RSS 1.0Education Technology Specialist Master's Projects
Graduates of SUNY Oneonta's Educational Technology Specialist program have met the educational requirements to be recommended for professional teaching certification. They will also be eligible for initial certification as Educational Technology Specialists. Our online program builds upon initial skills and knowledge and further develops educational professional leaders who are committed to excellence, empowerment, diversity, and the best research based teaching practices. Students will gain a greater understanding of the teaching-learning process to develop skills in employing the most up-to-date technologies to enhance student performance.
Recent Submissions
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Is Gamification a Curse or a Blessing? Teacher and Student Perspectives About the Use of Blooket in a High School ClassroomThe action research study was conducted to understand how the use of Blooket in high school science classrooms impacts the learning environment. After implementing the specific software into my classroom, I have questioned the value of the integration of such a program as a result of student behavior. In other words, I was looking to investigate whether this gamification detracts from the lesson objective or supports it. This was completed among seventeen, ninth-grade Earth Science students at a suburban New York high school. A total of five science teachers participated in the study as well. After collecting data, three themes were established with the research questions in mind. These themes focused on the various opinions derived from perspectives of both the students and the teachers. Based on the findings and developed themes, I have come to the recommendation of avoiding certain game modes that instigate competitive nature and are found to lead to negative behavior that further disrupts the learning environment.
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Perspectives of Teachers Working in a Virtual School Environment in Upstate New YorkThe COVID-19 pandemic caused many changes for schools and students. Many schools had to make temporary accommodations to continue instruction virtually during periods of quarantine. Despite the return to in-person learning for many schools, options for virtual learning are becoming more popular. However, there is a lack of professional training for virtual teaching. In addition, there is very little literature on virtual schools, which is needed as virtual K-12 schools become more popular. The purpose of this study was to understand the perspectives of teachers working at the New York Public Virtual Learning Academy (PVLA). This study utilized open-ended questionnaires and interviews of 16 teachers working at the PVLA. Data was organized via reduction into codes and themes. This study found that while many participants described virtual teaching as a positive experience, yet there are a few areas in need of more preparation. This study suggests that with the right support and preparation, virtual teaching can be a viable option for many teachers.
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The Effects of Explore Learning’s Math and Science Simulations on Student Engagement in a Rural High SchoolStudents across the nation struggle to build a conceptual understanding of scientific phenomena. The complexity of scientific concepts is difficult for students to understand, and students struggle to visualize the processes that are taught in science. New approaches that incorporate digital simulations can be used to enhance student learning of biological processes. However, more research is needed to understand how digital simulations can be used in the classroom to improve student engagement, and ultimately improve student learning. This qualitative study invited secondary teachers at rural high school who use Explore Learning’s digital simulations to teach math and science concepts. The teacher participants completed an online questionnaire which asked them to share their perspectives and opinions of Explore Learning’s simulations and how it effects student engagement. Findings suggest that Explore Learning Math and Science Gizmos increases student engagement. Based on these findings, the student researcher suggests that further research be conducted to test the effect Explore Learning's digital simulations on students' engagement when learning in math and science.
