Going Forward...
Although I did not begin the MAET program with some kind of end-goal or dream career in mind, I do know that I have a passion for helping others and I find great satisfaction in making someone’s life easier. The last three years of my career have been spent as an English as an Additional Language (EAL) teacher where I have co-planned, co-taught, and modified materials to make academic content accessible to language learners in elementary and middle school classrooms. While being an EAL teacher is incredibly rewarding I would love to transition into a role that provides the same kind of support with a focus on technology integration in the future to benefit not only language learners but learners of all backgrounds. However, this means that there are skills that must be refined to make this happen.
Here are some of the areas of growth that I would like to pursue to develop my skillset as an educator...
Technology Integration - G-Suite AdministratorI would be ecstatic to take up work as a technology integrationist at the secondary level. There are so many organizational systems that I would love to put into place for other teachers to set them up for success when it comes to completing tasks in a timely manner and using platforms to help them better interpret student data. However, I have very limited knowledge of what a successful technology integrationist looks like. I have a grasp on tools and tricks to be used within the classroom but I would like to learn more about responsibilities of G-Suite administrators to anticipate possible challenges that would arise if I were in a role supporting an entire school or division.
After some research I have found that Google for Education goes beyond teacher certification to also provide virtual training for G-Suite administrators. This training would begin providing some insight on how to manage large systems for entire divisions or institutions in terms of settings, security, and rolling out the system to staff. |
Technology & Language Learners - Closing the GapMy closest colleagues are not surprised that I enrolled in the MAET program to develop my skills in educational technology. On the other hand, many other educators that I work alongside are surprised when I share this information as my day-to-day work is all about making academic content accessible to language learners.
I would like to close the gap between these fields and begin blending them together in my educational approach. Luckily there is a good amount of literature to start this journey. In addition, I would like to begin making a routine out of checking The International Association for Language Learning Technology website for upcoming webinars and blog posts that could give me some inspiration to use in the classroom. It is my hope that learning more about different platforms to make language and academic content accessible to my students will make me a stronger educator and give me the confidence to support teachers in their technology integration and language support for students. |
Higher Education & TrainingIn hopes of moving into a higher education or educational technology training role outside of the classroom in the future I would like to start thinking about what it takes to teach and train adults on best pedagogical approaches when it comes to using technology in any setting. Although this goal is very broad I know it can be tackled in many ways over years to build a better overall understanding of how to train adults.
One way that I would like to begin working on this is by enrolling in the SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) Training of Trainers Workshop to immediately support educators at my school in better instruction for language learners. This training was recently completed by two other colleagues in my department and we would like to build a stronger foundation of language and academic instruction at our institution by conducting a series of workshops and co-planning with teachers to ensure that these strategies are happening horizontally across grade-levels teams. |
Overall
While I am unsure of what role this may be or what country it may take me to, I will keep an open mind and continue my work in the classroom with students. So far I only have five years of completed teaching under my belt and I feel that more experience in the classroom will better prepare me for a position where I can support other teachers in the future. For now, I will continue to be a learner myself to refine my skills so I can give back to other teachers in the future.