Endless Journey:
My Role
as Both Teacher and Student
by:
Bradley J. Gagnon
The
journey I have taken through the Master of Arts in Educational Technology Program
at Michigan State University has been an exploratory expedition that began in
much the same way as that of Lewis and Clark and Christopher Columbus. As I set out, I was unsure of my destination,
and I was traveling into uncharted territory, where each day unveiled a new
obstacle and a new direction to be taken.
Unlike many students who have a plan for the future and a course plotted
out to be followed, I was instead forced to plan each new day's actions based
on the environment in which I found myself, without the luxury of a set course
of action. One reason for this was that
I was not initially enrolled as a candidate for a Master's degree.
The
first step in my journey was acceptance into Michigan State University's School
of Lifelong Education. By becoming a
Lifelong Student, I became able to begin working toward a Graduate Certificate
in Coaching Education. My first class,
KIN 856, "The Physical Bases of Coaching," during the Summer semester
of 2010, was a transition and a gateway to the beginning of a journey toward
the Coaching Certificate. During this
initial course taught by Dr. Scott Riewald, I learned more than training methods and motor
skill development, I also learned about on-line education from the viewpoint of
a student. I was able to begin to take
on the role of a student, and to appreciate what it meant to be a part of an
on-line Master's level class. Although
at the time I did not know it, this journey would eventually lead me through
the MAET Summer Hybrid Program in East Lansing and to the completion of my
Master 's Degree in Educational Technology.
Another
course taken toward the Graduate Certificate in Coaching Education was KIN 854,
"The Legal and Administrative Issues of Coaching." In this class taught by Professor Rick
Atkinson I learned about important considerations for all participants in
sports concerning safety and responsibility in the definition of the law. The details of Title IX and safety in sports
facilities were subjects of study, and the concept of negligence as a source of
litigation was a topic on which we placed much attention. By learning about these often overlooked
aspects of sport participation, I gained the ability to act professionally and
safely in the role of a Coach in order to provide the environment for students
and athletes to have fun without the danger of litigation due to neglecting my
legal responsibilities.
As I progressed further toward my
initial goal of the Graduate Certificate in Coaching Education, I was also
working toward official acceptance into the Graduate School at Michigan State
University. I took the GRE examination,
and gathered the necessary documents in order to apply. I was faced with a decision as I prepared my application:
to which Graduate Program should I apply?
The
Kinesiology program was where I had begun because of my role as a teacher of
Taekwondo. Dr. Marty Ewing, my Professor
for KIN 855 "The Psychosocial Bases of Coaching," is also the
Master's Degree Coordinator for Kinesiology, and she encouraged me to
apply. However, because of the on-line
nature of the Coaching Certificate Courses, I was also a part of the Master of
Arts in Educational Technology program, through which the classes are
offered. This program also falls in the
same line as my undergraduate degrees in Telecommunication and English. As I researched the two Graduate programs and
tried to decide between Kinesiology and Educational Technology, I found an option called the "Dual Degree
Program," whereby students can work toward two degrees
simultaneously. Unwilling to sacrifice
either opportunity, I chose to dually enroll in both programs.
I
received my Graduate Certificate in Coaching Education in the Spring of 2011,
and after the nerve-racking period between my initial application to The
Graduate School at Michigan State University and my eventual acceptance to
first one, then both Graduate programs, I was again presented with a
transition: from Lifelong Student to Graduate Student.
As I began
the Summer semester of 2011 I was confronted by the enormity of this transition
as I entered the MAET Summer Hybrid Program in East Lansing. In this program, which takes place both
on-line and on the East Lansing Campus of MSU, I was enrolled in three classes,
CEP 800, "Learning in School and Other Settings," CEP 815,
"Technology and Leadership," and CEP 822, "Approaches to
Educational Research." As the
classes began my classmates and I met in Erickson Hall for our first day. After being out of the classroom for over ten
years, it was an experience that was refreshing while difficult, like the
experience of competing against a worthy and skilled opponent.
Throughout
the remaining weeks of my time in the Hybrid Program in East Lansing, I was
lucky to be a part of a group coined, "The Google Earthlings." This group is the most memorable experience
of my time in the Master of Arts Program at MSU. The lessons that we learned together and the
tools that we employed are still in use today, on a daily basis, as I explore
and create content to be shared on-line.
Not only did I get the opportunity to learn new technologies and
teaching skills, but I was also given the opportunity to work with brilliant
and creative educators who have taught me countless lessons.
From the
Google Earthlings and the Instructors Dr. Punya Mishra, Kristen Kereluik, and
Dr. Leigh Graves Wolf, I learned how to use all the skills available to me, in
a way that can best be described as the synthesis of technology, education, and
creativity. The technology that makes
this synthesis possible is more than just computers, and is larger than the
internet. Mobile Devices are replacing
computers, and they have taken technology and communication beyond on-line and into
The Cloud. This technology is only a
medium of communication, and creativity is required to produce content appropriate
to the medium. By using these
capabilities for education, students are given the power to learn, and to then
express, much more than ever before.
