Future As A Learner Essay

It has only been two years, but I don’t remember what my life was like before I started my Masters at Michigan State University (MSU). Scholarly journals, website publishing, reflection journaling, research, and educational technology have become a part of my everyday life, my daily routine. In a few short weeks I will have completed my MAED, but my journey as a learner and educator is just beginning.

At the start of the program I was fearful, naïve, and overwhelmed. I wanted to be a great teacher, but I had only decided to become a teacher two years ago, when I applied to MSU. I had moved countries (again), was recently married, and left a career in non-profit work with youth to pursue teaching. My goals then were to get through the program in one piece and to take in as much as I possibly could. At the start of my first class I almost backed out, but my stubbornness kept me in it. It’s about time something good came from my stubbornness.

It's the End, and I'm Just Getting Started

By: Brooke Ramos

"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself."

-John Dewey

The MAED helped me find confidence in myself as an educator and learner. I still take off my jacket when I start teaching because I get hot, but it’s not because I’m nervous out of my mind in front of a group of kids anymore; it’s because I’m excited about the subject and I get really into my teaching as the entire classroom heats up in eagerness as they create and discuss in groups.

While my initial goal was to gobble up as much information and experience as I could in two years, my current goal is to continue growing as an educator now that I have my feet wet. I have worked as a Teacher’s Assistant in Kindergarten for a year and as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher for first, third, and fifth grade for a year. My focuses for the MAED were Literacy and Technology and I was able to apply both aspects, often simultaneously, in my small ESL groups.

Now, the plan is to build on my experience. While a Doctorate is not in the cards just yet, I do want to continue my studies. I have been working weekly with our Technology coach, Tracey Bryan, at school and she suggested I become a Google Certified Teacher. No one is done learning about technology because it is a constantly changing subject like History. What’s news today is history tomorrow. The same goes for Technology. By continuing my education through becoming a Google Certified Teacher I’ll stay active in the technology world.

This same wonderful Technology coach, Tracey, also encouraged me to start my own blog. Through the Capstone course and my Creativity course I was exposed to website design. I have used Weebly and Wix and have experimented with Google Sites and Word Press. My plan in the future is to start a blog, likely with the title, “All the things I did wrong in Mexico, so you don’t have to.” It will have a link to my Capstone course and will include both links and my original creations of academic resources.

With regards to Literacy, I have always loved reading and writing and all I want is for my students to find the same joy I have in expression through writing and discovering worlds through reading. Technology has been a surprisingly wonderful compliment to literacy. Before, our reach was only as far as the books in the library could take us; but now, with the Internet we have access to every corner of the world. My own extensive travel and desire to live abroad plays a huge role in my teaching philosophy. I want to educate children to be tolerant and aware of the wonderful differences that exist across the world and outside their bubble. I actually created a presentation and project regarding the concept of “your bubble” for my fifth grade ESL students that can be seen here. And this is what developed from the project. The MAED allowed me to present the idea in a way that engaged the students with both the technology and concepts that I researched as an MAED student.

In addition, I am a more conscientious Twitter, Pinterest and Blog user. I find inspiration and resources online that I use or expand upon to make my classes and tutoring more interesting. I tutor students ranging from four-years-old to ten-years-old and manage to keep them engaged as well as constantly improving upon themselves. I adapt concepts into games and do extensive online research in my specific students’ interest to maximize learning. So far I have been quite successful in my approaches. One parent even told me that she used me as an excuse to get her children to leave a birthday party before the piñata! She mentioned to them, “Miss Brooke will be waiting, it’s time to go” and the kids dropped everything and headed for the car. This was my goal all along. I want to be a fun, engaging teacher whose students don’t even realize they are “in school,” and simply come to love learning.

The MAED was only the beginning for me, because it literally was the beginning of my teaching career. This is a great foundation that I have to build on; it taught me how to be a teacher-researcher and a teacher-learner. It granted me the confidence I need to stand in front of a group of youth and wow them with my knowledge and use of technology in order to interest them in timeless concepts.

"What’s news today is history tomorrow. The same goes for technology."

-Brooke Ramos

future as a learner.pdf

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