Why the MMT and M.Ed program?

The future belongs to those who are able to use the most advanced technologies in creative and innovative ways.  We can see from history that this is true.  When Henry Ford developed the Model T the future belonged to those who could envision a way of life that was faster paced and who could use the new technology to help them in their business and private life. 

The automobile had an effect upon the school system by changing the mode of student transport.   Students no longer had to live within walking distance of a school but they could ride to school in a brand new invention, the school bus.  Those districts who adapted to the changes prospered while those who did not were consolidated or closed.  These closures were the death knell to small towns across America as the local school provided more than an educational experience but it also was a community center and unifying force.  Being able to adapt to a changing world is absolutely imperative if towns, cities and countries are to prosper and remain independent.

Just as the world of the past had to adapt to change, we today must adapt to changes.  Today’s world is changing quicker than at anytime in history. The way in we receive information and share information is also changing quicker than in the past.

Technology is the main reason this is happening. The ever increasing amount of technology and its evolutionary change is impacting the daily lives of all Americans.  It is predicted that this faster pace of change will not end any time soon but will accelerate as new technologies come along.

 The students we teach on a daily basis are immersed in a world where technology is a basic ingredient of their daily life. Modern students are acquainted with and comfortable with using a variety of technologies.  These include of computers, smart phones to Xboxes. High School students today are many times more technologically savvy than their teachers. Things that were science fiction when many of today’s teachers grew up are not even considered unusual to most students today.

 If teachers understand and use new methods to relate to their students then their students are more likely to succeed.  Teachers need to use methodologies that are familiar to today’s students so that they will become more deeply engaged in the classroom content.

 We need to recognize that our students have a short attention span and are more likely to be visual learners as opposed to aural learners.  This recognition helps us to understand that in order to gain and maintain the attention of today’s students it is important to “chunk” information and to repeat it in different ways.  This is the way television shows and video games are programmed.  Successful teachers are more likely to be successful if they use different delivery styles and methods. Technology such as smart boards, pda’s and even smart phones are an important component in this new world of teaching. Technology helps teachers to make these methodology changes of information transfer in the most painless and effective way possible

This is why I am in the Master Technology Teacher and the Master of Educational Technology program.  I want to learn how to use the different methods of delivering instruction.  I want to become comfortable using these tools. I want to help my students achieve their full potential.  It is my desire to grow as a teacher and to help other teachers learn the things I have learned.

 I intend to use these courses as a method of professional development that will further my career as an educator. I want to be comfortable with the most up to date methods of delivering instruction. I know that my students will become more engaged, have a higher recall of content and will be motivated to learn more. These courses will help me as an educator to prepare my students to become life long learners. They will see that by using the technologies that are normal part of their life they can find the knowledge they need.  Research seems to indicate that students are more likely to seek information on their own if they are able to use the technologies they use everyday in their lives. I know that this will help my students become more engaged in class, have a greater grasp of the material and to develop a love of learning.