Professional Growth Plan

If I were to find a short, succinct description of the type of educational technology leader I wish to be, “to be of service” would describe it. My life and my accomplishments up to this point all reflect that very goal. I have been questioned by those closest to me, “Why are you doing this?” I do feel a sense of accomplishment that drives me to choose the path I have chosen. Even though this program has a great deal of work (and stress), and I pay a great deal in the form of tuition, I have pointed out to them that it does open up opportunities for me, including employment that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. While they question the reasons why I am on the path, I have chosen this willingly, and I feel a great sense of accomplishment and warmth knowing that my efforts will help others. 

My efforts, jobs, goals, and research are all aimed at making this a better world. A philosophy taught to me by my parents was, ‘If  you borrow something, give it back in better shape than when you borrowed it.” I carry that philosophy with me wherever I go. I will always try to leave this place a better place than when I came here. During the summer institute, I was told that many people do not know what they are going to focus on for their dissertations; that is normal, but there are a few who come in with a laser focus in mind on what they wish to explore. I believe I am one of those laser-focused people. I want to use my love and passion for one of my favorite hobbies, T.T.R.P.G., to help people who I see as struggling and support them.

I spent over thirty years as a classroom teacher, and now I'm taking the next step to help people develop their “soft skills” after focusing on “hard skills” for so long. I have been given time on this planet, and I wish to leave it better than when I occupied it. To answer the question more directly, I aspire to be more than just an educational technology leader; I aim to be a leader of people whose goal is to leave this place better than when I arrived. Educational technology has the weakness of becoming obsolete very quickly; the actual technologies will be long gone, but the philosophies of how we engage people and treat people while using this tech will never be obsolete. 

Looking at all of the different types of leadership that have been outlined in our courses, I believe that I will be a “Servant Leader” (Northouse, P. G., 2021). However, I do see parts of the “Authentic  Leadership” Northouse, P. G. (2021) type also being used. I don’t believe we are grouped into one category or another, but we are an amalgam of many of these types, exhibiting characteristics of many of them. I would say for myself, it is a combination of both of these types that will highlight the kind of leader I aspire to be. 

Academic and Professional Goals 2024-2025: 

During my first year in this program, I aim to explore the various aspects of “soft skills” that I wish to address, utilizing TTRPGs as a means to achieve this goal. My initial goal is to “Use TTRPGs to help with anxiety and social issues” (Varrette & Berkenstock Jr., 2023), that have come about as a result of both the global COVID pandemic, which amplified the use of personal technology, and the advent of social media, creating a social gap in our students. As a teacher, I saw this on an everyday basis and it was a massive concern for teachers, administrators, and parents. Through my interactions with numerous therapists and educators, I discovered a wealth of materials and support for my dissertation ideas. 

After consulting with my advisors and professors in the program, I discovered that the dissertation had strayed too far into psychology, a topic not covered by the program. So, it was recommended that I change the dissertation. With the guidance of the professors and some people from the community that I had networked with, I came up with a modification of the dissertation. The programs that they participate in were expanding to cover more traditional education topics now recognized as “soft skills,” and from the choices I found two that both interacted with each other and were highly beneficial and readily educable to most students (Turner, I., & Robinson, L. A., 2023). The concepts of critical thinking, which were prominent in my later science education years, and the idea of empathy, a universally recognized and needed topic, will remain at the forefront of future education. (Galindo, M.,  2024). It has been shown that if the skill of critical thinking is fully cultivated, then empathy will naturally follow, so both concepts are studied in the dissertation. (Killian, 2024) 

Upon shifting my dissertation from anxiety and social issues to “The use of TTRPGs in the teaching of critical thinking and empathy”. I began networking and forming a group that I would be using as my test subject for my upcoming dissertation data collection. I reached out to my local library,  Wayne Township Public Library, which already had a board game club, and asked them if they wanted to start a TTRPG club. The library was in the initial stages of formation, but it was anticipated that the library staff would need some time to learn how to run games and establish a club. At this point, I volunteered to form and run the club. I had enough materials to create and run several games; I just need a place and advertising. The club started in Jan of 2025. Initially, we had meetings two days a week. Mondays were for traditional adult age D&D players, and Fridays, right after school, served kids coming from school who wished to play TTRPGs. Both clubs have a steady stream of players, with Mondays having two groups: one long-term with one Dungeon Master and one short-term teaching group, which I led. We have had over fifteen players in the latter club, with six in the first club. The one that will eventually be focused on for study will be the Friday after-school club. After several months of play, we have two groups playing: one with a young person leading a game with their new and old friends, and another that I run as a learning game. 

As of this report, it is now summer, and there are now more students coming to play on Fridays than ever. My teaching group consists of six students, whereas the other group now has between 8 and 12 players. The plan is to establish at least two stable groups of players. Once both groups are comfortable, I will introduce different games for them to play, not just Dungeons and Dragons. D&D is one of the more challenging games to learn and master due to its numerous rules, so I am considering a different game for the study. After conducting extensive research and testing, I have identified a game suitable for therapy gamification that can be effectively used with the groups. The game, “Branch Riders,” was written by the Bodhana group, a group of clinical therapists who created it to work with students with various emotional and psychological issues initially. They have branched out into the general population with an emphasis on “soft skills,” and I have adopted this game so that I can focus on critical thinking and empathy for teens in general. The students I am working with right now range from 5th-6th graders up to high school students. There are some younger people, but parents accompany them because it is summer and they are looking for things to do.  The game itself is in beta version and will have a full release this summer, at that point I will slowly introduce the game to the students to see how well the games adventures adhere to the ideas of teaching critical thinking and empathy or do I have to write some adventures of my own and use their mechanics system that will hopefully begin to create an educational atmosphere for critical thinking and empathy. 

I plan to attend more gaming conventions to explore various gaming systems and discover other games, such as Branch Riders, that meet my needs. Networking with people in this community will also aid in the ideas and execution of my studies to enhance my chances of success. I have also sought a position as a clinical supervisor for teacher education, as well as a professor in residence position to be determined. I will also work on courses in PDS for alternate route professionals looking to work in the education community, especially those pursuing science teaching positions.

In the future, I plan on continuing my studies in TTRPG and exploring a more psychological route that I see as a part of society to help alleviate anxiety and other socially based issues. I will team up with licensed therapists and work with groups of people who need help with dealing with anxiety, especially. I have also observed a correlation between gamification and success in achieving physical fitness goals, which I would like to explore further. You know what they say, “publish or perish.” I also want to help the Educational Technology Department with their new game for team teachers and any other expansions of this game by helping to present them at professional conferences. I would also like to show the game I am adopting for my study, “Branch Riders,” to both the gaming community and educational/therapeutic settings. This, of course, all comes after my successful defense of my current dissertation.