In 2018, after 19 years of teaching, I felt a sudden longing to complete a master’s degree. I started a program in my early career but never finished it because I got distracted by having a family. That new and sudden longing was unexpected, so I took some time to think about it. I created a list of reasons for pursuing a master’s degree, and eventually, that list transitioned into my goals.
My first goal was to learn how to use technology effectively in my teaching. It’s a digital world, which isn’t going to change, so it was important that my teaching change to accommodate it. The next goal was to finish what I had started and earn a masters’ degree. I wanted to prove to myself that I could achieve a higher level of academic success than anyone in my family had attempted before. My third and final goal was to show my children that learning is a lifelong process. My husband and I both felt that it would benefit them to see us studying as adults to see education as a part of life.
I chose the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program at Michigan State University. Not only was it technology-centered, but it also fit my hectic schedule. I applied and received my acceptance in November 2018. By January 2019, I was starting my first course. That’s when my goals began to expand. My original goals didn’t change, and I’m happy to say that in December 2020, I will meet them. The exciting thing about this program is that once I started to explore technology, planning, innovation, and design theory, I developed MORE goals.
The MAET program reinvigorated my passion for education. It reminded me that our education system arose to meet industry needs. It worked for the time but has not been updated as the times have changed. The students I am teaching now are going to be doing jobs that don’t even exist yet. I can’t teach them everything they need to know, but I can encourage creativity and teach problem-solving skills. I can use technology to enable them to guide their own learning. I can connect them to the rest of the world with technology and allow them to learn from masters of the craft.
As my MAET program is almost complete I have two new goals. One of my new goals is to impact the education system in a meaningful way. We have the tools we need to innovate an old system, and I see the squandering of those tools by a fear of change. I started working toward this goal by providing support to my close colleagues. My second new goal is related to the first. My goal is to pursue a Doctor of Education Degree in Leadership and Innovation. It’s nice to impact the programs around me, but I’ve set my sights higher than that now. To truly move education as a system, I will need to learn more about leadership and innovation.
My first goal was to learn how to use technology effectively in my teaching. It’s a digital world, which isn’t going to change, so it was important that my teaching change to accommodate it. The next goal was to finish what I had started and earn a masters’ degree. I wanted to prove to myself that I could achieve a higher level of academic success than anyone in my family had attempted before. My third and final goal was to show my children that learning is a lifelong process. My husband and I both felt that it would benefit them to see us studying as adults to see education as a part of life.
I chose the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program at Michigan State University. Not only was it technology-centered, but it also fit my hectic schedule. I applied and received my acceptance in November 2018. By January 2019, I was starting my first course. That’s when my goals began to expand. My original goals didn’t change, and I’m happy to say that in December 2020, I will meet them. The exciting thing about this program is that once I started to explore technology, planning, innovation, and design theory, I developed MORE goals.
The MAET program reinvigorated my passion for education. It reminded me that our education system arose to meet industry needs. It worked for the time but has not been updated as the times have changed. The students I am teaching now are going to be doing jobs that don’t even exist yet. I can’t teach them everything they need to know, but I can encourage creativity and teach problem-solving skills. I can use technology to enable them to guide their own learning. I can connect them to the rest of the world with technology and allow them to learn from masters of the craft.
As my MAET program is almost complete I have two new goals. One of my new goals is to impact the education system in a meaningful way. We have the tools we need to innovate an old system, and I see the squandering of those tools by a fear of change. I started working toward this goal by providing support to my close colleagues. My second new goal is related to the first. My goal is to pursue a Doctor of Education Degree in Leadership and Innovation. It’s nice to impact the programs around me, but I’ve set my sights higher than that now. To truly move education as a system, I will need to learn more about leadership and innovation.
All photos on this site are the work of Jill Kalyankar