Family, Work, and the Online World
by John Phillips
On March 30, 2010, I defined my learning goals as a potential Master’s of Education Technology student at Michigan State University. Looking back, I realize that I was unaware of how much more there was to the world of educational technology than just the technology itself. The journey to the end has not always been exactly as I planned. My wife and I welcomed our daughter into this world in the Fall of 2011. Her arrival changed my view of life, and changed my view of education alongside my work at MSU.
One of my goals when I applied to the program was to become a better user of technology in my classroom. Looking back, I would modify that to be more aligned to being a better user of technology in my life. Through the work in my classes I have come to realize how much technology influences our world. The world that I grew up in, and the world that my daughter is growing up in are two entirely different places. Staying at the leading edge of the technology world means being constantly connected. Social media outlets, and personal computing devices have changed the way we interact with each other. It is very easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of trends and status updates and lose sight of the little glimpses of wonder, such as a baby discovering grass for the first time. As I have worked through my classes, I have had to step back and think about how life worked before the digital world. Trends come and go, but human interactions don’t need to be lost to them. My experiences have shown me that a balance is definitely necessary to be a rounded human being.
Another goal that I had when entering the program was to become better at training teachers how to use technology. This is the area that I have grown the most in while working in my classes. Drawing on my past experiences training teachers, I have been able to adapt new strategies into my professional development offerings. Simple things such as making sure that the content being provided fits the audience can make a large difference in the success of a training. It is incredibly difficult to teach an old dog new tricks, as they say, but sometimes it is necessary to show the old dog how much better life can be if they are willing to step out to the edge of their comfort zone. Having stepped to that edge many times in my coursework, I can relate to them but also share how rewarding that step can be. Becoming a better instructor of teachers has been one of the most beneficial parts of my training in this program.
While the journey has been long and hard, the end result is that I am a better educator of both adults and children. Looking back at where I started, thinking I knew everything, to where I am now I can see that the mountain of work was worth the effort. I am a better person, a better educator, and above all, a better dad due to my training. What more could I have asked for?