After
the end of the Summer semester of 2011 and the culmination of the Summer Hybrid
Program, my classes in Educational Technology took on a format that was 100%
on-line. In CEP 818, "Creativity in
Teaching and Learning," the skills that I had gained in website creation
and video and image production for the internet were put to use. The website that I created for the course and
the videos that served as my assignments taught me not only to be creative, but
to foster creativity in my students in order to facilitate learning through a
process that is engaging and personal. Because
I was given the opportunity to be creative in the methods of learning these
lessons as a student, I am able to experience the effects from both the
perspective of a student and that of a teacher.
I am also able to appreciate the way in which using these methods can
make learning a process of guided exploration and discovery followed by
personal expression and communication of knowledge.
As I
finish my degree this semester, I am enrolled in CEP 807, "Proseminar in
Educational Technology," CEP 810, "Teaching Understanding with
Technology," and CEP 813, "Electronic Portfolios." In CEP 807, "Proseminar in Educational
Technology" taught by Dr. Matthew Koehler, Sean Leahy, and Andrea Zellner, I have brought all of the
knowledge gained in my classes together and presented it in the form of a
Capstone Portfolio. In "Teaching
Understanding with Technology," taught by Dr. Nancy Ayers and Michael
Partridge, I explored the use of RSS feeds in education, as well as the growing
importance of Mobile Devices for use in and out of the classroom. In "Electronic Portfolios" taught
by Dr. Patrick Dickson and Catalina Park, the focus was on creating a web
presence for my classroom, my students, and for me as a teacher. Heading toward my graduation, these final
classes have also been the origin of another transition. The focus of these classes has been upon my
role as a teacher, and while I have been a student of Educational Technology in
the past, as this role ends my role as a teacher takes on a new beginning.
As a teacher,
I now am equipped with the best pedagogical and technological tools available
to provide my students with the instruction that they deserve. They deserve nothing less than that which I
received as a student: the very best. By
taking the tools I now have at my disposal and putting them to use in my
Taekwondo Gymnasium, I can reach more students, provide better instruction to everyone
of them, and communicate faster than ever before. Not only will I have this ability, but by
initiating the use of technology in my classroom, students will simultaneously gain skill in technology and
in Taekwondo. These skills together will
provide them with tools through which they can be expressive, creative,
healthy, and strong individuals. In the
21st century, being well versed in these skills is even more important in order
to be successful in world that is becoming more connected by and dependent upon
technology every day.
While
the progress I have made as a student of Educational Technology has prepared me
for the task of undertaking this new journey as a teacher in the 21st century,
I must also continue to make progress as a graduate student, but in a new
direction. The journey that has ended
with my completion of the Master of Arts degree is only half of the distance to
my ultimate destination. When Lewis and
Clark finally crossed the Rocky Mountains and reached the Pacific Ocean, an
equally long journey presented itself in order to return home. For me, I am faced with the challenge of completing
my Master of Science in Kinesiology Degree.
Looking at this journey in the future is daunting, as it must have been
for Lewis and Clark, knowing what difficulties awaited them on their trip home. However, as explorers they now possessed the
luxuries of experience and knowledge. I
too have gained these in my arsenal, and will be able to use them in the
journey that lies ahead.
As a
future student and teacher, the lessons learned throughout my time in the
Master of Arts in Educational Technology Program at Michigan State University will
shape the direction that my journey takes, as well as that of my students. As a teacher, I will facilitate an
environment that is legally safe and scientifically sound for the development
of healthy and wise Taekwondo students.
This environment exists both within the gymnasium as well as on-line, in
the virtual environment of the internet.
As a student, I will continue to progress through my education using the
most up to date and effective methods of research and communication in order to
stay at the cutting edge of my field. I
will do so through the use of the resources I now have available such as Mobile
Devices, RSS Feeds, and Cloud Computing technologies.
While
one part of my education is complete, and another is beginning, I do not see an
end to this journey. As a student, I
must continuously learn, and I must always move forward in skill development
and experience. As a teacher, I must
provide the most up-to date information available to my students, and this
cannot be done without learning and studying every day. On this journey I am lucky to have the
guidance of my professors at Michigan State University. My professor of Taekwondo, Master Ron
Southwick, as well as those mentioned above including Dr. Punya Mishra, Dr.
Marty Ewing, and Dr. Matthew Koehler, have
served as beacons of light as I have navigated this path through my time at
MSU. They have also served as role
models who exemplify the type of educator that I hope to one day become.