Lifelong Learning
As an educator, I foster a love of learning in my students by creating a safe environment and engaging learning experiences. I encourage students to take risks, think creatively, and view themselves as lifelong learners. However, in order for me to promote continuous learning, I need to lead by example by trying new techniques and learning from my mistakes. Being a lifelong learner isn’t just about acquiring new knowledge; it’s about applying that knowledge. Because of my strong belief in lifelong learning and my desire to lead by example, I decided to pursue a Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) degree from Michigan State University. My goal was to gain new knowledge and skills that allow me to effectively utilize technology to provide authentic learning experience for students. After completing the MAET program, I can confidently say that I accomplished my goal and I have developed into a stronger educator and leader. I learned valuable information and had meaningful experiences in every course I completed for my program. Being a lifelong learner is an adventure, and my MAET journey was extremely valuable and memorable.
One course that challenged my thinking and practice is CEP 812 (Applying Educational Technology to Issues of Practice) because it had me explore controversial issues in education. I worked collaboratively with a group of my peers to find a solution to the wicked problem: Can failure be as powerful a learning mode as success? Failure as a learning mode is very relevant in my classroom where we work hard to develop growth mindsets. We view mistakes as powerful learning experiences and strive to never give up. Having the opportunity to learn more about failure as a learning mode in CEP 812 proved to be very beneficial to my practice. To crack this wicked problem, my group and I conducted much research, created surveys, and received feedback from our communities of practice. We came to the conclusion that the root of the problem is that failure is viewed negatively and people are afraid to fail. Our surveys confirmed that the majority of education stakeholders, teachers, parents, students, and administrators, hold a negative view of failure. We also discovered that societal pressures might play a role in this negative view. This information shed some light on why failure is viewed as a bad thing by many stakeholders, and it helped us come to our solution.
We decided that in order to solve this wicked problem, we needed to change the perception of failure inside and outside of the classroom. Parents, administrators and students need to understand the benefits of learning through failure. Also, the way that teachers present material, and how students interact with that material, needs to be adjusted. This solution changed routines in my own classroom. I didn’t just gain knowledge on how to change the perception of failure; I applied what I learned to my practice. I made a valid effort to integrate failure as a learning mode into my classroom in ways that supported my students and prepared them for challenges in life. I taught my students strategies on how to utilize available resources and I didn’t rush to assist them when they hit a struggle. I shared videos and website I discovered with my students and parents to promote growth mindsets. The knowledge I gained from CEP 812 truly strengthened the way I approach my instruction. I am now more comfortable with the idea of failure and am able to embrace failure as a learning mode for my students and for myself.
Another course that has positively influenced me is CEP 815 (Technology and Leadership) because it removed me from my comfort zone by asking me to take on the role of technology leader who was responsible for managing relationships between technology, teaching and learning. I have always viewed myself as a leader and I do my best to maintain a positive attitude in difficult situations. Because of this, I have frequently been put in leadership positions. I have been captain of sports teams, a member of my school’s building leadership team, and the chair of multiple extracurricular activities. However, being an agent of change in a leadership role was new territory for me and there was a lot I needed to learn. CEP 815 asked me to engage with the ethical and social implications of technology integration and research "thorny issues" in education like the effective use of technology. I learned that in order to have a vision for the future, a leader must examine the present. Once the leader understands his/her local context, an endpoint needs to be determined and the leader can then start to develop a vision that will drive change. This course emphasized that as a technology leader, I need to ensure that learning goals are considered first and then supplemented with technology goals. My focus needs to be on improving educational practices.
After becoming more knowledgeable on how to effectively initiate change, I created a vision statement for my colleagues that promoted meaningful integration of technology tools. A meaningful integration of technology requires engaging teachers in seeing the affordances of digital tools to engage students and provide differentiated instruction. In my vision statement I explained how technology integration creates more opportunities for individualized instruction, allows students to engage in curriculum outside of the classroom, and makes formative assessment more manageable for teachers. To accomplish this vision, professional development needs to be provided so teachers can work collaboratively with each other and become more comfortable using tech tools to strengthen learning goals and deepen understanding. As the technology leader, I offered to visit classrooms to assist teachers in any way that I can to make the vision of integrating technology to engage students and allow for differentiated instruction a reality. Writing a vision statement was a positive experience because I learned valuable information in the process and I gained practice on how to effectively communicate with colleagues to accomplish a goal. CEP 815 gave me the confidence to speak at a professional development session for my school district. We were undergoing a change with our math curriculum and our math instruction. A digital component was being added and I was asked to express how I was implementing this change in my classroom. I explained my strategies and discussed how this change was a positive one. I became a leader in the area of math and helped coach teachers with their implementation of the new program. I’m very grateful that CEP 815 equipped me with the knowledge and skills needed to take on this leadership role.
