As one of the only ISTE Certified Master’s programs in the country, CMU’s Master’s in Learning, Design, and Technology gives teacher leaders the opportunity to not only expand their knowledge about appropriate and changing technological pedagogies but also to pursue becoming an ISTE Certified Educator.
Part of the program’s alignment with ISTE means that coursework is purposeful, strategic, and guides educators toward meeting the Standards for Educators. One whole strand of the standards is devoted to becoming a collaborator with colleagues and students in order to improve practice, solve problems, and share resources. One way that the MALDT program encourages educators to meet this standard is through the use of a public blog to showcase current research, teaching philosophies, lesson ideas, and more.
The newest cohort to begin their journey in the spring of 2021 is wrapping up the start of their blogs and gearing up to add to them with their next classes in the summer. Graduate students create websites to showcase who they are as humans, educators, and students in order to inform, inspire, and collaborate. This cohort has 53 students who have curated resources and shared assignments in this way. You can see more about their blogs at https://sites.google.com/view/edu-590/student-portfolio-pages/spring-2021.
Additionally, the faculty who teach “Foundations of Learning, Design, and Technology,” (EDU 590) one of the first classes taken by new MALDT students, maintain links to previous cohorts of students so that fully developed portfolio blogs can be accessed at the end of the program. Students are encouraged throughout their coursework to add to their site in order to create a comprehensive look at the themes and challenges of teaching with and through technology.
Their blog site, complete with evidence of their learning and inquiry, can later be aligned and used to earn ISTE Certification. Through their work, students demonstrate their commitment to learning, leading, and designing in order to meet the ISTE Standards for Educators. All EDU 590 student portfolio pages are linked at https://sites.google.com/view/edu-590/student-portfolio-pages.
For more information about applying to CMU’s MALDT program, please contact Dr. Ray Francis at franc1rw@cmich.edu.