Babies, Grad School and a Life?...Oh My!
It's a funny story that I even ended up becoming a teacher. Out of all of the professions in the world, my desire to be a teacher even shocked my family! See, I didn't really care for school all that much, especially when I was in elementary school. It wouldn't have been farfetched to think that I would have become a standup comedian, rather than a teacher. The one thing that made me want to become a teacher is because of the love I had for my fourth grade teacher. She was basically my saving grace, at school she helped me get through tough assignments, and on the home front she helped me get through my parent's divorce. All throughout my life she was never forgotten, and I even invited her to my wedding. (She came too!) I wanted to be just like her, so I decided to teach.
I will fast forward a few years, past getting my Bachelors degree from Western Michigan University in 2003, working full time and jump into the world of figuring out what to do for grad school. At the time I was starting to think of where to get my masters from, I was working full time and knew that I didn't want to stop working. I really wanted to find somewhere that I could take classes online. After a quick trip to Central Michigan University's co-hort program, I decided to go with Michigan State University's (MSU) online masters program for educational technology (MAET). I have a sister-in-law who also had completed the co-hort masters program in technology from MSU and she couldn't stop raving about it. So I jumped aboard the ship in the summer of 2008. Meanwhile, my husband and I were getting ready for the birth of our second child in July. To be honest I was a bit nervous and hesitant to start this program. I knew in my school districts that technology was becoming more of a norm in the classroom and that I would need to be able to keep up with the times. Going into the land of technology was a bit trying for a girl who only knew how to peruse the Internet, and send emails. I did however have lots of practice with Microsoft word, power point, and the other office tools that I needed for my undergrad. I was one of those people who would constantly ask my husband or other co-workers how to do something, but I was eager to learn.
I was pretty freaked out to take the first class on-line because I was so used to face to face learning. It was strange not having a set time, or a teacher in front of you showing you how to do things. It was also amazing at the amount of self-reliance that is needed to actually keep up with the online pace. Since I started in the summer, the classes were excelled so the pace was pretty fast. It seemed like the first classes were a done at lightning speed, but I did learn a few things along the way. Out of this entire journey, I am trying to figure out what classes to highlight. I really learned so much from each one but I will focus on the ones that I took something from and into the actual classroom with me.
In the beginning of the program I took classes that made up the MAED certificate program. This was a three class certificate, in which you could then move ahead with your masters’ degree. The first group of three classes were CEP 810, 811 and 812. In each of these, I learned something that I had never done before and was able to take into the classroom with me and use with my students. In CEP 810 Teaching Understanding with Computers , taught by Professor Codde, I made my own website that I used into my classroom. On my website there my students and their parents could access classroom information, spelling words, a link to a reading activity page and learn about my thoughts about teaching. This was crazy that I was able to figure out how to maintain a site all on my own.
In CEP 811 Adapting Innovative Technology to Education, taught by Codde and Professor White. I learned how to make a Webquest lesson through Quest garden an online site. This was a lesson about where your garbage goes and recycling. This was something I planned on using in my classroom, if I ever taught a grade that covered it. CEP 812 was the one that made a big influence on me. I created a blog. I had read other peoples before, and thought oh that’s cool, but I finally had the chance to make one. Also during this class I made a Tech-Quest project using Power Point to show how technology is used in the classroom. The big purpose of these classes was to give a better understanding of using technology in your classrooms, and giving you the tools to do that with.
After finishing the certificate classes, I then started taking the MAED master courses. By this time in my personal life I was expecting my second child, and so needless to say a class started on the day I had my son. My plate was full, but I loved every second of it. One of the first master classes that I find myself thinking fondly back on was CEP 800 Learning in School and other Settings with Professors: Thelamour, Wilcken, and Wolf. In this class, we learned about the psychological theories that affect learners. We also applied the theories to our own different styles of learning. On my blog that I had previously made I was also able to add a new tool: a Podcast in which I interviewed two adults about how the Fourth of July (Independence Day) came to be. I then used a new program Audacity to edit the interview and add music to make it a nicely presented Podcast. I then added to the Podcast to my blog. During the making of the interview, I had a newborn who I could hear in the background so editing was a big deal to make sure all the baby wails were taken out.
