The document describes the author's journey pursuing a Master's degree in Educational Technology through Michigan State University. She was initially apprehensive about the technology-focused program but was encouraged by her friend Abbie. Through the program, she learned to use technologies like blogs, webquests, and digital videos/images to engage and motivate her k-12 physical education students, helping them improve their writing while speaking their "Web 2.0 language." Pursuing this less traditional path made a positive difference in her teaching practice and role as an educator.

1. Technology
Trail:
The
Path
I
Travelled
By
Estee
Adery
I,
like
Robert
Frost,
took
the
path
less
traveled
by.
And
it
has
made
all
the
difference
in
who
I
have
become
as
a
student,
teacher,
and
role
model
for
those
important
in
my
life.
I
have
been
on
a
path
of
introspection,
reflection,
and
evaluation
of
who
I
am
and
who
I
want
to
be.
The
path
less
travelled
has
taught
me
a
great
deal
about
myself
and
I
have
one
of
my
best
friends
to
thank.
I
began
my
journey
down
this
path
one
Sunday
Spring
2008
morning
at
brunch
as
we
sat
on
the
patio
laughing
and
talking
as
we
often
do.
The
sun
was
shining
and
the
birds
were
singing,
as
we
were
about
to
discuss
our
future
in
Education.
Abbie,
who
is
usually
filled
with
excitement,
was
stressed.
1

2. She
can
be
absent
minded
at
times,
but
only
because
she
tries
to
accomplish
too
many
things
on
her
“to
do”
list
and
over
schedules
herself.
With
this
in
mind,
her
teaching
certificate
was
about
to
expire
and
therefore
it
needed
to
be
renewed
prior
to
the
beginning
of
the
next
school
year.
My
provisional
certificate
didn’t
expire
until
2012,
and
after
a
year
of
teaching
under
my
belt
in
Huron
Valley
Schools,
I
was
not
thinking
about
my
masters.
I
was
more
worried
about
having
a
job
for
the
next
school
year.
She
had
researched
various
masters
programs
online
and
one
that
spoke
to
her
was
through
Michigan
State
University.
Abbie
and
I
are
both
Spartans,
so
when
she
mentioned
green
and
white
I
was
all
ears.
The
program
that
she
examined
was
to
attain
a
Master
of
Arts
in
Educational
Technology.
Abbie
knows
how
organized
I
am,
so
she
even
had
dates
and
courses
written
down
on
purple
sticky
notes
to
show
me.
We
furthered
our
discussion
about
why
MAET
would
be
best
for
both
of
us.
Personally,
I
had
no
desire
to
attain
a
Master
of
Arts
in
Curriculum
and
Teaching,
nor
Counseling
or
Administration.
If
I
was
going
to
spend
countless
hours
broadening
my
intellect,
it
was
going
to
be
an
area
that
spiked
my
interest.
Initially,
I
was
apprehensive
about
diving
into
a
technology-­‐based
program.
The
thought
of
having
to
create
a
website
scared
me.
I
enjoy
doing
things
in
which
I
am
the
best,
as
I
do
not
enjoy
participating
in
areas
in
which
I
am
less
than
adequate.
This
is
when
I
had
to
make
a
choice.
Do
I
take
the
path
less
travelled
by?
Will
it
make
all
the
difference?
Abbie
promised
me
that
we
would
do
this
together.
Collectively
we
travelled
down
the
technology
path
and
I
assure
you
it
has
made
a
beneficial
difference.
2

