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April 21, 2012

Dear Educational Technology Faculty,

As I reflect on my journey through the Masters of Education in Educational Technology program, I first heard about the program from the Technology department in my school district.  The school district offered to pay for my Master Technology Teacher certification and in turn I would use the knowledge and skills I gain from the courses to provide staff development for the school district.  The Technology department's goal was to have an MTT in every school.  I was a science lab teacher and in my science lab the students used a software program that incorporated hands on science experiments.  I was the technology UIL coach.  I also had an Elmo, computer, printer, projector and SmartBoard in my science lab.  The school district only had a few spots available for the program and I decided to apply because I wanted to learn more about technology integration.   I was accepted into the program and took the course needed for the MTT certification. After taking those courses I knew that I wanted to pursue my education further, so I decided to continue with the M. Ed-Tech program. 

As I went through each course in the Masters Program, I learned new skills and knowledge that I could incorporate in my professional career.  In EDTC6320 we had a collaborative group project where we had to address a problem in education.  The problem we addressed was using podcasting in education.  Since we lived in different areas we used different tools to collaborate on our project.  We created a group wiki page where we uploaded all our information.  We met on-line in Elluminate to discuss our project.  We also sent emails to communicate.  I learned that students can collaborate from different areas using different technology tools such as wikis,  Elluminate, and via email.  In EDTC6321 I had to develop a instructional unit.  The instructional unit was divided up into five parts.  My instructional unit was based on a need at my school.  The instructional unit focused on showing the teachers at my campus how to create a quiz using the Smart Board software.  The experience I gain from this course was how to design, develop, implement, and evaluate an instructional unit for a specific audience. The instructional design course laid the foundation for EDTC6323.  In EDTC6323, I had to create an interactive multimedia learning object.  I used the Camtasia software to create my learning object.  The experience I gained from this course was creating the design document and using that design document to create my learning object.  The summative evaluations showed me how to effectively evaluate my learning object and make improvements. In EDTC6325, I had to develop an e-learning instructional module using an open source courseware management system called a Moodle.  My e-learning module was based on a need to show teachers at my school how to use our districts website.  The experience I gained was developing the instructional module in the Moodle and seeing how I could incorporate this in my professional career.  In EDTC6332, the main focus was our capstone project.  My project was base on a need at my campus.  The experience I gained from this was creating an instructional solution from the instructional design document using the Dick and Carey model. 

I take with me many lessons learned throughout the Educational Technology program.  I have learned how to collaborate with a group and not have to be in the same zip code.  There are many technology tools available for learners to use.  Groups can collaborate using wikis, email and Elluminate.  The key to having an effective group is communication, make sure everyone is on the same page.  The next step is formulating a plan to meet the project goals and sticking with the deadlines.  Another lesson learned was using the Dick and Carey model in developing my instructional design projects. In many of the projects we first studied the target audience and our learning environments.  What I take from that is that we have to take into consideration what the learners strengths are and their limitations and tailor or instruction to be the most effective.  In the capstone project, the main lesson I learned was time management.  Creating a timeline with milestones for each part of your project is key in not falling behind on you work.  

My future goals and vision as it relates to educational technology are that I want to stay current with the times.  Technology evolves everyday, there is always a new technology trend.  To keep up with the times I have been going to the TCEA conference every year.  In the conference the presenters give you many insights into the technologies they use in there professional careers.  I like to share what I have learned at the conferences by doing staff development for my campus.   One of my short term goals is becoming a certified Smart Board trainer.  In my school we have Smart Boards in every classroom but the teachers are not using them as they should be.  I want to show them how to effectively use the Smart Board for technology integration.  One of my long term goals is to become the Director of the Technology Department in my school district.  By obtaining my Masters in Educational Technology, I am one step closer in achieving that goal.  I feel that the Masters of Education in Educational Technology program has given me the knowledge and skills to be a leader in my professional career.  I would like to thank all the faculty and staff for your hard work and dedication to this program and providing me with a strong foundation in Educational Technology. 

Sincerely,

Juan Miguel Garcia