I've Only Just Begun
Almost immediately after I started teaching, I knew that I wanted more. I wanted to give my students a uniquely interactive experience that they would enjoy. I wanted them to get excited about the content the same way I did. If they were publishing their creative projects online and presenting them in class, after all, they would be more likely to be engaged in their own learning. Using technology makes all of this possible.
I graduated from college with a History major. I would argue that the names and dates that I memorized are not that important. The skills that I really learned were in regard to cause and effect relationships and examining multiple perspectives of issues. Learning that issues are not always as they seem, and that there are sometimes more than one right answer, were the real lessons.
I like to think that as I approach the end of my master’s degree, I have learned more than just how to use very specific programs. It is true that this degree has taught me how to use programs like Camtasia Studio, Weebly, Google Forms, and many more. However, in ten years, a lot of those programs may no longer be relevant. The real gains that I can take with me have to do with lifelong learning, learning on-demand, and experiential learning. Those things are just as real today as they were twenty years ago, and will be twenty years from now.
Upon graduation I am going to take a year off from taking classes. I will continue to teach and consult during the day at a traditional high school and teach online with a virtual high school. I want to implement more of what I have learned into my classrooms and reassess my goals. I want to have time to actually read the articles in my Google Reader account, present at technology conferences, and help teachers build their web presence in a meaningful way.
Going forward, I want to share my outlook on education with future teachers; in 20 years, once my teaching career is over, I want to be an adjunct professor of education. Specifically, I want to teach introductory and Technology in Education classes. I can see myself teaching online and/or in person. I have found online learning to work better for me, but it is difficult to predict what higher education will look like 20 years from now.
In conclusion, I could not be happier with my experience in Michigan State’s Educational Technology master’s degree program. While it has taught me a lot about technology and myself, this is really just the beginning. We are just scratching the surface of what k-12 education should look like. I am not merely looking forward to the innovations that lie ahead--I hope to be a part of the change. Through my experiences teaching online and in a traditional high school, I am noticing trends about when and how students learn best. While I do not have the answers yet, I hope to research which experiences are best live in a more traditional school setting, and which ones are more suited to online synchronous or asynchronous methods. Both Michigan State and Boise State offer excellent online doctoral programs in Educational Technology. Right now I am considering both of them.
I graduated from college with a History major. I would argue that the names and dates that I memorized are not that important. The skills that I really learned were in regard to cause and effect relationships and examining multiple perspectives of issues. Learning that issues are not always as they seem, and that there are sometimes more than one right answer, were the real lessons.
I like to think that as I approach the end of my master’s degree, I have learned more than just how to use very specific programs. It is true that this degree has taught me how to use programs like Camtasia Studio, Weebly, Google Forms, and many more. However, in ten years, a lot of those programs may no longer be relevant. The real gains that I can take with me have to do with lifelong learning, learning on-demand, and experiential learning. Those things are just as real today as they were twenty years ago, and will be twenty years from now.
Upon graduation I am going to take a year off from taking classes. I will continue to teach and consult during the day at a traditional high school and teach online with a virtual high school. I want to implement more of what I have learned into my classrooms and reassess my goals. I want to have time to actually read the articles in my Google Reader account, present at technology conferences, and help teachers build their web presence in a meaningful way.
Going forward, I want to share my outlook on education with future teachers; in 20 years, once my teaching career is over, I want to be an adjunct professor of education. Specifically, I want to teach introductory and Technology in Education classes. I can see myself teaching online and/or in person. I have found online learning to work better for me, but it is difficult to predict what higher education will look like 20 years from now.
In conclusion, I could not be happier with my experience in Michigan State’s Educational Technology master’s degree program. While it has taught me a lot about technology and myself, this is really just the beginning. We are just scratching the surface of what k-12 education should look like. I am not merely looking forward to the innovations that lie ahead--I hope to be a part of the change. Through my experiences teaching online and in a traditional high school, I am noticing trends about when and how students learn best. While I do not have the answers yet, I hope to research which experiences are best live in a more traditional school setting, and which ones are more suited to online synchronous or asynchronous methods. Both Michigan State and Boise State offer excellent online doctoral programs in Educational Technology. Right now I am considering both of them.