JEFF PIERCE
Fall 2013
CEP 810: Teaching for Understanding with Technology
Instructor: Candace Marcotte
Thanks to rolling admissions, just two weeks after deciding to apply to the MAET Program I started my first course! This introductory course to the program laid the foundation for what was to come. I started up a blog, revived my twitter account, and got the hang of being a full-time teacher and a part-time student. The centerpiece and highlight of CEP810 was definitely the Networked Learning Project, in which I had to teach myself something new using only YouTube and online forums. I devoted myself to making apple pies (one is pictured above), and I am proud to say that I taught myself how to make a pretty good one!
Spring 2014
CEP 811: Adapting Innovative Technologies in Education
Instructor: Melissa White
The second course ETC involved delving into a wide variety of innovative technologies. I learned about and designed a Massively Open Online Course (MOOC) and applied Creative Commons by creating a multimedia mashup. This course also involved a lot of research into the theories behind these new technologies. The maker movement formed the backdrop for the keystone project of CEP 811. I chose to learn about the Raspberry Pi (pictured in action above) and developed what I think is a pretty sweet idea for a classroom arcade full of student-made games.
Spring 2014
CEP 812: Applying Educational Technology to Problems of Practice
Instructor: Amy Pietrowski
The final course of the ETC forced me to examine how technology impacts pedagogy. I absolutely loved the main textbook of the course, “The Anti-Education Era” by James Paul Gee. Since taking this course I have sought out and enjoyed many more of his lectures and articles. Another new element of this course was the major project, to provide a solution to a “Wicked Problem”. I found it a challenge to coordinate collaboration across time zones but in the end it was worth it.
Jeff Pierce's Master of Arts in Educational Technology Transcript
Below is a brief overview of the courses I took at Michigan State University. For artifacts and projects, check out the showcase section.
Summer 2014
CEP 800: Learning in School and Other Settings
Instructors: Danah Henricksen, Jon Good, Rohit Mehta
This course focused on the text “Why Don’t Students Like School” by Daniel Willingham. My group (with our team image above) had to create short videos highlighting a different chapter from the book. As part of the independent section of the course, completed after the face-to-face portion in East Lansing, I wrote up a grant proposal to integrate technology into the pastoral care program of my school.
Summer 2014
CEP 822: Approaches to Ed Research
Instructors: Danah Henricksen, Jon Good, Rohit Mehta
This course focused on the “Understanding Understanding” project, which forced us to look closely at how students learn (and how misunderstandings persist despite teaching). My team conducted research and brief interviews about geographic misunderstandings. We then combined our work into a final video and website which highlighted our takeaways about how students learn. This video was probably one of my highlights of the whole program! Above is a screencap from our video.
Spring 2015
TC 830: Foundations of Serious Games
Instructor: Carrie Heeter
This course helps turn students into “serious games monsters” who are able to apply their knowledge and create a serious game that has an impact. As the name suggests, it provides a foundational overview of issues in designing games for learning. Weekly reflections, a shared twitter acccount, and constant online discussion with classmates help students build knowledge through collaboration. A number of "gamelab" mini assignments as well as a culminating "epic quest" final project gave me the opportunity to showcase my learning.
Fall 2014
TC 841: Understanding Users
Instructor: Patrick Shaw
This course helps turn students into “serious games wizards” who have a deep knowledge of the users playing their games. At first this course was quite challenging for me as it is focused on design, not education. While a classroom teacher I do design lessons and units, this course pushed me to learn more about design theory. I came away from this course with a much stronger understanding of design in general and in games.
Spring 2015
CEP 807: Capstone Portfolio Course
Instructor: Matthew Koehler
The capstone portfolio course is the culmination of my Master’s degree. Everything on this website was created during the course. It has been a great opportunity for me to review my work and showcase my learning in an innovative fashion. It’s also a very practical course, as having my own personal website has been a goal of mine for a while.
Summer 2014
CEP 815: Technology & Leadership
Instructors: Danah Henricksen, Jon Good, Rohit Mehta
A major text for this course was excerpts from danah boyd’s “it’s complicated”. My photo above is meant to represent all the tensions facing teachers. Each group had to run a webinar that took place during the independent section of the course, completed after the face-to-face portion in East Lansing. My team hosted a webinar on digital equity and healthy uses of technology. It was a fun challenge to coordinate time zones between Hong Kong, Australia, and both Central and Eastern Time Zones!
Fall 2014
TC 831: Theories of Serious Games
Instructor: Patrick Shaw
This course helps turn students into “serious games ninjas” who have a deep grasp of the concepts underpinning serious game design. I read an awful lot about learning theory, game design theory, and behavioral change theory. The intersection of all of these theories is how games can be used to influence behavior. While this was one of the most challenging courses I took, I also found it to be one of the most rewarding. And it was just awesome to take a course that included both weekly required reading AND required gaming!