Talitha Gentry

It’s easy to reflect upon one’s accomplishments, but the challenging aspect of assessing goals is to be honest on whether or not they were completed successfully.  When I initially embarked upon completing a second master’s degree I had an innate sense of calm.  My goal was to simply apply the same method to obtaining my degree as I had before.  I believed that the classes would possess the same format and expectations.  Failure was the last option within my mind, as I thought much of the content would mimic that of the Education degree I had already obtained.  I also believed I couldn’t possibly learn anything else in the realm of technology that I did not already know.  These assumptions were not only wrong, but forced me to realize that in order to be successful I had to re-purpose my initial goals, not once, but often. 

​

Re-purposing our goals not only allows us to adapt to new environments and situations, but it helps us to redefine why a specific goal is so impactful for our fulfillment and success.  To be perfectly honest this degree was just supposed to be another accolade for my professional accomplishments, but it ended up being so much more influential.  The courses taught me that I had to let go of assumptions and ideals that I thought the MAET was.  I initially attempted to adapt some of the ideologies and knowledge to my work in my first classes, but ultimately failed miserably.  While I was never a failing student, my grades were nowhere near where they had been before.  What was I doing wrong?  Self-reflection was not only a necessity; but in actuality, was the only action that I could take to solve the problem. 

 

I finally started to understand why repurposing my goals were so important when I took CEP 811 (Adapting Innovative Technology to Education) at Michigan State University (MSU).  The course focused on repurposing the world around you, not just using the same dated approaches to life.  I discovered I never tried to redefine why this degree was important, and the steps that I needed to take to ensure that I was applying the learning to my professional life.  Instead of using old methodologies and approaches to the assignments I decided to embrace the more challenging options.  I stopped using old material and decided to embrace my old knowledge by remixing it using Maker Education theories.  While this process was indeed challenging it helped me to create and revise my goals not just in the program but also in my professional life. 

​

My goals today are not stagnant; but rather, they are constantly evolving and changing based on what I want to accomplish.  I accept failure as a necessity for evolution, as it is virtually impossible to remake ourselves without knowing how failure helps us to discover what actually works.  And while my goals may fluctuate it has given me a renewed sense of purpose and awakened my intrinsic motivation to always push myself above set expectations. 

Thank you MSU and the wonderful MAET department for pushing me to finally discover the importance of continuous growth and development!    

​