A Visionary
A Reflective Piece-Goal Statement Essay
As the birds begin to chirp and the days become brighter and longer, graduation is quickly approaching. It is hard to believe that after two years, my Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) journey will soon end in May. In coming full circle, I find myself reflecting upon the quote and philosophy that drove my entrance goal statement. My keen desire to apply to the Master of Arts in Educational Technology program was summed up when Bill Gates sagely observed, "Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is most important.” Reflecting upon this quote, Mr. Gates provided me with a vision. A vision that required me to be the best teacher that I can be. Like most visions, they evolve over time. My vision has certainly evolved over the last two years, from a vision of being, to a vision of reality.
My vision quest started back in Spring of 2014, when I applied as a lifelong learner to the MAET program. At this point in my professional career, I had been descending on my sixth year of teaching in the field of technology. As I embarked on the MAET journey, my overarching vision was to continue to bring technological tools to life in my classroom and engage my students to achieve the best educational experience possible. Not only did I want to ensure positive professional growth for me, but my hope was that my students will be the ultimate benefactors of my studies.
As I learned about interesting technological tools, I began to incorporate them into my teaching. I wanted to continue to be a teacher of design and encourage my students to explore, create, and share. My first breakthrough MAET moment, was bringing the Maker Movement to the classroom. This movement not only sparked my inner ambitions, but many of my students. From our maker movement battle of the bands competition to exploring web 2.0 tools, my visions started to expand and my students started to become intrigued, engaged and most importantly passionate.
Though, like all visions, visions evolve over time. As I started my Fall semester and my seventh year of teaching, I began to doubt myself as a technology leader. Over the years, this position had brought me great joy to share my love and passion of technology with hundreds of students within a variety of grade levels. However, my vision was boxed in by four cinder block walls, in a room filled with computers. Here, I noticed a desperate need to bring my fellow colleagues up to par with my vision, a vision of 21st century learning.
As my vision evolved, my doubts were answered when I had the opportunity to hand my technology program over and step into a core curriculum position as the new 6th and 7th grade Earth and Life Science teacher. This position has allowed me to take on new roles, such as creating a technology board, becoming an active member, and being named one of the new pilot teachers for our middle school 1:1 tablet program that will launch next year. As new and exciting opportunities await, I look forward to bringing new instructional approaches to the table, like flipping a classroom and teaching and sharing my passion of technology with my colleagues.
Overall, as technology evolves, so do the visions that align with them. I believe my vision has slowly evolved into something great and will continue to evolve over the next few years. As always, I hope that my students will be the ultimate benefactors of my studies, along with my colleagues. As a science teacher, I want to continue to be a teacher of design and encourage my students to explore, create, and share. My passion for teaching and technology coupled with the MAET program has ensured positive professional growth. Michigan State University has given me the opportunity to live my dream of being a teacher, and the knowledge that I have gained in the last two years will certainly help me empower my students to pursue their own dreams and hopefully my fellow colleagues dreams, too.
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