The most common question I am asked when I tell people that I am wrapping up my Masters of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) is, “What are your plans?" The answer is not a short one. I have spent a great deal of time during the MAET program reflecting upon my future as an educator. I am now 17 years into my teaching career and confident in my skills and abilities. Nonetheless, I firmly believe in fostering a growth mindset at all ages and stages in life. This personal philosophy led me to apply to the MAET program and inspired my future goals. In my MAET courses, I was afforded opportunities to learn about essential concepts such as TPACK(Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge), digital citizenship, leadership, and the importance of effective teacher professional development. These learning experiences eventually evolved into my three post-master’s degree goals:
Provide purposeful integration of technology for all my students in my social studies classes
Develop and share valuable professional development on educational technology
Apply for leadership roles with an emphasis on technology
My three future goals challenge me to utilize the knowledge I have gained from the MAET program and encourage me to continue learning and growing into a strong advocate for purposeful technology integration in schools today.
Future Goal #1 Provide purposeful integration of technology for all my students in my social studies classes
I am a middle school social studies teacher, and effective pedagogy is at the core of my lesson planning, especially when incorporating educational technology tools. I want to utilize the available technology, provide engaging social studies lessons and make the content accessible for all my students. I also want to investigate and invest in new resources that support this goal.
In order to achieve this goal, I will:
Incorporate the TPACK framework into my lesson planning. This ensures that my content and pedagogy will build the foundation for the successful implementation of educational technology tools.
Employ social studies ideas and strategies from Avid Open Access by listening to their podcasts, reading their weekly newsletters, and incorporating technology-based activities into my lessons.
Apply for grants to help me purchase educational technology resources, such as Parlay Ideas or a VR/AR system to enhance my social studies classes.
Follow the ISTE standards for students to establish a student-centered learning environment in my social studies classes.
Future Goal #2 Develop and share valuable professional development on educational technology
I am incredibly passionate about purposeful technology integration and want to share my knowledge to help other educators facilitate the proper implementation of digital tools. To do this, I will create valuable and transformative professional development resources.
To start, I will reference the following articles and websites:
My goal is not only to present professional development on purposeful technology integration at my school but also to share my ideas and resources with a larger community. I plan to use social media platforms like Twitter to connect with educators worldwide.
Future Goal #3 Apply for leadership roles with an emphasis on technology
Eventually, I would love to acquire a position that affords me opportunities to work with educators and help them implement technology. This goal is more transformational than the previous one. It does not only entail coaching teachers, but also being responsible for writing schools’ technology plans and policies, with a strong emphasis on pedagogy, student-centered learning, digital literacy, and digital safety for all students.
In order to achieve this goal, I will:
Create a LinkedIn profile to share my professional experiences and connect with others
The MAET program was a transformative experience for me. I have gained substantial insight into the world of educational technology, and I also know my learning journey is far from over. I have future goals to attend to in my career. As mentioned above, purposeful technology integration is my passion. When utilized safely and effectively, digital tools have the potential to revolutionize the education world. I will do my part by being a leader in this field and advocating for all students.