What I started my master’s program at Michigan State University I was starting my sixth year of teaching. I felt that I was hitting my stride and confident that the Master’s in Educational Technology (MAET) would enhance the good things I was already doing. This did happen, but I did not expect to find myself making so many changes. The MAET program demonstrated how technology can impact many different components of a classroom. The coursework allows for a teacher at any level and teaching any subject to utilize technology in some way to create a more engaging and effective classroom environment. My teaching philosophy and day to day classroom management have been impacted greatly. This program also showed me how I could use technology to become a stronger team member in my school. I am able to take my new skills and share them with the talented individuals I work with and improve the learning environment for students beyond my classroom.

 

Part of my teaching philosophy has always included presenting my content in many different ways to ensure my instruction is differentiated to meet the needs of the different learning styles in my classroom. In the class titled Teaching Understanding with Technology I completed an assignment that tasked me with learning a new skill using only the internet. I chose to learn to crochet, something I had wanted to learn for a while. When I was finding resources online to teach me this new skill I found many options. I used videos, written directions, and sequential pictures to help me learn. I found it helpful to see many different representations of the same information. The networked learning project reinforced this component of the teaching I already do in my classroom.

 

While some of my approaches have stayed the same, I did make some important changes. In Applying Educational Technology to Practice I worked collaboratively with a group to solve a wicked problem. My group focused on failure as a learning mode. As much as I would like for my students to always be successful, there is a lot of value in learning from failure. Helping a student to learn from failure requires a change in the mindset of the student. This was one of the solutions we proposed to solve the wicked problem. My group suggested that we teach our students to have a growth mindset. Students with a growth mindset are “students who believed their intelligence could be developed.” (Dweck, 2015) Students with a growth mindset are able to learn from the past experiences, good and bad. These students also have the ability to see the importance of reflecting on completed work and then making improvements. It is now part of my teaching philosophy that failure can be a good thing. I afford my students with the opportunity to redo major assignments based on the feedback provided by myself or another student. Learning through failure and the growth mindset has become an important tool to help my students be successful inside and outside of the classroom.

 

As I have completed all of my coursework in the MAET program I have been challenged many times to step outside of my comfort zone and truly extend my thinking. I found that this has made be a better learner. I now see the value in stretching my thinking and being forced to find new creative solutions. In a class called Adapting Innovative Technology to Practice I was challenged the most to expand my teaching approaches. This course focuses on newer technologies and making them work for the teachers in the classroom. Often I found myself grappling with how I could use this new tool to create a better learning environment for my students and to design stronger lessons. A great example of this is the lesson I wrote using a Makey Makey kit. This kit allows the maker use many different classroom items and repurpose. In my lesson, I used binders as bongos to make a beat. It was a struggle to find a way to incorporate this tool into my content, but I am better because of the challenge. I want to use this experience to challenge my students and help them to take small steps outside their comfort zones and learn from the experience.

 

The MAET program has not only forced me to make changes to the big picture, I realized that there were day-to-day details that I needed to improve. I have carefully made changes to my classroom management and my classroom policies. One of my classes was called Teaching Students Online. This course was all about what it takes to teach an entire class online. I had to think critically about what I needed to communicate about my policies and procedures. This was an exceptionally detail oriented task and it caused me to reflect on the policies and procedures in my actual classroom. I found there were many things that I should communicate differently. Many of the policies I put in place for my online module needed to be changed in my actual classroom.

 

Policies and procedures were not the only component of my classroom that has benefited from the classes I completed at MSU. In Adapting Innovative Technology to Practice I thought about the set up of my classroom and what I could do to make it the ultimate learning environment for my students. At the time I was working in a classroom with a terrible layout, giant pillar in the middle of the room and absolutely no storage.  I used an architecture technology called Sketch-Up to virtually redesign my classroom. I changed the table arrangements to create a more versatile layout, the paint color to be more soothing, added floor lamps, and incorporated effective storage to clean up any clutter that was a distraction. All of these changes helped me to design an environment that was more conducive for learning. I recently had a change of scenery and changed schools. I was able to incorporate many of the changes I dreamed about making in my old classroom to my new one. I have more space to work with and created a more desirable layout. And, fortunately, the room came with a lot more storage. All of these choices allow my students to learn in a space that supports their needs and creates an environment that is effective for all the different instructional approaches I incorporate into my classroom.

