Two Tech Leaders Set to Launch in March 2011
"I feel as if I fell into the position of "Technology Expert" and now it is time for me to acquire the knowledge I need to take our staff to the next level." ~Rebecca Baron 2009
How Steve Jobs and I joined forces for the greater good!
By Rebecca Baron
By Rebecca Baron
In March 2011 as I sat writing my MAET (Masters of Art in Educational Technology) Goal Statement Steve Jobs was getting ready to launch his new and improved iPad2. This updated iPad was faster, thinner, and even included a camera. At that time I had no idea the impact it would have on my future as a technology leader in my school district. My Goal Statement for entrance into MSU’s MAET program was a rather simplistic overview of my then new position as a Librarian/Media Specialist at a small rural school in Northern Michigan where most teachers struggled to stay afloat in the realm of technology. I was tasked to not only bring them up to speed on the benefits of technology in the classroom, but to also make sure they stayed abreast of the latest and greatest educational trends that new technologies offered. I saw the MAET Master's Degree Program as a way to help me become a technology leader in my school district and keep me ahead of the curve.
To date the program has done exactly what I had hoped it would do. I have learned about the different ways to utilize simple, everyday programs such as the Microsoft Office Suite to enhance learning in classrooms. I have introduced websites such as Audacity and Prezi to teachers and then taught them how to use these resources to create meaningful learning projects for their own students. Last year I created a Technology Training Program for all of our teachers that enabled them to work in small group situations to push their technology skills to new levels using online resources such as Edmodo, Haiku, and Glogster. These activities and many more were made possible through my training in the MAET program; all of them were goals I first established that March in 2011 when I sat down to write my original MAET Goal Statement.
My school district is small, poor, and a little behind the times, but I couldn’t be prouder to work in it. I have been waging a very difficult battle with my IT director over the benefits of using iPads in our school district. I began by submitting a very thorough and pedagogy-based proposal to my school administrators outlining the many merits of the affordable iPad 2. I attended a conference presented by the Apple Distinguished Educator for 2010, Scott Meech, in order to be prepared should my school district find themselves ready to introduce iPads into our curriculum. Last year, after three years of technology prep in the MAET program, countless hours spent discussing the benefits of iPads for things such as classroom centers and online learning, and several intense meetings with administrators with very little extra cash to spend, I finally triumphed. We introduced 45 iPad 2s into the Technology and Language Arts curriculum in our Middle School and 80 into our classrooms, Kindergarten through 5th Grade. March 2011 turned out to be a great launching point for me and for Steve Jobs. Who'd have ever thought?!
**Click here to view a Google Doc version of my 2013 Goal Statement Reflection.**
To date the program has done exactly what I had hoped it would do. I have learned about the different ways to utilize simple, everyday programs such as the Microsoft Office Suite to enhance learning in classrooms. I have introduced websites such as Audacity and Prezi to teachers and then taught them how to use these resources to create meaningful learning projects for their own students. Last year I created a Technology Training Program for all of our teachers that enabled them to work in small group situations to push their technology skills to new levels using online resources such as Edmodo, Haiku, and Glogster. These activities and many more were made possible through my training in the MAET program; all of them were goals I first established that March in 2011 when I sat down to write my original MAET Goal Statement.
My school district is small, poor, and a little behind the times, but I couldn’t be prouder to work in it. I have been waging a very difficult battle with my IT director over the benefits of using iPads in our school district. I began by submitting a very thorough and pedagogy-based proposal to my school administrators outlining the many merits of the affordable iPad 2. I attended a conference presented by the Apple Distinguished Educator for 2010, Scott Meech, in order to be prepared should my school district find themselves ready to introduce iPads into our curriculum. Last year, after three years of technology prep in the MAET program, countless hours spent discussing the benefits of iPads for things such as classroom centers and online learning, and several intense meetings with administrators with very little extra cash to spend, I finally triumphed. We introduced 45 iPad 2s into the Technology and Language Arts curriculum in our Middle School and 80 into our classrooms, Kindergarten through 5th Grade. March 2011 turned out to be a great launching point for me and for Steve Jobs. Who'd have ever thought?!
**Click here to view a Google Doc version of my 2013 Goal Statement Reflection.**