Getting an IDT Position and Succeeding at It

Based on this week's readings, you'll reflect on where you are, where you want to go, and what you need to learn or do to get there. Begin your post for this week with some background: what is your current job, what program are you enrolled in, what brings you to that program, and what do you expect when you graduate?

In May of 2009, I graduated from Texas A&M University in College Station. During this time, the economy was doing very well and job were scarce. I had always wanted to be a Buyer for Neiman Marcus. Due to the economic situation, NM had put a the assistant buyers program on freeze till further notice. I was crushed! So I went on a few interviews to find the next best thing and ended up working in the Investor Relations Department at Sysco foods. I realized this was not for me and geared my focus towards going back to school. On one of my days off I went to see a very close friend in her classroom. I had so much fun that day that I came back the next day to help her out. I started thinking about it and decided that I wanted to be in education. I applied for an alternative certification program and by the end of the summer I was certified and ready to go. I went on two interviews, one of which didn't even feel like an interview. Needless to say, I am still working at that school. Currently, I am an 8th grade teacher, teaching Digital Design and Media Production and Math Intervention. I am in my 5th year of education and couldn't have picked another path. Since I have been a teacher I have devoted myself to my students. I have sponsored a business organization where my students have advanced to Nationals 4 years in a row and I have also been the yearbook adviser for 4 years. After never saying no to anything my Administrators have asked me to do, my Principal recently brought me in his office to ask about my future. We discussed trying the Principal route, but I had also had my eyes set on a Program Director. He agreed that both would be a great fit for me and wanted me to apply for a position. I was incredibly honored that he thought of me for the position and so I did. There was only one problem, I did not meet the requirements. My principal suggested that I still apply for the position because they may work with me if I am pursuing a graduate degree. From that meeting I applied and began to get serious about furthering my education. Clearly I didn't get the position, but was told by the hiring Director that I would be a great fit and to see them once I had met the requirements. So, August 2014 I began my first semester in graduate school.  I am pursuing the Educational Technology Leadership Masters Degree. I choose this degree because I am a firm believer in incorporating technology into instruction. Although I have a couple of different end careers that I want to end up in, this degree fit very well for those positions. According to my plan, which seems to change every other week, I am hoping to graduate in 2015. With my degree, I am hoping that I can start moving up the ladder. Currently, the positions that I want to move into require at least 18 hours of graduate work, which I will have by May, and a Principal certification, which I plan on taking my test in January. Ideally, I would like to be a Program Director of Career and Technology Education. I realize that this field is limited within my district, so I would not mind trying out being a Principal while I wait. On the other hand, I do have a back-up plan. When I first got into education, I said that I was not going to do it forever. I figured I would teach while I still enjoyed it, but thought that I wouldn't be energized forever in teacher kids. I had said that I was going to be a curriculum developer for a big corporate company to create their training programs for their employees. Little did I know that I would love my job so much. So I decided to do something along the lines of that and geared my attention towards a Program Director. 

Describe the kind of work that you want to do and the type of organization or institution in which you want to work. Use the WorkMatrix in the chapter titled "Getting a Job in Business and Industry" to help organize your thoughts. Do you most desire first, second, third, or fourth level service? Or would you rather design or develop instruction? What features of work are important to you? What economic sector do you want to work in? Based on these intentions, explain what you need to learn. What skills and qualifications do you need? Will you obtain the skills you need in the required courses in your program? What electives might you need to take to help you develop skills specific to your aspirations?

My ultimate career goal is a position as a Program Director of Career and Technology Education. I like the idea of giving teachers the tools they need to be successful in their classroom (level 1). I also like that I would be able to create the curriculum for this department. It is very important for the environment be that of innovation and collaboration amongst professionals. I have worked closely with this group and I love the atmosphere they have. All Directors work hard to promote student growth. I really do enjoy my district, so I would prefer to stay with my district. 

In order to move to this position, I need to advance my education by obtaining my masters and principals certification. I believe it is important that I need to be able to communicate with members of the district at all levels; understand incorporate state and national standards; listen to teachers and other stakeholders to their concerns and ideas to make them valuable to the education process; problem solver to overcome obstacles; and open-minded in order to see other views and interpretations. I believe these are obtainable and graduate school will benefit me because it will provide me with more information and the ability to think on different levels. While in graduate school, the required courses for my program are great for building a solid foundation. As well as studying design & development, research, and evaluation. I also believe that some of the electives I can take will be beneficial as well. Some courses that I am interested in are geared towards the strategic planning for technology integration; building web-sites; and game and simulations for learning. 

Finally, what organizations would best support your continued learning after you graduate? Do you think you would benefit from joining those organizations before graduating? Explain why or why not?

I am currently apart of TCEA (Texas Computer Educator Association). I do find this program beneficial because I receive updates on the newest technology as well as the conferences that TCEA is affiliated with. A conference that I do attend yearly is the Technology and Curriculum Conference of Aldine (TCCA). At this conference, I attend many sessions about the newest technology as well as sessions on iPad apps. Another conference I attend yearly is the Texas Career Education Conderence (TCEC). This conference covers the same type of sessions as TCCA, but is on a much larger scale with more vendors. These conferences are very informative and beneficial for my classroom. I also think that this conference also provides sessions that assist with me farthing my career and allows me to collaborate with other professionals. I believe it is very important to be involved in organizations at all levels of your career. Whether you are in graduate school, teacher, or even Administration. Technology and education are consistently enhancing, so being involved really allows you insight and to date with the newest innovates. From this section, I found many organizations interesting. The following organizations listed below are the organizations I would be interested in:

• Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE): This one caught my eye because it is international so collaboration on a large scale takes place. As well as the involvement of different professionals caught my eye. This organization also is appealing because it has an online career center, which could be beneficial during graduate school and any level of your career, and a digital library with access to thousands of journal articles and conference proceedings. 
• International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI): This organization would be a great source for keeping up with the application of human performance technology. Human performance is identified in theorist so keeping up with new discoveries attracts me to this organization.
• Society for Applied Learning Technology (SALT): This organization focuses on instructional technology. I like this because it is geared towards a wide-range of instructional technologies across the board and not just educate specific.

Although each of these organizations publishes to journals, the following journals are some that I would consider subscribing to. 

• Cognition and Instruction: This journal publishes articles on cognitive investigations of instruction and technology. This is would be a good journal to subscribe to because the focus of cognition is a key element in education.
• Computers in Human Behavior:This journal addresses human interactions with computers and psychological impact of computer use on individuals, groups, and society. This would be a good journal to keep up with because it focuses on the relationship of computers and different types of groups. 
• Journal of Interactive Media in Education: This journal is an open review where readers can communicate with the author on their findings. Articles consist of theory, research, and practice of interactive media in education.
• Journal of Research on Technology in Education: This journal publishes on research studies, system or project descriptions and evaluations, syntheses of literature, and theoretical or conceptual positions that relate to educational computing. This journal is unique that it is aimed towards international audience and focuses on the evaluation process which is key in education to make sure what is being used is beneficial and meeting organization goals.