Synthesis Essay | portfolio

Paving the Way to the Future

My Synthesis Essay

by Dilys Gibbs-Harrison

Where do I begin? When I first went to college, I never dreamed I would be a teacher. I have been involved in agriculture my whole life. My first time in college, I went for the animal science degree. To increase my chance of a job, Agriculture Communications became my second major. I enjoyed the art of communication. I have always loved talking to people. When graduation time came, my father needed help on the farm. I returned home. My boyfriend followed, soon to become my husband. I became the main field fitter. I was good at it. I loved plowing the fields straight, getting as close to structures as possible but not hitting them. It was an art. However, times were tough. Crop prices were downright scary. We needed another source of income.

Bronson High School Agriculture teacher approached me about helping out with the program ten hours a week during the winter. This was doable. Both my children were in school. I could handle this. Not only did it fulfill my agriculture roots, it exposed me to teaching. I observed her teaching. The students appreciated my knowledge of agriculture and science. It seemed like a good fit. Within the month, the high school principal approached me. He said, you have a degree right? We need substitute teachers. If I hadn’t of had this exposure, I would’ve never even thought of becoming a substitute teacher. That was the beginning of my teaching career. Soon I became the primary substitute for the school. I became very attached to many of the students. It was fun to watch them grow. Then a student said to me, why aren’t you a real teacher? That one question provoked my interest to become a high school teacher. I had to explore what my previous degree would work best for which teaching degree. I could not go far from home as my children were young.

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And so my career as a science teacher began. It took a while to land my first full time job but it was well worth it. I took many long term substitute positions that made my desire for a full time position stronger. Students are eager to learn. Most are an open canvas, waiting to be filled. My first teaching position was in ninth grade science teaching physical science. Teaching freshmen is an education itself. They are so eager to be high school big shots but still naïve. I was naïve too. I absorbed things from my colleagues like a wet sponge. I loved how labs increased comprehension. They reworked the lesson and taught it a different way. I loved watching the wheels turn in students’ heads. However, there was one problem. Lab supplies are expensive. Exposing students to as much as I wanted was not always possible. The magic of internet labs came into play. The only internet labs the school system used were DVDs from the book companies. I did not know anything beyond this. I was exposed to some labs during student teaching but they were also bought or textbook connected.

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As I started this technology journey, I was an apprentice to Tammy Maginity, a master in the Educational Technology world. She opened my eyes in CEP 810, Teaching for Understanding with Technology, that I didn’t know. It taught me about FaceBook, Twitter, Edutopia, and RSS pages. I still wish I could use my iGoogle page. The people in the programwere helpful and eager to learn too. Most of us took the second course CEP 811, Adapting Innovative Technologies in Education, together. This continued on that path with TPACK, the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge, that emphasizes how important the interaction of content, how it's taught and technolgy is used to enhance this process.

However, it was CEP 812, Applying Technology to Issues of Practice, that made me want to continue on. CEP 812 got me out of my comfort zone. There were people in my group that pushed me. The collaboration I received from two people: one in Detroit and in Poland. They gave me confidence to podcast and reach outside my comfort zone. We collaborated on a Toondoo from miles away, writing in different colors so we knew which ideas were others and pushing each other to grow. The idea of TPACK forced us to use out collaborative knowledge to creat a piece that all of us could take pride in, especially since we taught different ages and subjects.

Although all of my courses have taken me beyond my expectations and established exceptional values, there are three Master of Arts courses that stood out for me and strengthened myself as a teacher and technology leader. These three courses are as follows:

CEP 800 Learning in School and Other Settings
CEP 815 Technology and Leadership
CEP 820 Teaching Online

Learning in Schools and Other Settings - CEP 800

This class stretched my learning with Audacity and Podcasting. Me? Make an edited recording? I never dreamed of it. It taught me to lead my students into my lessons and how to change my teaching because of it. When your students ask you why, you must have the drive to find and explain the answers in the different ways children learn. This course taught me different ways to fulfill this. Working backwards is the key to teaching. The state requires benchmarks that every teacher and student must meet. How do teachers create deep comprehension of this benchmark that sticks with the student? How does it relate to the real world? Can they meet the four types of knowledge; performing skills, recalling facts, identifying examples of concepts, and applying principles. What method will be used to help students learn; lab, video, group project, model, or technological application? What is the barriers that prevents optimal learning? What methods can be used to chip away at these barriers? There are strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum? How can I make it more meaningful to the student? How can the lesson sustain student effort, interest, and persistence? Deeper implementation of UDL Guidelines leads to better teaching and deeper connection with students.