In this class I also had the opportunity to review many different articles. One that I still remember was Piaget’s Equilibration Theory and the Young Gifted Child: A Balancing Act. The article was from the Roeper Review 21.3 and written by LeoNora Cohen and Kim Younghee. This article discusses how Piaget’s equilibrium theory can be (is) used to explain gifted children. Even though Piaget didn’t structure his research towards intellectually gifted students, he made the universal stages of development in which (somewhat) current researchers are using as a tool to look at how gifted student moves along through the stages. I chose this article because when I was in the classroom, I had a lot of gifted children in my classes. Their parents were constantly asking what I was doing to enrich their child’s learning. It was a great deal of stress put on my shoulders to provide materials that were enriching and not overwhelming. I thought this article might provide some insight into this issue. The article taught me that even though students maybe advanced or gifted, its more the “speed with which the structures are applied to the problems within a stage that is a function of evidence.” The article made me realize that researchers do see higher functioning children, but do not equate it to going any faster through Piaget’s stages of development. This article changed the way I thought about challenging students who were more advanced than the other students. It make the process more clear that it didn’t matter how much you teach someone, its if they get and understand what it is you are teaching them. In my opinion, a good teacher will pick up on their gifted students rather quickly in the year and use the stages as a guide to keep such students from becoming mentally staid, but keeping in mind how all different aspects play into the students learning. I now know that I will think about Piaget’s stages of development is a different light, due to reading this article. It really made sense that it comes down to knowing your students, and what they are possible of achieving. As my masters program continued, so did my knowledge of computers. I had learned so many new tools, strategies and had many projects to show for it.
One class I can tell you frustrated me like crazy was CEP 822. This class Approaches to Educational Research was taught by David Wong. In it, I learned how to develop a research project for researching different alternative methods of research. Don’t be embarrassed if you are confused by this, I was also. I spent so much time asking Dr. Wong and his TA’s questions I was pretty sure they were totally sick of seeing my name in email. This paper was huge! I chose a topic I knew about, DIBELS, which stands for Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills. DIBELS is used by school districts to report their student’s performance on reading fluency. This is a program that I used daily while teaching, so I knew a lot about it. I then did lots of research, critiqued it, gave a focus and rational for using it, and then make a final project of the positives and negatives of the DIBELS reading fluency program. Talk about going nuts…I thought I was going to fail because it seemed like I had so much work to do. After getting on the right path, and talking with other classmates through buddy checks, I found that I was on the right path. This class really made me appreciate that I knew how to use the Internet, and its vast base of searchable engines; otherwise I would have gone off the deep end with the amount of stress I was under with this very time-consuming project.
My next class was the capstone class, in which I was able to put together a terrific online professional portfolio. This will be something that I can use when I decide to get back into the teaching world. It will showcase my skills, essays and background on my education. While taking these classes and completing my degree, I don’t feel that I have had a class in which I felt I didn’t learn something. All of my classes had their stressful assignments, but I hope that I wouldn’t have been in one in which I could breeze right through. That is not really my style and I would feel like I was cheated out of learning something useful. My choice to do my classes online has been the right one for me, my family and my situation. It wouldn’t have worked for me to go to a campus somewhere, with two little ones at home. Even though I loved working online, at my own pace and the fact that I don’t have to drive onto a campus to go to class; I do miss the face to face interaction and peer relationships you get from an actual on-campus classroom. It’s funny how much I realized I counted on feedback from other students, and getting it while doing the work and not waiting for an email does make a difference. Instead of waiting to get the email back the feedback is immediate.
I am extremely proud of all of my accomplishments. I learned more about technology than I ever thought I would, and hope to continue to do so. I now have more confidence in helping others build their own sites, blogs, or other tools like STAIR projects. The MSU masters program has given me tools to use in my future classroom. I can use technology to enhance my lessons, and boost more types of instruction with sites that I can make. I have had an incredible journey and am a proud to say that after my last two classes I will have a Masters Degree in Educational Technology from Michigan State University.
