I began toying with the idea of working on a Ph.D. about five years ago, but decided to pursue National Board Teaching certification first as the process would range from one to three years at most. After two years of documenting and analyzing my teaching, I achieved National Board Certification in December of 2006 and soon began thinking about continuing my education once again. I thought about a Ph.D. with a concentration on educational leadership. It seemed like a logical step for me to continue my education and move on to maybe someday becoming a school principal. However, my heart just was not into being an administrator. As a principal I figured I would have to focus on different areas which do not always involve teaching, such as budgeting. Yuck! I think I was born to teach and that is where my heart lies.
In November of 2007 I began teaching for American Military University/American Public University as an adjunct instructor. Talk about extremes! I was not sure if teaching college would be something that I would enjoy or even do well. I knew that if I did not enjoy it or was passionate about it, I would not do well and would not want to continue. After all, I had been teaching young children for so many years of my adult life. However, I quickly discovered that I looked forward to coming home and interacting with my adult learners just as much as I looked forward to going to see my kindergarteners each day.
My passion for teaching my little and big people led me to pursue a Ph.D. with a concentration on e-Learning and Educational Technology. I found a program of study at Northcentral University (online) which allows me to apply what I am learning with both my child and adult learners. With two jobs that I love, and which keep me very busy (I am currently an Assistant Professor and working full time for AMU/APU), I can only take one Ph.D. class at a time, except during the summer months. Time management, organization, and prioritazing have become a way of life. I never knew I could be so disciplined, but when you love what you do, like I do, you find a way to make it work. I even find a way to bowl in a league with my mom every Wednesday night and I also travel as much as I can (one of the perks of working and studying online and having a day job with many days off and long summers).
I love to learn and love to share with both my little and big students that I, just like them, am a student. Learning can be challenging at times, but the gift of education opens up endless doors. It has for me! I feel blessed to have the opportunity to share what I learn with others and hopefully make a difference in the lives of the people I teach.
As a student, one of my assignments is a creation of a blog, so here is my first attempt at communicating inforrmation about how technology is being used in the classroom through the use of a blog. I hope that parents of my students, parents who are friends, and teaching partners enjoy the stories of how technology has impacted my teaching and how it impacts my students directly. Through this blog I hope to accomplish communication about technology use in an educational environment and share my excitement with what educational technology has to offer today's generation of students.
Heidi McNally
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