Soooo I'm About to Hit Send...

I have been thinking about and working on this Master's paper for almost 3 years.

Three years!

And now I am just a couple of hours away from sending it off in an email to my program manager.

What an odd feeling.  I mean, don't get me wrong, it feels great.  But like I said, I have been at least thinking about this paper for quite some time.  It's the longest I've ever had to work on single project.  So to let it go will be...bittersweet?

My pastor today, out of the blue, prayed for me that I would be able to let this paper go.  I think he knows the type of person I am... I will check and recheck and recheck something I write until the cows come home.  But it's time to let go.  It's time to put this work out into the world and hope that I communicated the message I tried to communicate.

So with that I say goodbye Master's paper.  Combining this with the fact that I picked up my regalia this past Friday and it's starting to hit me -

My time as a student in GSE is almost over.

But there is still some time to go.  So thank you for being here along the way, and I hope you enjoy as I - or actually, we - head to the finish line.

Getting the Most out of Your Graduate School Experience

Perhaps the biggest piece of advice I can give to prospective GSE students:

Penn GSE is a terrific school.  No doubt about it.  One of the great things about the school is the platform it gives you to explore your interests and desires.  I feel like whatever you want to do, whatever project you want to start or whatever other ideas you may have, as a Penn GSE student you can probably make it happen.  With world-renowned faculty and brilliant, energetic students, if you can envision yourself doing something, you can do it.  It's just a matter of researching what's out there, and reaching out to the right people.

Graduate School is about more than getting to this hat.

But please keep in mind: you have to make it happen.  You have to decide what you want to get out of the graduate experience, think of what you need to do to make it happen, and then try to make it happen. So if you are on your way to Penn GSE, make sure you take some time to figure out what you really want from graduate school; especially if you're joining one of our programs that only last a year.  Taking time to figure out what you want from graduate school before the first day of classes will give you a head start towards a fulfilling graduate experience. 

So ask yourself: What experiences do you want to have?  What skills do you want to gain?  What kind of projects do you want to get involved in?

I've been a lucky guy.  Penn GSE has given me a tremendous platform and I have been able to explore my interests in educational technology for the past 3 years (but a lot more the past year or so).  In just the past 2 weeks I've:

Presented at a conference in Baltimore on MOOCs
Taught a seminar about 21st Century learning environment design to Penn undergraduates
Participated in an education conference and led a roundtable discussion about online learning

In the next month or so, I'll:

Observe a classroom as part of a Penn GSE research project
Teach a seminar to Penn GSE students regarding maximizing their internships
Organize a conference in April for Philly Tech Week, ReThink Philly EdTech (not a Penn thing but I got involved based on my studies at Penn)

I've truly been able to get involved in a lot of great things, stemming from my standing as a Penn GSE student.  But it took me some time to "figure it all out."  As a part-time student, I had the luxury of being here for a little while, so I figured things out during my time here.  But you can do it before you step foot on campus!  What do you like to do, and how can you envision it happening at Penn GSE?  Because if you can envision it, I truly believe at Penn GSE, you can make it happen.



Photo from http://latinopm.com/opinion/voices/pocho-keen/the-graduate-14090

The Joy of Online Learning

For the last course in my Master's program at GSE, I am actually taking an online class on Digital Literacies.  Let me say that it's exciting to take a fully-online course for credit.  The course is very cool, discussing a topic that I'm passionate about.  

The Wonder that is Online Learning

What's interesting is that I have been doing research on online learning and xMOOCs for my Master's Paper.  I recently presented at the Eastern Sociological Society meetings and will be talking about the subject a bit more in the weeks to come.  One of the big things I drew from the literature on these topics is the TIME factor.  How do you make sure to set aside enough time to successfully participate in online courses?

Right now, I'm trying to figure out the best balance between life and participating in the online course. This is a new and interesting challenge for me.  The thing I realize I need to do is not approach this class in the exact same way I've approached face-to-face classes.  Online courses are their own entities and require a slightly different kind of attention.  So instead, I'll spend some time reflecting on what this course will need from me for successful participation, and then structure my life so that I can make it happen.

So for those of you future Penn GSE students, if more online courses are offered and you take them, I recommend that you spend the beginning of the course really considering what the course will need from you, and then manage your time, organize, and prioritize accordingly.  

So that's my lesson for today.  I have an online course I have to get back to!


Image from: http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=is-online-learning-you_2

Philly - Winter Wonderland!

