I have always known I wanted to be a teacher. My mom still tells stories of when I was younger and how I would set up a classroom in our basement and play school for hours. My students were my stuffed animals and dolls, so classroom management wasn’t an issue! As I got older and needed help with my classwork, my dad would be the one to help. I remember him taking masters classes, ironically through Michigan State University, and we would work on our homework together in the den. If I had a question, he’d help me, and if he had a question (which was often made up) I’d help him. I learned many study habits from him as well as the importance of time management. Being a teacher was always in the back of my mind. I knew I needed to do well in school so I could reach that goal. In high school, I was told by my counselor that going into teaching was a great idea and jobs would be plentiful once I earned my degree. After attending Central Michigan University for four years, I graduated with my elementary certification. Unfortunately, the jobs were not plentiful. The teachers, who were expected to retire, hadn’t, and for each opening there were over 200 applicants.
A Quest for the Perfect Picture!
Megan Webers' Synthesis Essay
I was lucky enough to be hired as a long term substitute and my dream was becoming a reality. I loved teaching an elective that kids wanted to come to and help them learn different life skills. I also loved being a part of the teaching staff. I made many new friends and always had someone to bounce an idea off of if I was stuck. The position lasted two years and during that time I got married and became pregnant with my son. He was born with hearing loss and required a variety of appointments. I chose to put my teaching on hold and took on a new job - Stay at Home Mom. I always had that itch to get back into the classroom, but knew I needed to take care of Brenden first. A year went by and the deadline for keeping my certificate current was drawing near. I began taking classes at nearby colleges. This satisfied my educational credits and craving to learn, but I did not really have a plan - so I started looking into Master’s program.
I knew I wanted to find a program that was online, because it would give me the freedom to work where and whenever I had time. I had taken a few online classes during my undergrad so I felt comfortable completing a program that did not have actual class time. I have always loved technology so when I found Michigan State University’s online Masters in Educational Technology program (MAET), I knew it would be the perfect fit. The program was laid out so well and I also loved that you could take your time to complete the program. You were not required to finish in two years like many other programs I had researched. So after discussing my options with my academic advisor, I began MAET journey in the fall of 2009.
I truly did not know what to expect when I began my coursework, so I eased in slowly, taking only one course. I was slightly worried about the class requirements since I hadn’t been in teaching for a while. I took the leap and Teaching for Understanding with Technology - CEP 810, was where I started. This course opened my eyes on how technology could be used in the classroom. I think I spent most of the semester in awe by all the new technology pieces we were being exposed too. At one point I felt a little overwhelmed by it all. I kept thinking to myself, “How am I going to remember how to use all these things, let alone use them all in a classroom that I’m not even in?” This question was carried over to many other courses I took and I kept reminding myself that “it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” I did not have to incorporate everything in all at once. I needed to focus on the lesson at hand. Technology needed to have a reason to be used, not used simply because it is available.
In the course, we had lessons involving many of the different Microsoft Office tools and RSS feeds. I had used the different MS Office items before, but not necessarily in the ways we used them in class. The RSS feeds, however, were brand new to me. I had no idea what they were or how they could be used by students. I was very surprised at how user friendly they were. However, it is also an excellent example of how technology changes over time, because just four short years later, you do not hear about them used as much anymore. This is why staying up to date on current technology is so important.
Now you’ll notice on my transcript of my MAET journey, I took some time off between courses. The first gap was due to us adding another family member. My daughter was born in the summer of 2010 and I knew taking care of a newborn, a 20 month old, while taking grad classes was not a possible feat. After a year off, I was ready to get back to classes. I had just gotten a taste of the program and was eager for more.
During the fall of 2011 I took Learning Science with Technology – CEP 806. I chose this elective because I have a minor in earth science and knew that technology and science easily go hand in hand. This class really challenged my time management and focus. We completed a variety of assignments with many overlapping due dates. There were three main inquiries we had to complete. The first one focused on how 3rd graders search the internet on a specific science topic. I created a PowerPoint to reflect the process and outcome of the inquiry. The second project was to examine the difference between how students learn hands on versus online. We had to choose a lesson that could be taught in the classroom as well as online. I chose to do a cow eye dissection. I found a great website that was interactive and explained each step of the process. I then completed an actual dissection with my two nieces at home. Now you may be wondering how I got a cow eye, but our family butchers our own meat once a year and was lucky enough for this assignment to fall during that time. I then used another type of educational technology, a podcast, to showcase my experience. The last inquiry was my favorite. There were two experiments that needed to be conducted while working with a partner. One we did together face to face and the other we did together but over the internet using Skype. This inquiry opened my eyes on how to use the internet with other classrooms around the world. Students could work together on a project but be hundreds miles away from each other. For this inquiry, I created a video report that explained the process and showed pictures and video of the experiments in action. Even with the workload of this class, I would recommend anyone going through the MAET program to take it. In addition to learning about new educational technologies, I learned about myself as a learner which will help me become a better teacher.
Another class that I felt opened my eyes as a learner was Approaches to Educational Research – CEP 822. Even though I had read the course title many times, I never expected it to be a research class. The majority of class covered what all goes into conducting and analyzing a research project in the education field. I was very much out of my comfort zone. I did not know much about statistics or how to analyze data. I feel that I got the most out of the weekly readings and posts. I had no idea how different educational research was from other types of research. Many times educational research is based on situational facts and cannot be repeated again, which makes it seem not as amazing to other researchers. The main project in class was a literature analysis which focused on finding research that dealt with a specific educational question. I chose to focus on personal frequency module systems (FM systems) for hearing impaired students, since I knew my son would be getting one this fall for school. Using the knowledge we gained from the course on how data is collected, analyzed, and then reported, we could determine if articles were actually worthwhile. After completing this course I have a new found respect for educational researchers. I personally would rather not ever have to do this type of work. However, I know my students may feel the same way about what is going on in my class. So it’s my job to turn their thinking around, like the way mine did throughout this course.
My final influential course was Proseminar in Educational Technology – CEP 807. This capstone course allowed me to create this comprehensive portfolio of all of the courses and work that I have completed in my MAET program at MSU. It gave me the opportunity to look back at everything I have accomplished and reflect upon the many things that I have learned. This course not only signifies that my expedition towards my master’s degree is coming to an end, but it also highlights my accomplishments in the best possible way, digitally.
After looking back at all of my experiences in the MAET program through MSU, I can see how each course changed a part of me. I would have never expected to grow and learn this much as an educator in such a short amount of time. Although it is easy to quantify learning in terms of the numbers of pages read or the essays written, there is so much more to my graduate experience than those things. This experience has taught me about myself, my ways of teaching, and how I can incorporate technology into the classroom with a worthwhile purpose. I look forward to see what is in next life, both personal and professional!
MEGAN WEBER
ELECTRONIC PORTFOLIO