Goals to Lead with Learning

I have always loved learning new things. Embarking on a second masters degree in Educational Technology is a really good example of this desire to always learn new things. For the first time ever, I am simply “going to school” because I want to, not because I need to. This experience has shown me a lot about who I am as a learner and educator, and where I want to go. 

 

I think that it is important, as an educator, to model to our students that we, too, are learners just like them because learning really never stops. This brings me to my first goal; to continue to seek out educational technology professional development opportunities and be a leader in doing so.  One thing I know for certain is that learning about educational technology is not going to be done when this master’s degree is finished. My next goal is closely related to my first, but specifically focuses on learning about educational technology as it applies to supporting students with diverse learning needs. My last goal is centered around continuing to be in educator positions in which I am able to mentor new teachers. 

 

Continuing to learn more about technology integration is something that has been important to me since applying to this program, but using what I have learned to impact other educators is a new goal for me. I hope that, as I continue to develop as an educator, I can lead change within the way technology is used by seeking out professional development opportunities and starting conversations and collaboration within my own learning communities. This program has given me the confidence to share what I know about educational technology and I hope that I continue to use that confidence to lead change within my school and possibly further! To broaden my skills as a leader in this field I have begun to follow the blog of an innovative educator who is  invested in meaningfully incorporating technology into education, Alice Keeler. 

 

This next year I am jumping back into a special education role at my school. This role switch brings me to my second goal; using technology to support students with diverse learning abilities. Over the past few years I have begun to see the efficiency of using technology with my students, especially in the sense of differentiating instruction for students with learning disabilities. I know that there are so many more ways that I can meaningfully use technology to support diverse learners beyond differentiation, and I hope with this new role, I will truly get to explore what this goal means to me. I will be watching this online webinar (and hopefully more!)  to help me work towards this goal of deepening my understanding of the role technology can play in helping support some of my most struggling students. 

 

The past few years I have had the amazing opportunity to have a student teacher in my class through the Boston Teacher Residency Program. This experience has really opened my eyes to the world of being a teacher educator. This position has made me think and reflect on my teaching in ways that I hadn’t before, which resulted in much unexpected growth.  In future years I may not always have the opportunity to work with a student teacher. However, there will always be new teachers for whom I can be a mentor. A goal of mine moving forward is to continue to engage in teacher educator opportunities at my school and other professional learning communities. One way that I plan on doing that is being a part of Boston’s New Teacher Development program in which I will have access to mentoring opportunities and learning around this topic. 

 

Educational technology is an emerging area of education. My belief is it will keep educators constantly re-evaluating their teaching methods to embrace new technology. I hope to personally grow from the experience of learning how to implement such technology into the classroom and how to apply it differently to encompass different learning styles. As I feel both privileged and exhilarated because of my ability to explore educational technology as both a learner and an educator, I look forward to passing this on to my professional learning communities and the next generation of teachers.

​

​

​

​

​

​