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Jenna Gabel
Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
"Love - Sign" by Cindy Andrie is liscensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Is It Really The End?
By: Jenna Gabel
"The start and finish line of the Inishowen 100 Scenic Drive" by Andrew Hurley is liscensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
As my work for my masters in educational technology comes to a close, it would be easy to think that this is the end of an era. An outside observer may even make the mistake of believing that I am a technology expert who knows everything that I need to know about technology. They may find themselves wondering what field of study I will take on next. But anyone who has spent two years pouring their heart and soul into effective classroom technology integration, as I have, will know that this is just the beginning.
With the addition of new and innovative technologies occurring constantly, the field of educational technology is changing more rapidly than almost any other field. Therefore, while the learning theories such as universal design for learning, TPACK (Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge), and SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition) will always drive the way that I prepare technology rich lessons within my classroom, the technology available to me will be constantly changing. Tools that are innovative and creative today may be outdated in just a few years. Therefore, I know that I will need to continue my education in this field for the rest of my teaching career. I have spent countless hours developing technology rich projects for my masters program, not because I needed to for a grade but because I was genuinely interested in learning about educational technology integration for my students. As a result, I know that I have the passion and the desire to continue my education, but with formal classes coming to an end, where will I turn to further my learning?
If I believe wholeheartedly that technology, when used in the correct way, can increase student learning, then I must first think of myself as a student. I am so fortunate to have a strong Personal Learning Network to assist me with continuing to learn and reach my educational goals. I love to gather new information from other teachers. Who better to network with than other people who are out in the field, just like me? I will continue to do this through the use of Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Blogs, and RSS Feeds. I also will continue to network with graduates from Michigan State University's Educational Technology Masters Program (MAET). They have been a great support to me while going through the program, and I know that they will continue to be just a phone call or a mouse click away, ready to help me in any way that they can. Additionally, I would like to attend webinars and conferences that continue to push me outside of my comfort zone in the area of educational technology.
"My PLN" by Cesar Poyatos is liscensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
I have realized that the more I know about the field of educational technology, the more that I want to learn. While I will never know everything that there is to know, I leave the MAET program much more confident in my technology skills than when I entered it. While I love my job, and don't see myself leaving the field of deaf education any time soon, I do want to become an informal technology leader in my school. I want to be a resource to others as someone who can help them incorporate technology effectively into their classrooms. Eventually, I would like to take on a role as a formal technology leader in my school or school district in order to help other teachers in an area where I am very passionate.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am passionate about using educational technology, but I am also very passionate about education in general, and my interests in education are diverse. In the future, there are many areas in which I would like to take classes and increase my own knowledge. For example, I have seen first hand that deaf and hard of hearing students have a lot of challenges that are different than their general education peers. If these challenges are addressed when students are young, their success is much greater. Therefore, child development and early learning are definite areas of interest for me. Additionally, students who are deaf and hard of hearing often have more difficulty reading and writing than their hearing peers because they don't hear the language in the same way. Thus, in the future, I will be expanding my professional development to the area of literacy.
"2012-171 Teacher is Chief Learner" by Denise Krebs is liscensed under CC BY 2.0
Cognitively Guided Math Instruction (CGI), is another area in which I will continue to take courses, as I have seen the tremendous impact that it can have on students' mathematical reasoning skills. As you can see, completing a masters degree has opened up many doors for me, and has piqued my interest in a variety of other areas of education. I can say with one hundred percent certainty that I will be a lifelong learner, pushing myself to understand the educational practices that will make me the most effective teacher possible.
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