Choices and decisions, what do I do? There are so many to make that will consequently affect your life in the present and future. We are faced with choices on “what we want to be when we grow up”. The majority of the world chooses to be doctors and lawyers’; not knowing the road it takes to get there. As we get older, things become more clearer on the things we enjoy and how much time we are willing to put into our decisions. As a kid, I wanted to be in the medical field, but was blessed with the opportunity to play basketball in college. As a young adult, you can get caught up in the moment and not focus on your future. One of the main reasons I enrolled into MAET is because of my dedication to learning new things. There are so many areas that I believe I am capable of mastering, so it’s safe to say that I will forever be a learner.

     

     Enrolling in college, I choose to study Health Science with a vision of becoming a Physical Therapist. I was an student-athlete and felt that this field would be rewarding in many ways. During my first year, I had to adjust to the rigorous demands of being an athlete. Its much different that an high school. Your days are already occupied from sun up to sun down with academics and athletics. In the process I found that I did not have enough time to pursue Physical Therapy. Times when I needed to take labs, I had practice and that’s why I choose Health Science. As time passed I graduated, took a job, and realize that teaching and coaching was something I wanted to do. I began teaching computer classes in 2007 and saw technology take off into what it is today, and I wanted to be a part of it. Thus, my love for technology became a part of my life.



     My early college education had no effect on my decision to enter the field of Educational Technology. Its my personal belief that I can do, be, and become anything in life that I choose to do. As a Career and Technology Educator, you are constantly updating and tweaking your knowledge to give students the tools needed to be successful after life in high school. For six years I have worked in the CATE department and have a four-year membership on the District Technology Team. This team gave me the opportunity to reconstruct the vision and implementation of 1st Century Skills in our school district. I worked closely to the Superintendent, principals, and teachers from each campus to show how technology can improve their teaching and relationships with students, and the unlimited learning opportunities that would be at the hands of the students. As a team, we were able to implement over the years 1:1 computer learning, adopting Moodle, and tablets into the hands of student as early as kindergarten, and showcasing their abilities with a community wide Technology Fair held on campus.

​

     This is my sixth year as a CATE teacher. To become a master teacher in my field, I started My Masters Degree at Michigan State University in Educational Technology. From the beginning of the program, I realized that I have made the right choice. The course was engaging, fun, new, and exciting to me. It was like adding another hobby to my life. After two and a half years of master learning, my MAET education is coming to a end. This will not be the end per se, because I will continue to advance in my knowledge as technology continues to advance. My experience in this program has prepared me for my next role of a leader in technology. I have created my own personal learning network that will continue to be revisited as issues and the latest trends will arise in the educational technology field. In the near future I see myself enrolling in Principal or Counselor program upon graduation. Now that have a deeper understanding of learning and understanding from TPACK, I know that becoming a principal or counselor that I can impact education more.

​

     I will always continue to advocate to technology in education. My first plan of duty after graduation will be to show the Superintendent how important my role can be to the school district’s vision of advancing learning thought the use of technology. The MAET has given me the confidence I needed to go forward with this plan. I have the resources and the work to prove my ability and knowledge will take the district to the next level.



Marcus Clark

February 2013



​

“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen."  -Michael Jordan

​

Oh, What

  the​

   Future​

      Holds!