Ed-tech the Road to Success

Matthew Manuel


EDUC 526 Capstone Experience in Digital Teaching and Learning


Dr. Joanne Gilbreath


San Diego Campus


LiveBinder-M. Manuel


Date submitted: 03/11/2015

Matthew Manuel
San Diego, CA

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment

Section One:

Introduction:
Once I had made the decision to become a special education teacher I began
shopping around for schools. I really had no idea what I was looking for, but after talking with
several schools I began to form opinions about one school versus another. One Saturday
while riding the train in Old Poway Park my family and I ran into a co-worker from my wifes
school. The husband of the co-worker had just finished his credential program at Azusa and
spoke very highly of his experience. The following week I made an appointment to meet with
a counselor/advisor at the San Diego campus. After meeting with several people at APU I met
with Dr. Cochrane. Dr. Cochrane shared the information about the Digital Teaching and
Learning Program with me. After meeting with Dr. Cochrane I knew this was the school I
wanted to attend! I was looking for a program that was different and no other schools had a
program as unique as the Digital Teaching and Learning Program. To be honest, this program
and Dr. Cochrane were what sold me on making the decision to completely flip my world
upside down
When I began the program my life was very different than it is today. Before beginning
the program I was a traveling sales representative selling shoes. I was spending most of my
time behind the wheel of my car staring at an endless sea of traffic lights on Highway 405.
Finding the motivation to get in the car each morning was becoming harder and harder.
Additionally, I was now a father to two young boys and after missing my sons birthday for the
second time because of work I knew I needed to change my life. I was tired of traveling and I
was even more tired of the sales game. With a desire to change my life for the better I
decided to pursue something totally different by becoming a teacher.
Being a student was never a strong point of mine so I was scared out of mind. My
main goal in the beginning was just to survive one class at a time and see if I actually had the
strength to complete this journey. In addition to surviving, I also felt the Digital Teaching and
Learning Program was unique and would help diversify me as a new teacher. Most of all I felt
the program would teach me new ways to meet the needs of the different students I would be
working with. Selfishly, my last goal in pursuing my masters was to become the first person in
my family to not only have a bachelors degree, but a masters degree as well!



Personal Growth:
I never really thought about my learning style because I always felt that I was horrible
in school. Taking EDUC 522 completely changed my point of view! After learning about all the
different learning styles I figured out that the boring old way of teaching was not appealing to
my learning style. Finding out that I am an interpersonal learner was not really surprising as I
knew I was always a social person. However, I was surprised to learn that a trait of an
interpersonal learner is being in touch with ones emotions, and equally able to understand
others emotions. Reflecting back to SPED 537 one similarity taken from my StrengthsFinder
Matthew Manuel
San Diego, CA

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment

results was that I was also skilled in understanding others emotions and I have a unique
ability to put myself in other shoes to visualize what they might be going through. I feel this
trait and learning style make me a better teacher. Many of the students I work with come from
difficult backgrounds and many of them are not only coping with their learning disability, but
they are also coping with many hardships at home. Possessing the ability to understand my
students while at the same time being able to clearly communicate with them has already
helped me when working with students. Additionally, being able to understand the unique
learning styles has helped me create lessons that appeal to their interests. Being able to put
myself in their shoes and adapt class to my students learning styles has helped me build
strong connections with many of my students.
At APU I have developed much better study habits from being in the special education
and masters program. When I began the program I had a decent idea of basic study habits,
but this program helped me develop those habits. Although I felt okay about my study habits I
had an absolute fear of taking tests. I surprised myself by being able to pass the
assessments required to get this far! It took a lot of discipline and strong study habits to pass
those tests and I am not sure I would have been able to do it if it were not for the support I
was receiving at home and at APU. Looking inward, I believe it was my dedication to the
program and wanting to make a major change in my life that helped me carve out the time
necessary to study. Furthermore, I believe the skills I was learning in classes enabled me to
teach myself information that I did not learn the first time around.
Working under pressure used to be my life! In a sales environment working under
pressure is what you do! Additionally, not meeting deadlines was simply not an option. I think
my years in sales helped me learn how to cope with high pressure situations and my previous
career helped me learn to set goals so I was able to meet those deadlines. I will mention that
the major assessments like the RICA, CSET and CBEST added a whole new level of stress to
my life and I swear the RICA alone took two years off my life due to the stress. I think my
background helped me somehow find the energy to push forward. Ultimately, I was able to
overcome those challenges just like I did time after time when I was trying to meet my sales
goals.
Through this program I have met some amazing people. With each class I met two to
three people that I remain in contact with today. The small class size facilitates an amazing
environment where you really connect with fellow classmates. The one thing that has really
stuck out to me is how supportive everyone is and the willingness to help each other is like
nothing I have ever seen. Most of all I would have to say the connections I have made with
several professors has really been the amazing part of the program. Having a professor take
personal time to meet and help me study for the RICA is something I dont think you would
find at many schools. Words cannot express how grateful I am to the amazing staff I have
been fortunate to work with and learn from at APU.
I have also become a much more spiritual person over my time at APU. I think learning
more about myself has really opened my eyes and heart. The spiritual lessons have helped
me realize the person I was and also who I want to be. I truly dont recognize the person I
used to be before beginning the program at APU. The spiritual journey I have taken over the
Matthew Manuel
San Diego, CA

