Looking Forward with Zeal
I have long known that I had a passion for history. What role that passion would play in my life is something that I couldn't envision early on. I decided to leave school after my freshman year of college because I wasn't performing up to my abilities and I had to pay for college on my own. This set of circumstances led me to enlist in the United States Marine Corp, where I had some best times while serving our country. One of the things I was able to get from my military experience was a renewed passion into my education. I decided some time after my service had ended to return to school. I initially went to community college and completed my Associate degree in Business but I still did not have a sense that I was doing what I should. After some contemplation I decided to follow my passion of history to Oakland University, and enrolled in the History program. This decision was the best move for me because it reinforced the belief that I loved to learn and that I might want to share this love with others. I had no idea that I wanted to be a teacher or even that's what I should do with my undergraduate degree. While on the dating scene I met the most amazing woman who would eventually become my wife, Meagan. She was well into her career as an elementary teacher and after many nights discussing where I saw myself she commented on teaching and why I hadn't pursued that avenue. To be honest I didn't have a credible answer. I do love talking, learning, and genuinely helping others to understand things they currently don't know so in summer of 2009 I made the decision to start substitute teaching, just get my feet wet before making a real commitment. I don't know why I was so surprised to the fact that I absolutely loved it. The interaction with the students, the camaraderie I witnessed among other teachers and the sense of pride I felt after a work day was something I hadn't had since my time in the Marine Corp.
After the completion of my history degree from Oakland University I had another crucial career decision to make, I had to ask myself “What do I do now” that I have a degree in the field I have always been passionate about? The time teaching showed me that I loved the schedule and the time allowed with family was a major plus to me. My next move was to decide to continue my new-found love for teaching by enrolling in a Master's and teaching certification program at Wayne State University. I was able to complete the program in a very short time and was lucky to find a full time job teaching World History in Dearborn, Michigan. This is where my first experience with technology occurred. As much as I would like to say that it was life changing alas I cannot, due to the limited use and purpose of technology that was both expected of us as teachers and the low level of emphasis placed on using technology with my students. I was given a smart board and desktop computer but that was it. I had no clue how I could best use this technology with my students to make the learning experience more engaging and purposeful. Education at my first job reminded me very much of my experiences in my own high school classes some 15 years ago, and I was dismayed to see that many of the things teachers were still doing hasn't changed. The teachers in my building weren't using overhead projectors anymore, but they were still using the same method just in the form of PowerPoint. I began then to question why education was not changing like many of the other industries I have had experience working in and with. Even in the military we were making the transition and going full steam ahead with technology. I think this is where I made the conscientious decision to start learning about different forms of technology being used in the classroom and elsewhere to see if there is anything that I could adapt for use with my students. I quickly learned that simply finding a website, app or other form of technology and not having a purpose behind how and why it is being used was not doing anything to engage or help the learning of my students. The MAET program was the first time I felt like I was surrounded by both like-minded individuals and those who could help me with the questions I had above.
The first class I wish I had taken before becoming a full time teacher was CEP 800 Learning in School and Other Settings. While it may sound obvious to cite the first course offered in any program as being influential, CEP 800 truly opened my eyes to appreciating learning that goes on in school and other settings. Like my current peers who are teaching with me currently at Renaissance High School I struggled to recognize the opportunities to learn that technology offered my students and that existed almost entirely outside of the classroom. CEP 800 solidified my pedagogy about not only history but how it can be delivered best to excite and engage students. I was able to learn how students progressed through the stages of learning and how to help them out no matter where they were on this journey. In this course we had the opportunity to put our words to action by crafting our personal theory of learning. For the first time my ideas about learning became real as they were typed out. This paper allowed me to have a sound foundation in which I could have peer discussions, reflect back on prior teaching moments and to inform future decisions regarding the educational process for myself and my students. This is one of the courses that will always stand out to me because it was the first course to bring together 2 passions of mine; technology and teaching.
