Upon entering the program, my professional goal was to further develop my understanding of classroom technology in ways that would help me to further connect with students in authentic ways. For my students, technology defines their culture, and I knew at the start of my MAET studies that ignoring the digital world in which my students spend half their lives would alienate them from my classroom. Essentially, I wanted to create a more culturally inclusive environment by embracing and welcoming technology.
As I prepare to complete my studies, my goals have not changed exactly, but they have become more narrow and specific. While I had hoped to increase instructional time at the start, I now look forward to implementing aspects of a flipped classroom structure to my teaching. Before the MAET program, I had limited understanding of this idea. Throughout my coursework, readings and projects have helped me to further develop my understanding of how technology works in conjunction with face-to-face instruction and how providing digital instruction can offer so much more than a secondary copy of information: it provides opportunities for scaffolding and differentiated instruction, it fosters more student responsibility, and it streamlines the planning process. This goal of providing more flipped instruction has the potential to transform my classroom and help define my identity as a teacher. I am excited to pursue this with confidence knowing that I have a solid understanding of the research behind it.
My work with the MAET program has provided me with the vocabulary and background knowledge to properly identify the changes I want to make to my classroom. As I reflected on the goals I had set for myself at the start, I could not believe how broad and open they were. I had the right intention and was generally headed in the right direction, but I completely lacked the knowledge to properly identify a clear purpose. I think I am much closer to that now, but I know that I also have a long way to go. While I’ve gained so much from the content of my MAET courses, the broader takeaway is that technology is constantly developing and thus, our classrooms must develop as well. For every lesson I’ve taken away from this program, I have been made aware of five more aspects of educational technology that I do not yet understand. My primary goal for my professional development as I complete this program is to continue to grow and take risks in my work. With only three years completed in the profession, I am more excited than ever to try new ideas in my classroom. Essentially, my work in the MAET program has redefined the impact I want to have as a teacher. I used to want to be good; now, I want to be creative. I used to want to be knowledgeable; now, I want to ask questions. I used to want to be dependable; now, I want to be an innovator.