Stephanie Check

It is the summer of 2022. I am here again, taking a step back and thinking about what this degree is going to do for myself as an educator, learner, and now a tech whiz. Now I say “here again” simply because three years ago, I was in this same position, collecting my thoughts about my first master’s degree from Michigan State University. When I mentioned to others that I was pursuing another master’s degree, people asked “Why,” “How come,”or “Is it worth the money?” Sure, obtaining another degree may move me up the pay scale, but that has never been the end goal. To consider obtaining another degree shows my dedication to learning. It is wired in me to learn whenever and wherever possible. It also shows my passion to continue being a better educator each and every day. I am not a perfect teacher, but I learn and improve so I may be the best educator for my students. The work in my master’s program has given me a great deal of knowledge and many opportunities to use in my teaching experiences and beyond.

 

Leadership and Different Perspectives

 

I took CEP815’s “Technology and Leadership” and loved this course right from the beginning. This course boosted my skills as a leader. Going into the course, I already had experiences as a leader: The grade level team lead for two years, the gifted lead teacher for three years, one of the advisors for Student Council for two years, and a volleyball coach. Throughout this course, I learned and improved the leadership skills I already possessed. I was able to evaluate my prior experiences as a leader and examples of poor leadership of others I know by examining the different leadership styles. 

 

Not only was I improving my leadership skills, but I was also enhancing my ability to think through different perspectives. I was given numerous opportunities to think about challenging situations I could see myself in, and come up with possible solutions to the issues that can appear in the edtech world. These solutions were framed in a professional and positive manner. 

 

I was also given the chance to appropriately and professionally communicate thorny issues or challenging topics. Communicating issues was done with many of my course creations. Whether it was a formal letter to a leader or an infographic to share with a community of educators, I grasped the concept of a suitable approach to convey information that others could understand. I even created a professional development session with a colleague on social emotional learning. My colleague and I created a pamphlet and developed a book study session that members could participate in, including a schedule and extra resources. To conclude all the information I learned about leadership and technology, I created a global vision for education, keeping in mind multiple stakeholders and perspectives along the way. 

 

Each course unit built upon what I learned the previous week. Because of this, each unit was more meaningful and I was able to critically apply it to my experiences in the classroom as an educator and outside the classroom as an individual. This course strengthened my understanding of how to respectfully and appropriately respond and address challenges in the edtech realm. I am optimistic to dive into new leadership roles and bring my knowledge and expertise to current leadership positions, including my newest role as tech support at my school.\

 

Creativity and Comfort Zones

 

Another course I took was CEP812’s “Applying Educational Technology to Issues of Practice.” I loved how this course challenged me to think and complete creations outside my comfort zone. The first time I was pushed away from the norm was my first creation where I had to address an ill-structured problem and find a solution using a tech tool. I chose to focus on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, as I taught a student who had this disease. I could have chosen an easier topic, but because it was relatable to my teaching experience, I chose this ill-structured problem. Along with ill-structured problems, I was introduced to two other types of problems: well-structured and wicked. Through this course, I gained a deeper understanding of various technologies and how they can address issues in education. 

 

I continued to challenge my comfort zone; in fact, my instructor challenged us with a sketchnote video, my first ever. I was not familiar with what a sketchnote was. Having to create a sketchnote video in a week was too short of a time frame. I did not want to go outside my comfort zone but, since it was an assignment, I not only chose to but I took on the challenge. I created my first sketchnote video (not the best), but I was dedicated to the task and completed it. Not only did it push me away from what I would normally do, but it was the first of many more sketchnotes I would create in the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program to showcase my creativity. By creating sketchnote videos throughout this course, I was able to convey information to an audience in an artistic and unique way. 

