CONTINUE LEARNING, CONTINUE GROWING
During my time at Michigan State University (MSU), especially in the last nine months, I have experienced simultaneous academic and professional growth that I did not anticipate would occur at the pace at which it did. I have been quite surprised to have undergone the evolution in thinking that I have experienced in the last year. Frankly speaking, I was not prepared to see my academic and professional lives intertwining as fluidly and cohesively as they did. I believe I underestimated the impact that formalized education would have on my daily practice. In particular, at work, I have been able to take what I have learned in the program and apply it practically and successfully. Outside of work, I have been able to critically and holistically evaluate how my personal and professional life complement each other and align to my core beliefs of public service and civic duty to have a positive impact on greater society. I feel that I am now more compelled to assist others, especially colleagues, peers and community members to better understand the digital tools available to them.
This is a significant thought that was cultivated this past spring, while I took a course on leadership and technology. This concept was more robustly explored and more clearly defined over the summer when I learned about educational research. I am grateful about the sequence and timing of these two courses as they enhanced my way of thinking and evolved my approach to problem solving. In the leadership course, I dissected the complex layers of what it means to lead. For instance, I found that leaders can be incomplete and motivated by different means. And, in the research course I was able to synthesize ideas to ask more poignant questions. For instance, I focused on the notion of bad leadership and the occurrence of unethical decision-making by leaders in education. I searched for answers and found myself coming to the conclusion that leadership is a skill that is developed, and requires training and exerted effort. I was quite pleasantly surprised when I found myself focused on the idea of leadership as it relates to my future.
I have come up with a few tangible ideas that I hope to explore further in order to support a more robust and impactful leadership role for myself.
Produce Content
I still question the type of platform that I feel will be best suited with the type of work that I would like to do. Ideally, I will have a skill set that will allow me to create and produce video content for an array of instructional use. In order to produce quality materials, I have to become more familiarized and better trained in video editing, storyboarding, and presentation tools like those in the Adobe Creative Suite. I would like to learn more about specific software tools like Story, Captivate and Premiere Pro.
Research and Write
I am interested in enahncing my writing and research skills because I would like to write articles and integrate my data analysis skills for publications in the field of adult education to guide practitioners. I feel that I am driven and motivated to impact my field, but I need to become actively engaged in research to expand my influence in the practice.
Speak Publicly & Attend Conferences
As a person that wants to increase their impact, I need to be ready to interact on a larger platform. In order to do this more effectively, I need to be become a better public speaker. I must be better trained to address different audiences about different content topics. I must also be prepared to speak about specialized content more confidently and on the fly. Furthermore, I have to be prepared to speak to be audio recorded for instructional content. My hope is to practice more by presenting to my colleagues at the local level, but also by attending larger, yearly professional conferences, such as the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), in the greater field.
Ultimate Goal: Access & Impact
My ultimate goal has always been to impact a larger audience to make education more accessible. By focusing on improving my skill, I hope to increase my opportunities to grow my reach. Whatever the role, whether it is as a dean at a higher education institution or as someone working as a part of a community campaign, I will continue to cultivate knowledge in order to expand educational access and opportunities for more substantial impact.
During my time at Michigan State University (MSU), especially in the last nine months, I have experienced simultaneous academic and professional growth that I did not anticipate would occur at the pace at which it did. I have been quite surprised to have undergone the evolution in thinking that I have experienced in the last year. Frankly speaking, I was not prepared to see my academic and professional lives intertwining as fluidly and cohesively as they did. I believe I underestimated the impact that formalized education would have on my daily practice. In particular, at work, I have been able to take what I have learned in the program and apply it practically and successfully. Outside of work, I have been able to critically and holistically evaluate how my personal and professional life complement each other and align to my core beliefs of public service and civic duty to have a positive impact on greater society. I feel that I am now more compelled to assist others, especially colleagues, peers and community members to better understand the digital tools available to them.
This is a significant thought that was cultivated this past spring, while I took a course on leadership and technology. This concept was more robustly explored and more clearly defined over the summer when I learned about educational research. I am grateful about the sequence and timing of these two courses as they enhanced my way of thinking and evolved my approach to problem solving. In the leadership course, I dissected the complex layers of what it means to lead. For instance, I found that leaders can be incomplete and motivated by different means. And, in the research course I was able to synthesize ideas to ask more poignant questions. For instance, I focused on the notion of bad leadership and the occurrence of unethical decision-making by leaders in education. I searched for answers and found myself coming to the conclusion that leadership is a skill that is developed, and requires training and exerted effort. I was quite pleasantly surprised when I found myself focused on the idea of leadership as it relates to my future.
I have come up with a few tangible ideas that I hope to explore further in order to support a more robust and impactful leadership role for myself.
Produce Content
I still question the type of platform that I feel will be best suited with the type of work that I would like to do. Ideally, I will have a skill set that will allow me to create and produce video content for an array of instructional use. In order to produce quality materials, I have to become more familiarized and better trained in video editing, storyboarding, and presentation tools like those in the Adobe Creative Suite. I would like to learn more about specific software tools like Story, Captivate and Premiere Pro.
Research and Write
I am interested in enahncing my writing and research skills because I would like to write articles and integrate my data analysis skills for publications in the field of adult education to guide practitioners. I feel that I am driven and motivated to impact my field, but I need to become actively engaged in research to expand my influence in the practice.
Speak Publicly & Attend Conferences
As a person that wants to increase their impact, I need to be ready to interact on a larger platform. In order to do this more effectively, I need to be become a better public speaker. I must be better trained to address different audiences about different content topics. I must also be prepared to speak about specialized content more confidently and on the fly. Furthermore, I have to be prepared to speak to be audio recorded for instructional content. My hope is to practice more by presenting to my colleagues at the local level, but also by attending larger, yearly professional conferences, such as the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), in the greater field.
Ultimate Goal: Access & Impact
My ultimate goal has always been to impact a larger audience to make education more accessible. By focusing on improving my skill, I hope to increase my opportunities to grow my reach. Whatever the role, whether it is as a dean at a higher education institution or as someone working as a part of a community campaign, I will continue to cultivate knowledge in order to expand educational access and opportunities for more substantial impact.