Establishing My Personal Brand

    Growing up, I never expected to enter a field that encompasses technology, learning design, and learning theories. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, I knew that school felt like a second home. A home when my own home did not feel like a home. Teaching seemed like the best option, I always had a feeling of satisfaction when I helped friends with their homework. I enjoy teaching, though I knew entering the field I wouldn’t be an educator forever. The field of education is a field of growth and exploration; not a field that allows for you to become stagnant. I am only a second-year teacher, but that has not stopped me from thinking about what I want to gain from the field and what I want to contribute to education. 

    Upon reflecting, designing a learning curriculum for districts and being a support system for teachers would be rewarding. A master's in Technologies and Learning Designs would help reach this goal, along with teaching valuable skills in digital formatting and digital learning tools. A discipline that I am passionate about within this field is instructional design, specifically backward design. My interest in backward design began during my student teaching, where I saw firsthand how intentional planning could transform student learning. Since then, I have continued to refine my approach, using the curriculum provided by my district as a foundation to determine what students need to know. By focusing on learning objectives first, I ensure that all lessons and activities align with meaningful outcomes. 

    Through both formal and informal assessments, I have been able to identify which students fall into Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3, allowing me to tailor instruction accordingly. I scaffold and accommodate based on student needs, ensuring that every learner has the support necessary to engage with the material. Backward design has helped me create a more structured, student-centered approach to instruction. Within my student teaching and two years of teaching, I have been part of a self-contained middle school, where the only teachers are myself and my co-teacher. I have experience with blended learning and cross-curricular teaching as I was able to integrate content from one class into another. My teaching is student-centered and by use of blended learning, I have a good foundation within edtech tools and how to implement them within the classroom. Within the next school year, I plan to experiment with project-based learning - hopefully having community involvement, as well as AI implementation; such as a red light, yellow, light, and green light system of what AI uses is acceptable and harmful on assignments. 

    Throughout my teaching journey, I have been passionate about integrating approaches that enhance student engagement and learning outcomes. In the short term, I am focused on deepening my understanding of project-based learning, creating an effective system for AI implementation in my classroom, and exploring opportunities for gamification across my curriculum. These strategies allow me to foster real-world problem-solving skills, personalize learning experiences, and increase student motivation.

    Looking ahead, I envision my role extending beyond the classroom to support and empower educators on a larger scale. My long-term goal is to move into curriculum development and instructional support at the district level, ensuring that teachers have access to well-designed, effective learning materials. I also aspire to teach at the university level, where I can contribute to shaping the next generation of educators. Additionally, I want to develop a learning system tailored to adult English language learners, bridging gaps in educational accessibility and workforce readiness. By blending my experiences in AI, project-based learning, and gamification with my passion for instructional design, I hope to play a role in shaping the future of education by creating engaging, inclusive, and effective learning environments for both students and teachers.

    I was unaware of what areas the Learning Design and technologies degree covered, so I asked my mentor, Samantha Rodriguez, for further clarification. As an educator, I am particularly interested in instructional design, educational technology integration, and gamification because they align with both my current teaching practices and my long-term goals. Since my student teaching, I have been drawn to backward design, ensuring that learning experiences are intentional and structured around clear outcomes. I am eager to explore project-based learning as a way to make instruction more meaningful and student-centered. My experience with scaffolding and differentiation has helped me tailor instruction to diverse learners, and I see instructional design as a way to refine and expand these skills. In the future, I aim to support other educators by developing curriculum and instructional materials at the district level or within higher education, making instructional design a critical area of focus for me.

    I am also deeply interested in educational technology integration, particularly as I work toward implementing AI in my classroom. Having experience with blended learning and cross-curricular instruction, I see the potential of technology to enhance student engagement, personalize learning, and streamline assessments. I want to explore how technology can support teachers in differentiating instruction effectively while also preparing students for a tech-driven world. Developing expertise in this area will also help me as I work toward my long-term goal of creating a learning system for adult English language learners, ensuring that technology makes education more accessible to diverse learners.

    Lastly, I want to dive deeper into gamification and game-based learning to create more engaging, interactive lessons. Many middle school students thrive when learning feels like a challenge rather than a task, and I am interested in exploring how game mechanics, competition, and rewards can increase motivation. Since I already integrate content across subjects, gamification could provide a unique way to bridge different disciplines while reinforcing key skills. In the future, this knowledge will allow me to design innovative learning experiences that benefit both K-12 students and adult learners. By focusing on these three areas, I hope to contribute to the evolution of education—helping teachers implement effective instructional strategies, embrace technology, and create engaging learning experiences that meet the needs of diverse learners.