Reflection Letter

My Experience

As I reflect on my Learning Journey, it is important to note that this journey would not have been possible without the never-ending love and support of my Wife and our two wonderful children. My Wife has always been and continues to be my biggest advocate. She stood by me when I left Brownville to attend the Police Academy in Austin. For a year, she endured sleepless nights worrying about my wellbeing when I was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and then deployed to Baghdad, Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. She also encouraged me to continue my education by enrolling in the Master of Education in Educational Technology Program at the University of Texas- Rio Grande Valley. God has blessed and continues to bless me with vast opportunities; however, I could not have partaken in these opportunities without the inspiration and strength I receive from my Wife and Kids. It is to them that I dedicate this academic endeavor!

I would be remiss if I did not highlight all the hard work and commitment of the Educational Technology Faculty. The faculty provided me with vital guidance, established the framework, and assured me that my 10-year absence from higher education courses would not hinder my progress. As a returning adult-learner, learning for me has proven to be a greater challenge. While learning in any stage in life can be challenging, being able to receive guidance and support from the faculty reassured me that I was on the right path. The EDTC Faculty at the University of Texas- Rio Grande Valley is comprised of an exceptional group of talented Men and Women and I thank you for seeing me along this journey!

My EDTC Program Experience

As I start my fourth module in the Summer of 2021, I realize that even though I have a long way to go to complete my degree, I have made considerable progress. My ten-year hiatus from higher educational courses did make its presence known as I started EDFR 6300- Research Methods in Education. The seven-week course is a part of the curriculum and instruction component of the accelerated EDTC Program. The course provides students with instruction in research design, literature review, critiquing research, and action research. It starts with selecting and defining a research proposal in week one. By week three you are tasked with writing a 10-page paper on your research problem. At the end of week seven, your research problem paper consists of a table of contents, research methodology, references, and appendices. Needless to say, my 10-page research problem paper had now morphed into a 29-page scientifically based research paper.

While all the education technology courses present substantial challenges and are equally rewarding, the Research Methods in Education presented a unique challenge and at times seemed overwhelming to a returning adult learner. Unique in the sense that the other educational technology courses offer you the opportunity to utilize emerging technologies as part of your course work, EDFR 6300 is grounded in research methodology and is independent of other technical aspects. This is not to say that the course does not hold value in the EDTC program. On the contrary, it provides students the opportunity to showcase a critical and often overlooked aspect of personal and professional growth. The ability to research, organize, structure, and present not only needs within an organization, but solutions to meet those needs in a well-crafted and systemic process was an aspect that I had not foreseen at part of the curriculum. Being able to present, share, and articulate educational technology information to other fields is a critical and valuable asset to possess.

It is now the Spring of 2022 and I am on the cusp of graduating. While the road has gotten substantially shorter, it has become steeper and more challenging. As I embark on the EDTC 6332- Educational Technology Practicum, I am once again left to ponder how my educational journey has progressed. To seek guidance and direction, I have leaned on both Dr. Rene Corbeil and Dr. Maria Elena Corbeil for their instruction and expertise. Both Dr.’s have been instrumental in my ongoing academic success and have prominent roles, not only in the Educational Technology Program at the University of Texas- Rio Grange Valley, but within the Educational Technology Field. While the practicum is student-centered, Dr. Rene Corbeil makes it known that he is available to assist students throughout every step of the process. This is done through the weekly Zoom sessions he host, by promptly responding to email questions, and by providing valuable feedback via project rubrics. Having to analyze, design, develop, implement, and evaluate is a self-paced interactive web-based instructional solution to address productivity gaps within a profession organization is no easy task. The task was made manageable by incorporating and integrating the systematic process and principles that encompass the Educational Technology Program.

Lessons Learned

There are many lessons that one will learn as a candidate in the Master of Education in Educational Technology Degree program. From theory, methodology, frameworks, processes, design models, and emerging technologies- all these approaches and applications are the foundation of the EDTC Program. While these lessons are critical in the field of educational technology, the life lessons that accompanied them hold equal value and meaning.

