The Spartan Evolution
A detailed account of how Michigan State University and the Master of Arts in Educational Technology has changed me as a learner, an educator, and a person.
In the Beginning...
Throughout my undergraduate studies and my student teaching internship, I felt confident in my coursework and confident in my abilities, while still eager to learn and develop into even more. Each opportunity presented before me was an opportunity to improve and evolve. I went into a few job interviews with that same bit of confidence, which allowed me to choose where I wanted to begin my teaching career. One interview in particular, went about as well as one could hope. Later that week, I was informed that the job was mine if I wanted it, in a very well-known school in the area, with bountiful resources, unbelievable staff, and an undeniable reputation. While I oozed with confidence during the interview, I didn’t expect to receive a call from one of the best school districts in the region. Little did I know at the time, I was expected to teach seventh grade English Language Arts (ELA), one of only a few openings within the district. I was told that this was a very pressure-filled position with extreme difficulties, but that I was the perfect fit for the job due to the qualities I exemplified in my interview. While the position was completely out of my degree area, and I wondered why I was even put in this position, I happily accepted. I thought to myself I at least had my foot in the door and this was part of my journey, for reasons unknown at the time.
While I felt over prepared for my first year of teaching as far as classroom management, discipline, planning, and pedagogy, I was teaching myself how to be an English teacher; something I was not prepared for. I was very fortunate in that it was one of my favorite subjects in school, but honestly, I’m not sure if that helped in the matter. By good fortune, however, I was surrounded by wonderful co-workers who mentored me through some of the toughest of times, both in school and out. It was at this point, early in my career that I began researching ways to better myself. Because I was in a position that I was not prepared for, I felt my confidence level slipping. After hours upon hours of research, weighing the pros and cons, and discussing options with close friends and family, I decided that I wanted to do something BIG, something that would set me apart, something that would push me toward greatness. I had wonderful undergraduate experiences, that prepared me in great ways. They were at quaint, comfortable institutions. It was time for a change of pace. As a result, I would later apply to Michigan State University’s Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program. My love for technology is about as great as my love for learning and I thought this was the perfect degree program for me. I was implementing technology when I could in my seventh grade ELA classroom, but wanted to learn how to do it better in order to create relevant learning experiences for my students that were enhanced with technology. I entered the program hoping to learn more about technology in general, tech integration, and applying technology in an applicable way for increasing student engagement, but ultimately student success. Little did I know, that MSU would bring me so much more and doing big things that pushed me out of my comfort zone would be a theme throughout. While each course at Michigan State University had a profound impact on me and my advancement as a technology integrator, there were a few courses that contributed heavily to my evolution as a learner, as an educator, and as a person.
Evolution as a Learner
From the time I was very small, I have had a true passion for learning. Learning is something that was instilled in me from the time I was a little girl by those I was surrounded by. Whether it was the countless opportunities and experiences that my parents exposed me to through traveling, or the days spent at each grandparents’ house, I was constantly being taught by some of the greatest teachers, about a variety of things. Because my family displayed a great passion for learning, I couldn’t help but acquire the same. As I progressed through school, I was inquisitive and full of wonder. I took school and my studies very seriously because, quite frankly, I enjoyed it. I researched the things I didn’t know and asked more questions about the things that I did. I never passed up an opportunity to go somewhere I’d never been, or experience something I’d never experienced because I knew that those were all chances to learn even more.
My learning experiences were broadened even more through my degree program at Michigan State University as well. Once I started, I brought with me this love of learning that I had my entire life. While I felt fairly satisfied regarding myself as a student, due in part to solid grades, my work ethic in the classroom, and the academic accolades I received all through school, I had no idea how much I would evolve from a student to a learner on my journey at MSU.
