blog@geibtechforlearning

It has been quite the journey to finally have reached the Capstone course. I started right out of high school, 2004, at CSUF. I had always known I wanted to be a teacher, but was not sure what I wanted to teach. It was a toss up between History, P.E., and Language Arts. Ultimately I chose to get my B.A. in History, and I am extremely glad I did. In 2008 I enrolled in the APU credential/Masters program. I remember the first night like it was yesterday. I had my interview with Dr. Reeder, and she had told me about this cool “new” technology Masters; when I heard the word “new” I shut immediately shut off. I figured I would stick with the tried and true “traditional” education Masters. However, her words stuck with me, and it would not be long till I would see the benefits of the Digital Teaching and Learning Masters. I made the switch and I am so glad I did. I often found myself convincing and advocating for others to switch their Masters. It only makes sense. We are dealing with the 21st Century learner, and if we do not adapt, we are going to be in a world of hurt in the long run. Our kids lives our changing right before our eyes, and our classrooms are not. We need to use technology to help create a digital learner that can use his or her critical thinking skills in the real world. After I finished the first half of the Credential Program, I had to take Masters courses instead of moving forward, as I was unable to pass the World History CSET. During this time I was able to really focus and learn on how I can implement technology into my class, and make a learning environment that the students will actually enjoy and learn from. I eventually passed, did my student teaching, and I am finally here at the Capstone course.
As for the immediate future, I would really like to put together a well developed research and technology based unit, which will hopefully help me get a job. I know that if I am able to get an interview, and truly show off what I can do as an educator, the Lord will help me find the right job. In the near future I want to continue to look for a job, but in the mean time I want to spend more time reading History, and also further develop my technology skills. I have a PC, and I think I may have one for a while. I have seen so many cool programs that are standard on a Mac, and I want to do more research to find top notch programs for PC’s. In the Long Term Future I want to really develop myself as an educator. Reaching out to fellow teachers, researching, and experimenting is going to be my focus for the next five years. A teacher is actually a learner; and I will always push myself to learn, which will help me become a more effective teacher. I have been called to be a teacher, and I know with the Lord’s strength I will always do my best to help push my students, and be the best teacher I can be.

Well this might be the last class I will be taking in my professional life. Let me tell you it has been a journey. I graduated in 99 from ACHS and went to Moorpark college and then on to CSUN. I was never inspired to do anything in college…I was basically going because I knew it would lead to something and I would be the first to go on either side of my families. When I got to CSUN I had to pick a major, so I picked Business/Marketing because my best friend was doing it. I found college to be pretty easy.

After college I found myself working odd end jobs just to get by. I still had no idea what I wanted to be. I ended up landing a few big corporate jobs where I was running the business for about 3 years. I was making pretty good money, but I was working over 60 to 70 hours a week. Once I got engaged I said “forget this, this isn’t living.” I don’t know what turned me on to teaching, but it just happened. I dropped everything and enrolled at APU. I started my own business to get me through college and support my new family. I didn’t do student teaching or anything, I just wanted to be thrown in to the wolves…and that’s what happened my first year at Ventura High School…it was a real eye opener. I found myself just trying to get through the first few months.

When I started at APU I was doing the traditional Masters program. I really hated it because I hate writing about nonsense. Rudy told me about a new masters program that was starting that was all about technology in the classroom. I said sign me up. I actually added on more classes when I switched, but I am soooooo glad I did. I have learned so much from each class.

In the long term I want to be the teacher that all the kids talk about. I want all the teachers asking me how I make my classes so technology based…and awesome. I want my students to have an amazing educational experience at TOHS. I hope to teach more teachers at my school what I have learned. This is just the beginning for me and APU has really stepped up my teaching level far beyond what I could do. I have learned so many new tools that I am really excited to try them out next school year.

