Synthesis Essay
During my coursework in the Master of Arts in Education Degree, focused on educational technology and leadership, my thinking and understanding of how various systems function in education has altered drastically. Beginning the program three years ago I was in my fourth year of teaching and had been removed from formal education for a bit over five years. Needless to say it was a transition to get my mind and routines back into the habit of taking the necessary time each day and every week to focus on my own professional learning.
Once the habit had reformed I was better adjusted to what tasks were at hand.
I had never taken an online course previous to this program and was a bit nervous
with how the learning environment would look. I specifically chose this degree and
this program because of its reputation among other online masters programs. I also
have had a personal goal of “attending” Michigan State University for a degree
even if it was of the online variety. I attended Central Michigan University for my
undergraduate degree after I wasn’t accepted into Michigan State out of high school.
Many of my family members attended MSU for their undergrad and now I can say I’m
a part of the club! In planning for completing my degree I decided that with teaching,
coaching, and music taking up a fair share of my time I would only take one course per semester to help lighten my load. That decision paid dividends to my overall satisfaction of learning. I was able to exclusively focus on content for one course at a time and make the most of the enrichment materials for each class. Reflecting on my degree pacing and structure I felt as though this allowed me to truly absorb the course material semester by semester in comparison to my undergraduate degree where I was taking 15-20 credits per semester and regurgitating material to satisfy course requirements. Also, as a colleague (who has his masters) mentioned when I began the program, the material that is covered in a Masters degree is immediately applicable to my current career and professional practice so it feels more useful from that standpoint alone. My colleague was proven correct almost immediately following my first few courses. My thinking and professional practice has drastically benefited from some of the learning experiences I was fortunate enough to participate in the Masters of Arts in Education program at Michigan State University.
Reflecting upon the ten courses I completed for my degree I would like to highlight three that had a particularly beneficial impact on my learning and thinking. EAD 860 “The Concept of a Learning Society” taught by Professor Steven Weiland was the second course I took in my program. Unlike the first course that I took, this course was about as open and free in terms of requirements and guidelines as possible. While Professor Weiland had his Graduate Assistant providing feedback and managing the course, it was very easy to tell how much time, energy, knowledge, and effort it took to create such a course. I took this course during the Summer semester and I also feel like that benefitting my learning because I didn’t have work happening simultaneously. The course was structured in a self paced format with writing assignments due at the end of each of the six units. Within each unit Prof. Weiland had curated hypermedia as well as books, movies, and pdfs that related to the unit’s topic. The linked material and especially the course books were an absolute delight to dive into. The variations of topics and depth of knowledge that the course was built upon shined through in every unit. Books and movies that I particularly enjoyed were “Piano Lessons: Music, Love, and True Adventures”, Erin Brokovich, and “Hamlet’s Blackberry”. Along with these resources were related hypermedia that built on the concept of each unit. The written “lectures” that began and ended each unit really furthered my thinking in regard to what the material highlighted. Weiland’s way of writing was almost conversational in that he posed more questions than providing answers. Truly making me think about the significance of what the course was all about. This impacted me in a profound way in each unit. Of course there were units that I didn’t enjoy as much as others but as a whole this course made me more aware of the importance of asking thought provoking questions of my own students, allowing them to make connections rather than me explaining those connections. The course also built motivation in me to find better resources for my own classroom for students to engage with. The way Weiland’s course was delivered adjusted my thinking of my own classroom. Rather than lecture and assignment for my students I began posing questions about class material after explaining a bit of subject background and exciting my students about what they would potentially discover information wise. And then allow the students the freedom to explore on their own, of course with some exceptions for middle school students and not adult learners who are paying thousands of dollars for their education. The writing assignments also drastically affected my practice because of how thoughtful and helpful the GA’s feedback was for each. Rather than being critical of my unit take-aways the feedback was written in a way that matched the course’s learning environment, it was generally questioning how or why I reached the points in my thinking and analysis. Although at times this was frustrating (I JUST WANT THE ANSWER), I look back now and understand the purpose in feedback given in this manner, to THINK about my THINKING. That practice of purposeful metacognition has now not only become a habit of my teaching but a part of my everyday life. I constantly find myself asking “how or why I thought the way I did”. This practice has made me a more thoughtful and aware person. It has benefited my career, my music, and probably most importantly my own personal well being as a lifelong learner.
