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MAET Synthesis

When people inquire about my profession, I used to offer a simple response to avoid a berate of questions- I work for an education publishing company. However, this often led to a common misunderstanding about the work I actually do. The assumption was that I must write children's books or be involved in content creation. In reality, my professional work includes budget management, project coordination, and contributions to both print and digital educational products. The complexity of my role often left people puzzled, prompting further queries about my educational background - did I study business or literature? Explaining my elementary education undergrad and educational technology master's degrees often heightened the confusion, as these fields seemed unrelated to the common understanding of educational technology and education publishing (or lack thereof).

 

By the completion of my MAET program, I learned to passionately answer the “what do you do” question with “Educational Technology”. This transition marked a personal acknowledgment of my role within the expansive domain of ed tech. Contrary to my misconception that only those directly involved in coding, product creation, and research constitute the ed tech workforce, I came to understand that my contributions, though different and removed from the direct product, were integral to the EdTech world. Educational technology, as I discovered, is not confined to a specific job description, but a sector with diverse career paths, job roles, and ways to impact students and teachers.

     

Now, when faced with the inquiry about my profession, I proudly answer that I work for a company producing educational technology products with a global reach. The ensuing question of "What is ed tech?" has become an opportunity for me to passionately share my insights gained from my master's program, emphasizing the amazing nature of the field, its impact on education, and its dynamic, evolving scope.

     

While some may question the relevance of my educational background in elementary education and educational technology to my day-to-day tasks of budgeting and reporting, I firmly believe in the transferable skills that come with a degree in education. My grandmother, a former teacher, always emphasized that an education degree is a degree never wasted. The skills acquired - organization, people management, analytical thinking, time management, operational structures, and prioritization - are invaluable and applicable across various fields. Viewing my education from a holistic perspective, the transferable skills gained from teaching have significantly contributed to my ability to manage budgets, coordinate projects, and navigate the dynamic world of educational technology.

     

In reflecting upon my educational journey, three courses from my MAET (Master of Arts in Educational Technology) program stand out as pivotal in shaping my thinking, influencing my work, and enhancing my professional best practices.

     My experience in the CEP 805 course, "Learning Mathematics with Technology," was transformative. Through a series of five content categories, I dove into the integration of technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge. My choice expression of learning involved creating professional development sessions that seamlessly incorporated these three elements. Entering this course, I had a newfound interest in professional development. In my professional life I had the opportunity to connect with colleagues who worked in professional development, and noted the connection it had to my elementary education background. Not having as many teaching opportunities in my current role, I knew this would be a great time to dip my toes into what professional development sessions would look like and facilitate them in a low-stakes environment. 

     Beyond the technical aspects, the course and the creation of PD sessions taught me effective leadership of adult learners, the importance of scaffolding new tools, and pertinent pedagogical strategies for professional development. This newfound confidence in training others enabled me to seek out PD opportunities at work and eventually lead a 10-week mini-learning series for my colleagues shortly after completing the course. The skills acquired continue to shape my approach to professional development within my company, where I've since been involved in company-wide training sessions and am planning future learning series.

     Operational management is a key aspect of my role, and the "Learning Technology through Design" course (CEP 817) was instrumental in enhancing my skills in this area. Exploring the design thinking process - empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping, and testing - challenged me to think beyond immediate problem-solving. This course was a true challenge for me, as I had never heard of or used the design thinking process, and it was a drastic change in my thought processes. The gradual guidance through each phase of the design thinking process allowed me to analyze and revise my approach to each, processing each phase individually. The most difficult aspect of this process was avoiding the want to find a solution to a problem, then work backwards through the process. 

     The "Problem of Practice" assignment, in particular, prompted me to investigate operational flaws within my workplace and apply the design thinking process to improve efficiency. While challenging, this course significantly expanded my problem-solving toolkit, encouraging a more thoughtful and strategic approach to operational challenges. Post course completion, I applied my design thinking knowledge to many operational obstacles in both my professional and personal lives, placing an emphasis on empathizing with my audience, defining the problem, ideating solutions, prototyping and testing solutions, with multiple rounds of revisions. One of the most important takeaways from this course, aside from new skill sets, was learning the importance of incubating ideas and revising often.

     As a remote worker, the "Teaching and Learning Online" course (CEP 820) resonated deeply with the challenges I face in maintaining a human connection in a virtual professional environment. The course delved into humanizing online instruction and interactions, emphasizing the real impacts that remote modalities have on students and teachers. The rise of online teaching, learning, and working with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic is what initially sparked my interest in the MAET program, so this course was highly anticipated and valued. The transition from in-person undergraduate courses to working and learning remotely proved to me the need for and importance of humanizing all online interactions, both professionally and educationally. 

     While my course assignment was limited to improving one lesson plan for inclusion of humanizing tools, my connection to this skill expanded far beyond the singular lesson and into my daily professional interactions. This knowledge has proven invaluable in running and attending virtual meetings, as well as in presenting professional development training. It has also influenced the way I approach the creation of tools such as job aids, dashboards, and reports, aiming to humanize these artifacts to foster a more connected professional environment while engaging remotely.

These three courses and skills are not all-inclusive of my MAET education. Throughout my 30-credit program, my personal and professional skills were tested, broken, and rebuilt for my betterment. In a recent open house hosted for prospective MAET students, I was asked to describe my masters experience in a few words. I found this to be a challenging task, as the program is incredibly personalized and I am confident that all experiences are unique and incomparable. The three words I ultimately used to describe the program were versatile, flexible, and rewarding. I intended for these words to encapsulate the overall MAET approach and what any student could expect from the program, regardless of professional goals.

     

A huge part of my MAET experience was serving as the MAET Student Advisory Council representative for the entire duration of my degree. I was hesitant to apply for the position, as I was already juggling a full class schedule, a 40-hour work week at a brand new job, and had just adopted a puppy, but I knew that I wanted to take advantage of every opportunity this program had to offer. I applied and was accepted to be the sole MAET SAC representative for the 2022-2023 school year. This position allowed me to attend meetings with the SAC representatives from all graduate and undergraduate programs in Michigan State University’s College of Education as well as the CEPSE Chairperson. Through these monthly meetings I learned even more about operational strategies, diversity, equity, and inclusion within higher education, and how to critically analyze my own program. This was a leadership experience unlike any other and I was honored to extend my hold of the position through the completion of my degree. 

   

My MAET education has been a transformative journey, equipping me with not only technical knowledge but also a set of transferable skills that form the backbone of my professional success. The ability to confidently lead professional development, apply design thinking to operational challenges, and humanize online interactions are just a few examples of how my education has directly influenced my day-to-day work. As I continue to navigate the dynamic landscape of educational technology, I carry with me the lessons, skills, and perspectives gained from my master's program, shaping my role as an active contributor to the ever-evolving field of ed tech.

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