The Journey is the RewardI have discovered that I will always be a lifelong learner. I love learning and that is why I became an educator. It is when you stop learning that you stop growing and I hope to continue to learn new things throughout my life. I am reminded that by having the experience of learning through the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program, I am not alone in this profession; I should talk and share with other professionals to build and share my own knowledge, but also to acquire their knowledge and learn from their experiences too. There really is a lot to learn.
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There are many areas and avenues I could pursue on this continued journey of learning. In particular, I have begun to make connections to other educators, and particularly with the help of the MAET program, work with them to develop my own teaching and practices. I hope to continue to nurture these relationships that I have started and expand my web of professional resources, particularly through the use of Web 2.0 tools and social media. I have recently begun following educators on twitter and have found the amount of information and insight in following them to be extremely insightful. I began by following people I knew, and have recently expanded to following educators in the local area (some in Utica, Lansing and Grosse Pointe), but I hope to continue to expand my network of professionals interested in educational technology and eventually become a voice on the feed. The idea of speaking (or typing) on a topic of educational technology is a bit intimidating at the present moment because I know that these people have a wealth of knowledge already, and I sometimes still feel like a novice. So I would like to begin by building my network of people I follow and then begin to contribute to the community on my own. I also follow several educators in the same manner via RSS, but would like to continue to expand this network as well.
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My personal learning network is not exclusively on the web however, there are many people I talk with and connect to on a day-to-day basis that should not be left out of my network simply because I see them everyday (in reality, not virtually). These people include my family, friends, colleagues and students. I would be amiss to not include my students in my personal learning network simply because of their age. Many of these high school students and former students have taught me some valuable lessons in the past, and I enjoy listening to them, just as I enjoy sharing my own knowledge with them too. To better connect with my students in and out of school, I will continue maintaining my classroom website, in the hopes of having a greener classroom, but also with the goal of continuing communication with students and parents about what we are learning everyday. Tools like Ning and Edmodo provide a social-media platform for communication with students, and with the recent adoption of Google mail and applications by our school’s technology department, I would really like to spend the next few years working to foster greater communication for and about learning within the classroom (real or virtual).
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Continuing with my own education is vital to my continued growth professionally. I have already taken steps to work within the Master of Arts in Educational Technology program and I will be completing my degree in December of 2011. However, my own education does not have to stop when class is over. As I stated previously, I feel there is a lot to learn from one another, but I also feel there is value in formal education (I am a teacher after all). Once my master’s is complete, I will be looking forward to taking advantage of the many opportunities for continued professional development as offered by my district and my ISD. I have “blown off” some sessions in the past that have come up because I did not want to take time out of the classroom, but I now feel that the value that this continuing education can provide to both me and my students is great enough that I should take advantage of it (in moderation of course). Additionally, I will be looking into attending conferences locally and nationally that would provide continued opportunities to network and build my educational technology proficiency. I know that the MACUL community is available and has an annual conference in which I hope to attend, but I will also be looking into conferences such as ISTE, November Learning, and TED. If I cannot attend them physically, I hope to take advantage of their online resources (most of their keynote speakers are recorded and posted online).
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Lastly, a professional goal that I have had for a while is to become a leader in my building and district in reference to educational technology. I have not, over the past four years, pursued any leadership roles because I did not feel comfortable as the “new teacher,” but I feel confident enough in my skills and knowledge that I can truly be a leader and model of using technology in the classroom. I have noticed for about a year now I have become the “go to” person when our school transitioned to a new grade book and attendance system last year. I was often approached with questions on how to complete certain operations while in the hallway, in the teacher’s lounge, or via email. Several teachers even asked me to help them in a face-to-face session after school so that I could help them achieve that functionality they were seeking with the new software. To some, they would feel bothered by someone stopping them in the hall to ask a question, but I found I liked being able to help. I really think that stepping up, in future situations, in regards to technology in my community is a way in which I will begin to establish myself in leadership initially. From there, I only hope that it grows and increases.
Overall, there are many resources and tools out there that I have learned about and explored. My experiences in the MAET program were ones in which I saw innumberable amounts of personal growth as a learner and an educator, but mostly, I have come to understand that my role in the future of education does not need to be confined to the classroom. I can continue my quest for educational and technological knowledge by engaging with my community, my colleagues, my peers and the global network of teachers that have a presence online. There is always more that is left to be explored and discovered.
Overall, there are many resources and tools out there that I have learned about and explored. My experiences in the MAET program were ones in which I saw innumberable amounts of personal growth as a learner and an educator, but mostly, I have come to understand that my role in the future of education does not need to be confined to the classroom. I can continue my quest for educational and technological knowledge by engaging with my community, my colleagues, my peers and the global network of teachers that have a presence online. There is always more that is left to be explored and discovered.
Lori Ferrington | 2011