For the past year I have been thinking about going back to school to get my Master’s Degree but I was stuck with not knowing which one to do and stuck in the ‘change is hard’ mindset. An email from Lamar University showed up on a day that I was particularly ready for a change and I decided to follow through to see what they had to offer. I saw a degree plan that was connected to technology and since that is what I really love I jumped on board. The time from idea to reality and the class beginning was very short so I never really looked closely at what the degree offered beyond the technology component. I was surprised to find out that the leadership part of the degree title actually meant I would also be getting training that would allow me to take the Principal Certification exam at the end of the program. This was unexpected.
As I started the first class, Concepts of Educational Technology, I really hadn’t thought much about what the class would be about. I figured we would be learning about technology and why we should teach it in school and I was hoping to learn more about how to use it in the classroom. I was just getting back from a weeklong trip and two days after the class officially started and was leaving in five days for the Thanksgiving Holiday break. I was so busy just trying to get books ordered and learning how to login to the courseware and figure out what was due that I never had the chance to reflect on what the course would provide for me as a teacher. My main goal was to survive. Six kids, a full time teaching job, two major holidays, family, out of town trips, camping, the end of the semester at school, and now 8 or more readings, videos, reflections, self-assessments, web conferences, writing assignments, internships (that I didn’t realize started NOW), principal competencies, mentors, blogs, wikis, books to read, and deadlines to meet all kept me focused on the right now and what had to be done.
It has all been a whirlwind. I am not sure I have had time yet to even realize everything I have achieved over the past couple of months. I have gone from just thinking about getting a Master’s to having finished my first course. I have done and dealt with all those things listed above and more. I have done it, and I have done (at least in my opinion) a good job at it. I completed every assignment. I completed them by the date they were due and I received high grades on all of them.
The course did so much more than I ever envisioned. I was expecting to learn about technology. What I did learn about was the use of technology in the classroom but not so much here’s how you do it but more here is the theory about why you should do it in the classroom. Which when you think about it is a great place to start. The why is a good thing to know because it helps you improve the implementation of technology when it comes down to making the choices of what technology to use in the class setting.
I believe these concepts are and will be relevant to the work I am doing now and the work I would like to do in the future. Like I mentioned earlier, I love technology. I use it every day in my life and while teaching. But it is just me using it. I want to use technology in the classroom. I want to use it as a tool to connect with students and have them use it as a tool to learn and connect with the content and with me.
So while I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I started the class, I was surprised at the amount of work I was able to accomplish. I learned a lot about what I am able to get done in a week. I also learned some new things about technology. I had never done a wiki before so it was nice to learn what a wiki is and how it compares to a blog. I can see myself using a wiki in my job and with my classes. This is what I was expecting to learn, more about technology and how to use it in the classroom. The leadership portion of the class was more of a surprise to me. This part of the class is going to stretch my comfort level and make me change some of my attitudes. This is probably a good thing.
So I look forward to the next 11 classes and 18 months of course work. It was a rough start in many ways but I learned a little about leadership, technology and even more about myself so hopefully the rest of the program will flow along smoothly and before you know it I will be accepting my Master’s degree.