Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
~ Nelson Mandela
Past, Present, and Future as a Learner
An Forward Thinking Essay by Melanie Broxterman
I have always considered myself a “learner." As a young child, I enjoyed school from the beginning. I could often be found in the garage in front of the chalkboard playing school. My mom tells the story of taking me to Kindergarten on the first day. Her first child entering school for the first time. She cried. I turned around and said, “Bye Mom, see you later!” and ran off to explore. I can remember being a little scared of big school transitions, such as going to high school or college, but that fear was overcome by the sense that I was about to explore new things and continue to learn. Learn, not only about content, but about myself as a person.
I continue to have that feeling and appreciation for learning today. I started my education learning at a small, local college in Cincinnati. The classes were small and the intern coursework with local schools was great. It was interesting for me to see the education world was larger than the 12 year parochial school background I had. Once I had my first teaching position in 1999, I realized that although I had a sufficient background in education, there was still a lot to learn. I had students who were so unique that their little ‘quirks’ were not presented in a textbook. I wanted more so I started taking courses through a distance learning/ assistive technology initiative through the state of Ohio and Bowling Green State University in 2001. In this program, I took courses that directly related to my students and creating accessible materials for my students. It provided me with additional tools and ways of thinking that could create the best classroom environment for my students. I was unable to complete this masters program due to time conflicts between my ‘life’ (I had my amazing two kids during this time.) and the college discontinuing the program to reformat the program. Even though there were years where formal schooling wasn’t a part of my life, I continued to learn through attending workshops, networking with local assistive technology specialists, and taking extra time to collaborate with service providers at my school. I continued to want more, actually need more. I was very excited when I became aware of the MAET program. The curriculum and online format was just what I was looking for to further my learning.
So in October 2011, I took the leap to becoming a Spartan. I can’t even put into words how much I have grown as an educator in these past 2 years. I have changes from a fairly quiet, get-my-job-done special education teacher to a teacher learner who is willing to speak up and ask questions. I not only support my students through using the assistive technologies within the classroom, but I am willing to explore other technologies to create accessible materials for the students. I think the part of the MAET program that has impacted me the most is TPACK. For the longest time, I felt there was a way that technology should be incorporated in the classroom. You don’t just use it, to use it. However, I never had a way to explain that to others. Thanks to the MAET courses, I can now explain to others the how and why of incorporating technology into the classroom.
I continue to have that feeling and appreciation for learning today. I started my education learning at a small, local college in Cincinnati. The classes were small and the intern coursework with local schools was great. It was interesting for me to see the education world was larger than the 12 year parochial school background I had. Once I had my first teaching position in 1999, I realized that although I had a sufficient background in education, there was still a lot to learn. I had students who were so unique that their little ‘quirks’ were not presented in a textbook. I wanted more so I started taking courses through a distance learning/ assistive technology initiative through the state of Ohio and Bowling Green State University in 2001. In this program, I took courses that directly related to my students and creating accessible materials for my students. It provided me with additional tools and ways of thinking that could create the best classroom environment for my students. I was unable to complete this masters program due to time conflicts between my ‘life’ (I had my amazing two kids during this time.) and the college discontinuing the program to reformat the program. Even though there were years where formal schooling wasn’t a part of my life, I continued to learn through attending workshops, networking with local assistive technology specialists, and taking extra time to collaborate with service providers at my school. I continued to want more, actually need more. I was very excited when I became aware of the MAET program. The curriculum and online format was just what I was looking for to further my learning.
So in October 2011, I took the leap to becoming a Spartan. I can’t even put into words how much I have grown as an educator in these past 2 years. I have changes from a fairly quiet, get-my-job-done special education teacher to a teacher learner who is willing to speak up and ask questions. I not only support my students through using the assistive technologies within the classroom, but I am willing to explore other technologies to create accessible materials for the students. I think the part of the MAET program that has impacted me the most is TPACK. For the longest time, I felt there was a way that technology should be incorporated in the classroom. You don’t just use it, to use it. However, I never had a way to explain that to others. Thanks to the MAET courses, I can now explain to others the how and why of incorporating technology into the classroom.
I am very fortunate to have a supportive family. I can continue to grow and learn. I can say “Bye family, see you later!” on an occasional Saturday morning to attend a meetup or a workshop to better my classroom practices and network with some amazing educators. Currently, my focus is on becoming the best teacher and teacher leader that I can be. I owe that to my students and colleagues. I have taken on several leadership roles and I believe the MAET program has given me the confidence (not to mention the educational background) to step up and stand out in my school district. In addition, my learning and support needs to also come from outside the walls of my school district. In reverse, I need to share my experiences with others so that they can become better learners. This concept is one of the reasons I decided to take over as moderator for #spedchat, a twitter chat relating to special education issues, in October 2012. As a special education teacher, you are often a small percentage within a district. Sometimes the only one within a school. I felt that it was important to connect and share with other special educators. Initially, I was just a participant, but then I realized that if I wanted to continuing learning and growing with other educators, I needed to help continue the #spedchat tradition and become the moderator when others had to step down.
Through parenting, classroom activities, MAET projects, and collaborations with other educators, I have found that I really enjoy educating adults. I enjoy talking with other educators. I enjoy being able to share my classroom strengths and challenges through blogging. I enjoy supporting my colleagues and share in their little technology successes. I enjoy presenting and sharing with other educators and professionals. I have presented locally and statewide on using technology in the classroom to support all students. I am also excited to be working on a seminar that will focus on mobile technology apps to use to support all learners which will discuss not just “this is a good app”, but give practical examples of how to use in class - kind of link Apps with Lesson Plans in which I will be able to network with educators nationally.
What will the future hold for me as a learner?
That is such a difficult question to answer specifically. What I can say is that I finally have a clearer understanding of my role in education for the first time in my career. I understand pedagogy and how that needs to change as we incorporate technology into the mix. I want to learn how to best teach all students to prepare them for their future. I want to apply what I have learned to impact my own classroom and be an example for my colleagues. I want to be aware of the latest books in education and be able make educated judgments on their worth. I want to support both students and teachers as the changes in education continue.
Through parenting, classroom activities, MAET projects, and collaborations with other educators, I have found that I really enjoy educating adults. I enjoy talking with other educators. I enjoy being able to share my classroom strengths and challenges through blogging. I enjoy supporting my colleagues and share in their little technology successes. I enjoy presenting and sharing with other educators and professionals. I have presented locally and statewide on using technology in the classroom to support all students. I am also excited to be working on a seminar that will focus on mobile technology apps to use to support all learners which will discuss not just “this is a good app”, but give practical examples of how to use in class - kind of link Apps with Lesson Plans in which I will be able to network with educators nationally.
What will the future hold for me as a learner?
That is such a difficult question to answer specifically. What I can say is that I finally have a clearer understanding of my role in education for the first time in my career. I understand pedagogy and how that needs to change as we incorporate technology into the mix. I want to learn how to best teach all students to prepare them for their future. I want to apply what I have learned to impact my own classroom and be an example for my colleagues. I want to be aware of the latest books in education and be able make educated judgments on their worth. I want to support both students and teachers as the changes in education continue.