My Continuing Journey in Educational Technology
Future Learning Goals
Throughout the duration of my Master’s in Educational Technology (MAET) program, I have experienced a great deal of new thinking. At Michigan State University, I have added many new teaching and learning tools to my “arsenal” that will continue to help me in my career as a computer science and technology teacher. During the course of my time in the graduate program, I have been finding myself regularly adding to my Professional Learning Network (PLN). I have also continued to connect with more EdTech professionals through this course and on social networks like Twitter. We have been able to share many beneficial educational ideas together, and I am sure that this trend will continue into the future. In addition, the MAET program has further enhanced my thinking about “teaching for understanding” with various resources and technologies. My graduate work caused me to start blogging about my educational technology and teaching experiences. In fact, I created my WordPress blog specifically to write about projects, ideas, and future goals regarding my journey as an educational technology professional. Looking into the future, I have decided to focus on three main professional goals.
Developing My Professional Learning Network
First of all, I plan to continue building upon my Professional Learning Network. Creating the popplet found in the link during my program forced me to begin thinking about my professional learning network. I started to realize the important role that my family has continued to have on my PLN. My parents both worked as special education teachers for years. A severe cerebral hemorrhage in 1998 forced my mom to retire earlier than she had planned, but she survived the experience and is still an inspiration to me today. My dad taught for the Dickinson-Iron I.S.D. in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for forty-two years! As I move forward, adding a variety of EdTech professionals to my network will increase my chances of becoming a successful educator on a daily basis. Professors, teachers, administrators, IT professionals, family members, and former students are just some of the people who can become great resources to utilize going forward in my professional life.
Google Applications for Education
Secondly, I will be adding even more to my knowledge of the Google Applications for Education (K-12). Since taking my first MAET course through MSU in fall 2015, I also attended a Google Educator Certification Academy in the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan during the summer of 2016. I learned many new tips and techniques during that professional development session. Over this past summer, I also created and developed a new Google Classroom site (as a major project) for one of my MSU courses. I plan to continue improving upon these skills within the Google Applications for Education umbrella. I have been a regular Google Apps user for years now, but into the future I will be pushing myself to utilize these applications in an even more productive sense. I will continue to explore more educational uses for Google Classroom, Sites, Forms, Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Calendar.
Technology Integration for K-12 Schools
My third and final professional learning goal moving forward is to become an expert in the area of technology integration for schools. Although I have worked as an elementary computer science and technology teacher for eight of the last ten years, I continue to learn new EdTech ideas constantly. In the future, I could be considering changing careers within the educational community. I have put serious thought into working towards becoming a Technology Director or Technology Integration Specialist for a school district or region. As a lifelong learner, I will continue to reimagine online learning and evolve with its changes. A great resource for technology integration is Edutopia.org. Another great resource will be my lifelong connection with MSU’s College of Education.
Conclusion: My Future Learning Goals
As I plan for my future in the educational technology community, I will be working to expand my Professional Learning Network. I will also continue to build upon my expertise of the various Google Apps for Education. In addition to this, I will not stop thinking of new ways to integrate technology into my school’s curriculum. As I learned during my research within the MAET program, educators need to continue questioning! Teachers, students, and everyone involved in online learning need to continue asking questions! Without inquiry, there will be no new ideas, inventions, methods, and solutions in our future. One area that I will be researching intensely includes professional development aimed at making teachers more comfortable with technology, and helping them integrate it effectively in their classrooms.
Future Learning Goals
Throughout the duration of my Master’s in Educational Technology (MAET) program, I have experienced a great deal of new thinking. At Michigan State University, I have added many new teaching and learning tools to my “arsenal” that will continue to help me in my career as a computer science and technology teacher. During the course of my time in the graduate program, I have been finding myself regularly adding to my Professional Learning Network (PLN). I have also continued to connect with more EdTech professionals through this course and on social networks like Twitter. We have been able to share many beneficial educational ideas together, and I am sure that this trend will continue into the future. In addition, the MAET program has further enhanced my thinking about “teaching for understanding” with various resources and technologies. My graduate work caused me to start blogging about my educational technology and teaching experiences. In fact, I created my WordPress blog specifically to write about projects, ideas, and future goals regarding my journey as an educational technology professional. Looking into the future, I have decided to focus on three main professional goals.
Developing My Professional Learning Network
First of all, I plan to continue building upon my Professional Learning Network. Creating the popplet found in the link during my program forced me to begin thinking about my professional learning network. I started to realize the important role that my family has continued to have on my PLN. My parents both worked as special education teachers for years. A severe cerebral hemorrhage in 1998 forced my mom to retire earlier than she had planned, but she survived the experience and is still an inspiration to me today. My dad taught for the Dickinson-Iron I.S.D. in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for forty-two years! As I move forward, adding a variety of EdTech professionals to my network will increase my chances of becoming a successful educator on a daily basis. Professors, teachers, administrators, IT professionals, family members, and former students are just some of the people who can become great resources to utilize going forward in my professional life.
Google Applications for Education
Secondly, I will be adding even more to my knowledge of the Google Applications for Education (K-12). Since taking my first MAET course through MSU in fall 2015, I also attended a Google Educator Certification Academy in the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan during the summer of 2016. I learned many new tips and techniques during that professional development session. Over this past summer, I also created and developed a new Google Classroom site (as a major project) for one of my MSU courses. I plan to continue improving upon these skills within the Google Applications for Education umbrella. I have been a regular Google Apps user for years now, but into the future I will be pushing myself to utilize these applications in an even more productive sense. I will continue to explore more educational uses for Google Classroom, Sites, Forms, Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Calendar.
Technology Integration for K-12 Schools
My third and final professional learning goal moving forward is to become an expert in the area of technology integration for schools. Although I have worked as an elementary computer science and technology teacher for eight of the last ten years, I continue to learn new EdTech ideas constantly. In the future, I could be considering changing careers within the educational community. I have put serious thought into working towards becoming a Technology Director or Technology Integration Specialist for a school district or region. As a lifelong learner, I will continue to reimagine online learning and evolve with its changes. A great resource for technology integration is Edutopia.org. Another great resource will be my lifelong connection with MSU’s College of Education.
Conclusion: My Future Learning Goals
As I plan for my future in the educational technology community, I will be working to expand my Professional Learning Network. I will also continue to build upon my expertise of the various Google Apps for Education. In addition to this, I will not stop thinking of new ways to integrate technology into my school’s curriculum. As I learned during my research within the MAET program, educators need to continue questioning! Teachers, students, and everyone involved in online learning need to continue asking questions! Without inquiry, there will be no new ideas, inventions, methods, and solutions in our future. One area that I will be researching intensely includes professional development aimed at making teachers more comfortable with technology, and helping them integrate it effectively in their classrooms.