If you’re a child of the 90s, you’ll realize I’ve just dated myself by quoting Semisonic.

If you’re a philosopher, you might be outraged/amused that pop culture introduced me to the wisdom of Seneca.

Sorry, my friend, it is what it is.

Consider me dated, melodramatic and unashamed.

At any rate, it’s true that as I wrap up CEP810 I’m aware that this is both an end and a beginning.

The End

The close of the course causes me to reflect on what I’ve done and learned and how I’ve grown as a result of CEP810. It’s been a stretching and fun experience, which is exactly what you’re hoping for in a class.

Here are my major takeaways from this semester:

Networking will be a part of any healthy teacher’s professional “diet.” Technology can make this easier than ever before. Twitter, for example, is not just for star-struck teenagers – it’s a powerful way to build a professional network. I’m amazed at how my first small step into this world has already given me lots of encouragement and great things to think about. Especially because I work from home, this connection to teachers on a larger scale has been really refreshing! Already I’ve been able to grab ideas to use with our students and resources that I’ve been able to push out to our PLC.

I have to be the kind of learner I want my students to be – I’ve got to practice what I preach. I can’t expect that they will think divergently and learn to repurpose tools if I won’t. I have to demonstrate 21st century skills in the way I live and the way I teach. My teaching has to first impact my own self!

Technology (like any tool) is only as good as the person wielding it. I need to expand my exposure to as many tools as possible, but I need to weave these into my teaching in a purposeful way. The “T” in TPACK is only a part of the equation; if Pedagogy and Content Knowledge aren’t also in balance, Technology isn’t going to rock anybody’s world. Not really. Awareness and ability to use a technology doesn’t automatically make it something that supports learning – that’s the job of the teacher.

The Beginning

In a real sense CEP810 is a beginning for me. Although I’m not pursuing the whole MAET at MSU, I will hopefully complete the Ed Tech Certificate. In this way this course is the beginning of my pursuit of that concentration. It is also the beginning of my pursuit of deeper understandings and more robust applications of the material we’ve covered.

Here are some questions I still have, and ways I see myself seeking their answers:

How will I use my network? It’s all well and good to have instant access to great ideas and encouraging colleagues, but that in and of itself isn’t going to do much good. The Dead Sea, after all, has plenty of input – it’s the lack of output that makes it unsuitable for life. If I don’t want to be that kind of educator, I’m going to have to find outlets (both within the context of my students and beyond) for all of the ideas coming my way due to networking. I’m experimenting within my current context, but I’ll be looking for ways to expand my use of my network.

How will I become an expert learner? The NLP pushed us to learn something new using online forums and YouTube. That was a great experience in terms of giving me insight into what informal, online learning can be like. I’m choosing to do my MATC program online, as well, and this has given me a great insight into my own online teaching as well. But if it stops there I think I’ll have fallen short. I need to find ways to engage in learning WITH and ALONGSIDE of my students, because I think that’s really where the example becomes powerful. When I was face-to-face with kids in the learning lab, that was simpler, but in a fully online community I need to regain this footing. We now have a “Group” feature in our online platform for WAY, and I’m excited to explore how this might be used to share learning experiences more organically with students.

How will I become an excellent wielder of technology? I have a few tools that I’m very comfortable with, but I think my first step for this one will be to expand my comfort zone. There were a couple of great lists provide in the middle of our course, and I’m hoping to revisit those. On the other hand, I don’t want to just start popping cool new things in for the sake of looking tech savvy. The second step will be to take a step back and critically review my curriculum to see what my big needs are. The hope is that by thinking through these things separately, I’ll be able to see authentic points of connection in the long run.

The Future

Education is changing and will continue to do so over the next century. We can envision a system revolutionized by a whole new way of living and try and give our students what they need to navigate this future. It’s an exciting time to be a teacher if you’re the kind of person who thrills at intellectual adventure. And really, as I’ve gone through this class and continue to think about the current state of education, I have a feeling that far from requiring a new kind of teacher, the changing world will require exactly the same kind of thinkers and doers that have always excelled at teaching and inspiring. The increasing rate of change complicates things, to be sure, but I am excited to try to meet this challenge with the same tenacity, creativity and adaptability that great teachers have demonstrated again and again.