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As computer technology started taking roots in the 1980s, I became intrigued with word processing, spreadsheet and database programs (WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3, and the PFS suite of software).  Oh, the ‘places’ they took me, helping me organize my plans, ideas, and data in an new way, and offered the convenience of future retrieval and editing.  Much of my knowledge was self-taught, using trial and error and experimentation with the buttons, screen prompts, and key combinations of the time. Using Help was an option if all else failed or if I thought 'there has to be something more to this'.



As software and hardware advanced, the Internet blossomed, and Microsoft worked to claim dominance in the computer industry, so too did I try to follow and learn the latest and the greatest.  This was a great benefit to me in my personal life and in my career.  If someone in the neighborhood was having trouble with software or hardware, they would give me a call. If the teachers at school struggled, they called me.  Before long, it was more than a full-time job to work, train, learn, and keep up with it all.  I can remember friends asking me why – why would anyone want to enter all their friends’ names and addresses into a computer, enter their checkbook transactions, or get on the internet or use email? And at work – how would UAW workers, or teachers, or physicians, or therapists, or nurses get the most out of their computers in their jobs?  I was one of the local consultants, answering the questions of why, and then how, and then where do we go from here.  In the local district, teachers were lucky enough to see new computers arrive in their classrooms each fall, and computer labs beckoned the students to their keyboards.  Motivation wasn’t typically an issue for students, but reason for using them in the classroom had to be discovered, discussed, and debated by academia. Most importantly, the teachers had to learn new skills as well.



Currently, my daily job responsibilities require that I learn and grow in discovering ways that will help others learn and grow using the latest technologies and tools.  I hadn’t heard of TPACK and how it applied to teaching and learning until this year, but I have been putting it into practice – a silent partner, if you will, in the development of my own training, and in helping teachers think of how they would use technology in their classrooms or helping other trainers/instructional designers make decisions about which technologies to use in their products.  We talk through the reasons behind the learning, the reasons for the learning, and which media would best suit the need.



This online MAET program has helped me comprehend ways that people learn, discover new applications that add to my professional skillset, and has assisted in identifying, understanding, and developing my leadership skills.  A few thoughts come to mind:

  • The more I learn from others, the more I am inspired to learn.
  • I enjoy leading the discussions as well as learning from others. 
  • Leadership and learning go hand-in-hand.

My future endeavors in this arena won’t stop after this program.  I am interested in learning more about virtual training environments, new innovations and emerging technologies, and how they will impact the classroom and training environments.  Attending professional seminars is a necessity. Obtaining my MBA also looks attractive, although daunting in cost, time, and effort.  I will most likely continue my formal education in some way, but I haven’t decided yet in which direction to go.

Learning While Leading

Sue Koski

"Leadership and learning are indispensible to each other"

-- John F. Kennedy

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