My goals when entering the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program at Michigan State University (MSU) were fairly simple. I wanted to grow as a person, educator and learner. I wanted to become a better educator and to reach each of my students where they are at individually. I heard of the MAET program at MSU through a colleague. I felt the MAET program would open me up to new ideas as to how I could best reach the students that I hoped to instruct.
I talk with my students each day about having growth mindsets and setting goals for ourselves. The students, myself included, fill in goal setting worksheets monthly to make sure we are tracking our goals and making our goals known to family members and people who support us in our daily growth. One of my goals I filled out was to go back to school. In the Spring of 2017 I was accepted into the MAET program and later began my degree in the Summer of 2017. I set a professional goal to complete this program as an educator to further my pedagogical knowledge. I wanted to learn the skills and techniques to incorporate technology in the classroom; not just any technology but meaningful technology that provides thoughtful discourse in the classroom. I also set a personal goal, to complete the program in one year (due to expiring credits). These commitments took intrinsic motivation, discipline, work ethic, and forced me to prioritize my time in order to complete the MAET program. I learned to effectively evaluate myself, demonstrate a growth mindset, and understand how and why I teach the way I do. The outcome was greater confidence in my teaching and the skills to reach my students where they are individually. Consequently, I met my personal goal to complete the program in one year. As I am staring down the last semester of this journey I have found my goals are similar to when I began, however I find myself expanding on them as I continue my path in teaching and learning. As an educator, I am continuously learning and growing due to shifts in ideas and demands, technology enhancements and my own personal experiences. One new goal of mine is to take on more of a role in regards to technology within my building. I am still not sure what this looks like, however I am willing to become a technology coach for my school. By having more of a role with technology in my school building I can be cognizant and intentional about best practice technology ideas to implement in my classroom. This would allow me to collaborate and share ideas with other teachers using technology as well as provide assistance for integration of technology into the classroom and curriculum. As an educator I am continuously changing and growing within my classroom and building, it is fitting that my goals should change and grow with me to push me forward in my personal life and my professional life.