For those of you who are thinking of coming to Penn, an extra bonus of coming to the city of Philadelphia is the weather.  Now I know normally people think about the consistent sun of, say, Miami, and think that's the way to go.  But then you miss out on some of the goodness of certain things like a nice snowfall.  

Part of the snowy scene at Penn

Snow really is a beautiful sight.  Yes you have to be careful in it, but sometimes snow seems like a gift from Mother Nature!  You can do so much with it - have snowball fights, sled down the Art Museum steps, make a snowman.  It's great for photos and even television - one of the best NFL games this year was the Eagles/Lions played here at Lincoln Financial Field, which was played in a lot of snow and was a treat to watch.  I envy those who were actually at the game!

Nonetheless, for those of you who have never seen snow, it's a sight to behold.  When I was young, I loved it.  As I got a little older (post-undergrad days), I think I started to take it for granted.  But these days, I (and I know others) stare in awe at such a wonder and realize how beautiful it really is.  And if you join us at Penn, I'm excited that you'll be able to witness such wonder as well.

Photo from UPenn Twitter: https://twitter.com/Penn/status/426101977378865152/photo/1

Giving Grad School Your All

When you're a graduate student, success is measured a little differently than when you're in undergrad.  It's not just about completing the work and showing up in class.  As a grad student you have to really focus on developing your professional life, networking intensively, and finding ways to make a name for yourself.  Furthermore, an assignment is no longer just an assignment, and class is no longer just a class.  They are all experiences that you should try hard to get the most out of.  Sure, you can get an "A" in a course, but did you try your best to really get something valuable out of the class?

Are you giving it your all in class?

This has probably been one of the biggest realizations I've had since joining Penn GSE.  Each class, assignment, paper, meeting, conference, and the like is one part of a larger body of work toward success.  Everything should work together as I continue to develop myself as a scholar, academic, and professional.  Thankfully, the faculty in GSE have been very supportive in helping me along the way.

As I get closer to the end of my journey to the Master's Degree, I can't help but stop and think about how much I've grown over the years.  Penn GSE has truly empowered me to take the knowledge I have gained and use it productively, towards a larger body of work and personal development. 

I still have a few more months left before graduation, so let's see how much further I can go.

Photo from: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/why-do-state-school-parents-want-to-go-private-20110916-1kdth.html

The Joy of... the Master's Paper?!

One of our requirements as we head to graduation is our capstone Master's Paper.  This paper is not a dissertation or anything like that, but it's still quite a large task that requires a lot of reading, research, writing and rewriting.  Currently, we take a course that helps us along the way, at least to the point of getting a first draft completed.  But until this paper is handed in this Spring, we will be working on it nonstop.  The library, Google Scholar, and probably coffee will be our best friends.

Thankfully, the Master's Paper doesn't have to be this long.

This is the first time I've had to complete an academic paper of this magnitude.  The thought of working on this for months on end is sometimes a bit scary, to say the least.  But thankfully, the course we are in is helping to make sure that we have the tools necessary to make this a fulfilling writing experience.  We've gotten chances to work with our classmates (future colleagues!), we've been given great insight from our instruction team, and for me personally, I've already learned a lot about myself as a researcher and writer.

So as I said in my last post about "stopping to smell the roses," I am doing my best to make sure that I actually enjoy the day-to-day process of writing this Master's Paper.  Completing this paper will not be easy (of course!), but in the end it will all be worth it.


*Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Stopping to Smell the Roses

My first post for GSE admissions last year was "Plight of the Part-Time Student."  Now that I'm in my final year at GSE a a part-timer, I'm hoping to take in more of what Penn has to offer. It's really easy to get caught up in work-school-go home mode.  So now I'm trying to stop and smell the roses a little!

Ahhhhh....

One of the ways I'm trying to do this is to slow down and get to know people at Penn a little more.  Which leads me to give a shout out right now to my LST's, the students in the Learning Science and Technologies program. As the old-timer in the program (I can't believe I'm saying that) I feel a sense of duty to try to share as much from my experiences as an LST student as I can. I have been taking the time to STOP and chat with them so far this semester and they are all very motivated to do some great things this year. Our LST program is small, but powerful. 

So that's my goal this year.  Besides the whole finish my Master's Paper, get a Degree, and all that life-changing stuff, I want to smell the roses.   Even as the part-time student, full-time employee, and all-the-time husband, I think I'll be able to pull it off.


Photo from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Small_Red_Rose.JPG