Honing my purpose 

​In my MAET application essay, I planned to build on years of experience using technology—as both a K–12 teacher and in my earlier careers—to accomplish the following goals:

 

• Teach students to thoughtfully evaluate their work, identify areas for improvement, and locate information that expands knowledge and skills.

• Gain the educational technology knowledge and skills to make the most of my online curriculum while keeping learning engaging, effective, and exciting.

• Develop expertise in leveraging technology to enrich learning, support diverse learners in achieving mastery, and assist teachers in adopting effective digital environments.

 

Frustrations with approaches that produced incomplete transfer from classroom instruction to kitchen skills, or relied too heavily on online content, showed me that high levels of engagement and better use of technology are needed to support student learning.

 

Goal Progress

 

MAET has lived up to my expectations. My goal to promote reflection as a support for student learning has been reinforced throughout the program. In response, I developed ongoing skills check-ins in which students document their performance via photos or videos. That evidence becomes the basis for peer and teacher feedback while also supporting student self-reflection. I also gained a deeper understanding of how to design engaging learning experiences and aligned assessments. My latest blog post is a good example of this process.

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With regard to my second goal, the program delivered on its promise to show me how to design and manage engaging learning experiences and aligned assessments. I gained a deeper understanding of how to build systems that make online and blended learning interactive, authentic, and effective. The program also prepared me to support other teachers in that effort. For example, I am participating in a short-cycle focused collaboration team at my school to evaluate potential technology-supported innovations in teaching and assessment practices that will align with the upcoming multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) implementation at our school.

 

Goal Refinement

 

Reflection is now an essential component of my learning design process, not merely an evaluation tool. My understanding of student engagement has also evolved. I now recognize the necessity of equitable learning design and the importance of involving students in planning lessons that connect with their interests and identities. MAET deepened my understanding of culturally sustaining pedagogy. My action research plan, featured in my Showcase, outlines an asset-based project promoting culturally sustaining food production at my school. 

 

Current Goals

 

MAET consistently expanded my understanding of instructional technology and best practices of teaching, learning, and assessment. Reflection is required. Engagement arises from connecting students with content through their cultural assets and lived experiences. Excellence is only possible when equity and excellence share equal priority.

 

Conclusion

 

MAET helped me refine and align my goals. I will continue to design learning environments where reflection is embedded, engagement grows from humanizing and asset-based communication, and considerations of equity accompany every planning step. My purpose remains to provide equity and excellence in education with technology.