the Preservation Trust of Vermont, Vermont’s Agency of Education, and the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development, Division of Historic Preservation. And there’s a website at 3dvermont.org. Thanks, Marlboro for helping me start this.”

 “I came into this program with the intent of building myself into something else. I came wanting to explore and learn, wanting to have my questions answered. I leave not with answers, but with skills that will help me ask questions and discover answers. This is invaluable. This is the “teach a man to fish” process that education should be. This is critical inquiry. This is reflective practice. This is the heart of my Marlboro experience, and it has made me into a more intellectual, more inquisitive, more compassionate person. Marlboro has been a place of transformation for me.” Matt is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Educational History and Philosophy at Indiana University as a McNeil Fellow

CAPSTONE: CREATION OF A TRAINING COURSE AND MULTIMEDIA MATERIALS FOR THE STUDENT LOAN LAW WORKSHOP

“As a result of my studies, I created several significant changes to my professional outlook and goals. I realized in my first semester that my job as a librarian in a K-6 school was not where my interest or skills lay. It was not until the following semester, while in Instructional Design, that I first understood I could tailor the program and my goals to work with adult learners, an old dream of mine that I had shelved as not possible. Throughout that semester I had many conversations with influential people in my life, which led to me deciding to focus my Capstone in this area. I also realized that I wanted to focus my attention entirely on adult learners, and I chose not to renew my contract at the elementary school. By focusing on my goal, I have succeeded in creating a marketable product. As my course exceeded the expectations of the workshop partners I have been hired to revise and facilitate my project.”