I have to say that this past semester has really given me a lot of hope for the future. I realize that that statement is both hokey and vague, so allow me to elaborate. When I originally got my Bachelors in English Education, I looked at my diploma with a bit of dread. After all of my hard work and even some sacrifice, I had the piece of paper that would allow me to get a job and stand before a classroom imparting knowledge. The only problem was that I now didn’t want to do any of that. The traditional classroom setting no longer appealed to me and I had no idea as to what I wanted to do now. So I just kept working at my day job at Barnes & Noble, watched the days and weeks go by, and put that diploma in a box in a storage unit.
Flash forward to my decision to go back to school for my Masters degree, but instead of sticking with my subject level, I picked Educational Technology. Far from traditional teaching, this could open up new ideas and careers for me. And, I must say, that EME 5050 has really shed some interesting light on the world before me. Not only did I get to play and learn some a variety of wonderful programs and applications, but I found my passion again. I got to be creative while be productive, and that is something I’ve missed very severely. Too long have I been strangled by the constraint of state standards, time crunches and apathetic audiences. This semester, however, I finally got a chance to flex my stiff creative muscles and let loose in a way that would actually be truly educational.
For instance, before this semester, I would never have designed a project-based curriculum to teach students how to create and publish their own eBooks. I mean, it seems like a good idea if someone else had pitched it to me, but suddenly all the pieces just came together from learning about software integration and online resources. Like the proverbial light bulb, I just had this idea and I believe it is one of my best ideas for the classroom. Today’s students are so technologically savvy that they are ripe for new and interesting opportunities to show off their skills. Forget standardized tests, let them create!
I can’t create a learning summary without mentioning blogs. I will always admit that I scoffed at the idea of maintaining my own blog, as evident in the first post here. What did I have to say that anyone cared about? I wasn’t doing anything innovative to matter to the great wide world of the Internet. Sure, my classmates would be reading it, but that was mandatory. Like all my failed attempts at diary-keeping, I just knew this would be futile. Once again, I was wrong. While, yes, my musings and reflections are still just a microscopic drop in the Internet sea, what I have said has mattered to the learning of others. My classmates, lovely as they are, have read my posts and added them to their minds to mingle with their thoughts. I have done the same with them, and I feel smarter for that. I cannot say I will maintain this blog beyond this semester (unless called for in another class), but I really must admit that I did have something to say after all, and it felt good.
As this semester ends, I don’t dread the future anymore, although it is still a bit unknown and scary. What will happen to me down the road is still up to debate, but I have found my passion again, and nothing can take that away from me. I will use my skill as my shield and my passion for my sword, and I will conquer the world before me. So bring on the dragons, witches and other symbolic monsters, I’ve got more learning to do!
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| Valkyrie Warrior 1 (Copyright Ran Yaniv Hartstein) Image used with permission based on rights of Sharing and Attribution from Creative Commons |
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