3. THEME
1:
IMPLEMENTATION
OF
TECHNOLOGY:
A
TOOL
TO
MOTIVATE
STUDENTS
AND
INCREASE
ENGAGED
LEARNERS
WHILE
SPEAKING
THEIR
WEB
2.0
LANGUAGE
Through
the
Master
of
Arts
in
Educational
Technology
program
I
was
exposed
to
various
courses
that
taught
me
how
to
use
technology
as
a
tool
in
order
to
enhance
student
learning
at
various
levels.
As
a
k-­‐12
Heath
and
Physical
Educator,
it
was
important
to
me
to
find
ways
in
which
to
motivate
my
pupils,
while
also
following
the
curriculum
standards
and
benchmarks.
Three
technologies
that
I
have
found
to
motivate
students,
speaking
their
Web
2.0
language,
are
blogs,
Webquests,
and
the
use
of
digital
videos
and
images.
In
order
to
engage
adolescent
learners
at
the
high
school
level,
I
implemented
blogging
into
the
physical
education
and
health
curriculums.
The
problem
that
blogging
solved
was
two-­‐fold.
Huron
Valley
Schools,
specifically
Lakeland
High
School,
incorporated
writing
across
the
curriculum
in
all
subject
areas.
Therefore
it
was
expected
that
each
domain
had
students
writing.
In
addition,
I
wanted
my
students
to
improve
their
writing
skills
in
order
to
become
better
writers.
After
researching
the
benefits
of
blogging,
it
was
determined
that
“…teachers
whose
students
blog
within
the
context
of
lessons
report
improved
writing
and
dramatically
improved
attitudes
toward
learning,
classrooms
and
schools”
(Blog
Rules).
I
wanted
to
speak
their
Web
2.0
language
while
also
motivating
students
to
increase
their
writing
skills.
A
Health
Blog
was
created
for
Lakeland
High
School
and
was
a
beneficial
tool
for
my
students.
Health
related
open-­‐ended
questions,
relating
to
various
units
of
study,
were
posed,
requiring
much
thought
and
analytical
review.
3

4. Students
responded
to
the
topic
question
as
well
as
other
peer’s
answers.
This
is
considered
active
dialogue,
which
promoted
inquiry
based
learning.
Questions
pertaining
to
real
world
scenarios
would
actively
engage
students
to
respond
to
blogged
questions
that
I
posed.
Blogging
“spoke”
to
my
students
using
their
“language.”
Blogging
is
a
technology
with
a
positive
connotation
and
allows
students
to
enjoy
writing.
“Open
up
your
Health
textbook
to
page
128
and
answer
questions
1-­‐5.”
This
is
a
typical
statement
you
might
hear
coming
from
a
classroom.
My
classroom
differs
from
most,
as
I
use
differentiated
instruction
to
reach
all
learners.
Technology
has
not
only
enhanced
my
teaching
style,
it
has
increased
student
motivation
while
speaking
to
each
learner.
Instead
of
having
students
answer
review
questions
in
order
to
check
for
understanding,
I
created
a
Webquest;
an
inquiry
based
online
learning
activity.
A
Webquest
is
an
assignment
or
group
of
assignments
that
ask
the
student
to
utilize
multiple
resources
such
as
the
World
Wide
Web,
to
learn
about
and/or
synthesize
knowledge
with
respect
to
a
specific
topic.
I
created
a
Nutrition
Webquest
to
allow
students
to
embark
on
a
journey
where
learning
is
fun
while
exploring
various
resources
to
broaden
their
knowledge
and
understanding.
The
attention
grabbing
introduction
and
visual
appearance
were
intriguing.
“You
are
about
to
embark
on
an
exciting
adventure,
learning
about
one
of
the
seven
wonders
of
the
world:
the
great
pyramid
of
nutrition.
You
do
not
even
have
to
travel
to
Egypt
to
see
this.
The
key
to
success
is
at
your
fingertips
as
you
explore
the
known
and
the
unknown
and
learn
the
secrets
to
good
nutritional
4

5. choices.
Through
this
wonderful
opportunity,
you
will
research,
document,
and
design
a
personal
meal
plan
tailored
to
your
fitness
and
nutritional
needs.”
Students
were
able
to
learn
important
life
lessons
while
being
actively
submerged
in
their
learning
and
retention
of
material.
The
computer
based
instructional
object
spoke
to
my
target
audience.
Students
worked
diligently
while
completing
the
Webquest
requirements.
In
turn,
they
learned
a
great
deal,
while
motivated
by
real
life
application.
Students
not
only
felt
a
meaningful
connection
to
the
material,
their
hands
on
experience
allowed
them
to
become
active
participants
in
knowledge
retention.
This
Web
2.0
technology
included
hyperlinks
to
websites
containing
videos,
pictures,
and
articles
to
enhance
student
learning.
In
addition,
the
visual
design
and
layout
spoke
to
the
students,
making
the
lesson
more
captivating.
The
implementation
of
the
nutrition
Webquest,
created
for
high
school
health
education,
spoke
Web
2.0
echoes.
Lastly,
with
the
help
of
the
Carol
M
White
PEP
(Physical
Education
Program)
Grant,
I
attained
a
digital
camera
for
my
curriculum.
At
the
elementary
school
level,
teaching
Physical
Education,
I
was
able
to
utilize
a
small
wonder;
an
RCA
digital
camcorder.
The
digital
camcorder
was
beneficial
for
both
me,
as
a
physical
education
teacher,
as
well
as
my
students.
As
an
educator,
using
the
digital
camcorder,
I
was
able
to
review
student
assessments
and
provide
immediate
feedback.
Students
were
able
to
benefit
from
visually
observing
a
previously
recorded
assessment
and,
in
turn,
gained
a
greater
understanding
of
how
to
improve.
I
was
also
able
to
capture
still
images
of
my
students,
which
allowed
me
to
analyze
their
form
for
various
object
control
and
motor
skills.
5

