A New Door Opens
By: Mariah Trentacosti
When I think back to the beginning of this program and the goals that I set for myself, I find I continue to grow and change. When I first started this program, it was my goal to increase my knowledge of technology and effectively apply it to my own classroom. I stated that I wanted to build a solid foundation of technological understanding I could share, build, and expand on. If I were to be honest though, I never really saw myself as anything more than a math teacher that could help my coworkers. My thoughts and goals were still focusing on myself rather than becoming a technology leader.
My first goal was to gain additional resources, tools, and instructional strategies that incorporate technology for the betterment of my students. The MAET program has introduced me to a wealth of resources including Multimedia Educational Resources for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT), Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), Marzano’s Research, Webquests, Wiki’s, Google Apps for Educators, Course Management Systems, Web 2.0 tools, and so much more. I can say that the MAET program has gone above and beyond my expectations to prepare me to incorporate technology into my classroom in a meaningful and relevant way.
The second goal I set for myself was to continue to work in a collaborative environment that would allow me to expand my own personal knowledge as well as my Personal Learning Network (PLN). I have connected with educators from around the world through Facebook, Twitter, PLN’s for Educators, Edmodo, and Diigo. Through the connections and resources obtained in this program and my work thus far, I feel I have surrounded myself with like-minded people that will continue to affect my professional and personal work.
Finally, the most dramatic change, as a result of completing this program, has been my personal thoughts of transitioning from being a math teacher to becoming a leader in educational technology. This process started approximately three months ago and has steadily increased since. For the first time, I am looking at what I have learned from this program and thinking about how I can apply it to all students and teachers, not just my math students. I have had the opportunity to really think about how all the teachers in my district can apply technology into their lives and classrooms in a meaningful way. For the first time, I am seeing myself as a technology leader and look forward to my future.
My first goal was to gain additional resources, tools, and instructional strategies that incorporate technology for the betterment of my students. The MAET program has introduced me to a wealth of resources including Multimedia Educational Resources for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT), Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), Marzano’s Research, Webquests, Wiki’s, Google Apps for Educators, Course Management Systems, Web 2.0 tools, and so much more. I can say that the MAET program has gone above and beyond my expectations to prepare me to incorporate technology into my classroom in a meaningful and relevant way.
The second goal I set for myself was to continue to work in a collaborative environment that would allow me to expand my own personal knowledge as well as my Personal Learning Network (PLN). I have connected with educators from around the world through Facebook, Twitter, PLN’s for Educators, Edmodo, and Diigo. Through the connections and resources obtained in this program and my work thus far, I feel I have surrounded myself with like-minded people that will continue to affect my professional and personal work.
Finally, the most dramatic change, as a result of completing this program, has been my personal thoughts of transitioning from being a math teacher to becoming a leader in educational technology. This process started approximately three months ago and has steadily increased since. For the first time, I am looking at what I have learned from this program and thinking about how I can apply it to all students and teachers, not just my math students. I have had the opportunity to really think about how all the teachers in my district can apply technology into their lives and classrooms in a meaningful way. For the first time, I am seeing myself as a technology leader and look forward to my future.