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment

last few years has completely transformed who I am and has truly changed me for the better. I
now posses a feeling of self worth and a much deeper desire to help change the world.
To me, completing this program proves to my high school counselor that I am
somebody and I am capable of something he never thought I could do! In high school my
counselor told me that college was not an option for me and that I was probably not going to
amount to much. Im not sure where that guy is today, but I would love to go back and let him
know where I am and prove to him that he was wrong. This program means personal success
and mastery over something I thought was never for me. Once completing the program I will
be the only person in my family to have a college degree and a masters degree. Moreover,
completing this program really means that I have completed a transition in my life and by
completing the program I will be able to lead the life I want to live; not the life that I settled for.

Professional Growth:
SPED 530 taught me how to be a better person, teacher, and a co-worker. This class
taught me the environment that I work best in and helped me recognize my strengths.
Through taking this class I also learned how others may perceive me. Gaining this
understanding has aided me in recognizing proper methods for working with others and how
to handle difficult situations. This class helped me learn how I can help others and what I
need from others in order to be productive as well as successful.
The Digital Teaching and Learning program taught me that technology is not just
something you use to show a video in class. The program taught me how to integrate different
technologies throughout all aspects of my teaching.
My time at APU has taught me how to be a better coworker. Developing relationships
with APU staff and fellow students has helped me gain a better understanding of the realities
of what it takes to be a good teacher. The small class structure and time dedicated to working
with each other helped foster meaningful discussions that helped me form my teaching
philosophy.
I am thankful I have been able to take the lessons learned in class and apply them
through the student teaching experience. Overall, the APU program has helped shape the
employee I want to be, the teacher I want to be, and helped me to gain a better understanding
of the population I want to work with.
I began the program at APU with an open mind, and from beginning to end I have
maintained an open mind so that I would be able to learn as much as possible from each
class. My educational vision has changed with each class and even today after a few months
of teaching in my own classroom my vision continues to evolve. Looking back to one of my
first classes we learned the role cultural diversity plays in each of our classrooms. Working in
a diverse environment, I often reflect on what we learned in that class. Keeping this class in
mind I recently tied the Civil Rights Movement into a lesson. In one of my classes I have only
one African American student in my class. While lesson planning I took into account how this
one student might feel given the difficult topic. I made it a priority through the lesson to check
in with him to make sure he was okay and did not feel uncomfortable with the topics being
discussed. I believe taking this time and consideration helped this student feel more
Matthew Manuel
San Diego, CA

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment

comfortable in class and through this lesson we have connected on a new level of respect for
one another.
Beginning the APU program I envisioned using technology for everything and thought
to myself this will be easy! My thinking has evolved, and I now recognize that incorporating all
the amazing technology thats available to use in the classroom is a lot harder than I
previously thought. I now have a better idea of the challenges and the possibilities one faces
when trying to incorporate technology into the classroom. Through my trials and errors I have
learned my limitations and my opportunities.
Since finishing up my special education credential I was fortunate to take on a long
term substitute position working in a special day class at a local middle school. After a few
months of substitute teaching I was offered a sixty percent contracted position. I was happy to
accept the position and am currently working with several resource groups at an elementary
school. I work with two groups of fifth grade students on their math progress and I also push
into a kindergarten classroom where I work with one student with Autism and one student who
is classified as Other Health Impaired and Oppositional Defiant. From the elementary school I
take a short drive to the middle school where I teach two RSP Language Arts classes where I
work with an amazing group of seventh graders. At the middle school I am also case manager
for eight students. I am really grateful for the opportunity and I am learning more each day. I
am hopeful that I can obtain a one hundred percent position at the middle school I am
currently working at!
Having a classroom of my own has allowed me the opportunity to try out some of the
technology tools that I have been working on while in the APU program. During EDUC 513 we
learned how to flip lessons. I really like the idea of using technology to provide students with a
new self paced learning environment. I used the lessons learned in EDUC 513 to flip a lesson
I did on Dia Del Los Muertos. I used Sophia.com to create and flip the lesson and
incorporated iPads to ensure students would be able to work at their own pace. EDUC 513
also taught us how to make Google Forms. I incorporated a Google From into my flipped
lesson to gain feedback from my students. The lesson was successful and all but one student
enjoyed the flipped lesson. Another great lesson came from EDUC 522. I was familiar with
Wordle, but did not realize their true capabilities. EDUC 522 taught me that Wordles can be
used to develop main idea and can be used as a compare and contrast tool. I recently utilized
this strategy in my unit plan where I had students take two songs they selected and create a
Wordle to develop the main idea in the song. Additionally, the students used Wordle to
compare and contrast their two songs, students were quite surprised with the results and like
flipping lessons, using Worlde also had positive results.
We all know teachers are busy people! My new position has been taking all my time
and focus and finding time to exercise has been very difficult. I am the kind of person who
needs to get outside and exercise. I need that time to help re-focus and reduce stress. For my
Action Research Study I chose to find a way to incorporate exercise back into my busy life.
My research question asks, will using the Challenges application help me find time in my day
to exercise and will using this app. help me achieve this goal? The study is ongoing at this
point and I have to report that the application is holding me more accountable. It is too soon to
know if I am going to be successful but the results are looking positive.
Matthew Manuel
San Diego, CA

