From Educational Technology .....to Arts and Crafts!

 

Once upon a time, there was a woman who was already a decade into a career (of sorts). She decided to go to school and get her degrees. She went to school full time while working full time and after 4 years she had her Associates and Bachelors. She acquired her degrees online through reputable schools. She really enjoyed helping others and her community so she pursued and received a Bachelors of Science in Human and Social Services Administration. She obtained a job in human services during her program and realized very quickly that perhaps her strengths were more suited to teaching. However since her undergrad was not in a commonly "teachable" subject matter she decided to pursue a Master of Arts in Educational Technology. She had hoped she would develop a better understanding of why many of the college courses she had taken online were undoubtedly better in design than others. So, she enrolled in Michigan State University's Master of Educational Technology program.

 

"I got this!" she thought confidently. Classes began in the graduate certificate part of the program-the first three classes to make sure the full graduate program would work. In the beginning it seemed her experience "outside of the classroom" was very valuable. Having worked in various training capacities over her career she had experience with various styles of teaching. The first three courses went wonderfully and she decided to apply to the full program.

 

While taking several classes each semester the confidence she began with was beginning to fade. She found herself in many classes having to create her own content and subject matter to be able to fulfill the assignment requirements. She began to feel overwhelmed. "I'm not able to do these assignments like everyone else." She was frustrated. These other students had so much experience either because of student teaching experiences or because they had their own classrooms and lesson plans to draw from. She felt removed from some of the objectives because she felt that hers were so different.

 

Then, during the 3rd semester she had her ah-ha moment. "I am different from most others in this program, but that is a good thing." Instead of trying to make herself fit into a similar mold, she made it her own goal to be distinctively and creatively different in her approach. It didn't matter that other students had degrees in specific subject matter and could draw from their knowledge. It didn't matter that her undergraduate degree wasn't a normal "teachable" subject matter. She reminded herself of what she wanted to get out of the program and she took a step back. THIS is why so many classes online are so different. The perspective of the instructor is an important component for the effectiveness of the course. A great teacher can teach any subject matter regardless of their expertise. A good leader knows when to say -I don't have a clue what I am doing but I know who I can ask. An amazing course designer can draw from the examples of others because everything is a remix. It is all subjective. It is all perspective.

 

She began this journey knowing that her perspective was different. At some point she convinced herself that her perspective was too different-or wrong even. She realized she had lost her vision while trying to approach things from the perspective of everyone else. While the consideration of other's perspective is important, she knew that her view was also an important one. She reached her goal and understood that the journey was just as important as the individual assignments. She could see how important design, iteration, creativity and collaboration were to making a course successful-to making her program worthwhile. Now, on to Chapter 2.