A Continued Journey
by Cory Puskala
The two years I spent in the MAED program have been challenging but enlightening. I remember starting the first two courses of the online program in the fall of 2010, pregnant at the time, and questioning how I was going to balance schooling with everything else life throws at you. While looking back at those doubts, it was the best decision I made to continue to further my education. Teaching and learning styles, along with technology, have changed so much since I completed my internship teaching year that I see the value in continuing to grow as a learner. In the future I plan to continue to broaden my understanding of technology and its many uses and continue to explore new ways of teaching as I continue down the path of a being a lifelong learner.
When I sit back and think about technology and all the different forms I encounter on a daily basis, it is truly amazing. As a teacher I believe it is part of my job to keep learning, just as my students are, in order to enhance my technology skills. The school I teach in is gradually becoming more technology aware. Academic progress tests in reading and math, such as MAP, are now given to our students only on a computer. These young learners are starting their primary years learning to take tests on computers rather than bubbling in answers with pencil and paper. This is what I find astonishing, to see how quick and easy children adapt to their environment and learn to use the tools set out in front of them. Now as an almost thirty-year old learner, I feel I have come a long way in my understanding of technology since the start of this program but have much farther to go. I am thrilled to now be able to design a website and use applications that I have learned from technology courses along the way. Things that may seem simple to others, such as using snapshots or creating videos using software like Camtasia, are new tools that I now have knowledge in using. In the future I know I want to learn more about blogs and how I can implement the use of blogs in the classroom. I plan to further my understanding of Smart Boards and the many uses this amazing tool as in the classroom. There are many professional development opportunities in technology that I plan to always take part in yearly, but I know it will have to be my own personal venture to continue my technology education. In looking at the heuristics for learning new technology taught during this final course, I have set a personal goal of “using the built-in tutorials”. In building the online portfolio I have taken advantage of the online tutorials and found them to be a beneficial tool in deepening my technology understanding.
When I began the MAED program I had very little knowledge about special education. The programs offered during undergrad were limited and I felt this is an area where I really wanted to expand my knowledge. Courses such as CEP 801A: Consultation and Collaboration in Special Education and CEP 842: Instruction in the Inclusive Classroom helped give me perspective on the special education process along with strategies in helping my students. As a general educator I believe it is invaluable to continue educating myself about differentiation and response to intervention strategies in order to continue being a successful teacher to all students.
The start of every new teaching year brings unknown challenges and allows growth as a learner. I find myself implementing new teaching styles and programs, and then altering and changing them throughout the year to meet student needs and demands. I plan to continue to do this in whatever teaching role I take on in the future. Future plans include learning about teaching styles such as The Daily 5 and The Café. While my new role as a reading intervention teacher will not allow me to implement new styles such as these, I plan to learn and observe other teachers who use these approaches. I also feel it is critical to always keep striving to learn new and effective classroom management strategies. The MAED program has allowed myself to explore online tools such as the UDL program, which has given me insight into ways to effectively teach different types of learners using news ways of managing the classroom. I plan to continue to use the UDL and learn from its online modules in order to better the educational environment for all my students.
Being able to further my education online has been a new and exciting form of learning. I believe that all learners should experience this at this at some point. The experience alone with using online courses has given me a step in becoming a more aware learner. I feel the MAED program has helped foster a stronger desire to continue learning as I grow as a teacher, especially in the areas of technology and special education. I look forward to continually accessing and exploring learning opportunities throughout my educational career as well as taking more higher education classes in the future.
When I sit back and think about technology and all the different forms I encounter on a daily basis, it is truly amazing. As a teacher I believe it is part of my job to keep learning, just as my students are, in order to enhance my technology skills. The school I teach in is gradually becoming more technology aware. Academic progress tests in reading and math, such as MAP, are now given to our students only on a computer. These young learners are starting their primary years learning to take tests on computers rather than bubbling in answers with pencil and paper. This is what I find astonishing, to see how quick and easy children adapt to their environment and learn to use the tools set out in front of them. Now as an almost thirty-year old learner, I feel I have come a long way in my understanding of technology since the start of this program but have much farther to go. I am thrilled to now be able to design a website and use applications that I have learned from technology courses along the way. Things that may seem simple to others, such as using snapshots or creating videos using software like Camtasia, are new tools that I now have knowledge in using. In the future I know I want to learn more about blogs and how I can implement the use of blogs in the classroom. I plan to further my understanding of Smart Boards and the many uses this amazing tool as in the classroom. There are many professional development opportunities in technology that I plan to always take part in yearly, but I know it will have to be my own personal venture to continue my technology education. In looking at the heuristics for learning new technology taught during this final course, I have set a personal goal of “using the built-in tutorials”. In building the online portfolio I have taken advantage of the online tutorials and found them to be a beneficial tool in deepening my technology understanding.
When I began the MAED program I had very little knowledge about special education. The programs offered during undergrad were limited and I felt this is an area where I really wanted to expand my knowledge. Courses such as CEP 801A: Consultation and Collaboration in Special Education and CEP 842: Instruction in the Inclusive Classroom helped give me perspective on the special education process along with strategies in helping my students. As a general educator I believe it is invaluable to continue educating myself about differentiation and response to intervention strategies in order to continue being a successful teacher to all students.
The start of every new teaching year brings unknown challenges and allows growth as a learner. I find myself implementing new teaching styles and programs, and then altering and changing them throughout the year to meet student needs and demands. I plan to continue to do this in whatever teaching role I take on in the future. Future plans include learning about teaching styles such as The Daily 5 and The Café. While my new role as a reading intervention teacher will not allow me to implement new styles such as these, I plan to learn and observe other teachers who use these approaches. I also feel it is critical to always keep striving to learn new and effective classroom management strategies. The MAED program has allowed myself to explore online tools such as the UDL program, which has given me insight into ways to effectively teach different types of learners using news ways of managing the classroom. I plan to continue to use the UDL and learn from its online modules in order to better the educational environment for all my students.
Being able to further my education online has been a new and exciting form of learning. I believe that all learners should experience this at this at some point. The experience alone with using online courses has given me a step in becoming a more aware learner. I feel the MAED program has helped foster a stronger desire to continue learning as I grow as a teacher, especially in the areas of technology and special education. I look forward to continually accessing and exploring learning opportunities throughout my educational career as well as taking more higher education classes in the future.