The evolution of me as a learner started early on in my coursework during the three courses that make up the Educational Technology Graduate Certificate; Teaching for Understanding with Technology, Adapting Innovative Technologies in Education, and Applying Educational Technology to Issues of Practice. During these three courses I was met with challenges. From the workload while maintaining a full-time and part-time job, to the course demands as far as time management and meeting deadlines, to the content in each of these courses that pushed me way out of my comfort zone and allowed me to uncover an even better version of myself, I was changing. I found out that I was actually much more creative than I gave myself credit to be when developing a classroom tech tool with a MaKey MaKey kit, or the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for photography that I developed, and even the small video mashups I created that went along with course content. I had no idea that I was capable of these things and ultimately, I learned that some of the greatest learning takes place not when you are the most comfortable, but when you are thrown outside of your norm, which happened to me many times throughout my graduate school experience.
One course that impacted me as a learner the most was Learning Technology Through Design. I truly believe that it taught me the most about the content for the semester, but also about myself as a learner. I began the course as a reluctant learner, unsure of what to expect. I wasn’t a designer and I wasn’t sure of how design and technology would apply to second grade. I reminded myself to keep an open mind, that I could do this, and it was one of the last courses in my Masters degree plan.
The course was centered around a document put out by Stanford University Design School. The Bootcamp Bootleg publication outlines and explains the iterative design process and what happens in each stage of design. In this course I learned each stage of the design process, which includes empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test, as well as different methods for conducting a clear understanding of each. I also learned how to incorporate each stage into my own design of re-designing the second grade math curriculum for my building.
Throughout the process, I learned that the empathy mode was the foundation of everything that followed. During the empathize stage, it’s imperative to understand the user of your design and their wants, needs, and goals. I saw things from other perspectives and continually put myself in the shoes of others even after the conclusion of the design process. The importance of observing the behavior and needs of your design’s user, engaging with them, and completely immersing yourself in their daily lives is what makes a design usable and successful for those you design for. I have carried this over into my daily life in hopes that I will learn more about and understand people as a whole, becoming a better person myself.
Next, the design process takes us to the define mode. From this mode, I learned to take the findings from my empathy experiences and transform them into a well-defined, fixable, problem worthy of a new design. The defined problem may not be what you as the designer initially had in mind for designing, but what the user’s needs are. By focusing in on those needs, it’s easier to develop a problem statement, which serves as your overarching goal for the entire process.
For me, ideate, the next mode of design, was something that transformed me as a learner. Taking time to develop ideas, thinking far and wide, and allowing those ideas to simmer provide the best possible solutions to begin formulating practical and viable outcomes. I learned to become a deeper thinker during the ideate stage.
Mode four and five go hand in hand with one another. I believe mode four of the design process, creating a prototype, may have been one of the most difficult stages for me, but also where the most learning and improvement took place. I learned how to construct something, knowing that it would fail, perhaps multiple times, before it would actually become a quality design for my user. I was testing my design multiple times, which means that I experienced failure multiple times as well.
In the end, I developed a newly, re-designed curriculum that has been tested and ready for implementation. After my reluctant start, wondering if I was capable of designing, I learned that I can design.
Not only did I learn as a student the content of each course and how to use and implement some really awesome tech tools, but I was also taught how to be a thinker, a designer, a challenger, an integrator, a maker, and a doer. But perhaps the most important thing I became was an evolved learner. Being changed into a true learner will not only serve as betterment toward myself as a person, but as an educator as well.
Evolution as an Educator
Prior to my entrance into the Educational Technology program, I truly considered myself a technology integrator. I was using technology in my classroom every single day and my students were using it regularly as well. I was even offering ideas for other teachers and encouraging them to use various websites in their curriculum as well. When I didn’t use technology in a particular lesson, I felt as though that lesson was a failure. Each week as I was planning my lessons, I strived to incorporate technology some way, some how. Some of my lessons were very good and allowed my students to use technology in a very effective way; some were not. At the time, I believed them to be effective. However, as I have progressed through the program I have learned otherwise, although it’s not something I am too fond of admitting. Something that I am proud to say is that I no longer feel pressured to incorporate technology into every lesson, every day. In fact, that’s not its purpose at all. Technology has enhanced and evolved my pedagogy in a way that will directly effect my students and will benefit them greatly. I owe much of my change in pedagogy to the idea of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and the Cooking with TPACK experiment I completed. With TPACK as a reference, I continue to use technology as much as possible, as long as it enhances the content, quality, and effectiveness of mastery and understanding for my students. In my lesson plan based on money, geared toward second grade math curriculum, you can see how I implemented an iPad app to enhance a unit on money concepts and learned from it as well. In addition to the lesson plan, I’ve also learned to organize some of my favorite tech tools and resources into my Online Resource Library for Math. I’ve even learned to expand my use of technology in the creation of an Online Course Module for Second Grade Science, which helped me understand the teacher’s perspective of an online course from building, to choosing content, to updating links, etc. Expanding my tech tool integration past the classroom walls was a true evolution for me as an educator and the future of my profession.
