In spring of 2011, I decided that it was time to go back and continue my education. I was interested in a program that would not only fulfill the Michigan requirements , but would further my own teaching career. While scanning through the courses offered at Michigan State University, I stumbled upon the Master’s in Educational Technology program. This immediately sparked my interest, and propelled me into thinking about how my teaching could become much more meaningful for my students, as well as make my job much more enjoyable. Technology had always been a passion of mine, but I had never considered the numerous benefits that it offered for the classroom. I applied immediately, knowing that this program would mesh well with my career goals.


My goals when I set out on this new journey were simple: find ways to implement technology into my classroom. Additionally, I wanted to further my understanding of how technology could have an impact on student achievement. I wanted to learn the newest and greatest tools that would engage my students, and perhaps even further their understanding of concepts in the classroom. I wanted each course to build upon the next, and provide numerous websites, programs and software that I could try with my students. This program would give me the tools to rework my curriculum, and in a few years time, I would have a brand new outlook on daily activities in my classroom.



 

​View my MAET Goals Statement Prezi

​

 

Over the past two years, I slowly came to the realization that I wanted to do more with my career. It was difficult at first, mostly because becoming a teacher was a great accomplishment for me. I had planned on being a teacher since I was in second grade! The educational technology courses made me realize that my passions had shifted due to my newfound knowledge of technology in education. The program showed me not only how technology impacts classrooms and students, but also how gratifying it would be to become an educational technology specialist. Before the program, I had never considered switching career paths. After completing a few courses, I started to see how much more I could do with my career.
 

My goals have changed in focus a bit over the past two years. I am still very interested in working with technology in the classroom, engaging students and raising student achievement. The difference is my role in the classroom. Instead of working on rewriting curriculum and staying in the classroom teacher role, I aspire to become a resource for teachers like the 2011 version of me. I’d like to be able to work with teachers and students to begin using technology. I have tools and resources that I never dreamed of having, and I’d like to spend my career working and sharing these ideas with other educators!