ImTPaCKing EducationWhen applying the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program I wrote my goal statement focusing on my professional desires as an educator. In sent off my application to Michigan State University in the spring of 2010 with high hopes and nervousness about what to expect. I wrote that I wanted to be a part of the MAET program because by continuing to provide students with a variety of media, methods, including the continued incorporation of technology in the classroom, I could build a multi-faceted approach to curriculum and teaching in order to have students understand and explore concepts and skills that they are expected to learn. But as a teacher, I was integrating technology without truly understanding the implications that different technologies may have had on learning, and without understanding the notion of selecting technologies because it supported the content and pedagogy. Essentially, I used technology as the cool, new way to do the same things I had done before, without basing it in learning theory or best practices.
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After my coursework, and especially after participating in the summer 2011 cohort, my want and love of bringing different approaches and methodology into my teaching has increased. In learning about TPaCK (technological pedagogical content knowledge) I’ve found it necessary to use relevant content knowledge, best pedagogical practices based in sound research, and effective integration of technology. I’ve come to know that anyone can bring technology into the classroom, but to make using technology a meaningful learning experience for all learners is something that is now at the forefront of my thinking. I use technology to differentiate my instruction, provide resources and tools for students, but also to aid them in collaborating and working together in significant and consequential ways. My personal passion for technology has always led me to want that “newest, greatest” technology gadget; what I have learned from TPaCK is that is not always the newest technology that is best. Some of our oldest technologies (pencil & paper) still have very valuable uses today. The learning that happens when a student wrestles with an idea on paper, being able to scratch out, revise, reword, circle, draw arrows, etc., may not happen when one simply hits backspace on a keyboard. So choosing technologies in my classroom have become less about the gadget and more about the meaning and idea behind the technology that allows the learning to be meaningful to students.
From here, I will continue to be an advocate of technology in education; I’ve recently joined our district’s technology committee and will contribute to building the technology plan for the next five years for staff and students. In addition, I will reach out for opportunities for continued professional development and learning. I too am a learner, and have worked to create a network of innovative educators that I can use for continued improvement by staying connected through Twitter and RSS feeds. I will also actively seek opportunities within my district and county to stay on the “cutting edge” of web 2.0 tools and technologies, and have recently worked with peers in my building and district to help them do the same. Overall, I strive to be a technology leader in my school and district, and although I am at the early stages of this, I feel I have already become a reliable resource to many of my colleagues and students.
From here, I will continue to be an advocate of technology in education; I’ve recently joined our district’s technology committee and will contribute to building the technology plan for the next five years for staff and students. In addition, I will reach out for opportunities for continued professional development and learning. I too am a learner, and have worked to create a network of innovative educators that I can use for continued improvement by staying connected through Twitter and RSS feeds. I will also actively seek opportunities within my district and county to stay on the “cutting edge” of web 2.0 tools and technologies, and have recently worked with peers in my building and district to help them do the same. Overall, I strive to be a technology leader in my school and district, and although I am at the early stages of this, I feel I have already become a reliable resource to many of my colleagues and students.
Lori Ferrington | 2011