Jennifer Davis

While I am almost complete with my Master's in Instructional Media from Wilkes University, my students think it is funny because I will never be "done" with school, well, because I am a teacher. I tell them regardless of what profession they chose, they should never be done with "learning," either.

I try sharing and explaining to them all I have learned through my coursework and how invaluable it is to me and the educator I continue to become, but sometimes it is just easier to show them.

In my Cognition and Technology class, I was overcome with learning how the brain really works and exploring how it is changing especially in this digital age. Daniel Pink's book, A Whole New Mind, brought to light a whole new purpose for educators and how to meet the needs of our ever-changing students. My Project-based Learning class, in conjunction with my Inquiry-based learning class, stressed the importance of students learning through questioning and exploration, as well as giving the content and learning a purpose. My Digital Media class opened up the doors to the ever growing world of media and Web 2.0 tools. The Assessment course reminded participants of how essential it is educators to effectively integrate the standards, set measurable goals, and adminster assessments designed to efficiently measure student growth. My Differentiated Instruction class emphasized the importance of teachers meeting students individual needs in way of identifying student interests, specific learning styles, and ability. I was able to dive into the art of telling a story, a valued quality in the teaching profession, in my Digital Storytelling class.

As my program comes to a close, I am only reminded of how intertwined learning and growing are.