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Aspirations Ahead

Looking towards the future, I am reminded of the many moments of inspiration I found through my journey in the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program. My aspiration for my professional future is to take my new knowledge regarding technology and incorporate it in a meaningful way in my own classroom. Technology offers us a way to connect with the world around us, create, innovative, and takes us to new heights with learning. To push myself forward in my own learning, and share my inspirations with my students, I established three aspirations to explore technology in an educational setting. My aspirations ahead are to become a Seesaw Ambassador to further develop online student portfolios, create a makerspace that inspires my students, and one day host an exhibit at the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) conference. While these goals will certainly not be the end of my journey, they provide direction for my next steps.

Goal # 1

Seesaw Ambassador

Over the past school year, my district adopted the use of online digital student portfolios. In order to do this, we used the platform of Seesaw to connect student learning with families, gather formative insights, and empower students to take ownership of their learning. In my classroom, Seesaw is used on a daily basis. As the teacher, I support students in creating a digital footprint in our technology rich world. However, I have only had the opportunity to get my feet wet with this specific application and have not explored the endless possibilities to enhance the learning experience in my classroom. For this reason, my aspiration is to become a Seesaw Ambassador for the upcoming school year. My first step would be to apply for the position. Then, as a Seesaw Ambassador, I would become an experienced educator through completing yearly online training courses, serve as an expert to other educators in my building, and connect with ambassadors all over the world to exchange ideas. After completing the training portion of this position, I would find ways within my building to share my expertise with staff through professional development opportunities and staff meetings.

Goal # 2

Makerspace Creator

My personal exploration of the MakerEd community sparked a flame in my heart to look for new ways to include making, tinkering, creating, and playing in my classroom. I believe that students deserve to explore, follow their curiosities, and imagine beyond their wildest dreams! To show my students the value I put in making, my future aspiration is to create a makerspace in my own classroom that promotes collaboration, exploration, and innovation. To begin my journey with a makerspace, I plan to read Starting a School Makerspace from Scratch by Colleen Graves to identify steps in reaching my aspirations and implement the suggested steps.

 

                                                                                                                        I also know that in order to get my students to “buy in”                                                                                                                              to the Maker Culture, I must immerse myself into the                                                                                                                                culture as well. In my exploration, I came across this                                                                                                                                video that peaked my interest. It lead me to the world of                                                                                                                          Maker Faire. Each summer, the city of Detroit hosts a                                                                                                                                convention called Maker Faire Detroit. By attending                                                                                                                                  this event, I can learn all about the inventions of                                                                                                                                        others and try out my hand in making. I think it would                                                                                                                              be highly impactful to share this experience with my                                                                                                                                students and even offer to meet up with families at                                                                                                                                  this event.

Goal # 3

MACUL Exhibitor

In thinking about my aspirations ahead, I recognize hosting an exhibit at the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) conference is a long-term accomplishment that will take dedication of time and skills. As a means to ensure my own lifelong journey of learning, I plan to continuously seek out opportunities where I am able to connect with other professionals and push my understanding of technology integration. I am in no way an expert teacher and realize that is a lot of valuable information I can learn from those around me. My first steps in reaching this goal is to actually attend the MACUL conference as a member of the audience. I have learned about a lot of technology through others who attended the conference and online publishings, however I have not been there in person yet! I think this will provide me with guidance and ideas of how to host my own exhibit. I also plan to work closely with my instructional coach as she hosts an exhibit each year at the conference. I think she would be an invaluable resource in reaching this goal and convincing administrators in the importance of my role as a technology integrator!

Identifying three aspirations for my future excites me as an educator and learner! I am eager to get started and explore technology in our rapidly changing world! The MAET program was only my beginning, now the rest is up to me!

Sources

Graves, C. (2015, July 16). Starting a School Makerspace from Scratch. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/starting-school-makerspace-from-scratch-colleen-graves

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Make:magazine. (2019). The Future We Make [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze2G149b4Jk#action=share

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