MY BIGGEST FEAR
By: Katie Krcmarik
As I reflect on my time in the MAET (Master of Arts in Educational Technology) Program and what the future holds, I find myself reflecting on my biggest fear. For some people, their biggest fear may be of spiders or heights, but for me, my biggest fear is that one-day I will no longer be receptive to learning new things. That I will be content to just stick with what I already know. I see people in my career as a graphic designer and as an instructor reaching a point where they no longer want to change, adapt, or learn. I fear that someday I too may come to that point and that’s the last thing I want to happen. My strong belief is that my strong drive towards education and informal learning will help me overcome this fear.
Currently, learning is something I do daily and often without thinking about it as learning. Besides my MAET studies, I spend my days seeking out new knowledge in a variety of ways. Thanks to the push the MAET program gave me, I peruse Twitter to see what latest information those I follow in both graphic design and education are offering up. I look at Facebook to see what articles friends have shared (not just the quizzes and Buzzfeed stuff). I check my favorite news sites and blogs to view their latest offerings. My email contains newsletters linking me to new and interesting information. I add books and magazines to my reading pile. I do not often identify these activities specifically as learning, but I know I gain some type of new knowledge everyday from one or more of these sources. Clearly I have fostered a strong drive towards informal learning and plan to continue this as I move forward in my career.
As a graphic designer, my profession in some ways forces me to continually learn new things. Adobe, the leading graphic design software company, releases a new version of the software almost every year. With their new cloud, app based distribution method, you are forced to stay current on the software or face the prospect of the field quickly leaving you behind. Print processes have rapidly changed since I began my career sixteen years ago. Graphic designers have to stay current on the latest trends in order to best serve their clients. Moreover, as a designer who creates websites, the technology for browsers and coding changes just as quickly if not more so. A graphic designer also wants to stay current with the latest trends in design, which also change rapidly. My chosen career path has forced me to confront my fear head on in order to continue to be successful (and employable). Additionally, my students force me to learn and adapt as they test the possibilities of the software and need my help in supporting them in areas I may not otherwise delve into.
My studies during my time in the MAET program ignited a new passion for education and using technology in the classroom. Technology already goes hand and hand with design so I already had some comfort with using it in the classroom. However, my time in the MAET program opened my eyes to even greater possibilities. I am now spending time researching new ways to implement technology to make my classroom even more engaging. I have the confidence to try new things after hearing others’ stories about success with technology in the classroom. The conference I recently attended, The Teaching Professor Technology Conference, sent me home with a whole notebook full of ideas I would like to implement as well as connected me with some like minded faculty from across the country. I hope to continue exploring the topic long after my degree is finished.
Currently, learning is something I do daily and often without thinking about it as learning. Besides my MAET studies, I spend my days seeking out new knowledge in a variety of ways. Thanks to the push the MAET program gave me, I peruse Twitter to see what latest information those I follow in both graphic design and education are offering up. I look at Facebook to see what articles friends have shared (not just the quizzes and Buzzfeed stuff). I check my favorite news sites and blogs to view their latest offerings. My email contains newsletters linking me to new and interesting information. I add books and magazines to my reading pile. I do not often identify these activities specifically as learning, but I know I gain some type of new knowledge everyday from one or more of these sources. Clearly I have fostered a strong drive towards informal learning and plan to continue this as I move forward in my career.
As a graphic designer, my profession in some ways forces me to continually learn new things. Adobe, the leading graphic design software company, releases a new version of the software almost every year. With their new cloud, app based distribution method, you are forced to stay current on the software or face the prospect of the field quickly leaving you behind. Print processes have rapidly changed since I began my career sixteen years ago. Graphic designers have to stay current on the latest trends in order to best serve their clients. Moreover, as a designer who creates websites, the technology for browsers and coding changes just as quickly if not more so. A graphic designer also wants to stay current with the latest trends in design, which also change rapidly. My chosen career path has forced me to confront my fear head on in order to continue to be successful (and employable). Additionally, my students force me to learn and adapt as they test the possibilities of the software and need my help in supporting them in areas I may not otherwise delve into.
My studies during my time in the MAET program ignited a new passion for education and using technology in the classroom. Technology already goes hand and hand with design so I already had some comfort with using it in the classroom. However, my time in the MAET program opened my eyes to even greater possibilities. I am now spending time researching new ways to implement technology to make my classroom even more engaging. I have the confidence to try new things after hearing others’ stories about success with technology in the classroom. The conference I recently attended, The Teaching Professor Technology Conference, sent me home with a whole notebook full of ideas I would like to implement as well as connected me with some like minded faculty from across the country. I hope to continue exploring the topic long after my degree is finished.
The other benefit of my desire to keep my fear at bay is that I get to share my new knowledge with my colleagues and my students. I have started conducting professional development sessions at my campus and by speaking at conferences in order to spread some of what I have learned. I also participate in #profchat, where college professors discuss issues related to the profession, as time allows including moderating twice. I have always been the resident tech geek in the department checking out the latest software and technology. For my students, I am able to share on our department Facebook page articles and links to great resources. I share new tricks for our software both in the classroom and out side of class. I have also been able to bring it into the classroom. Recently, another faculty member and myself received an innovation grant from the college in order to use our campus FabLab (modeled off MIT’s FabLab) to produce wood type versions of typefaces created by our students. The students were then able to print with the type on a small proof press I own. It offered me a chance to share my knowledge about letterpress printing and wood type with the students in way that melded new and old technology together (View my explanation of my process for my test batch). My hope is by sharing my own love of learning that I can help others conquer their own fears about trying new things and possibly ignite their passion for learning too.
While I currently ponder whether or not a PhD appeals to me or whether some other formal education is still ahead, I do know that whether or not another degree lies in my future that I will work everyday to keep my fear just that, a fear. Besides a strong inclination towards informal education and professional development through sources like Twitter, I also plan to continue to develop my skills in a variety of areas. I plan to continue improving my web skills in the immediate future including learning more about php and learning more about developing apps possibly in order to move my syllabus into that format. In the area of education, I am interested in further exploration of using gaming concepts in the classroom. I hope that fifty years from now I will still be going strong seeking knowledge and able to say it was foolish to worry that I would stop learning.
While I currently ponder whether or not a PhD appeals to me or whether some other formal education is still ahead, I do know that whether or not another degree lies in my future that I will work everyday to keep my fear just that, a fear. Besides a strong inclination towards informal education and professional development through sources like Twitter, I also plan to continue to develop my skills in a variety of areas. I plan to continue improving my web skills in the immediate future including learning more about php and learning more about developing apps possibly in order to move my syllabus into that format. In the area of education, I am interested in further exploration of using gaming concepts in the classroom. I hope that fifty years from now I will still be going strong seeking knowledge and able to say it was foolish to worry that I would stop learning.