CED0599 Culminating Experience Week Four

My Personal/Professional Growth and Journey:
Awareness! If I was to pick a single term to describe my growth, the word is awareness. It's not that I was aware, it was an overall lack of it.

I was not aware that Web 2.0 even existed. The 2.0 world looks a lot more appealing, especially to an educator. The different search engines, applications such as Google Docs, teaching aids or sites that support teaching, the various blog platforms, how online teaching tools help teachers to teach in a way that correspondence courses can't even come close to are all part of my journey, which has helped me to grow as an educator and goal setter.

When one has goals, the growth is going to happen. When the unexpected comes along, as it has through the MEIT coursework, the growth occurs and helps advance the need for new goals. I have new goals. My new goals are to teach most of the new technology that the students may be able to apply it in their future careers and educational experiences. Having new goals has surprised me. Why? I did not intend to change very much before the MEIT coursework, but the Web 2.0 productivity platforms that aid in teaching every subject imaginable have helped expand my vision. It's the vision to lead the students and offer administration new avenues to accomplish that vision... those goals.

A Wish:
In order to actually lead in the area of technology, I wish I had (and I hope I will) read more material on future technologies that may impact education in ways that we should be aware of now. Having one or two subscriptions to technology based trade journals would help aid my thinking. My surprise over the applications found in the Web 2.0 environment are a case in point that it's important to constantly surf the web and read other publications.

Satisfactions:
The greatest satisfaction is that I'm now able to pass much of these tools on to my students and possibly expand my own career goals. Not using what I've gained would produce in me the greatest dis-satisfaction.