REFLECTING ON
PAST GOALS
Francis Bacon once said, “Knowledge is power.” These three simple words motivated me to participate and expand my knowledge in the field of educational technology. I seek the power not to control, but the power to educate. In the Summer of 2016, I entered the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program at Michigan State University with the goals to gain experience to apply technology in thoughtful ways into my personal and professional life, enhance student learning and accessibility in my special education classroom, and most importantly share the acquired information with my colleagues. Now that my journey is coming to a close my goals have not changed and I continue to strive towards my original goals using the acquired skills and concepts gained within the program.
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The field of education and the world of technology are constantly evolving. As an educator, I am committed to being a lifelong learner because I believe it is important to stay informed on current topics, especially related to technology. By continuing my education through the (MAET) program, my goal was to learn effective ways in which to utilize and apply technology in and outside of the education field. In my personal and professional life I will model how technology can help me with organization, planning, and staying informed.
Technology is a crucial part of our society and therefore technology needs to have a crucial role in education. In the MAET program, I anticipated to learn about new and innovative tools that can help provide accessibility and enhance how students with and without disabilities reach knowledge. I will apply these technological tools in my classroom in a meaningful way that aids in fostering and expanding student thinking.
The information I gain from the MAET program will be put to good use. With the knowledge I’ve gained I have and will continue to share information about educational technology with my colleagues. I will also continue to connect and share with other educators throughout the country as I expand my network. I believe that sharing information amongst educators is a great way to create a culture of communication, collaboration, and innovation.
The original goals I set for myself at the beginning of the MAET program encompassed all areas that I have for my current goals as I complete the program. My goals are the same, but I now see them through an MAET lense. The concept of applying technology in thoughtful and meaningful ways and enhance student learning can be directly related to Technological, Pedagogical, And Content Knowledge (TPACK), an important concept discussed in the MAET program. The use of TPACK provides a consistent framework that can be applied to older lessons or newly designed lessons and supports the purposeful use of technology. Additionally, I have acquired ways to share information with my colleagues and others in my Personal Learning Network (PLN) through Twitter, blogging, conference presentations, and personal contact. Now that my journey is coming to a close I continue to strive towards my original goals using the acquired skills and concepts gained within the program.
Reproduced by permission of the publisher, © 2012 by tpack.org