HILARY HANNA
Take Control
Beginning a journey towards a master's degree is brave. During a time when many educational institutions are no longer compensating their employees for furthered learning, it is bold to make a choice to apply to graduate school, but I did. I wanted an experience different from my undergraduate studies at Purdue University, but still true to the Midwestern values of which I have always known. I got exactly what I wanted. My experience at Michigan State University has been one of growth and challenge. In a book by Ken Bain he states that to be a successful student one must understand that he/she is in charge of his/her own education. I made the conscious decision to be in charge of my own education, and that is very empowering.
I have learned many things about life and myself. First, I was reminded of the importance of being a lifelong learner. Learning has always been a professional goal of mine, a vow if you will. I will always seek opportunities to learn. However, it was not until one of my final courses, Concepts of a Learning Society, which I will discuss later, that the importance was tattooed into my brain, as I tell my students. The second thing I was reminded of was that not all people are afforded the same opportunities. I began my adventure into multicultural education during my undergrad years, but it resurfaced in my graduate program. It is so important for a teacher to try to sympathize with the backgrounds that her students come from. My multicultural education has allowed me to do that, though I still have a ways to go as we all do. The third thing I learned during my time at Michigan State was to be brave with the use of technology. I began the program almost set against use of technology in the classroom, but now I embrace the uncertainty of it. Finally, I gained confidence because of my studies during the program. Some of the practices I use in my classroom were confirmed as a "best practice" by instructors at the university. However, I also gained confidence in my own knowledge. It is one thing to boast about possessing a master's degree. It is quite another to be able to back it up with research and quotes from many facets of life. The readings I encountered have given me the chance to flash my knowledge.
I would like to take some time to highlight three courses that had a significant impact on me as a student and as a person. I do not want to say that they made me more well-rounded because as a professor from Ken Bain's book What the Best College Students Do said, we live in a society that requires us to be more like a Swiss Army knife, but these courses certainly exposed me to readings and ideas that I had not grappled with prior to my graduate experience.
I found this task to be daunting as I was unsure about the safety of my nine and ten year old students on the Internet. Throughout TE 848 I was pushed to explore technologies that could be useful in my classroom. The best part about all of the technologies was that they were free with registration. The last thing hesitant teachers need is to have to pay a monthly membership to a website they may or may not use. I experimented with blogs using Glogster, concept maps using bubbl.us, and even vodcasting (voice podcast) which I uploaded to Vimeo. Teaching School Subject Matter with Technology gave me confidence to teach my students how to safely use the Internet and its tools. Given the amount of technology our students already know when they come to us, it is important for all teachers to take a course that exposes them to digital tools. Instructor Doug Hartman explained that most teachers will not experiment with technology because it requires too much time to learn how to use them. However, because we were required to play with new technologies for assignments, it gave us permission to explore. This course played a major part in the confidence that I gained throughout my year and a half at Michigan State.
Another course that had a noteworthy impact on my learning in the masters program was EAD 850 Issues and Strategies in Multicultural Education. As I stated several times throughout that course, multicultural education was one of my favorite courses during my undergraduate program. That is part of the reason I chose to take this course. The other reason was the demographics in the school where I teach. I teach just off of Purdue University's campus. Therefore I see students from countries all over the world. My district has also started to see more students of lower socioeconomic status due to housing prices. Issues and Strategies in Multicultural Education first challenged me to identify my own society circles (e.g. White, female, middle-class). Then I was enlightened to the process of meaning making and how to "unlearn" the meaning of race. Finally, I had the opportunity to analyze a high school's diversity policy for its implications and make recommendations based on my learning throughout the semester. This type of self-reflective and practical experience is exactly what I had hoped for as part of the P-12 School and Postsecondary
The third course that has played an important role in my positive master's experience has been EAD 860 Concept of a Learning Society. As I expressed in my Goals Statement upon applying for the Michigan State University Master of Arts in Education program and my Goals Reflection in the capstone seminar and earlier in this essay, I vow to be a lifelong learner. The Concept of a Learning Society course has exposed me to a variety of texts that I would not have encountered on my own. Those texts were written by physicians, linguists, and others that are not necessarily related to the education field. That is one thing I will miss the most when I finish my master's program the vast array of reading. I have learned a great deal about the many ways that people learn including at school, at work, through travel, and as a hobby. The course has had an intense focus on how the Internet and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have challenged educators to change the way we view learning and teaching. As I continue with my own education I will certainly look into MOOCs and the OpenCourseWare that MIT has uploaded to the Internet. A course like Concepts of a Learning Society is truly an opportunity for the student to get as much or as little as he or she wants out of the course. Its self-paced format meant that I could take as much or as little time on each unit of study as I wanted or needed. The flexibility was great for a working student, but more importantly the content was challenging for even a student at the end of her master's program.
One worry I had about earning my master's degree online was the authenticity of the assignments. Fellow teachers often complained that their master's programs were mostly what they considered busy work. They were not able to really apply what they had learned. I on the other hand, had a wonderful experience. The range of instructors and assignments were very balanced. I did not feel that I was forced into meaningless conversations or essays. Rather I was challenged to consider other viewpoints and write about what I learned from insightful readings. Being that I live a state way from the university, I was also nervous about accessibility issues. Once again, I had no problems, accessing my readings, instructors or grades. I was also very pleased with the professionalism of all of my instructors. It might be easy to abuse power especially in an online environment, but the instructors I had were nothing but personable. I would recommend this program to anyone wanting to pursue a Master of Arts in Education degree.
Finally, I would like to say how pleased I am to end my graduate program with an authentic display of my work. Again, my colleagues who have completed master's programs at other institutions have discussed useless internships or dissertations as a graduation requirement. The Michigan State program however, has allowed me to truly spend time reflecting on all that I have learned. In the ED 870 Capstone Seminar, I have been able to apply my newly acquired technology skills to create my own digital portfolio that I can use for the audience of my choosing. Right now, I do not see myself leaving my current position, so I have geared my portfolio toward my administration, colleagues, students, and even their parents. I hope that the honest display of my graduate experience inspires others to further their own education in a way that best suits them.
What an experience I began in May of 2013. If I could go back and say one thing to myself before beginning this program it would be to relax, this will be worth it, the learning will come. Part of me is sad to see this journey come and go so quickly. However, I feel that I have been equipped to once again take control of my own education. I have been given the tools to find interesting and relevant reading. I have more experience as a writer for professional audiences. I explored with technology that has already been implemented in my classroom. I learned how to encourage my students to write in math class. However, the thing I am most proud of is my confidence. I no longer need to question myself when talking with more experienced teachers. I can hold my own in a conversation about the latest educational issues. This part of my journey concludes with a degree from a prestigious Big Ten university. I am proud to call myself a qualified and knowledgeable Spartan.
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One course that has had a significant impact on my everyday life as a teacher was TE 848 Teaching School Subject Matter with Technology. This course forced me outside my comfort zone and right into where I needed to be as a teacher in the year 2014. The school where I teach launched Google Apps for Education at the end of the last school year. We provided all of our students with Gmail accounts, and teachers were encouraged to incorporate more technology into their curriculum.
Leadership concentration. What I hope to apply because of this course is the ability to understand where my students are coming from not necessarily from a geographical perspective but from a socioeconomic perspective. Making an effort to understand is the first step toward making a difference in that child's life. I am not a huge proponent of required courses, but I believe that all graduate students who teach in the United States of America, a melting pot society, should be introduced to Riyad Shahjahan's teachings. Yes, the course can make some students uncomfortable but, I believe that by embracing this study it enables me to be a more than capable teacher.
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