Several years ago in my first career I was moving up the corporate ladder. I was making more money and gaining plenty of knowledge and responsibility, however I wasn't happy. I decided to go to college to do what I always wanted to do - teach special needs students. As I was finishing my degree and certifications in regular education and special education, I knew it wouldn't be too much longer before I started my master's degree. I knew I wanted to do an online program, but in what I wasn't sure. I looked at curriculum programs, but I wanted something that was more "hands on" and that I felt I would be able to apply to my lessons and classes while I was learning. That is what brought me here, to Cardinal Stritch's on-line instructional technology graduate program.
I teach middle school students that are cognitively disabled. My classroom will have students from all three grades, 6th, 7th, and 8th all in the same class. Some may be at a kindergarten level, while others may be at a 3rd grade level. However, what they all have in common is that they like technology. The students have done a debate in which I videotaped, they have created and presented PowerPoint presentations, and this year I'm working on having them create a newspaper about positive news in their community. We use Smartboards and the Senteo clickers on a regular basis. My goal is to learn more about technology, what's out there and how to use it, and share my knowledge with my students by making their learning more exciting. The more I know, the more they'll be able to use. The more they use it, the more excited they'll be about learning. Even in the past few years technology in the classroom has changed so much and if you don't keep up, you'll be left behind. I don't want that for me or my students.
I'm very excited about this on-line program, however, right now I feel defeated and overwhelmed. I look at the lessons for this week, and realize there is so much more out there than I knew about. Will I ever get it all done? Right now, it doesn't feel like it. It doesn't help that technology has not been my friend for the past couple of weeks. My new computer for school has been giving me problems, the technology tools I planned to used for lessons aren't co-operating with my new computer, and my internet connection at school and work are co-operating either. Take my group meetings this week. I sign on Thursday night, I got on but the mic wasn't working on the computer. It's very strange sitting in a room listening to others talking and not being able to "talk" with them. I used text, but I had an epiphany - this must be want it's like to be deaf. So last night I signed on again - no internet. So I quickly drove to Culver's to use theirs. Good it worked but I wound up closing the place and I was forced to move to the parking lot. That was until my computer shut down due to low battery. I quickly drove to Wendy's, good they were open, had an outlet, but no internet connection. Now what? I ran to McDonald's good they were open, had internet, but no outlets in the seating area. Today I'm at Panera, because I still don't have an internet connection. So my question is what cosmic universe did I upset? Will I make it through all these "challenges"? Sure. Will it make me stronger? Maybe. Will I laugh about it? Sure, maybe 20 or 30 years from now. Maybe that's one of the take aways from this program - learn to laugh about the challenges that technology brings.
