Chelsea Tinney
Educator. Lifelong Learner. Spartan.
My Future Aspirations & Endeavors: The Intersection of Education & Technology
In my first essay, I reflected on my original goals as I entered the Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program. Now, I look ahead with three goals in mind related to the use of technology in my professional practice as this is my concentration throughout my graduate studies. Previously, my goals were centered around best supporting my learners through the use of technology - keeping them engaged and supporting each individual’s needs. As I move forward, I have slightly shifted the focus of my goals and how I can best use technology to enhance my professional practice. Through different graduate courses, I discovered three areas in which I would like to further develop my knowledge and understanding. They are as follows: (1) Leadership in Technology, (2) Technology in Chemistry and Mathematics, and (3) Technology to Support Special Education. I believe that learning more about these three topics will allow me to grow my professional practice and in turn support my learners to the best of my abilities.
Goal #1: Leadership in Technology
Leadership in technology is an understanding of the integration of technology alongside the needs of the education world.
Leadership in technology continues to become more prevalent as the use of technology in the classroom is discussed and highly encouraged in the education world. As technology continues to evolve, it is important that educators keep pace and continue evaluating technology tools for their effectiveness. Through my graduate studies, my passion for technology has continued to grow. Moving forward, I not only want to keep up to date on the latest technology, but I want to lead my fellow educators in implementation. With this goal in mind, I plan to further develop my leadership skills so that I can potentially lead professional development, support colleagues in the implementation of new technology, or become a technology consultant, should I choose to go that route. I have always felt comfortable supporting others in using current technology, however, I’d like to have a better understanding of the up and coming tools available to educators, the best way to lead others in using these tools, and the continued support a leader should provide so that all educators using technology in my district can be successful. To support my journey in becoming a leader in technology, I will start with the following resources:
Goal #2: Technology in Chemistry & Math
Learning to use technology to facilitate success in my professional practices, as well as chemistry and mathematics education.
To create an environment that promotes success, educators must continue to further their own education and understanding of their content area. Technology is often easily accessible and allows for further development and understanding of content knowledge. As an educator of both Chemistry and Mathematics, I want to continue to develop my library of resources that I will use in further exploring these content areas. Through my graduate studies, I had the opportunity to focus on developing a small bank of resources in regards to technology used for specific mathematics concepts. Moving forward, I plan to do this on a larger scale, attend professional development webinars, seek out and evaluate different technology tools and their effectiveness in the classroom, and create a library that will support my ability to successfully educate my learners in both chemistry and mathematics. I have always considered myself to be a lifelong learner as this rings true with most educators. With my passion for chemistry, mathematics, and technology, I believe that I will not only learn how to best incorporate the integration of the three, but I will instill the excitement of becoming a lifelong learner in my learners as well. To begin working toward the creation of my library of resources, I have found the following resources to support my endeavors:
Goal #3: Technology to Support Special Education
Gaining an understanding of assistive technologies so that I may better support special education learners in the general education classroom.
As educators, we continually strive to successfully support all learners in the classroom. Assistive technologies can often be used in supporting special education learners allowing them to be successful in a general education classroom setting. Through my graduate studies, I realized how little I know about these technologies that can assist special education learners as they continue to learn and progress in the least restrictive environment. Moving forward, I want to expand my understanding of the assistive technologies accessible to special education learners, specifically their intended purpose, best uses, and accessibility in my current district. I also plan to gain an understanding in regards to the introduction of new assistive technologies in the education world and how to obtain and monitor these technologies so that I can best support the special education learners in my classroom. To begin learning more about available assistive technologies, I will start with the following resources:
My time as a graduate student in the MAED program encouraged me to think about technology as a fundamental piece of my teaching and professional practice. With these goals in mind, I plan to continue developing an understanding of the different aspects of technology to insure that I am an effective, well informed, Spartan educator.