Developing Professionally

Section 6: Getting an IDT Position and Succeeding at It

1.    Based on these intentions, explain what you need to learn. What skills and qualifications do you need? Will you obtain the skills you need in the required courses in your program? What electives might you need to take to help you develop skills specific to your aspirations?

Since I already have my dream job, my goal is to develop my skills so that I am the absolute best at what I do. I teach technology, engineering and robotics courses at the middle and high school level, so getting my M.Ed. in Educational Technology directly aligns with my desire to know my content well. I will still need more resources to develop my engineering skills and knowledge. Courses in physics, robotics, engineering design and basic construction would be beneficial and I could take them free online. Coursera.com hosts hundreds of free online courses from 33 of the nation’s top colleges. Click here to read an article about the site from CNN.  I found a course called “Control of Mobile Robots” taught by a professor from Georgia Tech that starts in January that I am highly interested in taking to further my knowledge.

 

2.    Finally, carefully examine the professional organizations and conferences listed in the chapter titled "Professional Organizations and Publications in IDT." What organizations would best support your continued learning after you graduate? Do you think you would benefit from joining those organizations before graduating? Explain why or why not? What conferences or annual meetings do you think it would be helpful to you to attend? Select at least two and tell what you could learn from attending.

I am interested in the American Educational Research Association mostly because of its broad focus on research related to many parts segments of education, not just technology.  Their website includes resources like rebroadcasts of lecture series and an online job board. Dues are $40/year for graduate students.  I am also  interested in learning more about SALT (Society for Applied Learning Technology) to help offer content-specific information about technology education in particular.  I would definitely benefit from joining these organizations now since they would help me stay up-to-date with all of the latest research in my fields and allow me to explore career opportunities that I may not discover otherwise.  The Annual Brown Lecture Series on the AERA site was of particular interest to me.  It focuses on issues pertaining to equality in education.  SALT has a conference coming up in August on Interactive Learning Technologies that sounds like it would be beneficial for learning about new platforms for electronic student interaction.