6. Both
still
images
and
recorded
footage
allowed
students
to
increase
awareness
of
their
skills
in
order
to
strive
for
self-­‐improvement.
Additionally,
the
digital
camcorder
promoted
visual
literacy
for
the
k-­‐12
student.
With
the
assistance
of
this
technology,
learning
was
enhanced.
As
an
educator,
I
learned
how
to
provide
constructive
feedback
to
my
students
with
the
help
of
video
and
still
images.
“Ms.A,
may
I
see
please?”
is
a
question
that
one
would
hear
often,
coming
from
my
students
in
the
gymnasium,
as
they
ask
if
they
can
see
what
they
look
like
in
various
skill
based
assessments.
With
the
increase
in
technology,
elementary
aged
students
are
intrigued.
More
importantly
they
are
able
to
fully
comprehend
and
understand
how
to
improve.
It
has
been
said
that
a
picture
is
worth
a
thousand
words.
A
digital
image
coupled
with
recorded
footage
is
worth
more.
To
provide
students
with
technology
such
as
the
digital
camcorder
is
to
speak
their
language.
THEME
2:
ADAPTING
TECHNOLOGY
IN
ORDER
TO
BE
GRADE
LEVEL
APPROPRIATE
Certified
to
teach
Physical
Education
(k-­‐12th)
and
Health
(7th-­‐12th),
my
pedagogy
varies
from
year
to
year.
As
a
non-­‐tenure
teacher,
I
have
been
at
three
different
schools
over
the
course
of
three
years.
Subsequently,
this
also
means
three
different
grade
levels
and
domains,
during
the
course
of
completing
my
Master
of
Arts
in
Educational
Technology.
When
I
first
applied
to
the
program,
I
was
teaching
high
school
Physical
Education
and
Health.
I
chose
to
embark
on
the
technology
journey
to
motivate
my
students,
promoting
active
engagement.
I
was
then
“pink
slipped”
and
re-­‐called
to
educate
young
minds
at
the
middle
school
level.
6

7. Holding
an
NP
endorsement,
I
was
given
the
opportunity
to
inspire
young
minds
teaching
7th
grade
Information
Technology.
At
Oak
Valley
Middle
School,
I
taught
Information
Technology
for
2
semesters.
With
the
retirement
of
a
Physical
Educator
in
my
district,
an
opening
to
teach
elementary
physical
education
arose.
In
turn,
I
was
placed
back
into
the
field
of
Kinesiology,
in
the
gymnasium
once
again,
educating
young
minds.
Although
I
have
taught
various
grade
levels
and
realms
of
study,
I
have
been
able
to
apply
technology
into
the
curriculum
–
finding
ways
in
which
to
reach
each
student.
Utilizing
my
technology
expertise,
I
found
ways
in
which
to
adapt
it
into
each
curriculum
taught.
Tools
that
I
implemented
at
the
high
school
level
might
be
too
complex
for
the
elementary
aged
student.
Therefore,
it
was
important
to
reach
into
my
technology
toolbox
and
determine
ways
in
which
to
employ
technology
at
each
level
and
domain.
Educating
young
minds
at
the
secondary
level,
teaching
PE
and
health,
I
was
able
to
put
blogging,
a
Webquest,
and
PowerPoint
StAIR
into
practice.
These
technologies
are
more
complex
and
require
much
thought
and
analysis.
At
the
middle
school
level,
teaching
information
technology,
the
world
of
Web
2.0
was
at
my
fingertips.
I
was
excited
about
sharing
my
knowledge
and
understanding
gained
through
the
MAET
program.
Although
excited
to
incorporate
new
Web
2.0
technologies,
I
had
veteran
teachers
doubt
me.
Teachers
thought
it
was
a
bad
idea
to
integrate
Google
docs.
I
then
began
to
reflect.
Am
I
stepping
over
boundaries?
Am
I
doing
what
great
teachers
do
–
try
new
things?
I
went
with
the
ladder
and
felt
overjoyed
as
I
watched
the
look
on
each
student’s
face
while
they
embarked
on
a
journey
of
learning
a
new
Web
2.0
technology.
7