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment


Technical Growth:
Looking back on my technical prowess when beginning the program I felt pretty
comfortable with basic computer skills. As a sales representative I learned Excel skills to
manage goals and selling reports and I learned how to use tools like Powerpoint for
presentations. Overall, I felt pretty comfortable with my skills, but I had no idea what was in
store for me! I have learned a great deal from all the coursework but the one element that has
helped the most was learning how all the different tools relate to the classroom. EDUC 513
was a truly eye opening class for me! It was in this class that I got a real introduction to the
capabilities of Google Drive. Since that class I have left the world of Microsoft and Apple
behind. I have completely adopted Google Drive and its applications in all parts of my life. I
have even been working on teaching my students how to use the tools offered by Google. A
second eye opening class was EDUC 514. Learning how to use iMovie was really helpful and
being able to practice those skills has aided me in learning the different ways to edit movies.
I am currently using Google Drive for all lesson planning, presentations, and I am
creating Forms that are being used for capturing student response. EDUC 513 also helped
me build skills in developing flipped lessons. Two platforms I have used recently are Sophia
and Ted Ed. I really like Sophia for the longer more complicated lessons and when I want
students to practice working through multi-steps in order to reach a goal. I have been using
Ted Ed. as more of an anticipatory set tool. I have been using Ted Ed. to help me introduce a
topic and then gather student responses to facilitate a meaningful discussion.
While student teaching I had to opportunity to use Apple TV and loved the mobility it
gave me. While giving presentations I was able to walk freely around the room and found it
much easier to monitor student comprehension. I also found being able to move freely around
the room reduced behavior issues and kept students more focused and on task.

Disposition Self-Assessment Questionnaire

Lifelong Learning Plan
Overall, this program has provided me with the tools needed to be a beginning
teacher. However, this program has been so much more. Personally, this program has
provided me a new outlook on myself and how I can make a difference in the world through
teaching. I am not the same person today that I was when I began the program. This program
helped me realize who I am and I how I fit into the world. I am now more aware of myself,
others, and conscious of issues individual students may be coping with. I also now have a firm
understanding of how to take what I know about these struggles and create dynamic learning
opportunities for all the students I work with. I am a better person today because of this
program and the amazing professors I have had the opportunity to learn from while at Azusa.
Looking into the crystal ball of my future... I see a classroom that is open, fun, and
engaging. I see a classroom built on student collaboration and creativity. I see a classroom
integrated with Apple TV and students using their iPads to present their movies, screencasts,
or Prezi. Most of all I see a teacher who is continuing to look for the newest application to use
or the newest Ted video to show students. I see a teacher who is not willing to accept that old
Matthew Manuel
San Diego, CA

