Goal Reflection

Achievement Through Collaboration

A Decision to be Made

After I completed my second year of teaching, I felt the need to further my education to enhance my growth as an educator. When I began looking at master’s degree programs I considered the way the world is changing and what we expect from 21st century learners. I knew that I wanted to keep up with where the world is heading, so I decided to attend Michigan State University’s Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program.

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As my time in the MAET program comes to an end, it is important to reflect on the goals I set out to achieve when I began this journey back in August of 2017. As I read through my original goals I was interested to see which goals I was able to reach and which goals transformed with new knowledge.

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My Original Goal

Learn inventive ways to use technology to support not only my students and their learning but also myself as the teacher. I want to help my students reach their fullest potential through the use of technology.

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Reflection

While this will always be a goal of mine, I think I was a little naive to believe spending two years studying would grant me this magic key to unlock all of the technological tools my students need to reach their fullest potential. While these courses did introduce me to many new ideas, concepts, theories, and tools that have impacted my classroom teaching, it has also lead me to transform my goal. Helping kids to reach their fullest potential isn’t something that can be learned in a twelve-week course, but is something that is learned over time with experience and helpful tips and tricks from other educators. It comes when educators collaborate and work together to create meaningful lessons and construct environments that are conducive to learning.

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Therefore this goal has not disappeared but rather transformed. In reality the world is constantly changing, and while I learned some nifty tools during my master’s, these tools could be obsolete in ten years. So then what? How do I continue to learn about the latest and greatest tools and techniques? The answer is through a personal learning network (PLN). My goal now is to expand my PLN. What I realized by participating in the MAET program is that networking and being a part of educational conversations outside of my building can lead to a deeper understanding of what it means to be an educator and learning new, creative, and innovative ways to reach my students. I was able to learn new things just by connecting with other teachers and educational staff that are not in my normal circle.

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My Current Goal

Overall, my goal from here on out is to continue learning even if it does not include higher education. I can continue to reach my goal by staying in touch with my PLN and collaborating with others. I will continue to work with my teaching partners as well as other teachers to discover what works best for students.