Learning Goes On
by Karla Díaz
As we all establish different learning goals for our lives, it is great to see how the fulfillment of these goals can change the things we thought were going to change... and more. I always think about people (including myself) and learning as a meaningful journey... the traveler and the destination; as we learn we move and as we move we experience different stages in our lives that will later on determine who we are. A Chinese proverb says: "Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere." As life goes on, learning goes on! Finishing this new, special, and exciting stage in my life does not mean that my learning process will stop here, on the contrary, a new journey begins.
Isn't it amazing how learning can lead you to new and unknown adventures? When I started my master's degree, I was a first grade teacher. Therefore, many of my learning goals at that moment where all directed to make my master's degree courses work for my classroom setting. But again, learning can lead us to places we never thought we would get. An opportunity that I could not reject came across. In April 2014, the high school computer teacher position was vacant. Before I new about the position, the high school principal knew about my preparation and interest towards technology. "This was not in my goal backpack," what I mean is that being a high school teacher was not part of my plan but I was excited and pleased to be considered for the position. I was willing to take the challenge, I decided to apply for the position, and today I am one of the high school computer teachers. Now, although I keep the same goals as when I was a first grade teacher in terms of my students’ performance, the challenge and the strategies used in high school are very different. I have been able to do many things I was not able to do when I was in first grade in terms of students technology use. However, I know I have to expand my knowledge in this area (high school), which means that I need to review the content from the old courses I took (since I focused them to work with elementary students) and continue to seek for new learning experiences.
Even though I am getting closer to achieving my master's degree, meaning that the journey I started in 2012 will come to an end, an even greater journey begins. As I said before, learning continues as life goes on. What tools do I have at hand to keep this learning process a meaningful one? It is great to know that technology provides us with the opportunity to create learning networks, which I consider an essential tool for teachers and other professionals as well. Learning networks offer support and many learning experiences. It is my goal for my future as a learner to continue taking advantage of my learning network to gain new learning experiences. I wish to continue using the creative boards of Pinterest, the amazing Blogs created by many teachers that are passionate about education and technology, and the educational community in Twitter.
Moreover, it is my goal to assist different conventions in US and professional development activities at school. It has been my desire for the past two years to go to an ISTE Conference (International Society for Technology in Education). I almost went last year but the school was not able to plan the trip for many reasons. My goal is to submit the proposal to go to the convention soon. I believe this will be a great opportunity for me to develop new and meaningful learning experiences with the potential of becoming a substantial part of my students learning development in my classroom. Also, I will be having professional development at least three times in the school year. It is my goal to continue learning about the high school student profile in order to prepare and provide meaningful learning experiences. Nevertheless, I cannot forget that in the teaching process I can learn from my students.
Another goal is to continue developing my leadership skills. It is my desire to become a technology coordinator or to work for a company to train teachers in the educational technology field. I know there are still many things to learn. Being the "techie teacher," as many colleagues and friends call me, does not mean that I know everything. I need to continue seeking for information and putting it into practice what I learn. Also, technology will continue to grow and as it grows we need to continue learning about the new things that it will bring. It is simple... a new stage in the learning process will start in a few months.
Karla's Future Essay | |
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