At the beginning of my Masters of Arts in Education Program (MAET) at Michigan State University, I was enlightened to see new possibilities in education. After teaching for 6 years in the elementary setting, I struggled to know what my plans were or what direction I was headed in. I thought I had already reached my potential as an educator. The MAET program quickly changed that belief as it seamlessly helped me develop a new set of goals and plans that I was excited to pursue in the future. As a student of this program, I have come to learn about amazing ways of redefining teaching and learning that fits appropriately in our 21st century world. As I approach the end of my master's degree program, I am excited to use what I’ve learned to execute my goals of redefining student learning by using technology in the classroom, using technology to successfully implement the project-based learning teaching model, and becoming a leader or coach of technology in my district.
Redefine Student Learning through Technology
In today’s 21st century world, it is imperative to teach and prepare students for the skills needed to thrive in our modern society such as real-world problem solving, collaboration, communication, thinking creatively and critically. These are the skills that are needed for the jobs of the future and it should be our priority as educators to ensure that our students are fully equipped to survive in today’s world. One of the ways I plan on preparing my students is to redefine their learning through the use of technology. In thinking about Ruben Puentedura's SAMR Model (substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition), I am excited to adjust my everyday classroom tasks to make sure it aligns as closely as possible to the redefinition part of the model. This part of the model helps us design student tasks where the technology allows us to do something that was previously inconceivable. Thus far, I’ve begun redefining common classroom tasks such as with using Google Docs to promote student collaboration and Google Sites to publish and share with a student network. I look forward to continuing to learn new ways to do redefine learning and attend further professional development opportunities that will open my mind to new ideas. Michigan State University’s Department of Education MAET program has an amazing professional development opportunity every year that gives free sessions about new technology ideas and strategies for the classroom. After attending just one session, I believe this will be a great place to continue my development on a yearly basis. Another conference I am interested in is called the EdTech Teacher Summit which also gives support for teachers who wish to learn innovative ways of teaching.
Project-Based Learning Teaching Model
Project-based learning (PBL) is a unique teaching method that’s been around for years. It’s a great model that aligns well with the 21st century needs of our students. PBL is student-centered, inquiry based, and affords students the opportunity to be creative, think critically, communicate, and collaborate to solve real-world problems. I am excited to begin a new chapter in my teaching career as my school enters the wall-to-wall project-based learning model. As of now, I’ve experienced various professional development sessions and conferences on PBL. I’ve even had the opportunity to pilot the new model last school year. My exposure to the teaching model has taught me an abundance of new content and I have seen first-handedly how this model supports the needed 21st century skills that our students need. In this model, students take charge of their learning, experience communication and collaboration with their peers as they work together to solve a problem or help the community, and think critically and creatively as they develop their project. I look forward to continued exposure and experience as well as further professional development opportunities to help my future in PBL. This past summer, I was lucky to be a part of the New Tech Network annual conference in St. Louis. Here, I was able to learn many details about the project-based teaching model, as well as ways to use new technologies to support student learning. I look forward to attending the 2018 session.
A Leader of Technology
I never really imagined myself in a leadership role in my profession. However, I feel the MAET program has educated me and prepared me to begin the journey of leadership in educational technology. My goal in this role is to help other educators within my building or district to educate and/or coach others to help them experience the redefinition of student tasks using technology. I am excited to listen to other teachers’ needs, determine and set goals, and offer my full support to their educational and technological needs. In the near future, I hope to gain experience in this type of leadership by continuing my practice of tech in my own classroom, attend leadership professional developments sessions, and anything else that would benefit my knowledge of how to help teachers such as scholarly research articles or videos. One such video I was inspired by was on a talk given by Roselind Torres. Her TedTalk called, What it Takes to be a Great Leader, are informational and encouraging ways I can become stronger in this area for the future.