In addition to becoming a new and improved tech integrator, I’ve also developed into a better version of myself as an educator by growing my Professional Learning Network (PLN). I’ve always heard the life philosophy, “Surround yourself by great people, and you too, will be great!” This so true, not only in life, but in the educational realm as well. I have amazing teachers that work around me, but I have expanded my PLN to include educational leaders and educators from all over the world! My Twitter page is something that I check on constantly and try to stay up-to-date with because it is a resource that had potential that I didn’t even know could be achieved. I have answers to questions, innovative technology tools, lesson ideas, and more right at my fingertips and only a click away!
Not only have I taken things from my Professional Learning Network, but I am also a contributor to the network as well. My blog, Capturing Lifelong Learning, was a great stepping stone and transition piece that aided in my leadership growth. While blogging, I’m able to reflect and share, while not always putting myself out there on a grand stage. I have always been a leader, but not typically the one at the front of the room shouting out ideas left and right. I’m usually the “silent leader” type. You can find me leading by example or offering up something new to my peers in a much more assertive way. This is not a negative thing in my mind, but I grew to learn that my ideas were just as good as the next person and that I can share them. With the help of the MAET program, I have become more confident in my educational leadership. This was very evident through my design thinking project in Learning Technology Through Design. I took a problem within my practice, our second grade math curriculum, and redesigned it into a new and improved curriculum. Not only did I complete this design and reflection as part of my coursework, I have presented it to the administration at my school for approval of its implementation into my classroom. I would have never had the confidence to bring something like this about without the help of my peers, instructors, and overall experience at Michigan State University. Talk about an educator evolution!
Technology and Leadership had the most fervent and lasting impact on me as an evolved educator. One of the most significant things I remember most about this course was how to introduce, navigate, and implement change into a school setting successfully. First of all, there should be a shared vision by all of those involved, from administrators to teachers to technology directors and curriculum coordinators. Everyone must see the improved outcome prior to the start or the resistance will become too great for implementation. Next, everyone must be provided with what they need in order to carry out the plan of attack. Resources should be accounted for or else the plan of tech integration will not be carried out the way it is expected to and frustration amongst teachers will prevail. Then proper skills and motivation should be in place to keep everyone on board toward progression and improvement. Finally, the technology director needs to have a detailed outline of the action plan as well as goals to continue working toward to prevent stagnancy. With all hands on deck following a plan with the resources necessary to carry out the action plan, the transition toward change and improvement will result in a much smoother outcome.
With these things in mind, I felt I was better equipped to re-design the second grade math curriculum that I mentioned prior, but also implement it throughout second grade, not just in my classroom. I also feel better equipped to serve on the Technology Committee in my district, and am better aware of what it takes to lead a technology initiative. In addition to the skills required by a technology leader, I also gained so much confidence in my abilities, my skills, and my knowledge of what it takes to implement technology into the curriculum and into the school district. This would not have been possible without the help of Michigan State University’s Master of Arts in Educational Technology program which made me a more well-rounded educator equipped to take on a leadership role involving innovation in my school.
Evolution as a Person
I consider myself to be a person who has experienced a wide range of events in my life. The lifelong learner in me has sought out different opportunities to pursue and seek new things, whether it be through traveling, taking on a new hobby, setting a new goal for myself, my desire to try new things, etc. Graduate school brought me many more experiences and opportunities that have impacted the person that I am today and I truly feel that the person I am today, is a much more well-rounded, goal seeking person than I was prior to this journey.