I was challenged to use my knowledge of purposeful technology integration and growth mindset in CEP 820 (Teaching Students Online) when I was asked to build an online course. I choose to build a math module using the learning management system (LMS), Weebly. I created a blended learning environment with the goal to have students take ownership of their learning and develop a true understanding of the math concepts. I had to be very aware of the pedagogical decisions I was making when constructing the module because it needed to be appropriate for third grade students. I kept reminding myself to view my course through the eyes of a third grader and this helped me to put things into perspective. I made sure to keep my expectations and structure the same for each lesson (Learn, Explore, Demonstrate). I also made sure to include a self-reflection piece after each Learn section. The “move on when ready” model in the area of math is a model of interest for my school district and for myself, and building my course allowed me gain experience with this approach. My math module is grounded in the idea of demonstrating mastery before moving on to the next lesson and it supports individualized instruction. I was able to deeply connect the knowledge and skills I was gaining from CEP 820 to the work I was completing in my classroom. My school district changed math programs and added a new digital component to our instruction. I needed to change my way of thinking when it came to my math block, and creating an online math module crucially helped me with this. My math module has students participate with interactive math video lesson, and because of this, I have more time to pull groups of students who need extra support to reach mastery. I also made sure to give students multiple opportunities to demonstrate their understanding.
CEP 820 strengthened my belief that it’s my responsibility to make sure that every student receives the support and tools they need to be successful. I included an Extra Practice tab in my course that provides students with additional instruction and time with the new concepts they are learning. Having additional videos and activities allows students to make the choice of the time and place they will complete these activities. According to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines, offering learners choices can develop self-determination, pride in accomplishment, and increase the degree to which they feel connected to their learning. Giving learners the choice of completing extra practice that is directly related to their lessons allows students to build self-determination and self-esteem if they did not fully understand the lesson in class. I have applied what I learned in CEP 820 to other areas by creating online content for language arts and science. I also use my LMS to differentiate instruction for my diverse reading groups. My students now have more opportunities to collaborate with each other and share their ideas. The skills I’ve learned help me to engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.
I am extremely grateful for the knowledge, skills, and experiences I have gained from the MAET degree program at Michigan State University. Embracing failure as a learning mode, becoming a more confident leader, and building and implementing an online module are just some of the accomplishments I achieved. I entered this program with the goal of improving my practice by effectively utilizing technology to provide authentic learning experience for students. I can without a doubt say that I reached my goal and the MAET program has transformed me into a stronger educator and leader by providing me with the skills to create meaningful experiences through technology. My classes also strengthened my belief that learning goals need to come first when designing educational experiences. I learned that it’s very important not to fall into the vision by product trap. This means that an educator focuses on the technology itself and does not keep learning goals and educational practices at the forefront of the lesson. I’ll be sure to continue to use technology to enhance my lessons by keeping my focus on the learning objectives.
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My master's program also encouraged me to be a reflective learner and educator. My classes were online, but I felt very involved in a learning community. I had many opportunities to talk with peers, brainstorm with professors, and revise my work. I really appreciated receiving thoughtful feedback on work I completed and I learned so much from my colleagues. Sharing techniques and approaches with a group of dedicated educators and professors was invaluable. These experiences affected my practice because I am now encouraging my students to be reflective learners. I’ve incorporated more peer feedback and teacher conferencing in my classroom because I found these opportunities to be so important. I’m thrilled that I was able to lead by example and follow the advice I give to my students: take risks, think creatively, and be a lifelong learner. To me, being a lifelong learner means acquiring new knowledge and applying that knowledge to your practice. I have applied my learning to my profession and my students are greatly benefitting. I’m proud to be a lifelong learner and I look forward to my next learning adventure.
References:
Business Word Success Management Leadership. (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2017, from http://maxpixel.freegreatpicture.com/Business-Word-Success-Management-Leadership-1959544
F. (2017, August 04). Fraser Commercial - Elementary Enrollment 30. Retrieved August 05, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP05Ty3SrX0
Growth Mindset. (2016, November 17). Retrieved July 19, 2017, from http://big-change.org/growth-mindset/
Wordle - Create. (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2017, from http://www.wordle.net/create
Business Word Success Management Leadership. (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2017, from http://maxpixel.freegreatpicture.com/Business-Word-Success-Management-Leadership-1959544
F. (2017, August 04). Fraser Commercial - Elementary Enrollment 30. Retrieved August 05, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP05Ty3SrX0
Growth Mindset. (2016, November 17). Retrieved July 19, 2017, from http://big-change.org/growth-mindset/
Wordle - Create. (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2017, from http://www.wordle.net/create