Technology, Learning Disabilities, and the French Language
What do these things have in common? They are all things I want to learn more about. From early childhood to our senior years, we are always learning.
I became interested in learning educational uses of technology as I was finishing another degree in Curriculum and Teaching. For the past 2 years, I’ve explored, researched, and practiced using relevant technologies to enhance my teaching. Most of my learning has been through the time I spent on coursework through the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program at Michigan State University.
Now my time as an official student in the MAET program is ending, although my future in educational technology is just beginning. Technology is unique in that it changes rapidly. The specific technologies we’ve learned may be outdated in just a few short years. It’s going to be very important to stay updated when changes in our field happen. Not every new tech tool is going to enhance my teaching. Relying on critical thinking skills will be important in sorting out the worthwhile tools and applications from the junk.
By continually updating my own learning, I hope to serve as a role model for my own students. I want them to love learning, to feel the confidence that builds as a new skill is internalized. By fostering a love of learning in others, my vision is that the excitement will carry on past the classroom. When my students work on reading and writing at night or on weekends (just for fun), then I’ll know that I’ve done my job as a teacher.
In taking my MAET classes, I experienced the kind of love for learning that I describe above, the kind that spills over outside of the normal school day. I found myself checking out different websites, applications, and tools whenever I had some extra time. The feeling of excitement in sharing these tools with friends was a motivating force in continuing my learning.
While I plan to continue using what I’ve learned in technology, I’m looking forward to focusing my learning on another area I’m passionate about-that of learning disabilities. I have taught for 7 years, and each year I feel a certain pull toward helping those students who struggle the most. Experience along with much guidance from our school’s special education experts have aided me in providing support for these students, yet I want to know more.
Creating goals for myself keeps me motivated. Besides getting better at helping children with learning disabilities, I also want to learn another language. Although Spanish would make the most sense since it’s widely used in the U.S., I have always wanted to learn French.
As humans, we connect our experiences to make sense of things. What I learned throughout my curriculum program has helped me to use technology in a meaningful way. What I’m learning in technology will help me to connect with resources having to do with learning disabilities and foreign languages.
Our past, present, and future are always connected.
