Running Head: GROWTH ASSIGNMENT 1

Growth Assignment

Michelle Morgan

Azusa Pacific University

EDUC 526
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Abstract

This paper explores my growth in many different ways through my time at Azusa Pacific

University (APU). I will explain my time through APU and the Master of Arts in Education:

Learning and Technology (LRNT). This paper will have six sections, course history, personal

growth, professional growth, technical growth, personal learning plan, and conclusion.

Keywords: personal growth, professional growth, technical growth

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Table 1
History of Coursework

Course Term Professor Reflection

EDUC 511 Fall 2016 Beginning with the basics, this class taught
Foundations Bacer me a lot of the functions in Sakai and in our
world of educational technology.

EDTC 515 Fall 2017 Brown Project based learning, MARPs and
Emerging Tech MOOCs. This class was filled with emerging
trends and tech, both the good and the dark
side of the Internet.

EDTC 517 Summer 2017 Bruzzese Websites, Blogs, and social media. This class
Digital showed how we stay connected with our
Communication students, parents, and the world around us in
this digital universe.

EDTC 527 Fall 2017 Courduff AAC tools and devices galore! This class
Assistive really dove into the huge world of assistive
Technology in technology and tools out there to help our
the Classroom students with everyday functions.

EDUC 526 Fall 2017 Courduff The final chapter of this learning adventure.
Capstone Looking back at all the growth and progress
while planning ahead for my future as a
special education educator.
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Growth Assignment

Personal Growth

My journey through Azusa Pacific University (APU) and the Master of Arts in

Education: Learning and Technology (LRNT) program have been a learning not only in books

but as a person as well. I have personally grown in three major ways, spiritually, cognitively, and

affectively.

Spiritually I have been able to come closer to God through APU. I have been supported

and pushed out of my comfort zone with my relationship with Him through the LRNT program.

The focus in our spiritual forums has been to discuss and learn from others through scripture and

through Him. I have personally begun to pray out loud and over others which is something I have

learned to do through these discussions. I have learned that a relationship with God takes

patience and a lot of reading the bible. I have been able to open up to myself and to Him in ways

I wouldnt have been able to in the past. APU helped me grow spiritually.

Cognitively I have become a lot more organized and structured through my LRNT

program. With so many deadlines and activities I have learned to make a to do list each week to

keep myself accountable. The classes in the LRNT program are all online which I have had an

issue with in the past. This go around I took it very seriously and kept myself organized. I have

been able to stay on top of due dates and deadlines through this program and learned some very

important organization and structure tools through the way.

Affectively I have built a lot more confidence in my online skills. I have been able to

create websites, blogs, participate in online conversations and more through the LRNT program

where I am happy to say that I am proud and confident in what I can now do. I am very excited
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to have learned confidence in my online presence, especially because this world we live in

requires good online participation in most things today. I have also learned how to make

relationships with people online who I have never met. APU has grown me to appreciate the

online comrade and the benefits of connecting with others.

I have learned and grown as a person more than I know through the LRNT program at

APU. Personal growth is not a matter of learning new information but unlearning old limits

(Cohen, 1990, p. 4). I have learned to let go of my old limits and see where I can go with the new

me. I am excited to look back and reflect how I have grown spiritually, cognitively and

affectively. Through all of this personal growth I am confident I will become a great teacher for

my students.

Professional Growth

Professionally I have grown through the LRNT program at APU. I have been able to

create a new beginning for myself as an educator and am now able to call my job a career which

was a struggle for me. If youre afraid of struggle, then youre afraid of growth. You have to go

through it, to get to it. Let it build you, not break you (Shelton, 2017, p. 1). I have grown to

accept the struggle and grow from this program. Each class in this program has helped me grow

professionally in major ways. The three classes I grew mostly from were Emerging Technology,

Digital Communications, and Assistive Technology in the Classroom.

The EDTC515: Emerging Technology course taught me about the many benefits and dark

sides of the Internet. This course prepared me as a professional to make sure my students are

aware of what they are doing in their online presence. I have learned and grown to understand

the dangers and be able to protect my students from them. This course was important for my
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professional growth because in this digital world we live in I feel like I am responsible for

teaching more than content and I can now do that through this course.

The second course that has led to my professional growth is the EDTC 517: Digital

Communications course. This course provided the opportunity to have a professional presence

online. This course opened my world from just face to face contact with parents and others to

online interactions as well. This course allowed me to reach other outlets of support and

guidance through my online tools. I now have a professional portfolio online which has grown

my professional presence and my abilities as an educator.