It has been what seems like a long journey to this point at Azusa. I am glad to be almost done and looking toward the future in my professional goals. I originally took these classes so that I could start teaching at a public school and make more money doing the job I love. I know the challenges at the public school will be different then those I have faced in the four years that I have been teaching in a private school, but I look forward to meeting those challenges.

In the future I hope to return to school and obtain a masters degree in my content area so that I can some day teach at the junior college level. I enjoy being in the high school environment and hope to stay there for many years to come but I want to open as many doors as possible for myself. For now however I hope to get a job at a public school and master my craft in the years to come. I hope that the skills I have learned at Azusa and the use of technology will give me an advantage for the future of education. I am excited to try new things with technology and master my use of it.

This is the last class that I need to obtain my Master’s Degree. Getting this far has been a journey for me. I enrolled at Azusa in 2008 and started taking a class for the credential and a class for the masters. Except, I was enrolled in the traditional masters program until I found out that in the last class I have to do a research paper that was 60 pages long. Once I found that out, I didn’t want to continue with the traditional masters program because I have always struggled writing long research papers. Then I heard about the new technology program through Rudy and I decided to enroll in it. I was so happy to take those technology classes because I learned a lot from them. Now I know how to make my own videos and edit them.

In the future I hope to get a full time teaching job and teach fifth graders because I had a great time teaching them when I was doing my student teaching. In the mean time I hope to stay home and enjoy my time with my two children and the baby that is coming in November. Maybe after a year I’ll start applying to be a substitute until I can get a full time teaching position. Also, I will be sure to take my binder that I am going to put together in this class to every interview that I get so who ever interviews me could see what I am capable of doing.

Reflection on my educational experience, past and present and context of the capstone experience in the big picture is something I just had to sit down and think about. What have I learned and what is my next step? I have always enjoyed playing with children, from when I would help my cousins and friends with their homework. Teaching makes me feel like I am helping someone reach their goals for a better future. I also liked making pictures so I got and art degree CSULB hoping to become and art teacher. After remembering some difficult experiences in high school I decided I would rather work with the younger more “teachable” kids. I am supposed to be a good example for the kids and like school, but it is a relief to be finally taking the last class for the masters. Now I can go out to find a way to get my own class and hope I will be allowed to teach using video projects that I learned can get the kids excited about learning. I hope to make the lessons in my own class feel like games to the kids so they will want to pay attention instead of thinking school are boring. I feel that kids do learn differently than in the past and expecting kid to read or listen to lectures in the old fashioned way is boring the kids so that is why our schools at the lower levels perform so poorly compared to other countries. There have been times when kids said they had fun in my class and ask me for more projects because they remembered a project I did with them on Ancient Greece that most of the class seemed to have fun with. Using what I have learned by teaching my own class using project based video and audio learning using multiple intelligences is what I hope is my future so that I can help kids get excited about their own future using what I helped them discover.

Well, where do I start… It’s been a long journey to this capstone class. Lots of late homework nights, tears, and stress. I’ve always had to work full time while going to school but I think that made me really appreciate all that I have achieved so far.

I have always known that I wanted to become a teacher. I have always had a passion to work with children as well as make a difference in their lives. But I wasn’t until I became a born again Christian that I knew it was my calling to spread God’s word into young children’s lives that may not otherwise have the opportunity. When I was in high school and I starting having to think about what I wanted to do with my life, I knew one thing for certain: I wanted to affect people. I wanted my life to mean something, in such a crazy, fast pace world we live in. I knew that if I could affect one student to go to college, to believe themselves, to feel confident enough to walk away from drugs, not have sex until they were married, or to just simply graduate high school- my purpose on earth was served.

I started my education at a j.c. then transferred to California Baptist University to finish my Bachelors degree in Liberal Studies. I received my Credential in Multiple Subjects at Azusa Pacific and decided to keep going and get my Masters degree as well. My plan for the future is to, hopefully, get a teaching job this next school year and start taking the appropriate steps to become a principal. I really believe these technology courses will help me to stand out and influence other educations to use technology in the classroom.