Keep Moving Forward
Future Goals Essay
My curiosity drives me. It pushes me to try new technology in my classroom and to continue growing as an educator. I don’t like keeping still, and I never want to stop trying to improve my craft. The day I become complacent with my teaching is the day I need to retire. That being said, after seven years in the classroom, there are some things that I want to continue doing, but there are ways I want to improve. In my role as an educator, I want to keep moving forward in three major ways: technology integration, my education, and teaching leadership.
Goal 1: Technology Integration
Technology is constantly evolving, and so is how I utilize it in my classroom. I want to continue using new forms of technology to further enhance my classroom curriculum and engage my students. One of my takeaways from my Master’s in Educational Technology (MAET) Program, is that technology should not simply replace a resource. If a computer is being used only to read from, then it’s no different from a book. Technology must be used to open new doors and to try new things that could not be tried before. In my classroom, I’ve been able to engage students with online simulations, interactive presentations, multi-media creations, and more. Last year I used Pear Deck for the first time to deliver interactive presentations. I would like to convert more, maybe all, of my presentations into Pear Deck. I am also interested in making the shift from a paper Interactive Student Notebook to a digital one. These are just two ways I want to continue integrating technology into my classroom. There are many benefits to technology integration, however to stay abreast of educational technology I want to continue my education.
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Pictured right: A student completing a FUSE challenge in my Design & Tech class.
Goal 2: Education
In order to continue learning about new technology, and to further improve my abilities as an educator I want to continue my education. One way I want to do this is by attending professional developments and conferences centered on technology. The last two years, I have attended the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) Annual Conference. Not only have I gained ideas from attending the sessions, but the discussions I’ve had surrounding technology in the classroom have been just as, if not more, valuable than the sessions themselves. The networking that occurs at MACUL is valuable and I wish to continue my involvement. I also am considering continuing my formal education. I am not sure what this looks like, but there are several programs that I would consider. The Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP) runs The Path to Leadership program, which results in earning a PK-12 administrator certificate. Also, Central Michigan University (CMU) has a fully online doctorate program for Educational Technology. Lastly, Michigan State University (MSU) has a Doctorate in K-12 Educational Administration that also looks interesting. Before I consider starting one of these programs, I would like to continue working in the classroom and expand the types of course that I teach.
Goal 3: Teaching Leadership
I have wanted to teach a class on leadership and service learning since I started teaching. I was involved in my high school leadership class for two years and have a minor in Leadership from CMU. Students involved in a leadership class can gain important life skills by taking on projects to make a difference in their school and community while becoming better citizens in the process. This type of education is extremely impactful on middle school students and this is why I would like to teach such a class. A resource I need to further look into for this goal is class curriculum. I’ve seen a lot of leadership programs that I could borrow ideas from to create my own course. Growing Leaders has lesson plans and activities that teach habits and attitudes of good leaders. This Teen Leadership Curriculum has several lessons on teaching leadership skills, and this Service Learning Instructional Framework from Maryland has lots of detailed ideas for service learning projects.
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Pictured right: Students counting cans from a school wide food drive I organized.
