Two years ago, I entered the MAET (Master of Arts in Educational Technology) program at Michigan State University knowing that I enjoyed technology integration in the classroom and that I was often noted as the "tech guru" on my team to support others in their day-to-day use of educational technology. One might say that this would make an easy indication of what I would like to pursue in the future. Unfortunately, that is not the case. If you asked my family and friends from home about my organizational and planning skills they would likely say that I am a person with a plan. That may be why I shocked everyone in 2017 when I announced that I would be packing all of my belongings and moving to South Korea to work at an international school. Since then, I have allowed myself to take life one day at a time and focus on the "now", a skill that I rarely practiced while living in the United States. I have surprised myself with how long this journey has become.
In the academic statement that I submitted in 2018 to Michigan State University my stated primary goal was to become a technology integrationist. I explained that I was excited to learn "how to implement new applications and tools in several classroom settings". While I still have this same goal I now know that I have dived so much deeper into technology integration than solely new tools to use in the classroom. I feel like this was a naive statement after two years of enrollment in graduate studies.
Thinking about concepts like the TPACK framework has both simplified and revolutionized about how I think of technology integration in education. I have been challenged to thoughtfully integrate Maker Education into my own curriculum or how electronic assessments can be used in a variety of ways. The way I think about technology use in my day-to-day life has changed as I have made adjustments to my information diet by being more selective about the information I take in and how much I should absorb in one go.
Do I still want to become a technology integrationist? Yes, more than ever before. However, the only difference is that now I feel I have the resources and knowledge at my fingertips to begin making that happen. I am sure that this is only the beginning of the journey and that it will be a never-ending one as both the world and technology rapidly evolve around us.
Thinking about concepts like the TPACK framework has both simplified and revolutionized about how I think of technology integration in education. I have been challenged to thoughtfully integrate Maker Education into my own curriculum or how electronic assessments can be used in a variety of ways. The way I think about technology use in my day-to-day life has changed as I have made adjustments to my information diet by being more selective about the information I take in and how much I should absorb in one go.
Do I still want to become a technology integrationist? Yes, more than ever before. However, the only difference is that now I feel I have the resources and knowledge at my fingertips to begin making that happen. I am sure that this is only the beginning of the journey and that it will be a never-ending one as both the world and technology rapidly evolve around us.