When One Door Closes, Another One Opens...
...my future as a lifelong learner by Jennifer Waters.
As I pursued my teaching career I felt myself growing apart from my colleagues in the area of technology in the classroom. Growing up with a father who built computer hardware and taught computer software to college students, I am surrounded by technology and new items hitting the market. Thus, I always look for new ways to implement more technology into my lessons to engage students. While many of my colleagues found ways to dodge professional developments about technology, I was looking for more information. In June of 2010 I began my Education Technology Masters at Michigan State University. This masters program has expanded my knowledge and resource base for technologies, engagement, professional and personal development. Now that I am finishing my last two courses in December 2011, I find myself wondering where I will go from here.
It is obvious that I have the professional personality to continue to grow and develop my abilities in the areas of technology and education. But now that I am completing my masters program, two questions come to mind: Why continue my education now that I am finished? How would I obtain formal or informal education? The decision to continue educating myself past my master’s program is motivated by the changes in my student population. My students are products of societal changes and inventions. Twenty years ago the average student did not have access to personal cell phones, social networking, online lessons, and multiple gaming devices. Today, my students have the attention span of 15 minutes due to the constant stimulation of the technological devices. Not to mention to the speed of which new technologies hit the market and end up in my student’s daily use. Therefore, it is imperative for me to stay up-to-date with the new technologies and discover new ways to incorporate them into educational use.
Incorporating new technologies for educational use is done by many companies such as SMART, Texas Instruments, ELMO, and so on. So many companies work towards aiding teachers and schools with discovering ways to incorporate technology into classroom engagement. These companies offer many opportunities for professional development and conferences so that teachers, like me, can obtain education for implementation of their products. These conferences are just one way of obtaining education. Other opportunities I tend to consider are extension courses from Universities, conferences by National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and district professional development held by the information technology (IT) department. The best part of these opportunities is when I come home with new ideas and learn about technologies that I haven’t seen yet. With technological advances ceasing to end, I feel that I will continue to be amazed and surprised by the endless possibilities to improve my classroom instruction and engagement.
Knowing that I will continue to be shown new technologies I need to set a timeline for which I will accomplish my current goals. I want to make sure that I do not become overwhelmed with the endless amount of options and focus on what I can accomplish today, tomorrow, and farther into the future. So I have created the following timeline for myself as a goal. It is important to note these are high expectations for me that are very dependent on my time and assignment for next year.
Upload new online lessons created with tablet PC
Create and implement 1 WebQuest for a computer lab lesson
Create and implement 1 TI-Nspire lesson using teacher software
Build course website using Blackboard
Upload new online lessons created by tablet PC
Create and implement 2-3 WebQuests for a computer lab lesson
Create and implement 2-3 TI-Nspire lessons using teacher software
Attend 2 professional developments about technology in the classroom
Considering my professional goals and timeline it is very clear to me what I will do with my education from MSU. I want my master’s work to immediately show in the classroom. I want to continue the technology I have already implemented and grow into technologies that are still fresh in my mind. Having these goals keep me focused as to what I want my classroom and instruction to look like on a daily, semester, and yearly basis. As a teacher I want to include technology into my lesson, engage students, and create a dynamic learning environment. As a professional I want to be seen as a technology leader and resource on my campus.
In conclusion, I see my education and goals leading me from the classroom to a technology leader at a school site. I need to continue to expand my knowledge and skills to show that technology is an essential part of learning for students. By showing my passion to be a lifelong learner I can inspire teachers to continue their education in evolving fields such as technology. I am sure my informal education will move back to formal education if I decide to pursue for administrative credential. Regardless, I feel as though my master’s program has given me a clear set of goals for developing my skills and motivate me to continue to grow as a professional.
It is obvious that I have the professional personality to continue to grow and develop my abilities in the areas of technology and education. But now that I am completing my masters program, two questions come to mind: Why continue my education now that I am finished? How would I obtain formal or informal education? The decision to continue educating myself past my master’s program is motivated by the changes in my student population. My students are products of societal changes and inventions. Twenty years ago the average student did not have access to personal cell phones, social networking, online lessons, and multiple gaming devices. Today, my students have the attention span of 15 minutes due to the constant stimulation of the technological devices. Not to mention to the speed of which new technologies hit the market and end up in my student’s daily use. Therefore, it is imperative for me to stay up-to-date with the new technologies and discover new ways to incorporate them into educational use.
Incorporating new technologies for educational use is done by many companies such as SMART, Texas Instruments, ELMO, and so on. So many companies work towards aiding teachers and schools with discovering ways to incorporate technology into classroom engagement. These companies offer many opportunities for professional development and conferences so that teachers, like me, can obtain education for implementation of their products. These conferences are just one way of obtaining education. Other opportunities I tend to consider are extension courses from Universities, conferences by National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and district professional development held by the information technology (IT) department. The best part of these opportunities is when I come home with new ideas and learn about technologies that I haven’t seen yet. With technological advances ceasing to end, I feel that I will continue to be amazed and surprised by the endless possibilities to improve my classroom instruction and engagement.
Knowing that I will continue to be shown new technologies I need to set a timeline for which I will accomplish my current goals. I want to make sure that I do not become overwhelmed with the endless amount of options and focus on what I can accomplish today, tomorrow, and farther into the future. So I have created the following timeline for myself as a goal. It is important to note these are high expectations for me that are very dependent on my time and assignment for next year.
- Within 6 months (Jan 2011 – June 2011)
Upload new online lessons created with tablet PC
Create and implement 1 WebQuest for a computer lab lesson
Create and implement 1 TI-Nspire lesson using teacher software
- Within 1 year (Jan 2011 – Jan 2012)
Build course website using Blackboard
Upload new online lessons created by tablet PC
Create and implement 2-3 WebQuests for a computer lab lesson
Create and implement 2-3 TI-Nspire lessons using teacher software
Attend 2 professional developments about technology in the classroom
Considering my professional goals and timeline it is very clear to me what I will do with my education from MSU. I want my master’s work to immediately show in the classroom. I want to continue the technology I have already implemented and grow into technologies that are still fresh in my mind. Having these goals keep me focused as to what I want my classroom and instruction to look like on a daily, semester, and yearly basis. As a teacher I want to include technology into my lesson, engage students, and create a dynamic learning environment. As a professional I want to be seen as a technology leader and resource on my campus.
In conclusion, I see my education and goals leading me from the classroom to a technology leader at a school site. I need to continue to expand my knowledge and skills to show that technology is an essential part of learning for students. By showing my passion to be a lifelong learner I can inspire teachers to continue their education in evolving fields such as technology. I am sure my informal education will move back to formal education if I decide to pursue for administrative credential. Regardless, I feel as though my master’s program has given me a clear set of goals for developing my skills and motivate me to continue to grow as a professional.