Introduction
One of my career goals is to provide enhance learning and education through the use of technology. After years of working with technology, I am reaching a point in my life where I would like to take on a greater leadership role to help spread the use of technology. The technology can be as simple as a pencil and paper to emerging technology of cloud computing or virtualization. The use of virtual environment can reach greater population of people, to far remote locations where there is Internet access. Trying to understand the positive implementation of technology and its limitations can be very complex. Learning its usage and how-to effectively implement it will provide a challenge that both intrigue and provide me with a purpose in an academic institution. My life journey to keep abreast of continually advancing Information Technology has led me to unveil more questions rather than answers.
Autobiography
In order to seek answers, I built a strong foundation by obtaining two higher education degrees (Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Option in Management Information Systems, emphasis in Application Development and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, Option in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication) and ten industry-recognized technical certifications administered by Pearson VUE, including VMware Certified Professional. This diverse educational experience has provided the training necessary to think critically with a general knowledgebase to work from. When various problems and issues arise at work, I am able to formulate resolutions in a timely manner. At a given point in time, I can provide sustainable solutions based on available information or at the very least, an educated “what-if” scenario projection report. Having the educational foundation was a first step to becoming a technological well-versed person. Next, I built a comprehensive technical skillset and cultivated my abilities by working with Enterprise networks.Working over seven years in the private industry and over thirteen years in the public sector has been integral to building my technical skillset, problem-solving abilities, and real world technical knowledgebase. One key concept I learned during my professional experience is Return On Investment (ROI). The amount invested needs to at a minimum equal in return or greater. It does not matter if I work in private, for profit, or public, non-profit, there is a key idea of sustainability.
Educational Technology Philosophy
The core of my educational technology philosophy is personal mastery. It is the “discipline of continually clarifying and deepening our personal vision, of focusing our energies, of developing patience, and of seeing reality objectively” (Senge, 1990). I hear of this concept in another author, Stephen R. Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, habits (1-3) are focused on self-mastery. This is the foundation. From here, is where I build my other philosophy, teaching.
Personal mastery is a continuous process that last the entire lifetime. The more I learn, the more I realize that I do not know. Therefore, life is a continuous learning process with no ends, just more choices. In the process, I need to beware of my audience make-up so I can adapt. Showing what I have learned to today’s youth may differ than other previous generations. Today’s youth grew up in a world where the Internet is always there and we may assume today’s youth understand the technology (Boyd, 2014). Which may not be the case. I must understand the audience characteristics before I can effectively teach what I have learned.
 Tom Tran |
