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When I began looking for a master’s degree program, I thought about the term leadership a lot!  I wanted to pursue a degree that would allow me to lead others in a direction I believed in.  After evaluating my beliefs, I knew I was looking for something that involved 21st century teaching.  I am also fascinated by the world of broadcasting and wanted something that would connect that passion to teaching.  My two short-term goals I wanted to achieve through a master’s degree were renewing my provisional certificate to a professional certificate and becoming the first person in my family to obtain a master’s degree.  With these goals in mind I decided to apply to Michigan State University to obtain my Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET). 

 

 

                     is a Lifestyle

While some of my goals were short term and others were long term, they all seemed to surround the word leadership. My district was just emerging into technology and I knew the MAET program could help me lead my district in technology integration. This year I was awarded a grant to build a broadcasting program in my classroom and attended the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) conference where I was able to learn about a lot of technology and teach my colleagues!  Through the MAET program I looked at the technology grant differently than I would have prior to entering the program.  I thought about what I wanted my students to learn first and then thought about how technology could enhance that learning in an authentic way.  Prior to exposing myself to the MAET program, I would have made a purchase that served no purpose to my students learning.  However, with the help of the program I know that we must repurpose technology to fit the needs of our students.  Looking forward, I will continue to expand authentic uses of technology in my classroom and leading others towards technology integration by applying for another grant.  I also still hope to obtain a job that focuses on teaching teachers about educational technology, however I find that there is still a lot to learn.  Technology is ever-changing and evolving and that is why this goal will be a continuation.

Leadership is a quality that I continue to strive for, whether it’s leading my district in the latest and greatest technology integration or leading myself to pursue my passions and dreams.  Leadership is a lifestyle, and it all starts with me.  If I want something to change, I have to be the leader of that change.  I wanted my professional certificate, so I lead myself to pursue a master’s degree.  I wanted to be the first person in my family to obtain a master’s degree, so I lead myself in that direction.  In the future I want to lead others in educational technology so I am currently working on becoming a leader of technology.  Looking back I never knew that the term leadership surrounded all my goals and looking forward I know my goals will continue to evolve through leadership because it’s a lifestyle.

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