Retrieved from buzznet
Atoya Martin - A Legacy Learner
When I think of legacy I don’t think of valuable things or money to be left to my children, because that would not be much. However, since the birth of my son 11 years ago I firmly believe that legacy begins with leadership and as parents it is our responsibility to leave them something that can last generations. The drive to be a better parent and meaningful contributor to my community at large has been the motivation for pursuing advanced degrees while balancing the roles of wife, teacher and mother raising young children.
My commitment to being a lifelong learner began when I obtained a Master’s in Elementary Education and my initial teaching certificate five years ago. The field of education requires one to be committed to a life of learning because education is constantly evolving and being reformed. My vision of myself in five years is operating in the capacity of an Educational Consultant. I am a giver and I want to give back to my family and community, but I cannot give what I do not have. To operate as an Educational Consultant I must continue to refresh my knowledge so that my giving is current and valuable.
My studies at Michigan State have taught me how valuable relationships are in technology. I will use my formal teaching environment for the next five years to learn and master intimate relationship building with students and their families. The role of educator exposes a teacher to a professional network of like minded colleagues. This resourceful supply of professionals will allow me to continue to strengthen my PLN (professional learning network). While I will have educators to collaborate and learn from, my experience will allow me to be a valuable asset to them as well.
As I contemplate the effect that our rapid changing technology has on our families, I am saddened at the disconnect and the breakdown of meaningful relationships. I have spent family time observing the interaction or lack thereof among children as young as 3 years old. To see young people gravitate towards a device instead of playing with a brother or sister is a direct result of our ever consuming practice of being ‘plugged in’ in my opinion. Tween girls at a party will undoubtedly pull out cell phones and begin to surf, text, tweet, and post selfies before they interact with each other and really have a ‘party’. It is up to the adults and educators to help young people learn how to interact with each other and technology. This requires us to spend more time teaching direct social skills while we let them teach us direct tech skills.
I have attended the MACUL conference (Michigan Associations of Computers Users in Learning) before to learn how to use the attraction of high tech in the classroom. I will continue my membership and attendance at this conference and others like it. The presenters of the conference are the pulse of what’s relevant in technology in education. What I observe from young people in my community I use to make adjustments in my teaching and approach to technology with youth. I find myself in the great company of adults that can say, “I didn’t have internet or a cell phone when I was your age.” My generation is learning how to adjust to the influx of technology. However, our students are born into a world filled with technology and have to learn how to interact with each other, play board games and get ‘unplugged’. Balance is what is missing from both generations. My generation is adjusting to how technology has changed the way we live and the current generation is discovering and exploring life before all of the technological advances by way of research.
My extended family have been marked as my first opportunity to apply what I’ve learned. It is my plan to begin with my cousins with small children, there are 3 soon to be born and 7 baby cousins under the age of 5. It is my desire to work with the parents to help them learn how to balance how their children interact with technology. I prepared presentations on using community resources and raising producers of technology and not consumers. As I prepare to give presentations, I am required to do research to meet the needs of my audience. I’m committed to equipping these parents to leave a desire to learn and produce as legacy for their children. In the below interview The Art of Teaching, Sir Ken Robinson supports his theory that “technology offers unknown & untold opportunities to engage. Provide teaching and learning that is customized to the student.”
My commitment to being a lifelong learner began when I obtained a Master’s in Elementary Education and my initial teaching certificate five years ago. The field of education requires one to be committed to a life of learning because education is constantly evolving and being reformed. My vision of myself in five years is operating in the capacity of an Educational Consultant. I am a giver and I want to give back to my family and community, but I cannot give what I do not have. To operate as an Educational Consultant I must continue to refresh my knowledge so that my giving is current and valuable.
My studies at Michigan State have taught me how valuable relationships are in technology. I will use my formal teaching environment for the next five years to learn and master intimate relationship building with students and their families. The role of educator exposes a teacher to a professional network of like minded colleagues. This resourceful supply of professionals will allow me to continue to strengthen my PLN (professional learning network). While I will have educators to collaborate and learn from, my experience will allow me to be a valuable asset to them as well.
As I contemplate the effect that our rapid changing technology has on our families, I am saddened at the disconnect and the breakdown of meaningful relationships. I have spent family time observing the interaction or lack thereof among children as young as 3 years old. To see young people gravitate towards a device instead of playing with a brother or sister is a direct result of our ever consuming practice of being ‘plugged in’ in my opinion. Tween girls at a party will undoubtedly pull out cell phones and begin to surf, text, tweet, and post selfies before they interact with each other and really have a ‘party’. It is up to the adults and educators to help young people learn how to interact with each other and technology. This requires us to spend more time teaching direct social skills while we let them teach us direct tech skills.
I have attended the MACUL conference (Michigan Associations of Computers Users in Learning) before to learn how to use the attraction of high tech in the classroom. I will continue my membership and attendance at this conference and others like it. The presenters of the conference are the pulse of what’s relevant in technology in education. What I observe from young people in my community I use to make adjustments in my teaching and approach to technology with youth. I find myself in the great company of adults that can say, “I didn’t have internet or a cell phone when I was your age.” My generation is learning how to adjust to the influx of technology. However, our students are born into a world filled with technology and have to learn how to interact with each other, play board games and get ‘unplugged’. Balance is what is missing from both generations. My generation is adjusting to how technology has changed the way we live and the current generation is discovering and exploring life before all of the technological advances by way of research.
My extended family have been marked as my first opportunity to apply what I’ve learned. It is my plan to begin with my cousins with small children, there are 3 soon to be born and 7 baby cousins under the age of 5. It is my desire to work with the parents to help them learn how to balance how their children interact with technology. I prepared presentations on using community resources and raising producers of technology and not consumers. As I prepare to give presentations, I am required to do research to meet the needs of my audience. I’m committed to equipping these parents to leave a desire to learn and produce as legacy for their children. In the below interview The Art of Teaching, Sir Ken Robinson supports his theory that “technology offers unknown & untold opportunities to engage. Provide teaching and learning that is customized to the student.”
I identify myself as a legacy learner because of the advancement of technology. The invention of the Internet has left me with a very valuable gift; digital knowledge. I can access any information that I want to learn about. My learning is not hindered because of these advances but will allow me to guide and equip parents with the tools to leave value for their children.