First...
Before getting into my post I would be remissed to not acknowledge the events the have occured here in Wisconsin over the last week. Being in Madison yesterday was a special and moving experience. I am a Social Studies teacher and firmly believe in democracy and citizens being able to make a difference. No matter the result of the protesting and whatever happens with the Budget Repair Bill, I hope that this leads to a renewed excitement for education and participation in government that seems to have gotten lost in our fast moving society. And I would also like to wish good luck to my fellow cohorts (and myself of course :-) ) as we move through this program together. Anyway, on to the post.
Learning in the Program and Connecting it to what I do:
For me it is very hard to believe that I am in my fourth year of teaching. Each year truly does fly by. I have taken a lot of time to try and decide what program that I wanted to do for my master's degree. It needed to be a program that I had passion to complete, could help me as an educator, and could potentially create career options for me if I needed them. After a lot of careful thought I decided that the Cardinal Stritich Instructional Technology program would fit my needs.
I have high hopes for what I hope to learn in my program. Technology has transformed the world and is transforming education. It is my hope to be on the cutting edge of avancement in instructional technology. I already spend a great deal of time seeking out and using technology and online resources to enhance my teaching. My goal for this program is to become very proficient in using instructional technology and more importantly, be able to help inform and educate other educators on how to use these tools as well. And I do not want to close the door to potentially working in the field of instructional technology or in some sort of a consulting position.
Connecting my learning to what I do in the classroom and when collaborating with other educators is a going to be an ongoing process. The district I teach in (Elkhorn Area School District) has made integrating technology on of its major goals. Currently there are major challenges with the amount and overall reliability of technology in the district. It is my hope that the knowlege I gain in this program can help me play a key role in helping the district overcome its technology challenges and reach its instructional technology goals. In the classroom I plan to use what I learn to enhance lessons, increase student engagement, be able to differentiate for struggling students, and extend content for high level students.
Josh-
ReplyDeleteI think it is great how you set the events in Madison as a precursor for your blog. Just like in school we have to address outside issues before we can move onto the learning.
That said. I think it is great also, that you are willing to keep the door open for the thought of I.T. with your school. I did have a discussion with Jon Koch about the program a few weeks ago and he did mention that you can continue on past the program to get a certificate or certification of some kind that will allow you to have a higher role in your school with I.T.