Changing Lenses
By: Amanda Atkinson
Photo Credit: Amanda Atkinson
Technology is ever-changing. Since the beginning of my master’s program, it is astounding how much technology has evolved. In the five years it has taken to finish my masters, the tech tools I used in 2011 have been replaced with other alternatives. For example, when starting my graduate courses, I used tools such as clickers (Classroom Performance System – CPS), Microsoft Office products, and SmartBoards. These tools have since been replaced with iPads, Apple TVs, and Google products. My initial goals included learning how to use various technology tools, but I think I have learned more than a simple introduction. I have gained the courage to try new types of technology while experimenting with new lessons and teaching deliveries with my students.
Almost four years ago (March 2011) when I wrote my original goal statement to be admitted into the Master of Arts in Educational Technology Program, I never imagined how much my perspective would change. For the most part, my ideas have stayed the same, but my viewpoint has changed a great deal. I have grown as a teacher and my technological goals and ideas for educating have developed. I continue to have a passion for the use of technology and love to share that passion with my students and colleagues, but my ideas and goals are now focused on student learning and growth and its connection to technology.
One of my original goals was to improve my teaching style while implementing technology and included a desire to, “learn creative ways to integrate technology into my classroom to capture students’ attention, maximize participation, and relate to student’s lives." This goal has evolved in order to allow my students to dig deeper to explore and engage in the content through the use of the technology. When writing my goal statement I was focused on using new forms of technology just for the sake of using technology. Through my learning, I have realized the importance of using technology to enhance learning not for the sole purpose of using technology. This goal has grown through the learning that has taken place in the classroom while focusing more on student learning and exploration, than for mere enjoyment for my students.
At the beginning of the program, it was my hope, “to have acquired the skills to be a technology leader and teach/assist other staff members and colleagues in ways they can effectively incorporate technology to enhance student learning.” Through my journey I have not only acquired the skills to be a leader, but I have also grown in my confidence while employing technology. The other day I was talking to a teacher about technology and she commented that I “sure know a lot about technology.” I thought to myself, “I really have learned a lot in the past five years when it comes to technology, and if I don’t know an answer I have the people and resources to find the answer.” I have gained an excitement and passion for technology and a respect for how to utilize it in the classroom.
As I contemplate my original goals and their evolution over the last few years, I realize that they are similar, but my perspective has changed. I now view technology through a different lens that allows me to appreciate a more sophisticated and complex way of looking at technology that improves student learning and my teaching methods.