Citation: Cohen, LeoNora M., and Younghee M. Kim. "Piaget's Equilibration Theory and the Young Gifted Child: A Balancing Act." Roeper Review 21.3 (1999): 201. Academic OneFile. Web. 13 June 2010
.
I will fast forward a few years, past getting my Bachelors degree from Western Michigan University in 2003, working full time and jump into the world of figuring out what to do for grad school. At the time I was starting to think of where to get my masters from, I was working full time and knew that I didn't want to stop working. I really wanted to find somewhere that I could take classes online. After a quick trip to Central Michigan University's co-hort program, I decided to go with Michigan State University's (MSU) online masters program for educational technology (MAET). I have a sister-in-law who also had completed the co-hort masters program in technology from MSU and she couldn't stop raving about it. So I jumped aboard the ship in the summer of 2008. Meanwhile, my husband and I were getting ready for the birth of our second child in July. To be honest I was a bit nervous and hesitant to start this program. I knew in my school districts that technology was becoming more of a norm in the classroom and that I would need to be able to keep up with the times. Going into the land of technology was a bit trying for a girl who only knew how to peruse the Internet, and send emails. I did however have lots of practice with Microsoft word, power point, and the other office tools that I needed for my undergrad. I was one of those people who would constantly ask my husband or other co-workers how to do something, but I was eager to learn.
I was pretty freaked out to take the first class on-line because I was so used to face to face learning. It was strange not having a set time, or a teacher in front of you showing you how to do things. It was also amazing at the amount of self-reliance that is needed to actually keep up with the online pace. Since I started in the summer, the classes were excelled so the pace was pretty fast. It seemed like the first classes were a done at lightning speed, but I did learn a few things along the way. Out of this entire journey, I am trying to figure out what classes to highlight. I really learned so much from each one but I will focus on the ones that I took something from and into the actual classroom with me.
In the beginning of the program I took classes that made up the MAED certificate program. This was a three class certificate, in which you could then move ahead with your masters’ degree. The first group of three classes were CEP 810, 811 and 812. In each of these, I learned something that I had never done before and was able to take into the classroom with me and use with my students. In CEP 810 Teaching Understanding with Computers , taught by Professor Codde, I made my own website that I used into my classroom. On my website there my students and their parents could access classroom information, spelling words, a link to a reading activity page and learn about my thoughts about teaching. This was crazy that I was able to figure out how to maintain a site all on my own.
In CEP 811 Adapting Innovative Technology to Education, taught by Codde and Professor White. I learned how to make a Webquest lesson through Quest garden an online site. This was a lesson about where your garbage goes and recycling. This was something I planned on using in my classroom, if I ever taught a grade that covered it. CEP 812 was the one that made a big influence on me. I created a blog. I had read other peoples before, and thought oh that’s cool, but I finally had the chance to make one. Also during this class I made a Tech-Quest project using Power Point to show how technology is used in the classroom. The big purpose of these classes was to give a better understanding of using technology in your classrooms, and giving you the tools to do that with.
After finishing the certificate classes, I then started taking the MAED master courses. By this time in my personal life I was expecting my second child, and so needless to say a class started on the day I had my son. My plate was full, but I loved every second of it. One of the first master classes that I find myself thinking fondly back on was CEP 800 Learning in School and other Settings with Professors: Thelamour, Wilcken, and Wolf. In this class, we learned about the psychological theories that affect learners. We also applied the theories to our own different styles of learning. On my blog that I had previously made I was also able to add a new tool: a Podcast in which I interviewed two adults about how the Fourth of July (Independence Day) came to be. I then used a new program Audacity to edit the interview and add music to make it a nicely presented Podcast. I then added to the Podcast to my blog. During the making of the interview, I had a newborn who I could hear in the background so editing was a big deal to make sure all the baby wails were taken out.