8. Along
with
integrating
Google
docs
into
the
7th
grade
information
technology
course
I
also
created
an
online
computer
technology
unit.
This
website
contained
announcements,
assignments,
tutorials,
and
examples
of
student
work
along
with
other
features.
At
the
elementary
level,
teaching
Physical
Education,
I
did
not
want
to
include
the
more
complex
technologies,
such
as
those
integrated
at
the
middle
school
and
high
school
levels.
I
needed
to
think
simple.
As
mentioned
earlier,
the
Carol
M.
White
PEP
Grant,
allocated
money
in
order
to
enhance
learning.
With
this
in
mind,
I
incorporated
digital
images
and
video
using
a
digital
camcorder.
Technology
is
important
to
integrate
into
all
grade
levels
and
domains.
However,
it
is
important
that
one
adapts
each
technology
to
the
specific
grade
level
and
realm
in
order
for
success
to
occur.
THEME
3:
PATIENCE
IS
A
VIRTUE
“Patience
is
a
virtue.”
Patience
is
an
excellent
quality
for
one
to
have.
It
is
an
admirable
quality
that
I
have
learned
to
possess,
specifically
as
it
relates
to
the
learning
and
implementation
of
various
Web
2.0
technologies.
This
is
not
to
say
that
I
was
not
a
patient
person
prior
to
walking
down
the
technology
path.
I
have
obtained
more
patience
than
I
once
had.
If
there
is
one
thing
I
have
learned
as
a
teacher
and
a
student,
it
is
to
be
more
tolerant.
As
an
educator
applying
technology
into
my
curriculum,
I
have
learned
how
to
not
only
employ
patience
with
my
students,
but
also
with
myself.
As
a
student
in
the
Master
of
Arts
in
Educational
Technology
program,
I
have
learned
patience
through
hands
on
experiences.
8

9. As
a
student
learning
how
to
become
a
better
teacher,
there
were
many
moments
of
frustration
where
I
wanted
to
“throw
in
the
towel.”
However,
these
moments
were
learning
experiences,
allowing
me
to
reflect
upon
myself
as
well
as
my
teaching.
I
have
come
to
realize
that
no
one
is
perfect,
but
I
strive
to
come
close.
When
technology
glitches
arose
that
were
out
of
my
control,
patience
became
my
virtue
(along
with
a
headache).
There
were
a
few
bumps
in
the
road
or
glitches
that
occurred
as
I
put
blogging
into
practice
at
the
high
school
level.
I
had
a
responsible
and
reliable
student
in
my
3rd
hour
attempt
to
post
to
the
blog
the
night
before
the
in
class
blogging
assignment.
This
was
done
in
order
to
iron
out
any
possible
problems
that
might
occur.
When
I
logged
onto
the
Lakeland
Health
Blogging
website
at
10:00pm
the
night
before
and
did
not
see
a
post
by
my
stellar
student,
I
knew
something
had
to
have
gone
wrong.
She
came
to
class
at
the
beginning
of
3rd
hour
and
said,
“Ms.A
I
tried
and
lost
my
post
in
the
process….
I
wrote
out
the
blog
in
the
comment
box
and
I
finished
it.
I
hit
the
‘post
comment’
button
and
it
said
I
had
to
choose
a
profile.
I
did
not
understand
what
this
meant
and
started
to
try
the
different
options.
I
ended
up
losing
the
entire
essay.”
From
this,
I
learned
that
one
could
not
just
type
their
reply
into
the
comment
box
and
click
‘post
comment’
unless
they
have
signed
up
for
the
blog
first—choosing
a
user
profile.
This
information
was
very
beneficial,
as
many
students
would
have
lost
their
essay
in
class
had
Kelsey
not
realized
this
the
hard
way.
I
was
very
grateful
to
her
for
figuring
out
this
problem.
9

