The End?

Well, as I finish my coursework for my education technology degree, I have an opportunity to look back over the entire program as well as this final class and make some observations. Regarding the current class, I have particularly enjoyed the assignments, activities and discussions. Our final artifact, consisting of a lesson plan which implements some emerging technology as well as a rationale for the implementation of that technology were a great exercise. I would have to be one of the people who could say with great ease "sure, implementing technology is a GREAT idea." However when it comes down to the nuts and bolts of how you will introduce the technology to your students, get them familiar with it and then let them run, well along with most folks I expect I have a bit more trouble. That's why I enjoyed all the exercises where I actually made lesson plans showing how I would actually incorporate technology. This final assignment had the added bonus of also including a rationale component which required me to prepare a defense, if you will, for the various questions and even attacks of other staff and administrators who may be less eager to incorporate new technologies into a school.
I'm eager to use the various philosophies, practices, techniques and knowledge I have gathered through this course and the program at large. As most of you know I am not currenty teaching. I am working for an exceptional software company in Montana, however part of my duties do include training of clients in various technology based tools and specifications. I have already begun incorporating some of our experiences into my training curriculum and plans and I will continue to expand and improve my programs with further research into emerging technologies that can help me and my students.
Speaking of the entire program in general, I had a great experience with Walden for the most part. I would heartily recommend Walden to anybody seeking a degree who could not physically attend a school with regularity. In many ways this program served as an excellent "proof of concept". What better way to help us accept and appreciate the power of online learning than through a remote course. Even the weaknesses of the program were instructive as it helps me to recognize aspects of technology incorporation into education that I find frustrating. If I were to make any suggestions for course improvement, I would recommend that some kind of 'live chat' opportunities be incorporated into the courses. I understand that different time-zones and schedules make this difficult, but often live chatting with other students can lead to greater comfort and more organic and fluid conversation. I also have to admit that by the end of the courses, the general grind of the format was wearing. Scheduling makes for a difficult partner with these courses but I would be dishonest if I didn't admit to some degree of burnout in the last couple of courses. This was helped substantially however by the fact that the content of those final two courses was very interesting and engaging. If course format could be changed now and then between classes, that may help to alleviate some "grind" however.
I would like to thank all my classmates and professors. This has been a great journey and as I said, despite some very minor recommendations for change I found the program to be a perfect fit for my schedule and needs. I would also like to thank Walden University, the advisors and even the recruiters for making my entire experience from initial researching of online schools to graduation a smooth and fulfilling one.

Please, do keep in touch. I am quite interested in visiting with you and seeing how things go in the future. I have some things I'm working on with a few of you in terms of exercises and collaborative learning opportunities so I hope we call all maintain communication. (Say, Walden, what are the chances of you putting together an "Alumni" message board so we can put some threads together and stay in touch through that?)

Gregg Wigen,
Wig@bresnan.net