Overall Reflection

The courses taken to complete my Specialist degree in instructional technology have been very insightful and enjoyable. It was good learning how to use technology for instruction and for creation of my students’ end products. The info-graphics and video presentations were a big hit with my students. My collaboration and team building skills were sharpened and I became more open to working in groups.

At times the work was daunting, at those times I asked myself, is it worth all the effort and sacrifice, at my age, to complete this degree? The answer was a resounding, YES! I love to learn, and grow, and keep my mind sharp and my skills up to date. This degree is also important as I look forward to retirement, because it gives me a new skill set I can use remotely. I am getting up in years, the physical demands of the face to face classroom get harder not easier, yet I still would like to teach as long as I am able. Being a virtual or on-line teacher is a viable option for me once I decide to leave the classroom.

I have been an educator for fifteen years, 5 years as a paraprofessional in elementary ESOL classes, and the last 10 years as a classroom teacher of Spanish in middle school, teaching 6^th through 8^th grade. In all of these years I have learned a lot about students, learning, teaching, and myself. I know all students of all backgrounds with diverse needs and learning styles can benefit from enhanced technology in the classroom. Technology when used appropriately can assist with true personalized learning.

Completing this course has made me a better skilled educator. I am now more confident in my teaching strategies and understand the why and how of its use.

I trust in the next 8-10 years, before I retire I can continue to learn and grow in this field and become an even better educator. Can I use the ITSE standards for coaches to guide my career? Absolutely. Keeping these standards in mind is important to guide my instruction, my learning, and my progress as an educator.

Today, I am a member of the technology Vanchise group at my school and hope to become part of the bigger county-wide Vanguard group for technology. I assist colleagues with their craft in areas concerning technology and it is personally and professionally rewarding to share what I have learned. I am very glad I decided to earn this degree, though it has taken twice as long as anticipated due to life events and automobile accidents and consequential surgeries; yet, here I am, completing the program. I am so grateful to God for giving me the health, strength and determination to complete it. I am grateful to the faculty at UWG for the support given during the past four and a half years. You believed in me, when I had a hard time seeing through the inevitable rough spots in life. You guided me when I had a hard time deciding on the best way to go. Now, you are cheering me on as I graduate. Thank you. The journey was difficult at times, but the destination is so worth it, so thankful to have arrived.