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The next course I took that impacted my learning and thinking was CEP 817 Learning Tech through Design. It was taught by Bret Staud Willet and Liz Owens Boltz. It focused on the Stanford Model of Design Thinking. Within each step of the model was an embedded unit which built on an overarching project that we created and revised throughout the course. Unlike any other course that I had taken to that point, the entirety of the course was hosted in a site called Basecamp rather than D2L. I found Basecamp to be an easy alternative to D2L, although I didn’t have too much difficulty navigating D2L in the first place, I can see why some professors prefer other Learning Management Systems. I always enjoy learning and using other platforms as it adds to my repertoire and professional skill set. Within Basecamp design teams were assigned and were asked to collaborate via discussion boards and forums within its confines. While I understand the necessity of student talk within a course, I also learned things that I do not enjoy or find beneficial to my own learning during my masters course work. Required and graded discussion boards are that aspect. Again, I as a classroom teacher, COMPLETELY understand why this is a necessary evil but I feel as though the BEST online technology for that specific task isn’t available yet or hasn’t been implemented across curriculum's (I do seem to enjoy Flipgrid more). While that aspect was a bit of a pain, the foundation of the course and course work was very interesting and beneficial. I followed the model step by step and made connections to how not only technology is designed but how problem solving is approached at a larger level. This Ah-Ha moment guided my thinking into how and why my own school district creates new initiatives and solutions to problems we have. I found many similarities between the Stanford Model and approaches that I have witnessed within my seven years of teaching in my current school district. Another major takeaway I had from this course related to just how difficult problem solving and prototype designs are to create. While we were able to come up with our own “Problem of Practice” to design a potential solution to, I often found that even after revising the definition of what my “Problem” was it was still too broad and difficult to properly address with a potential solution! I took away a keen awareness and appreciation for those who are great problem solvers on a large scale because of the vision and diligence that is required in order to be successful at those types of tasks. This realization also made me conscious of my own problem solving design skills and how I need to continue to improve and grow within my own practice if I plan to reach the goals that I have set for my career.
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The last class that I felt changed my thinking and practice was ED 800 Concepts of Educational Inquiry. This was another Professor Steven Weiland course. It was paced and formatted exactly the same as the first course that I took of his. I found these courses to best fit my learning style and personal preferences. Although, this course wasn’t as enjoyable or quite as interesting to me as the Learning Society course, I felt that I began to more fully understand the concept of inquiry. Also, considering the course was meant to be foundational in nature I felt as though it posed more questions than it answered. I began to understand the depth of what education is all about along with the goals that we try to achieve as a society with it. The hypermedia and resources shared were poignant and thought provoking. This was one of the first courses that I truly struggled with many of the concepts. That frustration that occurred helped me understand what my thinking and analysis was lacking. Frustration was an uncomfortable emotion but it served its purpose in my personal learning. I was able to work through, what I felt, were difficult concepts to get to new conclusions that I had previously never considered. This was truly one of the most profound learning experiences I’ve had in formal education.
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Overall, I feel that this program has drastically altered my personal thinking. I have built new habits from information and practices I’ve learned and I have morphed aspects of my classroom into what I now consider best practices. The most profound take away that this program left me with is to not become complacent in my career in education. To become stagnant as a teacher and lifelong learner will do me no favors in the long run and more importantly hinder my students in their potential as learners and members of society. The courses that I took furthered my thinking and ways to interpret not only my profession but the world around me. It put me into contact with amazing people who do amazing things everyday helping people. This degree has taught me new structures and systems for analyzing, organizing, creating, and problem solving. These new tools will hopefully lead to more new tools as I seek answers throughout my life. To quote John Dewey, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself”. This program has completely affirmed that statement.
