Exploring Technology Over Time
By: Hope Andres
When I first started the MAET program in 2009 I was very overwhelmed and at first wondering if I could handle learning all this new type of technology that was going to be presented to me and also being able to apply it in the classroom. Once I started the program I then realized that I could handle the challenge that was going to be presented towards me and that I would be able to help students learn in a whole new way just by incorporating technology into my lessons.
Looking over the past four years of teaching and seeing how much I have changed as a teacher, student, and individual just by growing into my educational teaching style and learning how to adapt to change in education has helped me develop a better understand of who I am. I knew at a very young age that I wanted to be a teacher. My mother was a teacher and just retired last year after 39 years in the teaching profession. My mom has always inspired me to want to help children succeed in their education in the classroom. When I was in college I started subbing to get experience to prepare me for when I get my own classroom. For me subbing was one of the most unique experiences and helped prepare for going into the classroom. Once I got my first teaching job I was so overwhelmed with where to begin and how to get everything done in so little time. Without the support of my family, friend, and colleagues helping me through my first year of teaching I don’t know what I would have done with myself. People have always told me that if you survive your first year of teaching you are prepared for anything that comes your way. I agree with this statement and was confident after my first year of teaching that no matter what else comes at me I can handle it head on. Through my experience so far always having the support of your family, friend, and colleagues helps you through the roughest days of your life and helps you stay strong whenever you feel like you aren’t going to make it.
Reflecting on my experience in the MAET program has made me grow as a teacher, student, and a person. Expanding on the previous knowledge of what I already know and applying technology into my lessons has impacted my classroom in a very positive way. Looking at where I started before the MAET program to where I am now has really changed in a good way. There were three courses in MAET program that changed my views on how to incorporate technology into my classroom my summer cohort course which included CEP 800, CEP 815, CEP 822, and CEP 810. Through these courses they helped me develop stronger skills in technology and made me feel more confident in teaching technology to my students.
Another course that helped me grow in technology was CEP 810 with instructor Sue Way. This course was an introduction to the MAET program and it focused on teaching understanding with computers. The main focus of this course was to introduce how to incorate your basic computer software into your classroom or how to use them in general. The course focused on how to go over and beyond using Microsoft Windows and PowerPoint. While taking this course I noticed that I gained a huge appreciated for PowerPoint and the positives of using it in the classroom. When the class was over the following school year I made a welcome back to school PowerPoint, PowerPoint for my science units and also made interactive PowerPoints that assessed student’s comprehension from reading and math. The course helped me also prepare for what was to come in the MAET program.
In the summer of 2010 I took the hybrid summer cohort course in East Lansing in CEP 800, CEP, 815, and CEP 822. These three classes made for hands on experience in learning about learning school and setting, technology and leadership and approaches to educational research. Out of all the classes I have taken for the MAET program I really enjoyed my six week experience with this course. My two instructors were Punya Mirshra and Sara Beauchamp; they truly made me comprehend the concept of technology and how to incorporate it into teaching. Learning the TPACK process through doing this cohort class helped me understand each level of learning and the impact that we as teachers have in making sure it is instructed the right way to our students. The use of TPACK and continuing to learn through the knowledge of technology as made me a better teacher and has helped my students grow as learners in the classroom. Combing all three of these elements from TPACK into the classroom has also helped me grow as a student and as a teacher through the use of technology. The courses also made me learn how to work cooperative and learn from other colleagues while working in small groups to do projects. This is one aspect of the course that I enjoyed because not only did I collaborate with people in my group, but I also learned from others in my class about different websites, software, technology grants, and ways to incorporate technology into any grade level. Hearing what others had incorporated in their classroom made me evaluate what I was missing in my classroom. Not only did this summer course teach me to collaborate with others, but it also opened my eyes up into a whole another way of learning through TPACK. TPACK is something that I try to incorporate into my teaching lessons. This was a very positive and enlightening experience for me by doing the hybrid program. I have made friendships and have kept in touch with them about different things we are doing in the classroom using technology and collaborated about different things to do in the classroom. This to me is a great network of people that I feel confident in contacting for information on technology in the classroom or brainstorm different ways of approaching a subject or topic that I would like to incorporate technology.
When looking at the future of education and what plans lie ahead for our students to me it will change drastically over time. Looking how far education has come just from when I started four years ago to me has changed. School districts are focusing more on making sure students are meeting the scores that are required for the state and district in testing. The focus is more on making sure that students are held accountable for passing test scores. Schools are also making use of having technology in their classroom and seeing the impact of how technology can help improve their skills in all subject areas. The future to me of having technology in the classroom is something that I see will be implemented in a lot of schools. So many districts have already started having technology in their school and have seen the impact it has on their students and how it helps them grow stronger in different areas. Schools of the future to me will be impacted by having more technology in the classroom and making sure that students are meeting technology in all subject areas as a focus.
Looking back to where I was and now how far I have come to me has shown huge growth as a teacher, student, and as a person. As a teacher I feel I have grown stronger in my teaching style because of implementing and using new types of software and websites when teaching. Students are feeling a sense of pride from using PowerPoint, Imovie, VoiceThread or digital storybook in certain subject areas. When looking at how the use of PowerPoint impacted my students throughout the school year they got to make four different PowerPoint's for each of our Science kits. Through this experience of using a certain type of technology the students were able to display their best work and they loved adding pictures, music, or their voice to their PowerPoint to give it more pizzazz. The use of PowerPoint for me teaching lower elementary has truly made my students feel more comfortable with a certain type of technology software. For some students who struggle with visual or aesthetic learners technology is a new eye opening experience for them that have impacted their way of learning. As a student I feel the MAET program has really opened my view of teaching in a whole new way that can help students learn behind the textbooks. This experience for me has been enthusiastic, intriguing and moving through the experience of technology. For me as a person it has shown me that when you think that you can’t do something you can overcome it by experiencing it hands on. This is something that I continue to do as I explore as a teacher and grow in teaching over the next couple of years. When one door closes another door opens and this is just the beginning of a long journey in my teaching career.
