The Library Networks and Databases had a focus of not only teaching efficiency in retrieving information but how to best categorize data and visualizing said data. Ideas of controlled vocabularies and hypermedia and how clear navigation of learning artifacts allows students/trainees to investigate areas of already understood knowledge while also accessing new areas of information.
It was interesting applying the course concepts to my current instructional systems management position at Microsoft. The above image is my first infographic that I created for the Microsoft Virtual Academy. The linked Prezi tutorial discusses how to navigate this learning environment including relevant topics of database development.

In digital media production there were many insightful discussions and reviews of various digital media technologies for education.There was a strong sense of community as we utilized new group discussion technologies such as the GroupMe app, Google hangouts and groups.  Because of this momentum of educating peers I decided to do an educational screencast on the Sumo Paint program. The goal was to assist fellow peers in mutli-media development on a free alternative to Photoshop.

The course Foundations of Educational Technology offered students an analysis of the core concepts of the masters program. Many distinctions were made such as concepts that make training different from teaching. The most enduring concepts I took away from the class was the discussion of 4 main learning theories.

I arrived at this course latter than most students thanks to my enrollment being 1 semester late. However, that allowed me to see the real value in the four main concepts listed above. After many hours of reading numerous research articles based on modern learning theories I had never quite seen such profound academic theory underpinnings all in a brief synopsis. I enjoyed seeing the root of all of my academics studies so much I decided to make an extra diagram for that week's assignment.

In my course Facilitating Online Learning the discussion and projects relating to what makes an engaging online course.  The final for the project was an eight-page course outline for a new proposed course and this video of my place in the field.  

A snipit of the course outline for Introduction to Web Technologies

What makes an engaging fully online was the emphasis of the course. Such as the instructor becoming a facilitator for education instead of the center focal point in the traditional classroom lecture. Another important discussion in this course is was how to avoid learner isolation in students by deploying various community and facilitator support researched academic techniques.The course outline can be viewed by clicking the above picture or this link Rob.M.Course.Outline.

In Computer Based Instructional Development there was much analysis on how to convey information in a static document form, aka a non-content management based web-site. There was an overview of how to best convey messages in grid patterns, organization and how to avoid overly complicated informative web-sites. These concepts underscored how to best develop information on a human cognitive architecture. Click the picture above or visit my final site for the course at this link https://oncreativesoul.com/drupal_vs_moodle/

In the Creativity and Innovation in Educational Technology I was challenged to conceptually think outside of the box. The above image was a single assignment with requirements involving 3D models and a teaching problem I was facing with my students. As you can tell the creative juices were definitely flowing thanks to the assigned readings that were creating new paradigms I had on teaching and the nature of creative thinking in general.

In my masters course in Foundations of Digital Learning I was able to flex my Lectora rapid course creation muscles and create a quick eLearning module. Also, studying foundational theories on research and how they relate to creating effective online courses. There were various articles and discussions on Mobile Development in Education. During the course I developed a presentation on combining educational theories with existing mobile development technologies.
Lectora is a Rapid Courseware development tool for eLearning. It can create SCORM, AICC, and regular HTML learning modules. You can do much more with the program than in my demo. Feel free to click on the picture above for the eLearning module or this link https://oncreativesoul.com/mlearning/

Ok the world of presentation software isn't the most exciting subject. Thanks to the Educational Technology's in-depth examinations of most relevant classroom applications (and my software background) it's a rare occurrence I find something I think is something completely new. That all changed over the summer when I took Advanced Computer Applications in Education where I was introduced to Prezi. The course  objectives where to utilize various computer technologies and integrate the technology tools into the classroom. As the viewer can see I became quite thrilled at a few of the new educational technology tools I was introduced to. Click on the above picture or here http://prezi.com/MyAwesomePresentation to see a presentation I made for this course that complemented my web-design class.

One of my favorite courses in the Educational Technology program was Digital Games and Simulations in the Classroom. The focus was writing curriculum with a gamification focus that can be used in the classroom. As somebody that has enjoyed the hobby of gaming starting when I was in kindergarten and the first Nintendo arrived on the scenes, I have been glued to a game controller ever since. In my usual style I used this opportunity to try out the new web design techniques. In this case I utilized Adobe Edge Animate software. Click the above picture or here for my final project. Anyone that is unaware of Adobe Edge the software itself it is the answer to the archaic Flash web technology. Full mobile friendly HTML5 animations with no plug-in required. It was quite a task writing curriculum for the Oklahoma Standards in k-12 since I am mainly familiar with college level education, however, I think my determination to understand all levels of curriculum speaks for itself.

Introduction to Instructional Design was my first course in the Educational Technology program. This was also my first exposure to instructional design as a process. The course had a major focus on the ADDIE model considering it is the most well known model in instructional design. As a seasoned front-end web designer I also utilized this course to test out (and simply have fun) with some jQuery effects. Click here for my old site at synthethicmantis.com or the picture above to preview my (lovingly hand coded) final project for this class.