Having cheese makes you happy.

At the end of my undergraduate degree, I had the opportunity to student teach in the Dominican Republic and with that came the opportunity for my first teaching job.  My “cheese” was this first job.  It felt so good to have a job in my field.  It was an opportunity of a life time to live somewhere new and continue learning about how to become a good teacher.  At this point in my life, I wasn’t ready to begin my masters.  Ideally, I wanted it to be in something I truly cared about and not just something general to obtain the degree.  When I moved back to the United States after much deliberation, I decided I should move forward with my teaching career and get a master’s degree in educational technology.

 

If you do not change, you will become extinct.

The way I began my journey in the MAET program was through a summer cohort.  It was six weeks of class for a total of nine credits which included two weeks of face-to-face contact on Michigan State’s campus. This included the three classes CEP 810, CEP 811, and CEP 812.  I remember walking on to campus, not knowing anyone, and sitting down in our classroom.  Within the first hour the teachers' assignment was to create a video that explained our thoughts on education, technology, and educational technology using footage from around campus.  This was an extremely scarey situation for me.  I felt overwhelmed lost and confused, but it was time to step forward and try something new.

 

What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

Now no academy awards were given for my movie, but it was my first step of letting go and trying to be creative.  I realized this program would be a different type of learning experience and it was time for me to embrace this change and apply what I’m to my teaching.  I could now relate to my students when they are feeling frustrated and be empathetic towards their emotions and feelings.

 

The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese.

One of the first models that we learned about in my classes was the TPACK model developed by Punya Mishra and Mathew Koehler.  This model explains how teachers should incorporate Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge to create an ideal learning environment for students.  We learned that lessons should not be built around technological tools, but should support and help improve the student’s understanding through the tool.  

 

The change in my teaching was about to become real as I was making wikis for CEP 810: Teaching for Understanding with Technology and exploring new educational ideas such as flipped classrooms. I had many opportunities to work with many different people to explore new ideas like this and see how using technology in your classroom can change hor studnets think and react. The defining moment of this class was when I had to create a lesson plan that was a content connection. This gave me the idea of taking a math concept and creating a lesson that used technology to help the students grasp it better. It taught me that my old ways of teaching were no longer going to always work; I need to engage the students with tools that they will use both today and in the future. By repurposing the making of a video into a math lesson, students will both learn where we find angles in the real world, but also how to work with 21st century skills.

 

This may include pulling in tools that are not originally designed for educational settings and may require some repurposing which we learned about in CEP 811: Adapting Innovative Technologies in Education.  Teachers have always been creative at finding ways for students to learn the content, but today’s students are in a world of immediate feedback and gratification and it is the teacher's job to help students develop and grow in their world.  The good news is you are not alone.  There are many places that you can form a Personal Learning Network (PLN) and brainstorm ideas with other teachers who are in the same situation as you.  It is important to network both in your direct community at school and your online community.   Reflecting on the projects we did in this cohort, it’s easy for me to see why I grew as quickly as I did.  We were presented with so many opportunities in the short amount of time that it ignited a flame in me to change not only how I learned, but how I taught.  This included projects such as: my Wicked Problem project where I addressed the dislike of word problems in students and how I could incorporate technology to improve that and the Web Based Inquiry project on what good sportsmanship looks like in a physical education class. These projects pushed me and I began to search for new ways of teaching my classes. http://virtadia.wordpress.com/maet-courses/maet-year1/final-reflection/

 

It is safer to search the maze than to remain in a cheeseless situation.           

After I finished the cohort, I was eager to learn more information.  I wanted to take classes that challenged my thinking and helped me grow as a teacher.  The following school year, I took three classes to continue my studies.  They were all very different and insightful, but it was CEP 820: Teaching Students Online that I had another breakthrough moment.  In this class we were asked to create an online class or unit.  We were able to pick the Course Management System (CMS) of our choice so I decided to step outside of my comfort zone again and choose CourseSites.  The learning curve was huge for me, and although a challenge, I felt at the end of the class I had something to really be proud of.  This was my first exposure to blended learning and I thought it highly pertained to my teaching and current situation.  I still haven’t found an opportunity to incorporate it into my current class, but I like the idea and I am excited to both use it myself and teach others about it.  

 

Anticipate change.  Get ready for the cheese to move.                            

The next summer I decided I must continue this journey I had begun by taking the second summer cohort.  I anticipated there would a lot of work and although that was correct, I never could have predicted how rewarding it would be.  We studied learning and teaching theories, ways to incorporate play in your teaching, how to be a technology leader, and we had fun while doing it all.  During this class we read the book, Why Don’t Students’ Like School? A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom by Daniel T. Willingham.  This book brought up a lot of different ideas about learning and as the title says why students don’t like school.  It was interesting to learn about praise and how we should focus on the words we are using and the knowledge we are asking our students to have.  Part of this reading required us in groups of four to create a three minute video that highlighted three main points of the chapters.  It was fun to dive deep into the two chapters my group was assigned and to find creative ways to present the information to the class.  (Click here to view the videos.)

 

The major project of CEP 800: Learning in School and Other Settings, was my DreamIT Project.  This allowed me take create a grant proposal that would integrate technology into my class to help transform the learning of my students.  This project really helped me shape my current teaching situation, because as a Media Arts teacher my curriculum is revolving around technology.  It helped me find a purpose to my class and find ways to make the learning more authentic and meaningful.  With the help of my instructors I decided to create a service learning experience as my project.  This would be done by finding a real problem/event in our community that our class could help make better or run.  As part of the learning students need to help identify the problem and designate areas for a solution.  I am excited to put this project into action in the next few months of my class.

 

Enjoy change! Savor the adventure and enjoy the taste of new cheese!            

As my time in the MAET program comes to an end in the capstone course it is a time to reflect on where I came from and where I am headed now.   I am beyond grateful to the program and excited to see where my future lies.  It’s unbelievable the amount that I have grown and changed in the short year and a half, but I believe I have a new outlook on teaching and change.  My “cheese” of being a successful teacher will take many paths and move often, but I have learned that this is okay.  It’s important to be open to change and learn as much as you can at all times, without being afraid of being wrong.  The confidence and creativity that I learned is hopefully demonstrated in my daily work and something I can instill in each and every one of my students.  

 

And always remember:

Be ready to change quickly and enjoy it again and again.  Keep moving with the cheese.