Those who dare to teach must never cease to learn
Some kids have a very good idea of what they want to be when they grow up. Others have no clue and don’t really care about it until they are much older. Then there are kids who want to be so many things as adults that they can’t make up their minds where to start. I was one of those kids. If you’d ask me what I wanted to be, I’d tell you a list of all my career choices. The truth is I’ve always enjoyed learning new things.
When the time came to decide what to study at the University, I chose Industrial Engineering. Mostly because I was curious of what I would learn and I thought it would be a good starting point for other careers. During my first year, I took a couple of computer programming courses. In the process I found out that I had some talent for it. I’d never taken a programming course before and really liked it. By the second year of college I switched to Computer Science Engineering. Thus, began my lifelong relationship with technology. Until now I’ve had no regrets! Learning about and working with technology has become the greatest ally for all my other interests.
Little did I know that the field of Educational Technology would soon appear into my life. As a software developer you constantly have to learn about other areas of knowledge in order to create useful applications for your clients. For three years I worked in a variety of software programs. Eventually I was given the opportunity to participate in small educational technology projects, such as installing and configuring open source learning management systems like Moodle and developing a custom online portfolio system. My contact with teachers and students made me realize that the combination of technology and education had great potential for helping other children similar to myself to reach many of their different professional goals. I often think of how much more I could have learned in school if I have had the same access to information that children have today. I became aware of the many changes happening in education and wanted to take part in them. It became clear that this was my chance to learn more about many interesting subjects.
I’ve now been a Technology Coordinator for four years. In my efforts to become a better advisor and leader in my current position, I started my Master Degree studies at Michigan State University in Educational Technology. After two years of wonderful learning experiences, my MAET studies are coming to an end. This journey has made me fully aware of my role as a lifelong learner and educator. I’m sure this is not the end of my ever evolving personal and professional growth. In this time I’ve created a personal learning network (PLN) that keeps me up to date with latest trends and issues in the professional fields that I’m interested in. Plus, in recent years I’ve also gotten to know the effectiveness of distant learning. In the near future I see myself enrolled in a few MOOCs related to Computer Science. I sometimes miss designing and developing software solutions. Now that I have better comprehension of learning and teaching processes, I feel more confident that I can create better tools for education. It would be great to collaborate with other SW developers in projects that wish to facilitate student understanding.
I’m sure I will continue to be an advocate for STEM and CS education, specially for girls! I’m really excited about my new job as an IB Diploma Program teacher for the Information Technology in a Global Society (ITGS) subject. If it’s true that those who teach must never cease to learn, then becoming a teacher is like a dream come true! I will never stop learning new things and that makes me happy.
Angelica Rocha
October 16th 2012
When the time came to decide what to study at the University, I chose Industrial Engineering. Mostly because I was curious of what I would learn and I thought it would be a good starting point for other careers. During my first year, I took a couple of computer programming courses. In the process I found out that I had some talent for it. I’d never taken a programming course before and really liked it. By the second year of college I switched to Computer Science Engineering. Thus, began my lifelong relationship with technology. Until now I’ve had no regrets! Learning about and working with technology has become the greatest ally for all my other interests.
Little did I know that the field of Educational Technology would soon appear into my life. As a software developer you constantly have to learn about other areas of knowledge in order to create useful applications for your clients. For three years I worked in a variety of software programs. Eventually I was given the opportunity to participate in small educational technology projects, such as installing and configuring open source learning management systems like Moodle and developing a custom online portfolio system. My contact with teachers and students made me realize that the combination of technology and education had great potential for helping other children similar to myself to reach many of their different professional goals. I often think of how much more I could have learned in school if I have had the same access to information that children have today. I became aware of the many changes happening in education and wanted to take part in them. It became clear that this was my chance to learn more about many interesting subjects.
I’ve now been a Technology Coordinator for four years. In my efforts to become a better advisor and leader in my current position, I started my Master Degree studies at Michigan State University in Educational Technology. After two years of wonderful learning experiences, my MAET studies are coming to an end. This journey has made me fully aware of my role as a lifelong learner and educator. I’m sure this is not the end of my ever evolving personal and professional growth. In this time I’ve created a personal learning network (PLN) that keeps me up to date with latest trends and issues in the professional fields that I’m interested in. Plus, in recent years I’ve also gotten to know the effectiveness of distant learning. In the near future I see myself enrolled in a few MOOCs related to Computer Science. I sometimes miss designing and developing software solutions. Now that I have better comprehension of learning and teaching processes, I feel more confident that I can create better tools for education. It would be great to collaborate with other SW developers in projects that wish to facilitate student understanding.
I’m sure I will continue to be an advocate for STEM and CS education, specially for girls! I’m really excited about my new job as an IB Diploma Program teacher for the Information Technology in a Global Society (ITGS) subject. If it’s true that those who teach must never cease to learn, then becoming a teacher is like a dream come true! I will never stop learning new things and that makes me happy.
Angelica Rocha
October 16th 2012