BITTERSWEET
A SYNTHESIS ESSAY
BY WHITNEY FOX
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As human beings we are often very good at giving feedback, but struggle with receiving feedback. Sheila Heen discussed in her Ted Talk how humans judge feedback too quickly. She continued to discuss how we scan feedback to be right or wrong: Who is the person giving me feedback, what they are suggesting, where they are giving it to me, and why they are giving me feedback. This Ted Talk reminded me of my parents and how as a young soul, I would often disregard their feedback because I thought they did not know what they were talking about. As I grew up I realized that they did know what they were talking about and started to listen more with an open mind.
This life lesson took me to the end of my internship year in 2013 when my field instructor, mentor, and peers were giving me advice about my future. They told me the first few years of teaching would be difficult and to wait to start my master's degree. While I respected their advice, I was scared to wait a year to go back to school because as I heard it is difficult to go back to school once you get out of the groove of things. I thought about who gave me the advice: all were people I respected, all had many years of teaching and experience, and had never steered me wrong. With that I took their advice and taught almost a full year before I went back to pursue my Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) at Michigan State University (MSU). Now some of you might be thinking, “You did not take their advice, you started before you had taught a full year,” but the first summer semester at MSU starts in May, hence why I started before the school year ended. I wanted to pursue a program that involved technology because technology is one of my many interests and I was hoping that it would answer my question: What is educational technology?
Now just over a year later, I am finishing my last course in the program. As I reflect upon my journey in the MAET program, some of the biggest things I learned were networking is key to learning, receiving feedback is essential for growth, and 21st century teaching starts with me. All of these lessons were crucial to my growth as an educator. Before the program I always felt like I was missing a piece to the puzzle of 21st century teaching and now I leave the program with a much better understanding of what 21st century teaching includes.
A common theme throughout the MAET program was networking and how it can change the world. My first official course was CEP 810- Teaching for Understanding with Technology and this course dove deep into networking. I was able to discover first hand what networking could do. In the course I chose something that I wanted to learn, but I could only use YouTube and help forums to learn how to achieve my learning target. I decided I wanted to make a rag quilt and I did just that using YouTube videos and help forums. I learned that by networking with people, you can learn pretty much anything you ever wanted. After the course was over, I reflected upon why this course was so engaging and rewarding. What I realized was that it was the choice and freedom I had that made the course so rewarding. I took that back to my classroom and the reward has been amazing. When my students have choice they become engaged and invested in their learning. I realized that the choice can be big or small. Whether it is choosing their own seat for work time or picking the topic of their research book, my students are engaged and excited to learn because they feel like their voice is being heard. I also have taught my students that I am not the person that “holds all the knowledge.” Through this they have learned to be more resourceful and look at books, dictionaries, or use the iPad to answer their question before asking me. Networking can be tricky when teaching 2nd graders because of the content on the internet, so I must be careful about how I teach them to network. I think we are off to a good start in using resources that are appropriate for the age. This course got me hooked in the program because the lessons I learned were valuable and I could apply them to my 2nd grade classroom.
The next course I took was CEP 811- Adapting Innovative Technologies to Education. In this course I was challenged to be a creator. This was difficult for me because I do not think of myself as a creative person. I took technologies that currently exist and repurposed them to fit the needs of my students and classroom. This takes a creative mind because as I learned most technologies were not created for the classroom, therefore it is my job to see how the technology can be used to enhance students’ learning. To dive into this concept, I made a video that showed how I repurposed kitchen tools to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I was given a spoon, paper plate, and bowl to make the sandwich. While I found the bowl useless, I was able to use the spoon to scoop and spread the peanut butter and jelly on the bread. What I learned from making this video was that almost anything can be used for a different purpose. What I did not realize was that I am responsible for repurposing technology to fit
the needs of my classroom. Before taking this course I simply thought that there just was not enough technology made for the classroom, but again I realized I have to use my creative mind to make what I am given work. This course gave me a different lens to look through. I now look at all technology as an opportunity. I had my students use the app Pic Collage to create invitations for their student led conferences. Now I know that is not why the app was created, but it fit the needs of our classroom and it enhanced our invitations because we were able to email it to multiple family members. Students were also able to create their own personal invitation instead of myself creating a standard one. Students became so invested in student led conferences because they made their own invitations. They were proud of their invitation and begged their parents to come. Without repurposing the Pic Collage app, my students would had to make multiple paper invitations and risk losing them or forgetting about them. I love the lens CEP 811 gave me because now I am seeing technology through a whole new perspective.
