In the beginning of my program my initial goal was to enhance my professional practices through my graduate work. I wanted to delve deeper into the curriculum and pedagogy within the mathematics and science content areas, since those were my focus areas for my degree. I was hoping to refine the skills I already had and advance my education, building upon my professional learning network. A second part of my initial goal was to advocate for my students through taking on leadership roles in my district's curriculum and school improvement teams. I felt that once I understood best practices in education I could help to ensure that those were being used to ensure all students were benefiting. I decided to keep these initial goals because they are integral parts to the success of my education, benefiting my students and myself.

 

Over the course of my program I have added one major component to my original goals, and that is technology. I had no idea the amount of technology that I would learn about within my program. Every class I took incorporated some new form of technology within it, forcing me to step outside my comfort zone. I decided to be proactive with my education and take whatever technologies I learned about into my classroom for my students to use. Not only did I acquire new technologies to help myself as an educator, but I found technologies that would be beneficial in the classroom with my students. I am now teaching in a world where technology is present all the time. I must equip the 21st century learners in my classroom with the skills to become productive citizens in the world. I realized that in order for this to occur I must change the pedagogies I use within my classroom, utilizing best practices for today's learners.

 

Setting these goals for myself helped me to become reflective in my teaching. The goals of this program have changed my teaching the past few years. I have become more flexible in the delivery of instruction within my classroom. I utilize the methods I learn about within my studies to plan, design and implement the most beneficial learning opportunities. I have learned these past few years that it is not a matter of what I am teaching per say, but the how I teach it that matters. Content is important, but engagement, active learning and problem solving are the stepping stone to understanding. I have had the opportunity to add new technologies into my classroom. At first, I tried to master each new technology before putting it in my classroom. I then realized that I am teaching to a generation who has only ever known technology. I began to let the students explore the technologies and start to teach themselves, myself and one another. Most recently I have joined our district's newest curriculum team, which focuses on reading curriculum and best practices. My implementation of Google Classroom, blogging, and technology in the classroom has sparked the eyes of many educators in my school. I am excited to advocate for all students in the district, sharing the knowledge I have gained through my studies at Michigan State University. This allows me to better myself as an educator and to share my wealth of knowledge with others.