Process
I first heard about the iMET program through a friend who is an alumni of CSU Sacramento. She clipped an article about iMET out of the alumni magazine and sent it to me, knowing my background in technology. Since the majority of the program was online, I felt that it was something that I could actually do while living in Mammoth Lakes. I submitted my application to the iMET professors and on pins and needles, waited to hear if I was accepted or not. I never could have imagined at that time what a wonderful and enriching journey I had begun.
The iMET program has had a profound effect on me as a person, educator, and technology leader. Being in an environment with like-minded professionals is very stimulating and inspirational, not to mention motivational! I would often think up new class projects or ways to work integrate more technology into my county programs during my long drives home.
iMET helped to anchor my thoughts on how technology should be used in the education and gave me an opportunity to voice these ideas in a safe environment resulting in dialog that promoted further growth. I have always believed that technology is just a tool; a fancy pencil that makes life easier when used appropriately and effectively. My thoughts about technology were expanded through the iMET program to not only include different ways to use technology, but how to incorporate it to support instructional strategies that promote critical thinking. Learning about constructivist teaching and the integration of technology was quite new to me and I gained a plethora of knowledge that I then incorporated in my work with teachers.