 

In one of my classes I learned about creativity and it sparked my curiosity. I chose to take an elective class that was about creativity in education. In Creativity in Teaching and Learning we combed through all the components of creativity. This also included designing creative spaces. A creative space is one that has everything the user needs. I took this into account when setting up my new classroom. I learned in Creativity in Teaching and Learning that the space needs to be designed by the people who are using it. I set up components for myself, but as the year has progressed I made changes that the students needed. I have relocated filing cabinet, tables and students supplies to make the room work for them. They have also customized what is on the walls. Their art and work fills the open spaces and provides the information they need. This is a space that we can truly call ours. That is what makes it best for us. Next year when I start out with my new group of eight graders, I plan on taking the same steps to help fuel their creativity.

 

The MAET program has benefited my choices in the classroom and it has also helped me to create a vision for how I can extend my knowledge from my classroom. This program has given me an immense amount of knowledge and tools to enhance my instruction and it would be selfish of me to keep it to myself. I now want to teach my peers what I have learned at MSU over the past two years. A major inspiration for this goal was the Technology and Leadership class that I took. This class was, of course, designed to examine leadership roles in the school setting. It challenged me to take a close look at different leadership styles and find what works best for me. One of the major assignments that I completed for this class was to create a personal manifesto. My personal manifesto focused on becoming an educational leader in my building. I spent many hours researching valuable resources that could help my colleagues use technology in their classrooms. My manifesto brought in resources that can be used by the students or the teachers. It is a plan to help educate and inform all the stakeholders at my school. I have always envisioned staying in the classroom, so the resources benefited me as well. They are a way for me to “practice what I preach” and reaching out to other classrooms. Like I said before, I have recently started at a new school, but that does not mean my personal manifesto is useless. Yes, some of the resources were specific to my last job. I can use most of them in my new job. And my new school has many more technology resources for me to incorporate into the manifesto. My personal manifesto is not something that is set in stone. I am able to change it as my vision evolves. After all, technology is always changing as well. I have to keep up.

 

Technology leadership will require that I present new resources and ideas to my coworkers. This makes me a bit nervous. In one of my MAET classes I was able to participate in an Edcamp. An Edcamp is a free professional development where teachers get together and present new and exciting information. I presented my component of the Edcamp on promising practices for school that are going one to one. (each student would have their own technological device) It was a great experience to share what I researched and experienced with potentially going one to one. I was also grateful for all of the new ideas my classmates had to share. What a wonderful way for educators to get together and share best practices and new ideas. This is what I want to bring to my new school. Amazing new ideas that can benefit the whole student body, not just the students that are in my classes. It is a great feeling to know I have the potential to make my colleagues better teachers and the students are gaining a more effective learning environment.

 

All of my classes at MSU have expanded my abilities. They have also helped me to see the world of resources I have at my fingertips. I just simply have to know where to look. From the very beginning the courses have helped me to create a digital presences and I have done many things I never thought I would do. I started a blog for my MAET coursework and I now use a blog for my classroom. I created a personal learning network and that network continues to grow via Twitter. Before this program I wanted nothing to do with Twitter. Now it connects me to educators around the world and a magnitude of educational resources. I have had my eyes opened to all the potential resources that will keep me up to date on important changes and improvements in education. The Master’s in Educational Technology program has set me up to be a life long learner.

 

 

 

Dweck, C. (2015, September 22). Carol Dweck Revisits the 'Growth Mindset' Retrieved March 20, 2016, from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/09/23/carol-dweck-revisits-the-growth-mindset.html