Teachers are Forever Learners
“Where do you see yourself in ten years?” is a common getting-to-know-you question. Prior to this program, I didn’t have a clear picture of where I was going. I had general career goals, yes, but at the start of this program, I had just had a baby and wasn’t working in a classroom. I had taken the school year off in order to find my focus again and prepare for welcoming our third child. I had taken a handful of online classes when I was at Florida State University (2005-2009) so thought I knew about “online education.”
Boy, was I wrong.
Over the last twenty months, I have truly found my niche in online/virtual education. I currently teach math for a virtual school and am wrapping up an entirely online Master’s degree. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would become this passionate about the power that technology can have on education! I have been a part of cutting-edge, virtual education both as a student and a teacher, and that has further shaped my own learning goals. I have three short-term goals for myself, which will help me take the necessary steps towards my ultimate career goal: teaching for a college/university, preparing soon-to-be teachers to be excellent leaders in their own classrooms. These stepping-stone goals for life-long learning include becoming Google Certified, and ultimately a Trainer, expanding my professional network, and leading my colleagues in transformative teaching practices.
My third short-term goal (which will likely be the last one I accomplish) is to lead my colleagues and help them make their courses more meaningful and their students’ experiences in those courses more impactful. This will be the last one I accomplish simply because I have only worked at my school for one year and am still learning the ins and outs of being a virtual teacher. It will take time for me to improve my own courses and then build the relationships with my colleagues that will ultimately help me become a good leader. To do this, I will use the skills I’ve learned from becoming Google Certified and through developing my professional learning network to provide hands-on trainings for my colleagues. I will also use the resources at Learning Forward, an organization dedicated to life-long learning and teaching teachers how to become leaders.
First, an immediate goal is to become Google Certified. My county uses Google Apps for Education and I have access to the training courses that I can complete at my own speed. I plan to complete this training by the end of September. This will ensure that I am using the tools at my disposal to their maximum potential. I also plan to pursue becoming a Google Certified Trainer. This will allow me to work with other educators to help them become effective and efficient when incorporating technology into their own classrooms.
Ever since working in a one-to-one iPad school a few years ago, I have wanted to expand my professional network. I started a professional Twitter and followed some influential leaders in education. That’s where it ended, though. I have seen through my coursework at Michigan State University that Twitter is a powerful networking tool and I plan to start using it more purposefully to get my voice and my thoughts out there. In addition to being a more active presence on Twitter and connecting with other professionals through social media, I also plan to attend any conferences and trainings that I possibly can. I will go to the Florida District Virtual Instruction Program Network conference that is held every year in my state. Within three years, I will also attend a national conference for virtual teachers, such as one that the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) organizes in order to learn about cutting-edge resources and programs. ISTE also has EdBurst sessions, which happen all over the country and are like mini-conferences. I plan to become a member of ISTE as soon as financially possible so that I can access the members-only portions of their website, including webinars, ebooks, and professional learning network discussions.
Pursuing each of these short-term goals will ultimately lead me to my career goal of teaching in a College of Education. I will develop the skills, experiences, and knowledge that I will need in order to help educate the next generation of teacher-candidates. I am also open to pursuing the various paths that I may stumble upon as I make my way towards that accomplishment, because you never know just where you might end up in ten years.
All graphics/images are my own.