My dream, my path, and my future. . .
. . . by Emily Davidson
My dream
It is usually at the end of our trail that we think back to where we began our journey. After finishing up one accomplishment there always seems to be another waiting in the wings. Who are we then to turn down a mission when it can only lead to improving ourselves and those around us? This is how I felt about my decision to enter Michigan State University's Master’s program.
I had graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor of science in 2008. I had majored in earth science and minored in math/integrated science. After graduating I moved onto my internship teaching earth science at Holt 9th grade campus. My internship year at Michigan State University was a magical time which I hoped would even be close to preparing me for my first real teaching job. Right out of my internship I was hired at Troy Public Schools to teach math full time. As math was my minor I was quite nervous especially since I was in such a prestigious district. Amazingly however it was like my MSU training kicked in without warning and I felt right at home in the classroom. Of course I had great ups and great lows in my first few years but those are what have made me stronger each year so far. Our mistakes are what make us into the great teachers that we are meant to be.
I found myself so overwhelmed by all the parts of that first year that I couldn’t have imagined starting my Master’s work on top of it. However I couldn’t stay away from a formal education for too long so I applied to become part of the MSU’s Master’s program. My goal in entering the program was that I wanted to not only increase my teaching ability but I wanted to use it to better my students lives as well. I noticed an inequity in the school system where the lowest ends of the spectrum students were being forgotten and I wanted to learn how to best reach those students. I chose a specialty in educational technology because it seems to be the key piece that spans across all students in the classroom. From the computer to video games to apps it seemed like any student could do anything with technology if they put their mind to it. In a school district like Troy there was almost every student with an iPod in their hand and the saying really was true that for every need there was an app for that. I wanted to use my education to improve my use of technology in the classroom because of its ability to increase interest in all levels of students in the topic material.
I had graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor of science in 2008. I had majored in earth science and minored in math/integrated science. After graduating I moved onto my internship teaching earth science at Holt 9th grade campus. My internship year at Michigan State University was a magical time which I hoped would even be close to preparing me for my first real teaching job. Right out of my internship I was hired at Troy Public Schools to teach math full time. As math was my minor I was quite nervous especially since I was in such a prestigious district. Amazingly however it was like my MSU training kicked in without warning and I felt right at home in the classroom. Of course I had great ups and great lows in my first few years but those are what have made me stronger each year so far. Our mistakes are what make us into the great teachers that we are meant to be.
I found myself so overwhelmed by all the parts of that first year that I couldn’t have imagined starting my Master’s work on top of it. However I couldn’t stay away from a formal education for too long so I applied to become part of the MSU’s Master’s program. My goal in entering the program was that I wanted to not only increase my teaching ability but I wanted to use it to better my students lives as well. I noticed an inequity in the school system where the lowest ends of the spectrum students were being forgotten and I wanted to learn how to best reach those students. I chose a specialty in educational technology because it seems to be the key piece that spans across all students in the classroom. From the computer to video games to apps it seemed like any student could do anything with technology if they put their mind to it. In a school district like Troy there was almost every student with an iPod in their hand and the saying really was true that for every need there was an app for that. I wanted to use my education to improve my use of technology in the classroom because of its ability to increase interest in all levels of students in the topic material.
My path
With a goal of learning specific methods by which to use technology in the classroom led me to a couple of favorite classes that gave me the best overall experiences. I was worried about how different classes were going to approach technology because of the online separation. Would we be using our own classroom resources or would we have to gain access through MSU? How would we discuss interactive white boards if we didn’t have those in our classroom? I am thinking about interactive white boards specifically because those are the hot ticket technology right now. Our school alone had a grant to put projectors in every room but when the craze of IWB came out they transformed the grant to putting as many of those in as possible. However the money began to run dry quite quickly and there was little thought put into the extra costs that come with these units. There is the proper subject area training on top of the cost for replacing specialized bulbs. Every teacher in our school wanted a board with the understanding that the school would be responsible for the cost of replacing the bulbs. Now the tables have turned and the cost of a new bulb must come out of each departments dwindling technology budget. Teachers now are wanting to give back their IWB because the money is not there to replace the bulbs so they are becoming worthless to use in the classroom. While the technology itself is wonderful what happens in our economy when the cost of the technology outweighs its usefulness? This is a concept that was highly discussed in my first official masters class CEP 816 with Professor Spiro.
