Bria Koch

4.e. : Establish and maintain a robust infrastructure for technology integrated, interoperable technology systems to support management, operations, teaching and learning.

​

Artifact: 

• Blackboard Instructor Certification

 

Description:

During fall 2016, I took GILT 540: Delivery, Trends, Responsibilities and Professionalism for Online Teaching as one of my cognates. I decided on this course as it was the only course I had remaining in order to obtain my online teaching endorsement. Though I had already obtained my Instructional Technology Specialist certification, I felt it was important that I gain some experience with online teaching and learning, too. This course was focused around learning how to be the best possible online instructor and designing online course materials. As a result, one of the first assignments was to obtain the Blackboard instructor certification. Completing the Blackboard training was also a required activity during GDIT 706: Developing a Learning Environment using Instructional Technology in spring 2018. Both GILT 540 and GDIT 706 were taught by Dr. David Carbonara.

​

Reflection:

The completion of the Blackboard instructor certification course was my first introduction to course design in an online setting or using a learning management system. Though I ultimately ended up building my learning module for GILT 540 in Schoology, this proved to be extremely useful when I was teaching undergrads at Duquesne University during the 2016-2017 school year. I was an adjunct instructor and taught three courses to pre-service teachers on instructional technology. I was better able to design my courses because I had recently completed the instructor certification, and I was able to use my previous experiences to make my course sites as user-friendly as possible. In looking at standard 4e, obtaining my Blackboard certification directly related to the establishment and maintenance of technology systems that impacted management, teaching, and learning. The certification program was guided and showed me parts of Blackboard that would later prove helpful when working with my undergraduate students.

 

While the certification dealt more with the learning management side of Blackboard, it has also proved useful in my technology facilitator position. Seneca Valley uses Blackboard as the platform to house its website. Part of my role is to keep the website up-to-date and running properly. Though I have had some experience with web editors and design, this is, by far, the largest reaching site of which I’ve been in control. The work that I have done on the website can be seen here.