“I Think I am Ready for Another Adventure.”
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Two years ago, I decided to apply to the Educational Technology Master’s program at Michigan State University [MAET]. Now all of my class assignments are completed. Projects are posted online. My grades are final. It is time to graduate. However, my learning journey is far from over. If anything, my time in the MAET program has really opened my eyes to all of the other things I need to learn. This paper will explore three digital content areas that I plan to learn about once I complete my Master’s program including Drupal, Code Academy, and Adobe Experience Design.
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Before I describe my content areas, I want to take a brief moment to explain how these projects came about. When I started the MAET program, my job was to support technology integration within the Coaching 101 program, which is just one of the programs in the Office of K-12 Outreach at Michigan State University. As I began working on my projects in the MAET program and showing off my skills around the office, many of the other programs decided they wanted digital tools for their work. Eventually, this lead me to have a conversation with my boss about a change in position. Once this grant year ends, I will begin working with other programs in the office on a much larger scale. At this time, I am not exactly sure what this new position will look like, so the content areas I am focusing on will incorporate the Coaching 101 program. However, the skills from these content areas can be used in other K-12 Outreach programs.
My first content area is to learn how to develop a website using Drupal, a content management system [CMS]. One of the larger projects I have been asked to lead is the transition of the Coaching 101 website to Drupal, a new content management system. The main reason for migrating the website is all programs funded through Title I funds have to have accessibility (incorporate Americans with Disabilities Act standards) built into their products. Coaching 101 is currently funded through Title I. Not only does the Coaching 101 website need to be accessible but the current CMS is not supported by MSU’s IT Services. In the next couple of months, I plan on learning how to use Drupal, while also implementing accessibility, by watching videos in Buildamodule.com and attending the Twin Cities Drupal Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
(Drupal, 2001)
In addition to learning how to use Drupal, I also need to have more knowledge about HTML coding. In many ways, building a website with Drupal and learning more HTML coding go hand in hand. From the small amount of time I have played with Drupal, there is a lot a user can do to build pages without having HTML knowledge. However, I have to know how to use HTML in order to begin to add accessibility to the website. For example, in order for a blind person to operate a website, there has to be heading structures in the website’s code. By adding in H1 or H2 into the HTML code, it tells the screen reader what to read first. My main tool for learning HTML is going to be Code Academy and attending MSU classes on accessibility.
(Code Academy, 2011)
The last content area I am looking forward to learning about is how to use Adobe Experience Design. In my current job I use Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop on a daily basis but this is a new program that Adobe just recently released. The intent of this new program is to help designers create and prototype websites and mobile applications. When I started the MAET program, one of my goals was to learn how to develop a mobile application but I never really found the correct class to help me learn how to do it. I learned how to adapt content to a digital environment, but not how to use technology tools to create the actual product. However, this new Adobe program may help me make this goal a reality. YouTube is full of videos that help users learn how to use Adobe Experience Design and I am very familiar with learning Adobe programs by watching videos. Out of all of the projects I am working on, this is the one that I am most excited about.
(Adobe Experience Design, 2010)
In conclusion, I am thrilled to be completing my Masters in Educational Technology. I have learned so much about technology and how to properly integrate it into educational content. These are skills that I have been able to apply immediately to my work and this has led to a bigger opportunity in my career. However, I know my journey is not done. As Bilbo Baggins says in Lord of the Rings, “I think I'm quite ready for another adventure." Learning these new content areas are my next adventure!
The end of my time in the MAET is not the end. It is the beginning.
References:
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Adobe Experience Design. (2010). [Adobe Experience Design Logo]. Retrieved from http://www.adobe.com/products/experience-design.html
Code Academy. (2011). [Code Academy Logo]. Retrieved from https://www.codecademy.com/
Wittens. S. (2001). [Drupal Logo]. Retrieved from https://www.drupal.org/about/history