Online learning has often been criticized by many people because it doesn’t allow for face-to-face encounters amongst students and their instructors, as well as the collaboration needed to attain the most benefit for greater learning experiences. Before my journey at Michigan State University, I could understand this point and maybe even agree to a certain degree. Now, I have a definite argument against this statement with plenty of examples and evidence to support it.
Early on in my degree program, Applying Educational Technology to Issues of Practice was a class that I took during the Educational Technology Certificate program. During this course, a group work assignment on Wicked Problems was assigned. Wicked problems are problems that are often difficult or even impossible problems to solve due to the amount of variables and factors that play into the problem and the fact that they too, are ever-changing. For this wicked problem assignment, my fellow group members and I were to brainstorm and develop possible solutions to tackle the complexities of reimagining online learning. With this process came many firsts for me as a learner and as a person. I organized and recorded my first ever Google Hangout where I was face-to-face with my group members as we had a brainstorming session from miles away. I met and interacted with people I had only known via their screen names on course discussion boards. For once, I felt a sense of belonging amongst my peers. We were working diligently through web video and Google Docs collaborating with one another like I had never experienced before. Technology lovers, educators, learners, and educational innovators were just a few things used to describe the common ground we all stood on. I not only learned how to potentially solve a wicked problem and how to use some awesome new tech tools, but I learned so many new perspectives from people located all over the world that I may not have otherwise been exposed to without MSU. I learned how to step up when my peers needed me to because my skills were needed. I learned to ask better questions in order to get more done. I learned to collaborate with people and work in a way that I had never done before. Wow!
The motivation and newfound confidence that this journey has given me is one that I am truly grateful for. One of the most impactful things that this journey has done for me as a person is the relationships. It is such an outstanding feeling to be surrounded by people who share a love for educational technology and its implementation into an educational setting. Not only that, but having peers from all over the world pushing me to become better, teaching and sharing new things through collaboration, and interacting with one another through technology with miles and miles between us. The relationships have been the culminating experience of my online graduate school experience and have proven to me that I am valid in my thinking, ideas, and changes to education. There is no more rewarding feeling than knowing the work you have put in is valid, useful, and impactful toward others. This in itself motivates me to do more and to do so with confidence.
Conclusion
Upon entering graduate school, one could hope to finish with some sort of improvement compared to their start. After all, you are attempting to essentially master one component of your craft, right? Looking back at all of the changes, or improvements, that I have undergone in the span of my program, I could not have hoped for this much improvement. It’s truly astonishing to ponder as I reflect back. It wasn’t a program that I reflect back on and have horrible thoughts about that involve writing 20-page papers, or attending a night class lecture that lasted four hours. It’s more than that to me. First of all, I enjoyed my graduate school experience and truly benefited from it in a way that I never would have thought possible. The coursework, although complex, stressful at times, and time-consuming, actually taught me something, many things! Each of the assignments were applicable to both the content and the educational setting. I was able to learn a new concept or practice in lecture one week, and apply it the following week in my own classroom. Remarkable, really.
The final thought I want to conclude with is the fact that I sought out graduate school for many reasons; to gain confidence, to pursue my interests in educational technology, to prepare for my future, etc. What I got out of my experience were those things, and so much more. I saw the opportunity to invest in my education, an investment that no one can take away from me, and one that will continue to pay itself back. I was exposed to new and innovative ways of thinking in the world of education. I was forced out of my comfort zone and into creative assignments that pushed me to be better. I was introduced to new technologies and how to use them. I was able to meet people from around the world who share a love for technology in the educational setting, and who devise ways to improve learning through the use of technology. The list goes on and on with experiences that were important to me and impacted me throughout this journey. Perhaps, the most important takeaway is the fact that I became a new and improved version of myself; an evolved learner, educator, and person. The Spartan Evolution.
"The real point of being alive is to evolve into the whole person you were intended to be."
-Oprah Winfrey