 

Most of the course focused on my wicked problem project. After learning about wicked problems, I found out there is never a simple solution and these problems are complex; therefore, it would be a challenge to find appropriate solutions to solve the problem. Most of my colleagues went with project/inquiry-based learning, student motivation, or schedule changes. However, I chose something unconventional that would push my critical thinking skills and knowledge abilities: Student retention. Though this was a challenge to find possible solutions, I took it head on. I learned how to create a survey to distribute to a group of individuals (in my case, my Twitter teacher community or Professional Learning Network [PLN]), collected and analyzed survey data, researched solutions to the wicked problem, and created a presentation of my project, including a letter to my administration addressing the wicked problem and a possible solution. 

 

This course solidified my confidence in knowing I can push my limits in thinking and creation abilities. It helped me know I can solve any issue in education in innovative ways. Using Voxer, a type of communication application, pushed me more by using my voice to communicate to my colleagues and my instructor in an eccentric way. This course also taught me that I do not necessarily have to be technical to use technology successfully, but I can be curious and enjoy the learning process along the way. 

Intentionality and Purposeful Thinking

CEP820’s “Teaching Students Online” course helped me focus on intentionality and purposeful thinking. The main objective of the course was to create an online course module (OCM) for our specific context (e.g., third grade students). I chose to develop an opinion writing module using the course management system (CMS) Schoology. My course module integrated aspects of flipped learning (e.g., Students complete assigned learning tasks at home and are supported in school the next day) and other innovative components to support student engagement such as Flipgrid and Google Forms. It was developed with the end goal of student autonomy in mind and having students truly comprehend the components of opinion writing in order to prepare themselves for state testing. 

 

From the beginning, everything was intentional; from the choice of my CMS to the specific content I wanted to teach the students, and how to properly communicate to the students and their families about the online course module via a communication policy. The meaning behind all the intentionality was to make sure everything was purposeful and meaningful to the students. 

 

Throughout this course, I learned various topics such as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and accessibility rights so that this course was for all learners. Intentionality is something that must be thought about, especially as an educator; everything must have a purpose and an intended objective or task. I was using metacognitive processes, thinking throughout each stage of the module throughout this course. I had to be aware of these pedagogical decisions when constructing my module since it needed to be appropriate for my third graders. The metacognition helped to make sure I was thinking of the larger picture. I also used metacognition through a blog post as I reflected and wrapped up the course. 

 

Overall, the skills I learned in CEP820 helped me to engage students in their learning using a digital tool such as Schoology, and using these tools with an intended purpose. It solidified the importance that everything I put in front of my students has a meaning, an intention in mind. If I put a tech tool in front of them, I have to keep in mind Matthew Koehler and Punya Mishra’s (2006) TPACK framework, something that was etched in my repertoire of knowledge right at the beginning of my master’s program. I have to also research and explore the tech tools I expose my students to. If I do not know how to use it properly, how will my students know how to use and understand it? 

Last Minute Thoughts

I took ten courses in my master’s program, all chosen with careful intent. Although some were required, I chose topics that would fit with where I wanted to expand my knowledge. Could I have chosen other courses to reflect on? Of course, but these three impacted my learning. They will be crucial and integral to me as an individual, as this is the final lap of my journey as a grad student. These three courses, along with the others in my master’s program showed me: 

 

I am a leader

I am creative

I am innovative
I am a maker 

I am a blogger

I can think with different perspectives in mind 

I can create teaching content with purposeful intentions 

I can be intentional with the content and tech tools I expose my students to  

I can be okay with failure

I can provide feedback appropriately and timely

I can communicate issues in education in an appropriate and professional manner

I can give my students choice in their learning experiences

 

These are only some of the things I learned about myself. The list goes on and on. 

 

First, it was my bachelor’s degree in 2015. Next, it was my first master’s degree in 2019. Now, it is my second master’s degree in 2022. What will happen next for me? For now, I am going to take a break from my grad student life and will close that chapter. I need to take the time to soak in all the knowledge and use the skills I have gained from this degree. I also need time to accomplish the goals I have set for myself. I am very proud of what the MAET program has done for me. I can say I am more informed and educated about the important issues in education and I can critically think and view issues with multiple perspectives in mind. Even if I am no longer a grad student, I will continue to learn and grow as an individual, educator, learner, and a tech whiz, wherever it may take me.