To be engaged in education today means grappling with and understanding the role of technology in how we think and learn. My master’s degree from the Educational Technology Leadership program equipped me to be a leader in these areas; both on my campus and as I expand my career to other venues.

At the elementary school, where I work, Reagan Elementary School in Clovis, Calif., as a third grade teacher, my primary co-curricular duty has been to serve as the site technology advisor. This includes being the web master for my school’s site, and helping other teachers roll out their own class home pages. By introducing a school home page, we have greatly improved parent communication. Teachers and school staff get fewer phone calls about when assemblies and sporting events are taking place. The site gives parents one central hub for information, which they greatly appreciate. Bycreating my own class web page I now have a tremendous resource for improving communication with the parents of my students. By posting the weekly lesson focus and key items such as vocabulary and spelling words, I have provided my students with another venue to get important information they need for success in my class. Helping teachers understand how they can use technology to enhance their instruction is something I am able to bring into my courses because of my experience with ETL.

My degree has also given me the opportunity to branch into the world of higher education. I am an adjunct faculty member at National University in the School of Education. Helping teachers understand how they can use technology to enhance their instruction is something I am able to bring into my courses because of my experience with ETL. I believe the program had the right combination of theory and practice to make me an authority.

I reflect from time to time about the great experience I had with GWU. I met a lot of new colleagues, had great discussions (virtual and real-time), and moved toward being an expert in this challenging and growing field of educational technology. But with it now over, I feel I have been well prepared to be a leader as a proud GWU alumnus.

My ETL degree and training has also helped me in my other career pursuits. I have my own web site and blog that I use to promote my writing. Issues about technology are some of the most compelling to write about as they affect how we learn, think, and live. My GWU master’ degree has given me the right combination of knowledge and skills to be a technology leader wherever my career may go.

Derek Walter resides in Fresno, California. His web site and blog can be found at derekwalter.com