In this class we stayed away from talking about specific types of classroom technology but we focused a lot of our energies on free/open resources. I believed that I was going to come into this course learning all about technologies like the interactive white board but Spiro made a good point in saying that while classroom technologies will come and go the resources on the internet will stay the most constant. Also he was very big into promoting the price of making use of all the wonderful resources that are available on the internet versus the cost of one IWB. Spiro understood how technology has the ability to open the world to students even those without the funds to travel anywhere. However technology must also come with great responsibility for the teacher to put together well thought lesson plans to fully enhance their experience. This course truly taught me what amazing things one could do with just accessing the internet and how you could use it to transform any subject area.
The next class that had a great influence on me was CEP 805 with Professor Putnam. This class was about math and technology. With course we took a critical look at many of the different math related technologies that existed. We not only looked at free open resources but some that one would have to pay for. For many of these resources we went beyond just being critical of them but actually planned out lessons that we could use them with. My favorite technology that we used was Geometer’s Sketchpad because it is a technology that is highly praised in my school district. I have never used it before this class but after learning of its usefulness I was able to share it with my students. This technology opened new doors in my teaching of geometry because it was essential in having the kids prove different theories. I don’t know if I would have ever had the chance to experience this program without CEP 805. Although I no longer teach Geometry I know that should I ever go back to it I will have that up my sleeve. This was the type of technology that allowed me to reach my goal of exciting even the lowest students in my classroom because they actually got to see the world of math come alive on their screen.
While it is my mission to make sure that the education of all students (low, medium, or high level) is the best it can be it is also my job as a new teacher to work on my classroom management skills. No matter what classroom we are in there is always the potential to have students that interfere with the education of others. These kinds of behaviors tend to be more rampant in low level classrooms where there are larger numbers of struggling learners. These behavior issues can keep many students from rising to become the successful learners that they should be. Although CEP 832 with Professor Aupperlee was the toughest class I took during my masters it was also the most beneficial for classroom management. This course was all about teaching students with challenging behavior. It was our mission to follow one student with challenging behavior throughout the course and use various techniques to help them become the successful students they could be. While many believe it would just be easier to wipe your hands clean of these students there are usually underlying reasons for their actions. The management devices I learned in this course are still being applied in my classrooms to enhance the learning of all. With these techniques I have been able to ensure a safe learning environment for all students which has in essence increased my low level students motivation to take part in the classroom.
During our internship year we were required to make a paper portfolio filled with our many accomplishments gained in our internship year. We filled up our binders with photos, lesson plans, and anything else that would showcase ourselves to potential employers. The only thing that this paper portfolio could not showcase was our aptitude for technology. However the final most influential course I have taken is this course ED 870 because it truly allows me to showcase my aptitude for technology to my current employer, or future employers if need be. I am creating an electronic exhibit of my current experiences along with my hopes and dreams for the future. There are personal insights into my life along with professional outlooks. I have grown a fondness for website building and it is a love that I will be passing onto my students. With their love for technology they can make use of websites to showcase what they have learned in my classroom. This can provide an alternative method to assessing their learning over time. Not only will I share it with my students but with other professionals. In our trying economic times it is important that all teachers be able to showcase themselves in the proper manner. I have shared my experiences with many of my personal coworkers along with those I have met through my internship program. The technology that we can use to create an electronic portfolio can let others know how comfortable we are with the world of technology and how much we want to embrace it in our teaching.
In this class we stayed away from talking about specific types of classroom technology but we focused a lot of our energies on free/open resources. I believed that I was going to come into this course learning all about technologies like the interactive white board but Spiro made a good point in saying that while classroom technologies will come and go the resources on the internet will stay the most constant. Also he was very big into promoting the price of making use of all the wonderful resources that are available on the internet versus the cost of one IWB. Spiro understood how technology has the ability to open the world to students even those without the funds to travel anywhere. However technology must also come with great responsibility for the teacher to put together well thought lesson plans to fully enhance their experience. This course truly taught me what amazing things one could do with just accessing the internet and how you could use it to transform any subject area.
