Paper, Order, or Assignment Requirements
Topic 1: Apply to Practice: Instructional Strategies and Technologies

Identify a learning objective or outcome from your content area that requires creative thinking and then select one of the methods of authentic instruction from Table 3.5. You have the autonomy to select an outcome and method that is of interest and relevance to you. If you have yet to teach, you do not need to identify a formal state or national objective as a learning outcome. A learning outcome is just something you want to teach somebody, but remember it should require creative thinking, not just rote memorization or regurgitation of facts.

Describe at least one way to teach students to achieve the learning outcome that incorporates the specific method you have selected. It must include or use technology in some way. You’ll model active learning by considering how you have or could incorporate the outcome and method into your own classroom. Describe how would you establish appropriate learning experiences and the kind of scaffolds or structures necessary to support the learners. Examples are described in the text.

Describe specific ways that technologies could be used to support the successful implementation of your strategy. Remember, there may not be one correct answer. You may have different responses depending on the types of learners you consider and their specific needs. Describe why you choose the specific technology and how is it matched to the skills and knowledge required of the learning objective and the specific method you have selected?

Topic 2:Portfolio: Reflect on developing creative thinking skills

Reflect on how technology can be used to develop students’ creative thinking skills. Write a reflection of a teaching or learning experience that you think best exemplifies a “best practice” lesson. A reflection is written in first person, using “I” or “me”, and should include some description of what you were thinking or feeling during the lesson. Try to include your perceptions of what others (i.e., students) thought or felt about the lesson.

Indicate the role technology played in the lesson and how it supported authentic instruction. If you are not currently teaching, you may want to use the perspective of being a student. You are currently a student and have probably recently completed a couple of other classes. You may want to go back to an earlier degree or even when you were in secondary school. Another source might be if you have recently attended a workshop or seminar. If you can’t come up with a “best” lesson, describe a pretty good one, and let me know how technology might have made it better.

Your reflection should:
* Clearly demonstrate your understanding of the terminology and concepts related to creative thinking skills, which are not necessarily the same thing as the general perception of “being creative”
* Clearly describe the technology and how it supports authentic instruction, as it is defined in the text
* Include personal experiences and thoughts, including the use of first-person language, as well as reflecting on the thoughts and reactions of others

Topic 3:Portfolio: Lesson description of authentic instruction

Describe a technology-based lesson in which you incorporate the principles of authentic instruction. Please choose wisely, and let me know if you’d like to brainstorm ideas, as this is going to be the basis of a lesson plan you create and modify throughout this course. I hope it serves as a “best practice” lesson that employs many of the ideas from the course.

Begin by locating a set of national or state content standards that your current or future students may be required to meet. You may also want to select one or more of the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S).3

Write a brief description of the lesson and how you plan to set it in an authentic context. Specifically describe how the lesson addresses each of the 5 components: 1) learner autonomy; 2) active learners; and 3) holistic, 4) complex, and 5) challenging activities. Be sure to use these terms as they relate to education and are described in the text. Some of these terms do not mean the same thing in education that they do in everyday language.

Describe specific ways that technologies could be used to support the successful implementation of your strategy.

Each topic should have 2 references each and be 250 words or more in-text citation.