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment

boring standard way of teaching is enough to get the job done. The teacher I see still has the
same energy and excitement towards learning and mentoring that he does today!
To be this teacher I see in the crystal ball, I am now conscious that Apple TV might be
a far reach in the short term and I realize that I will not be able to implement all the ideas I
have immediately. I am conscious that everyday I will need to learn from my students and my
co-workers so I am able to stay fresh and up to date. With our busy lives and the goals I set, I
now know I can not tackle all problems in the world. Realizing this and my future frustrations
with technology not working when I want it to, I will have to make sure to take breaks and take
time in my day to just breathe and relax.
In order to stay on top of my game I will continue to follow social media sites looking
for new and interesting ways to teach. I will continue to talk with others about how they are
using technology in their classroom. I will look for opportunities to attend seminars relating to
technology integration in the classroom. Most of all I will not become complacent with the
tools I have; I will continue to look for new ways to incorporate technology into my teaching.
One main area in which I would like to develop a better understanding would be how
to teach iMovie. Currently, out of the two classes I teach I have two students who possess
basic editing skills. At the school I am working at there is currently no class being offered that
helps students learn this skill. Perhaps I could create a club or after school workshop where I
could teach students how to use iMovie. I love the idea of making movies and tapping into
that creative side of learning. The second area of which I would like to gain a better
understanding is how to use Screencast more. I would like to begin using screencasts so
students could watch a lesson I film at home or to review a lesson before a test.
As I gaze into that crystal ball once more I see myself in five years working at a middle
school. I see myself as a well planned out and organized teacher. I see myself more
comfortable with curriculum and able to articulate concepts/ideas with much more ease. In ten
years I see myself still the teacher that everyone thinks is twenty years old and still calling my
students dude. Heck, I even see myself as possibly an adjunct professor at APU!

Section Two:

History of Coursework and Course Evaluation

Evaluation of the Impact of the Digital Teaching and Learning Program
The instructional strategy I am working on implementing is incorporating Gardner's
Multiple Intelligences. While all the technology tools we have learned about are great, learning
about Multiple Intelligences has made the biggest impact on my pedagogy. Working in special
education I need to be able to not only provide differentiated instruction for individual
disabilities, but I also need to consider their individual learning style. After taking EDUC 522, I
now understand I can look beyond a student's disability and tap into their learning style to
create a more diverse classroom setting. I believe gaining a better understanding of individual
learning style and then combining that style with their disability will help me meet the needs of
the diverse students I work with. I have started incorporating the Multiple Intelligence into my
Matthew Manuel
San Diego, CA

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment

lessons and over the last few months I have really seen a shift in my classroom. By using
different technology tools (video, music, visuals, etc.) that address individual learning styles I
have seen increased focus, more participation, and less behavior issues during class time.
Considering a student's learning style, and then creating lessons that appeal to that learning
style, is a strategy I will continue to work on and something I plan to utilize throughout the rest
of my teaching career.

Program Evaluation:
My overall experience at APU has been fantastic! I have met so many great people
and professors during my time at APU. I really have to thank Dr. Cochrane for all his help,
support, and guidance along my journey. During the hard times when I was drowning in
school work while still trying to work a full time job and trying to find time to be a
husband/father he was always there to help remind me I was doing the right thing and to keep
pushing forward. He is truly a special person and I have learned so much from him over the
last few years. APU is lucky to have someone as amazing as Dr. C.!
The strength of the program comes from the experience, knowledge, and passion that
each professor possesses. Another strength is the small group environment. The small class
sizes allowed more one on one instruction that really helped me feel comfortable. The class
setting was always warm and each professor did a fantastic job of creating a caring, open,
and engaging environment.
The only weakness I have to point out would be my experience with being placed into
my student teaching assignment. I was told I would be starting my assignment the first week
of January, 2014. I was told if I was not ready to begin when they told me I would not be able
to start student teaching and I would have to wait till the follow term. At that time I wanted to
work as long as I could at my job so I was getting paid as long as possible. I gave my two
weeks notice and went another four weeks before starting my student teaching. Quitting my
job early in anticipation of beginning my student teaching and then not starting for several
weeks later put an additional financial strain on our family budget. Additionally, the lack of
communication about when or where I would be placed added frustration. Once I was placed,
I began working at an elementary school and things were going great. The only issue was that
I wanted to see what teaching at another level was like. I contacted the person who placed
me in my student teaching assignment to see if I could change to a high school after spring
break. I was told I could, but I would have to do the work and set it up myself if that is what I
wanted to do. After the high level of support I had received from APU I was surprised to hear I
was on my own. I was able to make the connections on my own and as a result I was able to
change settings. I know changing settings is not common, but for a new teacher who is not
really sure where they would like to end up I felt this request was reasonable. I thought one
purpose of student teaching was to help a new teacher figure out what level they would like to
teach. My only suggestion for improvement would be to take into account what people are
going through when being placed for student teaching and help them a little more through the
early stages.
My time at APU has been an amazing journey in personal growth. Again, I am not the
same person today that I was when I began the program. I have learned so much from
Matthew Manuel
San Diego, CA

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment

everyone at APU and am so happy God directed me to APU. In sales the greatest compliment
someone can receive is a referral. I am happy to say that the instructional aid working with me
is going back to school to get her special education credential and she is going to be
attending APU!

Matthew Manuel
San Diego, CA

EDUC 526 Growth Assessment