January 7th - Beginning a New Semester
Greetings from Eastern Iowa! My name is Matt Townsley and I teach high school math in Solon. My wife and I met at our undergraduate alma mater and have made Cedar Rapids our home for the past two years. When we both walked across the stage for graduation at Wartburg College in May of 2004, I had a hunch my education wasn't quite finished. It's not surprising to my family and friends that I am currently enrolled in the Master of Education at a distance program through the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Technology has always been a 'hobby' of mine so learning how to better use it in the classroom seemed like a perfect fit. I'm really excited to be taking my third semester of classes in the program for two reasons. First, I truly have an interest in educational
technology trends. Since reading my first issue of T.H.E. (Technology Horizons in Education) Journal, I can't stop thinking about ways to integrate technology into my classroom to motivate students. Second, I believe this degree will better prepare me to become a leader in the field of curriculum and instructional technology at the K-12 or higher education level. So far, my coursework parallels these career aspirations!
Speaking of courses, I've had to make a few adjustments to my schedule in order to find success in this program. Most recently, I learned that 'planning my pace' at the beginning of the semester is an extremely good idea. Between
church activites and holding down a full-time teaching job, there don't seem to be many hours left in the day! Just like anything else in life, I've decided to establish a routine for working on my distance coursework. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings worked well for me last semester. Sunday afternoon served as a great 'catch-up' time during the few weeks that I had extra commitments. Getting to know my colleagues has been easier than I first imagined. My program is a 'blended cohort' program which means that eleven of us are all taking the same program of study and we meet two or three times per semester on campus. Even though I missed the very first on-campus meeting this summer due to my sister's wedding, I felt like I could relate to my classmates at our ICN session
in mid-July. Meeting them face-to-face for the first time in September was a real treat! Keith and I still chat once in a while online. Diana and Ann are always posting funny comments on the discussion boards, which makes them seem like old friends. Most recently, our CI505 class met on Saturday, January 6th in the basement of Lago. Everyone in the cohort was itching to find out if Keith's wife had her baby. The real laugh of the day was Dr. Thompson constantly making reference to Diana's upcoming trip to Las Vegas. Who knew a room full of educators from across Iowa could have so much fun?! Taking distance courses hasn't always been easy. Last semester, WebCT Gold had a few technical glitches that threw our class for a few loops. The server ended up being reset every morning to compensate for the high volume during the evening hours. Uploading large files on my not-so-fast high speed internet has taken some patience, too. Thankfully, my classmates have been helpful in navigating WebCT Gold and my professors have been flexible when technical difficulties arise.
I have so much more to write, but my first assignment for CI505 is calling my name! Until next time...