The last course that grew me professionally is EDTC 527: Assistive Technology in the

Classroom course. The assistive technology class opened my world to the Quality Indicators for

Assistive Technology forum (QIAT). This forum has linked me not only to the information but

to the community as well. In this career the people you know are just as important as the

information you know. APU has opened my professional growth by providing the resources to

succeed through this course.

The LRNT program has provided me an abundant list of resources to be able to use in the

classroom and in other professional settings. APU has allowed me to create a professional

presence through my learning in these courses. I have been able to grow as a professional

through each of the courses, Emerging Technology, Digital Communications, and Assistive

Technology in the Classroom.

Technical Growth

The most growth I have seen within myself is within the area of technical growth. I have

learned and grown so much through APU and the LRNT program. When I began this learning
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journey I was only able to complete a few technical tasks and I just knew the basics. Now I am

proud to say that I have grown and evolved into a techie. I have grown in online presence,

classroom technology skills, and technical confidence.

The LRNT program at APU has provided me a platform to have an online presence in

this world. I have grown to learn and utilize several technical platforms that I can translate into

my career as a teacher. I now have a website, blog, and twitter that I use professionally in the

classroom and outside of the classroom. I now understand the importance of a virtual presence as

a teacher and I can use these tools effectively. Creating a professional website is one of the

accomplishments that I am most proud of. I now feel like I know what I am doing technically

and can reach more people in this digital world.

My classroom technology skills have vastly improved and grown through these courses at

APU. Through the LRNT program I went from just checking my email to using every bit of

technology I can get my hands on. I now use my Smart Board, ELMO, and Chromebooks almost

every day in my classroom. I also use some software programs in my classroom every day as

well. Some of the programs are used for classroom management, security of students, and even

live online lessons. My skills have improved and grown me into a tech savvy teacher.

The last area of technical growth that I have achieved through the LRNT program is

technical confidence. My confidence in technology has grown from being very shy to try new

things to being the technology leader at my job. At the site I work at now I am the person that

people come to for technical assistance, questions, or advice. I have learned not to be afraid of

technology, and to use it as a tool.

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Through APU and the LRNT program I have grown to become a technical teacher in

every sense of the term. Simply adding technology to K-12 environments does not improve

learning. What matters is how to use it to develop knowledge and skills (Fink, 2012, p. 14). I

now know that technology can be a tool to develop the knowledge and skills our students need in

todays world. I am most proud of my technical growth through APU in the areas of my online

presence, classroom technology skills, and technical confidence.

Lifelong Learning Plan

Obtaining my Master of Arts through APU and the LRNT program is just the beginning

of my learning and growth as an educator. I believe I am a lifelong learner and will hold myself

accountable to always being on the cutting edge of my profession as an Education Specialist.

These courses have taught me so much but it is just the start of my lifetime learning plan. Below

is a list of things I will do to stay a lifelong learner through my career.

Professional development workshops

Special education conferences

Stay up to date with the QIAT forum

Read education journals

Use Twitter and blogs for the latest education news

Stay involved at my school site and in the district level

Coursera classes that are relevant to my field

Join or create a Personal Learning Network

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Conclusion

My journey through APU and the LRNT program to obtain my Master of Arts degree has

been a difficult yet satisfying experience. I have grown tremendously in three different ways,

personally, professionally, and with technology. This program has allowed me to turn my

passion for teaching into a career. Through the LRNT program I have gained skills, insight,

connections, and knowhow to be able to be an effective Special Education teacher in our quick

paced technology rich world. I have gained so much but this is just the beginning of my learning

journey. I am a lifelong learner and will use this journey as the starting point to my lifelong

learning plan. Know also that wisdom is like honey for you; If you find it, there is a future hope

for you, and your hope will not be cut off (Proverbs 24:14, New King James Version). My

journey through the LRNT program has grown me in many ways, yet this is just the start.
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References

Bacer, K., Brown, J., Bruzzese, J., Courduff, J. (2017). Online Master of Arts in Educational

Technology. School of Education, Azusa Pacific University. Azusa, CA. Retrieved from

http://sakai.apu.edu.

Cohen, A. (1990). A Deep Breath of Life. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House Inc.

Fink, Z. (2012, December 12). An Introduction to Technology Integration. Retrieved November

06, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration

Shelton, T. (2017, May 16). Podcasts: Rise Up Now. Retrieved November 12, 2017, from

http://trentshelton.com/