Reflection Letter

I was only two weeks into my first course in the Educational Technology graduate program when I  realized that any definition I attempted to give to the term “educational technology” would be ever-changing as the program progressed over the following accelerated semesters I was about to experience.  However, in the initial stage of this program, I would have defined educational technology to be the learning and evaluations that occur when using technology inside (or outside) of a classroom.  As a high school design teacher, I only had the definition I gave myself over the past 15 years through experience.  As I reflect on my own learning through teaching, I recognize the role that the Internet played in initially shaping my understanding of educational technology. The Internet provided my students the means to research topics, support ideas and learn new information.  Eventually, I gained new knowledge of terms like ‘Blended Learning’ – which included both classroom assets and personal learning devices, like laptops.  It was then that I realized just how many forms of educational technology there are available to us.  This realization inspired me to begin my own personal learning journey in this graduate program.

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​The first course I completed was EDTC 6342 - Technology Leadership in the Fall of 2021.  This course was my first experience conducting a needs assessment and using the results to draw up a technology implementation plan. It was this course that made me realize how important it is to get stakeholders involved in the implementation of any new technology initiative.  In the Spring of 2022, I loaded up with four more courses, two in Module 1 and two more in Module 2.  During this semester, the courses that really stood out to me were EDTC 6320-Educational Technology and EDTC 6341-Student-Centered Learning.  In my EDTC 6320 - Educational Technology course, I set up my online e-portfolio, which would go on to house my projects and papers for the remainder of my time in graduate school.  This course was especially impactful for me because it was the first time I was asked to work the steps of finding a solution to an instructional problem.  This course is what set the groundwork for my other courses, but especially my practicum course in this program. While my EDTC 6320 stood out for its valuable take-aways, it was my EDTC 6341-Student-Centered Learning course that opened my eyes to the main principles of student-centered learning in the field of instructional design.  This course helped me discover how to give students control over their learning and shift the focus of my instructional units from the teachers to the learners. This course was also exceptionally beneficial as it allowed me to take on my own self-directed learning opportunity.  I used this opportunity to gain two new certificates, one as a Common Sense Educator and the other as a CK-12 Certified Educator.  I know that I wouldn’t have had the time or motivation to achieve this on my own, so I’m especially grateful for the opportunity to take this course.  In the Summer of 2021 I enrolled in three more courses, EDTC 6340 - Integration of Advanced Technologies in Education and Training, EDTC 6325- Educational Communications, and EDFR 6302 - Foundations of Cognition, Learning and Human Development.  EDTC 6340 - Integration of Advanced Technologies in Education and Training introduced me to the world of social bookmarking and content creation. It was also during this course that we were asked to redo a “boring” multimedia presentation using best practices.  The redesign of this presentation helped me understand the value of creating presentations with the audience in mind.  It is a course I use all the time when creating presentations for my students. EDTC 6325  - Educational Communications introduced me to Canvas for the first time ever in my professional career.  This was my first experience developing an e-learning environment.  From writing a project proposal to developing a user interface full of learning content, assessments, and multimedia presentations, this course gave me hands-on experience as an instructional designer.  An added bonus of this course was the ability to add “Experience working with Canvas” on my resume. I completed my summer learning with EDFR 6302 - Foundations of Learning, Cognition, and Human Development.  This course was different from any other course I’d taken up to this point as it was focused primarily on development theories and human behavior. Behavioral theory can be applied to teaching (both online and in-person) as it gives the learner immediate feedback. For example, behavior theories tell us that if we break down a big task into smaller steps (known as “chunking”), it allows educators to improve learning retention.  I will be completing my learning journey in the Fall of 2022 with two final courses - EDTC 6332 - Practicum in Educational Technology and EDFR 6300 - Foundations of Research in Education. EDTC 6332 - Practicum in Educational Technology is the course I’ve been looking most forward to since starting the program. This course gave me a unique opportunity to identify a potential training problem or opportunity and then address it through the creation of an online training program. The rest of the course was spent developing a design plan and executing an instructional solution using the ADDIE model for instructional design.  I find this method of framework to be very useful because having stages clearly defined facilitates the potential implementation of effective training tools. Having experience utilizing the ADDIE model for instructional design, the knowledge to apply behavioral theories to learning experiences, the ability to write a successful project proposal, and the skills to implement an effective online learning environment are tools that I am so grateful to have gained during my time at UTRGV. 

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My multimedia courses have allowed me to gain the ability to develop meaningful educational content through interactive instruction.  My instructional design courses introduced me to using systematic approaches to design effective instructional resources. Finally, my leadership courses have given me the confidence to implement an innovative technology plan by evaluating the needs of my target audience. Having this knowledge and experience makes me feel confident and valuable to my school district which, in my 17 years of teaching, is a new feeling for me.  This experience has given me the boost I need to step out of my comfort zone and into a leadership role in educational technology.

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When I began the program, I began looking to get a Graduate degree that would benefit my career aspirations as a school librarian.  School libraries frequently double as media centers, and I really wanted to be an asset to my district in that position.  Since reaching the date of my graduation, I’m looking forward to seeing what other opportunities will be presented to me.  While I still strive to become the best, most tech savvy Librarian in the area, I also have decided to keep my ear to the ground as new educational technology trends and opportunities develop over the next several years. I don’t have to stay in public education.  I can move where I can make the biggest impact, and that’s a really hopeful feeling.