Now with a full year of teaching under my belt teaching and finally in my career job, I began to reexamine the lessons I had used the previous year. I had integrated very limited amounts of technology and when I did it was either something shared with me that I did not fully grasp or because I thought it was interesting, the purpose was always lacking. CEP 810 was the course that would help me find that purpose. My time spent in the classroom was often very reflective and on many days I was left asking how will technology play a pivotal role in my professional future? How could I use technology to enhance the learning of my students? How would it fit into the curriculum and learning goals I already have? How should it be implemented and rolled out? In CEP 810 I quickly found out that I was not alone in asking these questions and was able to learn that my professional learning network is a key component in getting the answers to many of the questions I had around technology and learning. This professional learning network or PLN discovery showed both the strengths and weaknesses my current network offered to me and showed me areas of growth. I was able to use some same technologies I was learning myself to such as twitter to follow the best and brightest minds currently exploring and using technology in the classroom.
The last course I wish to discuss but to me the most impactful to my teaching has been CEP 820. One of the things I noticed during my undergrad and master's programs was the way that universities utilized a content management system or learning management system, commonly referred to as either a CMS or LMS. I didn't have anyone I was working with currently utilizing a LMS in their daily teaching. CEP 820 gave me an opportunity to explore many of the best systems in place today and this is where I discovered Schoology. Schoology is one of the leading K-12 LMS and something that has completely changed the teacher that I am. Having access to technology is one thing but again being able to use it in a hastily way is the key and Schoology is the vehicle that has allowed me to integrate technology in ways I could have never imagined. CEP 820 taught me the importance of collaboration and communication with both my students and my colleagues. I wanted to use a system that had that same focus. I choose Schoology because of its interface and overall ease-of-use. The interface’s similarity with other social media platforms made me very confident that I could roll it out with little training. I came to discover that other teachers enjoyed the collaboration and community that comes with Schoology. I enjoyed being able to have instant communication with my students. I could now answer questions whenever and wherever students were learning, we weren't contained to the traditional school setting as our only place of learning. My students could still participate in classes even when they weren’t able to make it to school and could ask questions whenever they came up, instead of having to wait for their designated class. All of this was possible by taking CEP 820 and having the benefits of a LMS both shared and taught to me. This passion is one that I continue with every day as I have introduced and spearheaded the full roll out of Schoology at my current job. I am hoping to continue this roll out to the district.
Overall the MAET program has had profound changes on my both professionally and personally. I have a new understanding when it comes to the ability and motivation to learn that my students bring to the classroom that centers around using technology in a manner that is both purposeful and engaging. I no longer try to use technology just for technology sake without it having a pedagogical link to the content being taught. I am able to look at technology as a bridge to deeper learning with a purpose not as a substitute to something else taking place in my classrooms. As I have had the desire to move out of the classroom to share my love of educational technology, the MAET program has provided me with the tools and education needed to make that dream become a reality. This coincides with my second area that is of importance to me and that has been building upon my relationships with my colleagues at my district level and the building level with other teachers to ensure that it is one built around a renewed sense of excitement for all the possibilities technology can offer our students as we try to prepare them for the next stages of learning and life. Not all teachers come into the classroom with the same expertise in using technology or even the same belief in the need to integrate it into our existing curriculum. Prior to the MAET program I would have kept to myself and simply tried to implement things on my own, if they worked great if not then I could easily move on with the only worry being potential wasted classroom time. MAET teaches you that you are the sum of all your parts, to me that means the feedback, support, and challenging of ideas that I get from my fellow teachers, administrators and others associated in my PLN. The opportunity I have to experiment, develop and introduce meaningful technology to my students and peers is one of the reasons I love my job. I know that learning is more than just coming into a classroom every day and the moments I get to expand their thinking with technology will always be the most cherished moments for me. These are the reasons I will be forever grateful to not only MSU, but the MAET department, professors and fellow students who have taken this journey with me.