When I applied for the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program at Michigan State University a little over a year ago, I had two goals. My first goal was to learn when it is good to integrate technology into lessons; I wanted to know when I should and should not be taking advantage of technology. My second goal was to gain a plethora of technology resources and programs that I can integrate into my teaching; I wanted my students to have the best of the best.
Now that I am wrapping up the MAET program, I also have two goals. Currently, my first goal is to always consider whether a certain technology might benefit my students’ understanding of an idea. My second goal is to stay up-to-date with current technologies. Upon reflection, I realized that my goals are incredibly similar to what they were when I applied to the program. I had hoped that I would have achieved my goals by the end of the MAET program, but as I look back at my original goals, I recognize that I will never fully achieve my goals as I originally wrote them because technology is constantly changing. Throughout the MAET program, I have rephrased both of my goals into achievable things that I can do on a daily basis throughout my career to make sure I am providing my students with the best instruction, whether that means a lesson is technology-integrated or not.
The idea behind my first goal is the same; throughout the MAET program, I have been learning about affordances and constraints of technology integration. However, this idea of when to integrate technology is much more complex than I originally thought it would be: deciding when to use a certain technology depends on the content I am trying to teach and the specific affordances and constraints of the technology I am considering using. I was hoping to learn a set of guidelines to follow: integrate technology in this instance, but not in this instance. Instead, I learned technology integration needs to be a case-by-case decision. There are surely thousands of ways to match up content and technology. Some make good matches, and some do not. My goal is to always make good matches.
My second goal is largely the same as well. I need to make sure I stay up-to-date with current technologies. Certainly, I did gain a plethora of technology resources and programs by participating in the MAET program, but there will be new resources tomorrow. In order to stay up-to-date, I need to make sure I stay connected to my professional learning network. I learn new ideas through my colleagues, professional development, journals, and social media. As long as I am interacting with these resources, I will learn about current technologies and how to use them well in my classroom.
To achieve my goals, I need to be a lifelong learner.
Now that I am wrapping up the MAET program, I also have two goals. Currently, my first goal is to always consider whether a certain technology might benefit my students’ understanding of an idea. My second goal is to stay up-to-date with current technologies. Upon reflection, I realized that my goals are incredibly similar to what they were when I applied to the program. I had hoped that I would have achieved my goals by the end of the MAET program, but as I look back at my original goals, I recognize that I will never fully achieve my goals as I originally wrote them because technology is constantly changing. Throughout the MAET program, I have rephrased both of my goals into achievable things that I can do on a daily basis throughout my career to make sure I am providing my students with the best instruction, whether that means a lesson is technology-integrated or not.
The idea behind my first goal is the same; throughout the MAET program, I have been learning about affordances and constraints of technology integration. However, this idea of when to integrate technology is much more complex than I originally thought it would be: deciding when to use a certain technology depends on the content I am trying to teach and the specific affordances and constraints of the technology I am considering using. I was hoping to learn a set of guidelines to follow: integrate technology in this instance, but not in this instance. Instead, I learned technology integration needs to be a case-by-case decision. There are surely thousands of ways to match up content and technology. Some make good matches, and some do not. My goal is to always make good matches.
My second goal is largely the same as well. I need to make sure I stay up-to-date with current technologies. Certainly, I did gain a plethora of technology resources and programs by participating in the MAET program, but there will be new resources tomorrow. In order to stay up-to-date, I need to make sure I stay connected to my professional learning network. I learn new ideas through my colleagues, professional development, journals, and social media. As long as I am interacting with these resources, I will learn about current technologies and how to use them well in my classroom.
To achieve my goals, I need to be a lifelong learner.