The MAET Program...and Beyond
My future as a learner
By Stacie Green
My latest formal educational journey is coming to a close. I have to be honest and say, I enjoy being a student and taking classes. I like being in school. I do realize that I can’t do that forever and must eventually put my knowledge to work. I often find myself wondering…what next? Now that this chapter is complete, what does the next one hold for me?
As a teacher, I know that my learning journey is never complete. I have to constantly stay up to date on the best practices and learning theories to create the best learning environment possible for my students. My constant learning is even more imperative in the current world of ever-changing technology.
I am able to stay up to date and on top of technology through my classes. I had a couple different classes that required me to create a Netvibes page, a Netvibes Mash-Up, and subscribe to Google Reader. While I was taking these courses, I constantly stayed up to date on different edtech blogs. Now, I find it hard to stay on top of it at all. One of my biggest fears is that without that “big brother” aspect of professors, I’ll lose that focus and slack off causing me to miss a new tip or trick that could potentially forever change my teaching and my students learning.
Formally, my learning is complete for a good stretch of time. I can never say never because I know that I want to formally continue this passion for technology in some way. I will soon have 2 Master degrees so a 3rd doesn’t really make a lot of sense, but the University of Cincinnati has a STEM Masters program which I’ve already begun to look into. I don’t totally know what is involved in a Ph.D. program, but I could never rule it out.
Informally, it is up to me to continue this journey. I know I HAVE to continue using the skills I have like webpage design and creation of things like WebQuests and STAirs to be able to continue to do that down the road. I know that the know-how for something as simple as a screen shot can easily be lost if it’s not done regularly and it is up to me to keep those skills sharp. I’m pleased to be a MiChampion Cohort 4 member this year and will be attending the MACUL (Michigan Association of Computer Users in Learning) conference in a few weeks. Through this, I will be taking some online courses as well as participating in summer training. I will be working with a technology coach next year and will have technology integrated projects on display at the 2012 MACUL conference which I will also attend. I plan to continue to keep my MACUL membership active and continue participating in the conference. I have toyed with the idea of joining ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) and will seriously be looking into that again for assistance in furthering my learning.
One of the best ways for me to continue my informal learning is through the edtech blogs I subscribe to through Google Reader and Netvibes. It is up to me to re-evaluate those sites and select one for my personal use. My next step will be to review the blogs I’m subscribing to and decide which ones are worthwhile and which ones are not. Then, I’ll be able to add new ones that have the best information for my situation, interests, and needs. Using the edtech blogs will keep me informed of ever-changing technology, new ideas of ways to use technology in the classroom, information on webinars that I can participate in, and so on. The amount of information and usefulness from the blogs is just endless!
Another way for me to continue my technology learning is through grant writing. The technology I have access to is limited, but I can’t use that as an excuse to NOT use it. Grant writing has always seemed so daunting to me, way over my head. I need to dive into it head first to get my hands on some new products to further my and my students learning. Flip cameras are something I’d really like to incorporate into my classroom for presentations, role playing, poetry reading, science experiments, and so on. This isn’t something that my district can provide. It’s up to me to find a way to get that technology for my classroom.
This program has changed my technology skills ten-fold! It has also changed the way I look at teaching and learning. It has also changed the way I view myself as an educator. I can now confidently say I’m a leader in technology. The invigorating feeling I get when I successfully integrate technology and am able to see my students’ success is unbelievable and is definitely something I DON’T want to lose!
As a teacher, I know that my learning journey is never complete. I have to constantly stay up to date on the best practices and learning theories to create the best learning environment possible for my students. My constant learning is even more imperative in the current world of ever-changing technology.
I am able to stay up to date and on top of technology through my classes. I had a couple different classes that required me to create a Netvibes page, a Netvibes Mash-Up, and subscribe to Google Reader. While I was taking these courses, I constantly stayed up to date on different edtech blogs. Now, I find it hard to stay on top of it at all. One of my biggest fears is that without that “big brother” aspect of professors, I’ll lose that focus and slack off causing me to miss a new tip or trick that could potentially forever change my teaching and my students learning.
Formally, my learning is complete for a good stretch of time. I can never say never because I know that I want to formally continue this passion for technology in some way. I will soon have 2 Master degrees so a 3rd doesn’t really make a lot of sense, but the University of Cincinnati has a STEM Masters program which I’ve already begun to look into. I don’t totally know what is involved in a Ph.D. program, but I could never rule it out.
Informally, it is up to me to continue this journey. I know I HAVE to continue using the skills I have like webpage design and creation of things like WebQuests and STAirs to be able to continue to do that down the road. I know that the know-how for something as simple as a screen shot can easily be lost if it’s not done regularly and it is up to me to keep those skills sharp. I’m pleased to be a MiChampion Cohort 4 member this year and will be attending the MACUL (Michigan Association of Computer Users in Learning) conference in a few weeks. Through this, I will be taking some online courses as well as participating in summer training. I will be working with a technology coach next year and will have technology integrated projects on display at the 2012 MACUL conference which I will also attend. I plan to continue to keep my MACUL membership active and continue participating in the conference. I have toyed with the idea of joining ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) and will seriously be looking into that again for assistance in furthering my learning.
One of the best ways for me to continue my informal learning is through the edtech blogs I subscribe to through Google Reader and Netvibes. It is up to me to re-evaluate those sites and select one for my personal use. My next step will be to review the blogs I’m subscribing to and decide which ones are worthwhile and which ones are not. Then, I’ll be able to add new ones that have the best information for my situation, interests, and needs. Using the edtech blogs will keep me informed of ever-changing technology, new ideas of ways to use technology in the classroom, information on webinars that I can participate in, and so on. The amount of information and usefulness from the blogs is just endless!
Another way for me to continue my technology learning is through grant writing. The technology I have access to is limited, but I can’t use that as an excuse to NOT use it. Grant writing has always seemed so daunting to me, way over my head. I need to dive into it head first to get my hands on some new products to further my and my students learning. Flip cameras are something I’d really like to incorporate into my classroom for presentations, role playing, poetry reading, science experiments, and so on. This isn’t something that my district can provide. It’s up to me to find a way to get that technology for my classroom.
This program has changed my technology skills ten-fold! It has also changed the way I look at teaching and learning. It has also changed the way I view myself as an educator. I can now confidently say I’m a leader in technology. The invigorating feeling I get when I successfully integrate technology and am able to see my students’ success is unbelievable and is definitely something I DON’T want to lose!