The next class that had a great influence on me was CEP 805 with Professor Putnam. This class was about math and technology. With course we took a critical look at many of the different math related technologies that existed. We not only looked at free open resources but some that one would have to pay for. For many of these resources we went beyond just being critical of them but actually planned out lessons that we could use them with. My favorite technology that we used was Geometer’s Sketchpad because it is a technology that is highly praised in my school district. I have never used it before this class but after learning of its usefulness I was able to share it with my students. This technology opened new doors in my teaching of geometry because it was essential in having the kids prove different theories. I don’t know if I would have ever had the chance to experience this program without CEP 805. Although I no longer teach Geometry I know that should I ever go back to it I will have that up my sleeve. This was the type of technology that allowed me to reach my goal of exciting even the lowest students in my classroom because they actually got to see the world of math come alive on their screen.
While it is my mission to make sure that the education of all students (low, medium, or high level) is the best it can be it is also my job as a new teacher to work on my classroom management skills. No matter what classroom we are in there is always the potential to have students that interfere with the education of others. These kinds of behaviors tend to be more rampant in low level classrooms where there are larger numbers of struggling learners. These behavior issues can keep many students from rising to become the successful learners that they should be. Although CEP 832 with Professor Aupperlee was the toughest class I took during my masters it was also the most beneficial for classroom management. This course was all about teaching students with challenging behavior. It was our mission to follow one student with challenging behavior throughout the course and use various techniques to help them become the successful students they could be. While many believe it would just be easier to wipe your hands clean of these students there are usually underlying reasons for their actions. The management devices I learned in this course are still being applied in my classrooms to enhance the learning of all. With these techniques I have been able to ensure a safe learning environment for all students which has in essence increased my low level students motivation to take part in the classroom.
During our internship year we were required to make a paper portfolio filled with our many accomplishments gained in our internship year. We filled up our binders with photos, lesson plans, and anything else that would showcase ourselves to potential employers. The only thing that this paper portfolio could not showcase was our aptitude for technology. However the final most influential course I have taken is this course ED 870 because it truly allows me to showcase my aptitude for technology to my current employer, or future employers if need be. I am creating an electronic exhibit of my current experiences along with my hopes and dreams for the future. There are personal insights into my life along with professional outlooks. I have grown a fondness for website building and it is a love that I will be passing onto my students. With their love for technology they can make use of websites to showcase what they have learned in my classroom. This can provide an alternative method to assessing their learning over time. Not only will I share it with my students but with other professionals. In our trying economic times it is important that all teachers be able to showcase themselves in the proper manner. I have shared my experiences with many of my personal coworkers along with those I have met through my internship program. The technology that we can use to create an electronic portfolio can let others know how comfortable we are with the world of technology and how much we want to embrace it in our teaching.
My future
School systems have the ability to pick and choose their candidates and it is important that we make use of all of our skills to be the best candidates possible. Not only to be the best candidates but to be the best teachers possible. My dreams were to find out how to reach all levels of students and what I found in the masters program was so much more significant. I learned not only how to work on reaching those students but how to enhance the overall learning experience of all students in the classroom. I found that technology can be the key that brings the outside world in and opens doors to learning that wasn’t otherwise possible. All students have the right to a great education but we must have an educational setup that entices all kids to learn. In a day where education is a necessity we must constantly be a reminder to all students about how what they are learning is real and important. Through the use of technology we can create connections and real life scenarios that were never possible before. These uses of technology however must be well thought out so that they reach the students effectively. Those of us with a specialty in technology must be advocates for the proper use of technology in the classroom and we must be leaders in our school properly train others in how to use the technology available. We must not be satisfied with what we are given but always be on the search for better technology out there. In the back of our minds we must always remember that if we are to truly reach our students that the aspect of technology will have to be present. We will have to be the leaders in the field of education that others look up to for advice. This program has given me the confidence to be a leader in my school and to spread the information that I have found to be so important. We cannot sit alone in our classrooms any longer we must collaborate and share our experiences in order to bring the whole world of teaching up to a higher standard so that we can meet the level that our current class of students is at. This is now my mission to spread the word of technology and to never be satisfied until I have reached all students in my classroom.