Throughout the entire MAET program, feedback was given to me by my instructors and other fellow MAET students. The course I found the most valuable in feedback was CEP 807, the last course of the program. In this course I made a portfolio that highlighted my experiences in the master's degree program at MSU. This project became very personal because it showcased all of my work and was created by myself. At times feedback was overwhelming because sometimes I spent hours or even days creating something and then someone might suggest I
change something. That was hard because I was emotionally invested in my portfolio and only wanted it to be the best masterpiece I had ever created. However, what I realized was that I was also giving people feedback on their portfolio that they were emotionally invested in too and that my feedback came from a place of good. I wanted to help my peers succeed and have a polished piece of work that they were proud of. So even though feedback was overwhelming at times I found it to be extremely valuable. My portfolio grew from the feedback I was given and would not be nearly what it is today if I would not have had that feedback. Early in life I learned to listen to feedback with an open mind because I found out that it can be invaluable. While it can be difficult to listen sometimes, I strongly suggest you try to listen because the growth I have made from receiving feedback in the MAET program is off the charts.
The MAET program as a whole has affected my teaching way more than I ever thought possible. Again some of the biggest things I learned was that networking is key to learning, feedback is essential for growth, and 21st century teaching starts with me. I have adapted my teaching practices and mindset because of this program. One of my practices I have adapted is my metacognitive strategies. Prior to the MAET program I used some metacognitive strategies (i.e. providing ample time), but since the program I have done much more. I make sure to provide students with enough time to plan, organize, direct their own learning, and self reflect. I have found by improving this practice, students take ownership of their work and become emotionally involved. I have also been given a different lens for technology. Before the master's degree program at MSU, I was looking for technology that already fit the needs of my students, however, I found that often this kind of technology does not exist. I now look at technology as an opportunity to enhance my student's learning no matter what the technology might be. I have learned throughout the program that it is my job to repurpose the technology to fit the needs of my students and classroom. With that mindset I have been able to implement a lot more technology into my classroom that is meaningful. Lastly, I have become a creator, a thinker, and a 21st century teacher. Prior to this program I never thought of myself as such, but the MAET program has given me the confidence I needed to pursue these avenues. I am not afraid to think outside the box or try and create something and I have instilled that in my students as well. I have created a safe environment with my students that allows us to be vulnerable enough to become creators and thinkers. While I am far from being perfect at all of these things, I am motivated to continue my learning to teach in our ever-evolving world.
I knew the day would come where this program would end, but I did not expect to feel so torn about it being over. At the end of every school year people ask if I am excited to be done. My answer is always, “It is bittersweet,” which is why you have been serenaded by The Bittersweet Symphony song throughout this essay. While I am excited to enjoy my summer, I am sad that when I come back in the fall I will have a new set of students and my old students will have moved on. Throughout the course of the year, I have seen my students succeed in so many areas and have built strong relationships with each one of them that it is difficult to say goodbye. As I have heard, all good things must come to an end.
This is exactly how I feel about the MAET program. While I am excited to be done with managing work, my master's degree, and my personal life, I am sad for it to end because I have learned so many useful lessons that I do not want it to stop. I’m at a point where I ask myself, “Now what?” I often contemplate the idea of returning to Michigan State University to obtain my PhD because I feel like I have learned a lot of valuable information during my time at MSU. I have gone to conferences and professional development, but have not received nearly the same quality of information that I have from my education. While I value my time spent at MSU and the knowledge I have gained all good things must come to an end...for now!