Throughout my career, the simple words: “Tomorrow there will be more to do” have guided my goals and provided deep motivational comfort. In setting the goals for my master’s degree, I see the continuing influence of the wisdom of John Wooden. Before I was accepted into the MAET (Master Of Arts In Educational Technology) degree program at Michigan State University, I wrote the following goals:

  

                          “Educational technology offers a creative aspect that I find appealing.

                          With an MAET degree, I believe that I could continue opportunities to 

                          help teachers in the classroom to merge useful educational technologies 

                          to apply creative skills to a broadening use of applications for effective 

                          and innovative instruction in public or private education, as a teacher or

                          administrator at K-12 instructional settings, at universities, and in business

                          settings. The investment in the MAET program offers flexibility and 

                          relevance, as well as a profound personal opportunity to grow and contribute

                          to the evolving education marketplace.”

 

Reflecting on my initial goals, I began with a hopeful note that the coursework would aid in my desire to be a contributor to my profession.  As I am now nearer to the end of my career than the beginning, I wished to maintain relevance. By broadening my creative toolkit with flexible applications of innovative skills I can still be growing in my professional context.

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As I contemplate how my initial goals, I find that they have remained basically unchanged. However, I recognize that the end of the sequence of instruction is in reality a time for a new beginning; a time to refresh or update my stated goals before I end my course of studies.  I think in some aspects my initial goals are largely unchanged. On the other hand, I would now describe these goals as more clearly defined, clarified, and synthesized due to my experiences in the MAET program.

 

As I practiced mentoring skills during the summer cohort, I became confident that I would now be prepared to offer after-school professional development for my peers in some of the latest applications, helping teachers to meld technology into their instruction with a Technology, Pedagogy, and Content (TPACK) perspective.  

 

Through my research, I also was deeply impressed with the work of the physics education reformers. In concert with my initial goal to help classroom teachers, I now feel qualified to create a support network for physics teachers in my area. I feel confident in providing the leadership required to share a vision for pedagogical reform and to foster and orchestrate a local support system for physics teachers.

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Finally, I appreciate that I now have the required skills to develop an effective online class. While at the onset of my goal setting, I had limited experience in this genre, I now feel qualified to contribute to the evolving marketplace with classes of my own design. I understand more clearly the energy and creativity that will be required to produce a quality online product. 

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