A Look in the Crystal Ball…My Future as a Learner
By Melanie Hosbach Sesi
Though I am approaching the completion of my formal education, I know I will never stop learning and growing. Every teacher should be a lifelong learner. A commencement ceremony should not signal the end, but simply be a milestone on the journey down the path of learning.
AN EARLY KNACK FOR TECHNOLOGY
Technology itself is ever changing. Software is always going through updates; new versions are always coming out. It seems that every time the latest and greatest technology fad hits, it is only a matter of time before the next “it” thing comes along. I have always been a fan of technology and keeping up with the “next best thing” so it should be relatively easy for me to continue growing as a student of technology. My mom always laughs about my “knack” for all things “tech-y,” and loves to tell the story of how I taught myself how to read using “Reader Rabbit” software. I practically grew up on a computer! I am the type of person who learns well on her own, and learning with technology is no different. Technology works with my learning style as I can play around with something to learn it. I am a very hands-on learner. This is why Reader Rabbit was so helpful in my quest to learn how to read!
MY SO-CALLED "TECHY" LIFE
I have learned so much through the MAET program, and am eager to learn even more. What I have really enjoyed learning about is how to apply technology to education. I feel as though I have only scratched the surface of what is out there. I look forward to learning more about how to better integrate technology into my curriculum. To me, any way that I can make learning more valuable and engaging is appreciated. I currently teach in a district that has a lot of technology resources for teachers to utilize in their classrooms every day. I am extremely grateful for this and try to take advantage of the resources available to me as often as I can. In my classroom I have a desktop computer, document camera, and a projector that is hooked to both. These tools are very useful for me to use with my visual students. I look forward to learning more ways to utilize these resources.
THE NEXT STEP
I also look forward to learning how to integrate more student-led technology into my curriculum. This, however, is a more difficult goal to achieve in my current setting. My school has only one computer lab that is occupied for a couple hours a day with computer related classes. Not only that, but many of my students do not have a computer or internet access at home, so I am limited there as well. I have been pushing to get a cart of laptops for student use but have not been successful yet. I will continue to advocate for this valuable resource, not only for the benefit of my students, but for my own personal benefit to achieve my goal of integrating more student-driven technology. I will also continue to pursue opportunities to learn more about educational technology, including attending conferences (especially MACUL) and other professional development workshops.
My district is considering a shift toward professional development hours and sessions being conducted online. I look forward to this as these online-oriented workshops will help me continue my journey along the ed-tech highway.I also look forward to online professional development because it means I will be on a computer and will be able to apply the new knowledge right away, as opposed to sitting in some classroom “learning” about something only to forget by the time I get home. I need to learn by doing.
MY ONLINE LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Through the MAET program I have become so much more comfortable with online learning. Although I have always been comfortable on a computer, I was nervous about taking a class online when I first started this program. A lot of my concerns centered on the fact that if I have trouble with something, I do not have an instructor there to help me. Now, I realize there are so many resources on the web to use for help like screencasts and online tutorials. One of my favorite things to do is to plug some keywords into a search engine and find my own tutorials. I supervise an after-school online-based class (for credit redemption) and have spent a significant portion of time teaching my students how to find answers, rather than giving them answers. Although I do not teach math during my regular school day, many of my afternoon students are taking math through the online system, so I spend a lot of time working with them. I have discovered great tools like www.purplemath.com and www.mathway.com to help students learn various mathematical concepts. This is good for me, too, since it has been a while since I have taken a math class!
Technology provides a wealth of resources and options to help all learners (teacher or student) to advance their knowledge in so many subject areas. Everyone can benefit from the ongoing learning process that is educational technology.
Though I am approaching the completion of my formal education, I know I will never stop learning and growing. Every teacher should be a lifelong learner. A commencement ceremony should not signal the end, but simply be a milestone on the journey down the path of learning.
AN EARLY KNACK FOR TECHNOLOGY
Technology itself is ever changing. Software is always going through updates; new versions are always coming out. It seems that every time the latest and greatest technology fad hits, it is only a matter of time before the next “it” thing comes along. I have always been a fan of technology and keeping up with the “next best thing” so it should be relatively easy for me to continue growing as a student of technology. My mom always laughs about my “knack” for all things “tech-y,” and loves to tell the story of how I taught myself how to read using “Reader Rabbit” software. I practically grew up on a computer! I am the type of person who learns well on her own, and learning with technology is no different. Technology works with my learning style as I can play around with something to learn it. I am a very hands-on learner. This is why Reader Rabbit was so helpful in my quest to learn how to read!
MY SO-CALLED "TECHY" LIFE
I have learned so much through the MAET program, and am eager to learn even more. What I have really enjoyed learning about is how to apply technology to education. I feel as though I have only scratched the surface of what is out there. I look forward to learning more about how to better integrate technology into my curriculum. To me, any way that I can make learning more valuable and engaging is appreciated. I currently teach in a district that has a lot of technology resources for teachers to utilize in their classrooms every day. I am extremely grateful for this and try to take advantage of the resources available to me as often as I can. In my classroom I have a desktop computer, document camera, and a projector that is hooked to both. These tools are very useful for me to use with my visual students. I look forward to learning more ways to utilize these resources.
THE NEXT STEP
I also look forward to learning how to integrate more student-led technology into my curriculum. This, however, is a more difficult goal to achieve in my current setting. My school has only one computer lab that is occupied for a couple hours a day with computer related classes. Not only that, but many of my students do not have a computer or internet access at home, so I am limited there as well. I have been pushing to get a cart of laptops for student use but have not been successful yet. I will continue to advocate for this valuable resource, not only for the benefit of my students, but for my own personal benefit to achieve my goal of integrating more student-driven technology. I will also continue to pursue opportunities to learn more about educational technology, including attending conferences (especially MACUL) and other professional development workshops.
My district is considering a shift toward professional development hours and sessions being conducted online. I look forward to this as these online-oriented workshops will help me continue my journey along the ed-tech highway.I also look forward to online professional development because it means I will be on a computer and will be able to apply the new knowledge right away, as opposed to sitting in some classroom “learning” about something only to forget by the time I get home. I need to learn by doing.
MY ONLINE LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Through the MAET program I have become so much more comfortable with online learning. Although I have always been comfortable on a computer, I was nervous about taking a class online when I first started this program. A lot of my concerns centered on the fact that if I have trouble with something, I do not have an instructor there to help me. Now, I realize there are so many resources on the web to use for help like screencasts and online tutorials. One of my favorite things to do is to plug some keywords into a search engine and find my own tutorials. I supervise an after-school online-based class (for credit redemption) and have spent a significant portion of time teaching my students how to find answers, rather than giving them answers. Although I do not teach math during my regular school day, many of my afternoon students are taking math through the online system, so I spend a lot of time working with them. I have discovered great tools like www.purplemath.com and www.mathway.com to help students learn various mathematical concepts. This is good for me, too, since it has been a while since I have taken a math class!
Technology provides a wealth of resources and options to help all learners (teacher or student) to advance their knowledge in so many subject areas. Everyone can benefit from the ongoing learning process that is educational technology.