Technology and Leadership - CEP 815

In the beginning of this course, it asked: What are the aims and goals of education? What does effective learning look like? What factors influence learning? What is the difference between leading and managing? How do we develop leaders? The answer to this is varied but stands by the argument, teaching and learning must be visible. Students should learn that making errors leads to learning and comprehension. The same with the teacher. The teacher needs to be actively engaged in, and passionate about teaching and learning.This can be done through summary notes but students are engaged and more compassionate about their learning if they can express themselves through different types of technology. As a leader, one must examine the audience and mode of communication to effectively present the material. One article that clearly spoke out to me was Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time by Tony Schwartz. During my entire master’s program, I have had personal matters that have sapped my energy. My parents both came down with dementia. My mother was so proud of me for going back after my degree that she made me promise her that I would finish. I lost her in October 2013 and my father is August 2014. My energy has been sapped many times. I have learned to look back and this article and Why Smart People Underperform by Edward. M Hallowell and keep plugging along. Breaking things down into smaller tasks, getting enough sleep, and just moving around for ten minutes not only is good for the teacher but also the students in her class

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Teaching Students Online - CEP 820

Learning online can mean so many things to different people. Some people only want to learn one or two things. Some people search deeply online for every angle to research their topic. Some researchers use online surveys, such as Survey Monkey, to cover topics. Others use blogs or websites to convey their message. My goal was to create a create a science topic that could be used as a flipped model classroom or entirely as an independent study unit.

The ability to teach students with a website, an online survey, Youtube videos or other homemade videos and screencasts to an entire website devoted to a state mandated benchmark was beyond my imagination. Along with this lesson, students could collaborate in blogs or Google Docs to demonstrate their knowledge. This collaboration increases social interaction to lead to greater understanding of all class participants. I chose the periodic table unit as my alternative education students have a particular problem understanding its patterns. Through this website, I continue administer it in class and online for students. I can see a great need to continue building this website as many students do not understand the concept of how the periodic table was built and its electron configuration.

Teaching Students Online was beyond anything I had experienced. I thoroughly loved using my imagination, getting feedback from the teaching staff and colleagues was invaluable. It challenged the way I teach and continue to search online for new ways to reach students. The Universal Design for Learning Guidelines still push me to look beyond the usual tools.

In the last couple weeks, I have been told I will no longer be teaching the alternative students I have grown very attached to. Through many years of teaching, I have learned it is so important these students have someone stable in their lives. I have become that teacher. That being said, I am afraid they will slip through the cracks when they return to the high school. My goal is to create a blog to keep in touch with them. I want to help them with the sciences. I do not want them to lose faith. Not only will I create a blog, I will continue to work on my Haiku Chemistry website. They need chemistry broken down into small chunks. I will try my hardest to do this for them. If time is available, I will work with their teachers to create other science websites to complement their in-class time. The makeup of my school is changing to a low income base. Education’s importance is not enforced in the home. I must strive to instill its importance and how it leads to greater opportunities.

I will be teaching science at the middle school level. The middle school is equipped with more technology that I am eager to use. This will provide new challenges. I am looking forward to having students who have parent backing, and are college bound. I hope also to reach the potential “alternative student” at a younger age and make a difference in their life. School time is such a short time compared to home life. However, every positive influence you can provide a child, the more positive their future becomes.

I have gained so much valuable information from these courses at MSU that it has made me a better educational leader. However, I feel this last course CEP 807, Proseminar in Educational Technology or Capstone is probably the best. It is forcing me to look back and reflect on all that I have learned. Sometimes we are in such a hurry to finish things that we need to look back and pick up the little things that will make us be better teachers, better leaders. This class exemplifies that.

Every ending builds the new beginning.

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