Everyone has goals in life. Whether they are short term, long term, or somewhere in between; everyone has a goal that they want to achieve. The same can be said of teachers. Each one of us started with goals and dreams that we wanted to achieve while helping our students be the best possible people that they could be. I am no different than everyone else; I had goals I wanted to achieve and gaining a masters was one of them.
Choosing a masters program of study really came down to what, specifically, I wanted to accomplish. My first program of study was chosen for me because of my job ( I was teaching Remedial English [students that were behind on state testing required levels] and Credit Recovery English which meant that I needed to gain a Special Education Degree), but I realized that I didn’t really enjoy the program as much. Eventually, I decided to choose something I liked. I ended up choosing a Master of Arts in Educational Technology because I was curious. I was handed an iPad as a long term substitute and was told, "Here. Teach with this." This was rather alarming because I was supposed to start teaching in a half an hour and I had no idea what the device could even do. I played around with it and discovered that I really enjoyed teaching with this device. I then went looking for a way to learn more and found what I was looking for at Michigan State University- Educational Technology.
Goal One: Understanding Technology and Using it Effectively
This was the first (and at the time, the only goal) that I had set myself when I started my masters program. I wanted to explore the possibilities that were available with technology and how it could help me explain various concepts in English class. I was taught and trained using some very outdated technology (overhead projectors and chalk boards) but I knew the ways of teaching were changing and I wanted to learn more about it. I didn't want to throw out everything I learned; I just wanted to learn how to blend the two ideas together to make learning more meaningful for my students. The Master of Arts in Educational Technology exceeded my expectations for this goal and I have employed a lot of what I have learned in my classroom.
Sometimes you start an adventure with only one goal in mind, then along the way, new ideas start to emerge. This happened to me as I discovered more and more about using technology in my classroom within my master's program. The following two goals emerged from my discoveries within the first goal that I set for myself.
Goal Two: Teach Students to Use Technology Outside the Classroom
During my coursework, I added two more goals that I wanted to achieve. I wanted to teach my students how the use technology in a way that would help them prepare for the work force. It needed to be something that they could adapt to use outside of just a school setting. So far, I think I have been mildly successful with this, but I continue to work and learn new skills to teach to my students.
Goal Three: Research New Technology & Teaching Practices
The last goal that I am working towards is to continue researching new technologies and teaching practices to enhance my students’ learning. New research is being conducted continuously on how to be more effective in the classroom. I will continue to work on finding new research practices that will benefit my students and I make it a point to attempt these new ideas in the classroom.
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