MAET Goals Reflection: Then, Now, and the Future

Then

I started the Master of Arts in Education Technology (MAET) program with little knowledge of how technology can be and should be used in the classroom. Having grown up in the digital age, I saw the impact technology made on daily life and education first hand. Through my use and understanding of technology, I set the following goals of expanding my understanding of technology and how to incorporate it into the classroom, find ways to enhance and support my colleagues' use of technology, and increase global citizenship for my students.

Now

These early goals are quite broad and I had no real idea on how to support my colleagues or students outside of just showing them a new tool. While many of my goals are the same in regards to technology, they are more specific in how to incorporate technology in the class and support the needs of my colleagues and students. I want to prepare teachers by providing them with the skills needed to choose the correct technology and to evaluate technology for their classroom, mainly through Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK) (Mishra 2012). By understanding the TPACK framework I have been able to better understand how to effectively use and incorporate technology. This does not mean just using and sharing the newest tools but adapting and growing as technology and society changes.

Through the MAET program, I learned how to approach wicked problems and have conversations about the best possible solution at the time. Helping to frame a positive mindset around technology and its capabilities in the classroom and allow teachers to choose what is best for them and their lessons. As with any new tool or teaching strategy, a learning curve exists and teachers need to feel supported and empowered during that learning curve. Through the use of TPACK, I can support teachers' understanding of how technology can enhance student learning. On the student side, I want to focus on the accessibility of technology and fostering 21st-century skills for students. It is always a goal of mine to help my students become global citizens and better understand the world around them, with the growth of technology these skills are changing. Adding to this previous goal is to raise awareness of digital privacy and student data privacy. Before I started the MAET program I was unaware of many of these digital citizenship and data privacy issues. I want students to understand how technology is being used and how their privacy is being protected. Now I feel more knowledgeable and want to bring this issues to light for my students who are so engaged in technology.

The Future

Looking from the past, present, and the future, my overall goals are still similar with enhancing student learning, supporting my colleagues' technology use, and fostering digital citizenship. Now I have more direction and understanding how to achieve these goals through research and practice. As technology grows and teaching practices change I will continue to increase my understanding to support my students and colleagues for the rapidly changing world we live in.