Life lessons are those that not only impact your life but the life of those around you. They are seldom found in courses and do not make up a syllabus, however they underlie the structure of the program. It has always been a personal goal to continue my education and obtain a graduate level degree. As a first-generation college graduate, I understand the importance of higher education. As an US Army Combat Veteran, I embrace the opportunity to purse my graduate degree. And as a Husband and Father, I value those that have encouraged me throughout my journey.

In 2022, we start our third year on living with and through a global pandemic. If we were told three years ago that life as we know it would come to a drastic and abrupt end- I would have shrugged off the notion. The thought of a virus that would surreptitiously enter our bodies and cause mass illness and death was rooted in sci-fi movies and fictional books. How could this happen in the beginning of 2020 and most importantly, how can we stop it from happening? While global health authorities struggled with understanding and containing the virus, one was left to navigate a very dismal future.

As lockdowns and mask mandates were implanted, education took a back seat to sustaining and maintaining life. Technology was now at the forefront of communication at the global scale. This posed the question, “how can we incorporate technology to sustain and maintain education?” While emerging technologies had the capacity to support this endeavor, both stakeholders and end-users lacked the capability. To align capacity with capability, educational technologist were now called to implement and take action. This monumental task revived my interest in educational technology and was the catalyst for enrolling in the Master of Education in Educational Technology Degree program. As with the mantra of my current profession, to protect and serve- I wanted to help and provide a solution to this problem.

The EDTC program provided an opportunity to incorporate viable, practical, and immediate solutions in both my personal and professional life. As my Wife assumed the very demanding and critical role of homeschooling our 5- and 2-year-old kids, I was able to merge hardware and software to enhance their learning experience and outcomes. At work, while many other institutions shifted to remote learning, we were not afforded this luxury. Training and preparing future Texas Peace Officers calls for ongoing and steadfast instruction. To accomplish this, I was able to leverage my EDTC experience to devise an infrastructure to support synchronous instruction, while maintaining a safe and healthy environment that was conducive to learning.

The biggest life lesson that the EDTC program afforded me was the opportunity to provide solutions in an environment that was teeming with never ending challenges. It presented me with abstract processes that I could transform into tangible solutions. By applying the lessons I learned as a candidate in the EDTC program into real-world solutions, it reinforced the importance of perseverance. Pursuing my Master’s Degree in uncertain and trying times, against unfavorable odds in both my professional and personal life, and being able to apply this newly acquired skills to increase our odds stands as a true testament to the life lesson of perseverance!

Moving Forward

As a Law Enforcement Executive, I am not an educator in the traditional sense. I do however provide leadership, guidance, and support to those that I have the privilege to serve with. I have instructed Soldiers and Officers throughout my military and law enforcement career. This is what drove me to pursuit a Master of Education in Educational Technology Degree. Within the Law Enforcement Profession, it is an anomaly to have a degree in the Educational Technology Field. While many have Criminal Justice Degrees, I wanted to increase the breadth and scope of the profession by employing educational technology theories, applications, and best practices. By applying new and innovative strategies and techniques into training and curriculum, my hope is to improve community-officer relations.

As a profession, I see the hesitation to integrate technology to facilitate learning. This apprehension has created a gap between our current generation and those Law Enforcement Instructors that have yet to harness the power of technology. With the onset of educational technology, my mission and vision is to fill that knowledge gap and provide our Officers with the best learning mediums available. Educational Technology has evolved and will continue to evolve at a dynamic rate, and as a profession we must evolve with it. A Master of Education in Educational Technology Degree will enhance my Law Enforcement Profession by affording me the opportunity to utilize technology to instruct, educate, and train our future and current Law Enforcement Officers.

Moving forward, I plan to continue to leverage the lesson learned throughout my education journey and share them with those not only within my profession, but with those who we have the honor of serving. My strategic plan will be to analyze our current law enforcement training methodology not solely through the lens of a law enforcement instructor, but also through the lens of an educational technologist. By merging these two essential elements, I can better formulate and design instructional processes to improve learning outcomes and performance. As it relates to my educational endeavors, my future goals are to continue to pursue training and instruction in the educational technology field, to include enrolling in the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction program. While this endeavor might seem currently out of reach, so was my endeavor to peruse a Master of Education in Educational Technology Degree. With God, my Wife, and our kids by my side- anything is possible.