Twenty-two years ago, I began my journey as an educator. It's amazing to think of all that I have experienced over that time. I have educated over 2,000 students. I have seen innovations like the introduction of email and the Internet. I have also spent a few years as an administrator. Truly, the journey has been incredible.

That was then.

When I first started teaching, I did what I had been taught to do: I lectured and had my students take notes. As far as using technology was concerned, I used the chalkboard and the overhead machine. That was all that was available back then. Truly, it was a "sit and get" situation for my students. I mixed in a project or two every once in a while, and students worked in groups on occasion. It was a different time.

Over the course of the next several years, changes began to occur. Email was introduced. The Internet was made available for use by the general public. Teachers were being taught to find ways to tailor their lessons to the interests of students, and we were told to encourage more student interaction. As such, I planned lessons that gave my pupils the chance to do research on the Internet. They were allowed to talk in their groups and collaborate. I created lessons that I felt were of more interest to them. It was a different time. 

This is now.

Today, my teaching is completely different than it was when I started. Students collaborate in real-time with Google Docs and Google Slides. They use presentation tools like Powtoon and Prezi. They have IPads for creating digital portfolios. The list of innovations goes on. Moreover, I have had my students involved in many project-based learning units, and they are the ones with the primary responsibility for their learning. Instruction is differentiated, and I am now more of a "guide" for them as they discover and learn. This is the way teachers in the 21st Century should be teaching. Sadly, though, many are still "stuck in the past," scared to change and adapt, afraid to use the myriad of technological tools abvailable to them. Such teachers are keeping their students from having a rich variety of educational experiences. You may know educators like these. 

Today, my journey has taken me to a new place, one filled with knowledge about technology and how to use it in the classroom, one that has provided me with the opportunity to design instruction, to present staff development, and to create numerous technological resources. At Boise State University, I have learned the skills I need to begin a new journey, one as an Instructional Technologist. If you allow me to have the honor of working with your company or district, I am positive that our journey will be one to remember.