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What Will Become of the Knowledge?
by Don Erickson
As I began to think about my aspirations and how my original goals have changed over the past year and a half, I found myself staring absentmindedly out the window thinking about all the professors, the fellow students I shared a common bond with, the long hours at home or at school researching and viewing and writing, and the copious amounts of knowledge obtained. Oh, the knowledge. What will become of all that knowledge? Will it sit silently until forgotten? Will it scream and shout, pounding its fists to be heard, or will it just inconspicuously infuse itself into my life?
Although a year and a half doesn’t seem like that long, my life has changed tremendously over the past 545 days. Baylor Barbee – speaker, digital strategist, and best-selling author – possibly encapsulates my current sentiments best, “I don’t care who you were. I care who are you and I’m more concerned with who you’re working to become.” As my graduate experience at Michigan State is nearing its conclusion, I understand now more than ever who I’m working to become. I’m working to become a great father for my daughter. I’m working to become the best husband possible. I’m working to become an effective, responsible, and meaningful teacher leader. I’m working to become a technology specialist (not in the sense of the title, but rather as an educator with a firm grasp of current technologies and how each technology can create an environment conducive to learning and fun), and as I stated in my original goals statement I’m working to become, “the best educator I can through knowledge and experience.”
As I began to think about my aspirations and how my original goals have changed over the past year and a half, I found myself staring absentmindedly out the window thinking about all the professors, the fellow students I shared a common bond with, the long hours at home or at school researching and viewing and writing, and the copious amounts of knowledge obtained. Oh, the knowledge. What will become of all that knowledge? Will it sit silently until forgotten? Will it scream and shout, pounding its fists to be heard, or will it just inconspicuously infuse itself into my life?
Although a year and a half doesn’t seem like that long, my life has changed tremendously over the past 545 days. Baylor Barbee – speaker, digital strategist, and best-selling author – possibly encapsulates my current sentiments best, “I don’t care who you were. I care who are you and I’m more concerned with who you’re working to become.” As my graduate experience at Michigan State is nearing its conclusion, I understand now more than ever who I’m working to become. I’m working to become a great father for my daughter. I’m working to become the best husband possible. I’m working to become an effective, responsible, and meaningful teacher leader. I’m working to become a technology specialist (not in the sense of the title, but rather as an educator with a firm grasp of current technologies and how each technology can create an environment conducive to learning and fun), and as I stated in my original goals statement I’m working to become, “the best educator I can through knowledge and experience.”
Upon application to the MAED program in the Spring 2013 semester, I expressed my original goals of taking on more leadership roles in my school as well as complementing my then-current practices with even more technology in the classroom to enhance student engagement and learning. These goals still stand firm today, but it may be most effective to clarify as each goal has evolved. Taking on leadership roles within my school is still a priority; however, after traveling through the program I could probably better express this goal as a desire to take on leadership roles while I work to become a leader that others would wish to follow – a leader who is credible, who is trustworthy, who focuses on the future, who understands I can’t do it alone, who challenges myself and others, and who leads by example. In addition, I continue believing in the objective to enhance the curriculum with technology; I might now refine this goal: I hope to supplement my current teaching practices through technology – keeping in mind missional thinking, TPACK, digital citizenship, digital literacy, digital natives, and digital immigrants. And so I ask myself again, what will become of all that knowledge?