10. Another
bump
in
the
road
occurred
when
students
who
signed
up
using
a
Yahoo
account
had
difficulty
posting,
as
it
was
not
an
option
to
comment
as
a
Yahoo
user.
This
did
not
make
sense
to
me,
as
that
is
how
some
students
created
their
account
for
the
health
blog.
When
this
problem
arouse,
I
had
students
go
to
Google.com
and
create
a
new
Google
account,
so
they
could
comment.
After
learning
about
this
glitch
in
the
blogging
site
3rd
hour
(the
first
hour
the
site
was
implemented),
I
altered
how
I
guided
my
students
in
the
process
of
signing
up
for
my
blog.
Instead
of
giving
them
the
option
of
using
Yahoo,
I
told
them
to
select
Google
or
AIM
if
they
have
an
existing
account.
If
students
did
not
have
either
of
the
aforementioned
existing
accounts,
I
advised
them
to
click
on
the
option
to
“create
a
new
Google
account.”
This
would
alleviate
any
problems
one
might
have
when
posting
to
the
blog.
Specifically,
this
would
lessen
the
problem
of
what
option
to
choose
when
commenting.
Students
would
either
choose
AIM
or
Google.
After
each
bump
in
the
road,
I
was
able
to
revise
as
I
taught
each
hour.
After
learning
about
Kelsey’s
problem
posting
the
night
before
blogging
in
class,
I
was
able
to
guide
students
through
the
signing
up
process
during
class.
Another
revision
made
after
blogging
for
the
first
time,
to
be
executed
for
the
next
health
class,
was
to
have
students
sign
up
using
Google
or
AIM
and
not
Yahoo.
I
was
able
to
revise
my
teaching
by
guiding
students
through
the
process,
void
of
the
previous
problem
of
not
being
able
to
post
if
a
student
signed
in
using
a
yahoo
account.
Each
bump
in
the
road
helped
me
learn
how
to
revise
the
blogging
process
and
taught
me
patience.
10

11. CONCLUSION
I
had
set
high
goals
for
myself
in
Fall
2008,
as
I
began
my
MAET
journey,
and
I
have
surpassed
my
expectations.
In
my
personal
growth
plan
I
stated,
“To
educate
young
minds
is
to
continually
learn.
I
feel
that
increasing
my
use
of
technology
will
not
only
affect
me
as
a
learner
but
also
my
students.
Passing
on
information
I
learn
through
this
program
will
take
the
basic
computer
skills
I
have
to
the
next
level.
Through
this
program,
I
will
gain
a
vast
amount
of
knowledge
and
integrate
it
into
the
Kinesiology
domain.
I
hope
to
learn
how
to
create
lessons
that
use
technology
to
engage
student
learning.
I
would
like
to
more
effectively
use
the
programs
that
I
am
already
familiar
as
well
as
learn
new
programs
to
facilitate
student
learning.
Also,
I
would
like
to
learn
how
to
create
a
class
website
in
order
to
reach
my
students
at
a
different
level.
Increasing
my
skill
in
technology
will
better
prepare
me
to
engage
the
minds
of
our
future.”
At
the
beginning
of
my
path
down
the
road
less
travelled,
I
was
a
digital
immigrant,
void
of
a
quality
technology
knowledge
base
and
understanding.
I
am
now
one
step
closer
to
becoming
a
digital
native.
The
Master
of
Arts
in
Educational
Technology
Program,
at
Michigan
State
University,
has
challenged
my
intellect
while
increasing
my
technology
tool
box.
It
taught
me
how
to
implement
technologies
into
my
curriculum,
adapt
technology
to
be
grade
level
appropriate,
as
well
as
to
possess
patience
(as
a
teacher
and
student).
With
the
inspiration
of
my
pupils,
professors,
and
MAET
peers,
I
have
not
only
matured
as
an
educator,
but
as
an
individual.
Through
this
program
and
learning
experiences,
I
have
broadened
my
understanding
of
technology
and
how
it
can
impact
a
classroom.
11

12. I
have
learned
a
vast
amount
of
knowledge
to
impart
upon
my
students.
I
was
lucky
to
have
travelled
the
technology
path
with
one
of
my
best
friends,
who
inspires
me
to
be
a
better
person
every
day.
I,
like
Robert
Frost,
took
the
path
less
travelled,
and
it
has
helped
me
to
become
the
woman
that
I
am
today.
12