In this class I also had the opportunity to review many different articles. One that I still remember was Piaget’s Equilibration Theory and the Young Gifted Child: A Balancing Act. The article was from the Roeper Review 21.3 and written by LeoNora Cohen and Kim Younghee. This article discusses how Piaget’s equilibrium theory can be (is) used to explain gifted children. Even though Piaget didn’t structure his research towards intellectually gifted students, he made the universal stages of development in which (somewhat) current researchers are using as a tool to look at how gifted student moves along through the stages. I chose this article because when I was in the classroom, I had a lot of gifted children in my classes. Their parents were constantly asking what I was doing to enrich their child’s learning. It was a great deal of stress put on my shoulders to provide materials that were enriching and not overwhelming. I thought this article might provide some insight into this issue. The article taught me that even though students maybe advanced or gifted, its more the “speed with which the structures are applied to the problems within a stage that is a function of evidence.” The article made me realize that researchers do see higher functioning children, but do not equate it to going any faster through Piaget’s stages of development. This article changed the way I thought about challenging students who were more advanced than the other students. It make the process more clear that it didn’t matter how much you teach someone, its if they get and understand what it is you are teaching them. In my opinion, a good teacher will pick up on their gifted students rather quickly in the year and use the stages as a guide to keep such students from becoming mentally staid, but keeping in mind how all different aspects play into the students learning. I now know that I will think about Piaget’s stages of development is a different light, due to reading this article. It really made sense that it comes down to knowing your students, and what they are possible of achieving. As my masters program continued, so did my knowledge of computers. I had learned so many new tools, strategies and had many projects to show for it.
One class I can tell you frustrated me like crazy was CEP 822. This class Approaches to Educational Research was taught by David Wong. In it, I learned how to develop a research project for researching different alternative methods of research. Don’t be embarrassed if you are confused by this, I was also. I spent so much time asking Dr. Wong and his TA’s questions I was pretty sure they were totally sick of seeing my name in email. This paper was huge! I chose a topic I knew about, DIBELS, which stands for Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills. DIBELS is used by school districts to report their student’s performance on reading fluency. This is a program that I used daily while teaching, so I knew a lot about it. I then did lots of research, critiqued it, gave a focus and rational for using it, and then make a final project of the positives and negatives of the DIBELS reading fluency program. Talk about going nuts…I thought I was going to fail because it seemed like I had so much work to do. After getting on the right path, and talking with other classmates through buddy checks, I found that I was on the right path. This class really made me appreciate that I knew how to use the Internet, and its vast base of searchable engines; otherwise I would have gone off the deep end with the amount of stress I was under with this very time-consuming project.
My next class was the capstone class, in which I was able to put together a terrific online professional portfolio. This will be something that I can use when I decide to get back into the teaching world. It will showcase my skills, essays and background on my education. While taking these classes and completing my degree, I don’t feel that I have had a class in which I felt I didn’t learn something. All of my classes had their stressful assignments, but I hope that I wouldn’t have been in one in which I could breeze right through. That is not really my style and I would feel like I was cheated out of learning something useful. My choice to do my classes online has been the right one for me, my family and my situation. It wouldn’t have worked for me to go to a campus somewhere, with two little ones at home. Even though I loved working online, at my own pace and the fact that I don’t have to drive onto a campus to go to class; I do miss the face to face interaction and peer relationships you get from an actual on-campus classroom. It’s funny how much I realized I counted on feedback from other students, and getting it while doing the work and not waiting for an email does make a difference. Instead of waiting to get the email back the feedback is immediate.
I am extremely proud of all of my accomplishments. I learned more about technology than I ever thought I would, and hope to continue to do so. I now have more confidence in helping others build their own sites, blogs, or other tools like STAIR projects. The MSU masters program has given me tools to use in my future classroom. I can use technology to enhance my lessons, and boost more types of instruction with sites that I can make. I have had an incredible journey and am a proud to say that after my last two classes I will have a Masters Degree in Educational Technology from Michigan State University.
Citation: Cohen, LeoNora M., and Younghee M. Kim. "Piaget's Equilibration Theory and the Young Gifted Child: A Balancing Act." Roeper Review 21.3 (1999): 201. Academic OneFile. Web. 13 June 2010
.