Hello, my name is Kareem Jabbar Downer-Shojgreen and I am a geek. 

 

Geek: \ˈgēk\: a person who is very interested in and knows a lot about a particular field or activity

  At a young age, I noticed that my favorite people and movie characters were geeks and my favorite pastimes involve technology. Even in movies, from Blade Runner and War Games to Hackers, The Net, and on to Gamer, I’ve realized that I’m all about binery...you know, ones and zeros (IOIO). So, when I started my educational career, it developed in that direction.

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 As I take a look back at the goal statement I originally presented to the MAET program, I am happy with what I see. My fondness for technology and the prospect of technological improvements was clear when I stated that one of my goals is to modify the look of classrooms so it portrays and represents a more accurate and evolving world. Thanks to what I’ve learned here, I can also say that my goal statement has changed to include the modification of the schools and classroom environment from college campuses and lecture halls to school districts and classrooms. My other goal of facilitating individual and collaborative investigations to help research and possibly create the new technology that will fulfill the needs of teachers without overwhelming them in the classroom, is essentially the same. If anything, I have become more focused on research and the possible creation or adaptation of technology. I speak about the adaptation of new technology because it is my belief that there is plenty of technology in the professional world that could function perfectly for the betterment of learners. For example, the same technology that is used to deposit checks by taking a picture of it, could be used for homework assignments. The parents would get a copy of the “deposit” by the students, the educators would be able to see it sooner and be more prepared to work with the student.

 

 Regarding my second goal of school and classroom innovations, through my work I’ve been able to identify several factors that have driven me to focus on this topic. I would be remiss if I did not say that my upbringing and education in Panama was not a reason why modification of schools and classrooms is so important to me. Seeing the same types of classrooms in a developing country as in a developed country, made me aware of the lack of change in schools on all aspects of technology, schools and classroom innovation, and once I started working as a professional, outside and inside of education, I could see the disconnects that did not allow for the proper portrayal and representation of schools as the connection to a more accurate and evolving world. As I traversed this world as a professional, I encountered many occasions were collaboration between individual and groups while conducting research, assignments, projects, etc., would have made a significant difference to our organization. This is why another of my goals is to facilitate collaboration in order to further investigate new technologies, and this has always been an aspect of education where technology can make an incredible difference, as it presents multiple ways of allowing interaction near and abroad with many individuals. Tools like Edmodo, SlideShare, and Google Docs promote the need to collaborate in various ways. Collaborative tools like these allow learners to reach out much further by utilizing online tools to conduct research, interviews, participate in studies and polls, and it also presents students with a realistic experience they would find in the professional world.

 

 My ultimate goal is to be at the forefront of educational technology by finding or creating the new technology that will fulfill the needs of educators, and give them the tools needed in order to produce learners that will be productive members of society. I am a geek, a geek about many things, but specifically about educational technology and the creation of schools that model the professional world.