To predict one's own future is a more difficult task than one might imagine, especially for a person who realizes that the only thing that is constant is change.  If I were to look back on the ideas that I had about teaching as a preservice teacher I would not recognize what I am doing in my practice now.  In fact my ideas about what it meant to be a teacher, in particular a good teacher, seem trivial seven years into my career.  I do not begrudge the fact that my ideas were not as good as I had felt at the time.  Instead, I view them as the starting point for the journey that I have been on to this point.  I would expect above all else that this essay about my future will serve as a formalized starting point for a new stage in my journey.  A place to build from, to celebrate successes and reevaluate shortcomings.
    Perhaps the best place to start thinking about my future would be to give a formal statement about my current views of teaching and in particular how I see technology’s role in it.  I generally subscribe to a constructivist teaching philosophy.  That is to say that I believe that when students are in control of their own learning, and are actively building their own knowledge of the the content, that their learning is far more powerful and memorable than a student who is subjected to lecture and rote recitation of ideas and concepts.  Technology has only served to strengthen this belief now that facts are only a few clicks away thanks to the internet.  I believe that what is far more important than any of the content facts that come out of my classroom is a student’s ability to make sense of, find, and know how to apply relevant facts to issue that they face.  This is where I see the greatest potential for for the use of technology in my practice.  If nothing else the internet is the greatest storehouse for information ever and with the advent of Web 2.0 technologies perhaps the greatest conversation opportunity we have ever had in regards to this collection of knowledge.
    Without a doubt I am not yet to the point where I am good at making use of technology to meet my goals.  That is not to say that I’m bad at it either.  At this point I am very much aware of the fact that I have a lot to learn about how to effectively integrate technology.  My main objective as I move forward is to get better and learn more about what works and why.
    As I have progressed through the MAET program I have spent more and more time seeking out relationships with colleagues at my school who are also interested in thinking about how to integrate technology into their practice.  My hope is that my assumptions will be challenged and tested through discussions with others in much the same way that my early ideas about teaching in general were challenged.  This type of interaction is what I have come to value the most because I am constantly forced to examine and improve my practice.  The MAET program has been a great venue to experience this type of growth.  For example while I still have serious doubts about teaching in a completely online setting, CEP 820 really forced me to think about my own practice as well as how it can be applied in an online setting.  The result was both that I thought of new ways to make use of technology but it also forced me to think more about the choices I make even without technology.
    While I am completely comfortable discussing my ideas with my colleagues I also want to get to the point where I feel comfortable as a leader.  I don’t expect that I will ever get to the point where I know all that there is to know about teaching with technology; however, at this point I do not feel as though I have enough experience/knowledge to be a truly effective leader.I want to get to the point where I feel that I understand it well enough that I would be more comfortable helping other people integrate technology into their practice.  It took me many years to get to the point where I would feel comfortable leading an intern. I expect that the same will also hold true.
    My biggest asset as a teacher has always been my ability to reflect on what I have done and to strive to make improvements based on this reflection.  As long as I continue to do this I know I will continue to improve and teaching with technology is no different.  The MAET program has pushed me to have many experiences and has formed a comfortable foundation to build on.​