It's Not All About Me...
After reading the initial goal statement that I wrote as part of the application process for the Master's in Educational Technology (MAET) program, I found myself laughing to myself as my thoughts were so basic, barley scratching the surface of what I think and know now. The goals that I addressed in my application statement were very much true and accurate but were worded as though they came straight from an education textbook. I wanted to be sure that I said the “right” things so that I would be accepted to the program and I think that I did that without adding any real feeling or passion behind the words that were written in my statement.
When I applied to the program it was a means to an end. I needed credits for my certificate renewal and working on a master’s degree in educational technology seemed like a great way to complete that task. If I am being honest, my main goal was completing the nine credits that I needed for certificate renewal and everything else was just icing on the cake. I never imagined how much my perspective and thinking would be transformed and shifted as a result of journey through the MAET program.
Upon review of my initial goal statement, the thing that jumps out the most at me is the theme of “my classroom”, “my students”, and “my teaching”. At the time, my thought process was all about how this program was going to help me to be a better teacher with my students, in my classroom, without giving any thought to the larger learning community as a whole. The following excerpts from my original application goal statement exemplify this point.
“It is my hope that this program will give me the tools that I need to use technology in my classroom successfully and with confidence as part of my everyday lessons and activities”.
“I want to leave the Certificate in Educational Technology program informed, aware, and with a well-rounded skill set that will allow me to apply my new found knowledge in the classroom setting”.
My goals have now shifted from being centered on merely my teaching, my students, and my classroom to the educational community as whole with an emphasis on using what I have learned in a leadership role. Throughout the course of the program, it has become increasingly important to me to look beyond myself and my classroom and share what I have learned at a building and district level. The ways that I use technology to increase student learning, growth and success remains of the utmost importance to me as I work to create an environment that supports 21st century literacy and learning for all students. My scope of thought and practice has shifted from a philosophy of “me” and “I” to one that includes the larger educational community that I work with.
I have no doubt that my goals will continue to be refined as I grow as a learner, educator, and leader. Over the course of my journey in the MAET program, I have gone from being interested in credits and certificate renewal, to using technology in my classroom with my students, to looking at the bigger picture and placing a high importance on assuming a leadership role in the area of education and technology. For me, the completion of the MAET program is not the end of my learning and growth as it relates to educational technology; rather it is the beginning of a new found passion that will remain at the core of my personal and professional goals.
When I applied to the program it was a means to an end. I needed credits for my certificate renewal and working on a master’s degree in educational technology seemed like a great way to complete that task. If I am being honest, my main goal was completing the nine credits that I needed for certificate renewal and everything else was just icing on the cake. I never imagined how much my perspective and thinking would be transformed and shifted as a result of journey through the MAET program.
Upon review of my initial goal statement, the thing that jumps out the most at me is the theme of “my classroom”, “my students”, and “my teaching”. At the time, my thought process was all about how this program was going to help me to be a better teacher with my students, in my classroom, without giving any thought to the larger learning community as a whole. The following excerpts from my original application goal statement exemplify this point.
“It is my hope that this program will give me the tools that I need to use technology in my classroom successfully and with confidence as part of my everyday lessons and activities”.
“I want to leave the Certificate in Educational Technology program informed, aware, and with a well-rounded skill set that will allow me to apply my new found knowledge in the classroom setting”.
My goals have now shifted from being centered on merely my teaching, my students, and my classroom to the educational community as whole with an emphasis on using what I have learned in a leadership role. Throughout the course of the program, it has become increasingly important to me to look beyond myself and my classroom and share what I have learned at a building and district level. The ways that I use technology to increase student learning, growth and success remains of the utmost importance to me as I work to create an environment that supports 21st century literacy and learning for all students. My scope of thought and practice has shifted from a philosophy of “me” and “I” to one that includes the larger educational community that I work with.
I have no doubt that my goals will continue to be refined as I grow as a learner, educator, and leader. Over the course of my journey in the MAET program, I have gone from being interested in credits and certificate renewal, to using technology in my classroom with my students, to looking at the bigger picture and placing a high importance on assuming a leadership role in the area of education and technology. For me, the completion of the MAET program is not the end of my learning and growth as it relates to educational technology; rather it is the beginning of a new found passion that will remain at the core of my personal and professional goals.
Tree image from
http://www.dtelepathy.com