Personal+Philosophy

toc =Questions= =Revised Personal Statement= A personal philosophy guides my decision to return to the higher education classroom, one that influenced all of my experiences in education up to this time. I believe that learning, when personally meaningful, is a process that opens unknown doors for discovering new knowledge. It guides the critical scholar and pushes the lifelong learner to new insights. This cornerstone philosophy of growth and scholarship shapes my current professionalism, and it is why I know that the context of apprenticeship and learning in a higher education institution is what I need to mature as a 21st century educator.
 * Indiana: Provide a statement (no more than 500 words) that identifies your academic goals, career objectives, why you are applying to this program, and the qualifications you have that make you a strong candidate for this program.
 * Virginia: Please provide a statement of your academic interests. This is your opportunity to describe your special characteristics or skill and to articulate how your goals are compatible with the program to which you are applying.
 * Teachers College: The personal statement is approximately one or two pages in length describing background, past work in the intended field of study, plans for graduate study and a professional career, or any other information that is relevant.

In addition to my guiding philosophy, I am applying to graduate school in order to address two technological interests that emerged during my ten years in the field of education. First, I want to better understand the pedagogy and necessary framework for supporting student learning in online communities like social networks and weblogs. My informal research, http://tinyurl.com/5tv6eq, and experience incorporating online tools with students in the classroom produce numerous lines of inquiry, questions that pertain to teacher delivery and support as well as the type of experiences that create significant learning for students. Second, I want to explore how visual media supports both formal and informal learning in the classroom. I witness critical thinking and insightful conversations when students use visual media as project components, whether it is using pictures as metaphors during reading or seeing connections between social studies content and poplar television. Discovering new ways to capitalize on the creative potential in visual media is a passion that I currently hold, and it is an academic interest that I hope to refine through future study.

I believe that my qualifications make me an ideal candidate for a doctoral degree in the field of educational technology. First, I am a practicing, licensed teacher with classroom experience in fifth and sixth grade. I understand the realities and rigors of running a classroom, both of which are important when considering the possibilities of research-driven decisions and practical considerations. Second, I have a diverse array of experiences that include technology professional development for teachers as well as focused positions in web design and project management. I am a proponent of web 2.0 technologies when I assist other teachers, an advocate for technology in the classroom, and a creator who designs and implements resources for educational use. Finally, I understand a wide array of technological applications and tools that support teaching and learning. I understand the theory, and I know the technology. I believe that my awareness of the classroom, an ability to teach both students and adults, and a sound background in technology and educational theory make me a qualified doctoral candidate.

I hope to use the knowledge gained from an advanced degree to further teaching and learning for all teachers and students, especially those at the elementary level. To do this, I foresee myself conducting research within a higher education institution and contributing to a growing understanding of what learning means in the 21st century. =Personal Statement= A personal belief guides my decision to return to the higher education classroom, one that influenced all of my experiences in education up to this time. I believe that learning, when personally meaningful and powerfully understood, is a process that changes one’s life. It primes the emergent pupil, guides the critical scholar, and pushes the lifelong learner to new insights and discoveries. This belief is the cornerstone of my academic philosophy, and I brought it with me as a classroom teacher. As John Dewey once said, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” Inherent within this often-quoted phrase is the notion of personally meaningful learning because, without a deep and permanent understanding, education often becomes transient. Learning and education that embraces the personal construction of meaning is a principle that knits my past, present, and future together. Although I am more inclined to say that my preparation for teaching is a result of a continuum of experiences, I gained profound personal insight at specific times throughout my higher education. While an undergraduate student at Wake Forest University, I took advantage of an opportunity to work at a school for the mentally and physically challenged. Volunteering at this school changed my perspective on education; I saw the power of learning and the self-gratification of acquiring new knowledge in the simple tasks mastered by the students. My time at this school ultimately catalyzed a series of events that led me to seek a Master’s degree in elementary education at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. If volunteering at Wake Forest changed my perspectives, then the two years spent at Peabody College helped mold my new ideas into more distinct beliefs. A key component to my growth during this time was the manner in which I was exposed to new ideas. I studied within an environment that cultivated active learning; my professors challenged me to question, reformulate, and seek information so that I understood the inherent possibilities in successful educational experiences. Consequently, I remembered and retained much of what I learned, and this prepared me to apply my newfound understandings in the classroom and beyond. In addition to my experiences as a graduate student, I was also a teaching assistant for four professors. Not only was I able to converse with some of the top thinkers in various fields of education, but my assistantship also afforded me chances to delve into different fields of interest. For example, I explored new methods of classroom management, helped conduct studies on mathematical learning, and maintained technological applications for various professors. When I left Peabody, I had a more solid knowledge of my educational beliefs and a repertoire of classroom skills that I was able to use with students in the classroom. I accepted a position as a fifth grade teacher in a self-contained classroom at The Lovett School after finishing graduate school. I applied much of the practical knowledge that I acquired at graduate school in ways unbeknownst to me while studying. I learned which instructional methods worked well and which ones were less successful. I received countless opportunities to stretch my creative inclinations in new directions in search of powerful engagement and meaningful learning. A specific passion emerged during my forays into innovative exploration of practical learning experiences: using technology to support student learning. Technology became a hallmark of my instructional techniques. I introduced The Geometer’s Sketchpad to my students so that they could discover the universal properties of geometric figures. My students conducted research on topics of interest in social studies and made websites displaying their new knowledge. Webquests helped to prime the students for unknown words, environments, and characters in their novels. It was hard to refute the engagement and learning that was going on while watching the discoveries that students made. Two years of exploring and using technology in my classroom led me to Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. I am currently enrolled in the Technology in Education program, studying how technology influences teaching and learning. My particular area of interest focuses on how teachers’ ingrained pedagogical beliefs, learning theories, and social practices influence technological applications in classrooms. It is my hope to return to a school setting so that I can apply my new insights and help teachers guide students in meaningful technology use that promotes learning for all.