Running Head: DIVERGENT

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Divergent
Growth Assessment Paper
Jennifer Delsescaux
Azusa Pacific University

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Personal Growth

At the start of this program I did not know what would lie ahead of me and how I would
grow and change personally because of the people I would meet and the courses that would
challenge me. Some of the ways this program has challenged me and helped me grow are in the
areas of organization and time management. Another area of growth that occurred personally
was in discovering how much further I was capable of pushing myself to grow and learn than I
realized was possible.
Throughout this program I have been faced with the challenge of becoming more
organized and learning to plan ahead. With the support and push from my professors who cared
enough to keep moving me forward I have now learned how to organise my life more
efficiently. I am more prepared for future goals and definitely learned how these skills will
benefit me in my career and a multitude of other things I may decide to do in life. Since starting
this program I have fallen in love with daily planners and now make time each day to plan out
the weeks ahead. These are important life skills but definitely important foundational skills for
any educator when it comes to lesson planning and classroom management skills.
Learning to plan ahead was a wonderful skill to acquire but when it came to discovering
how much I was capable of accomplishing that is when I truly changed. Throughout this
program I have faced countless personal tragedies that made me question if I would actually
complete this program or not. Through the support and enlightenment of my professors and
fellow classmates I discovered an inner strength that kept me going. Through the faith
integration aspects of each course I learned to lean on God more in the difficult times and
discovered how important it is to have a network of friends by your side. I can truly say that I
am going to leave this program with a stronger will, faith, and determination than I came into it
with.

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Professional Growth

During this program one of the biggest concepts I am going to take away is; in the world
of education there is no such thing as a lone wolf. I have always liked to do things on my own
but I realize now that in order to succeed and be a strong force within the classroom and your
school district you have to be brave and involved in a solid community. One of the common
trends throughout this program is that of working together and forming a long lasting
community of educators.
It has been a challenge for me to truly wrap my head around the importance of a Personal
Learning Network or why being involved in websites like Edmodo, Twitter and even Facebook
can be resources because I currently am not in a classroom. I have been blessed to work for a
technology company throughout this program and as I look back on everything I have learned
and experienced I have realised that my current job has been greatly impacted. At my current job
we focus on teamwork and after learning how important each person can be as a resource to
someone else I began to realize I could share my knowledge and findings with my co-workers to
help make them stronger. The saying that comes to mind is, a team is only as strong as its
weakest link. (Grey, n.d., para. 1) Teachers have to be united as a front in order to see education
evolve into what we all know it can and should be. The only way to make that happen, whether
in the school system or another career, is to be in community and share ideas and grow together
rather than apart.
What I leave this program with is the knowledge of how powerful community can be and
that while we all want to be unique, we need each other to make beautiful things happen.
Romans 12:4-5 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the
same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of
another. (Zondervan, 2005)

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Technical Growth

One of my favourite comments to tell people is that I was born a techie. My earliest
childhood memories were spent in front of a computer or testing computer boards at my Dads
work. Technology has been as much apart of me as the air I breathe. Yet this program has put a
lot in perspective for me regarding my technical growth that I had not expected to be revealed,
such as how to utilize resources available to me and how to see technology with new eyes.
A lot of the websites and resources used throughout this program I was already familiar
with and using personally. Learning how to implement them into a classroom was fascinating
and definitely interesting to learn. The biggest take away I had though was how much I have
taken technology for granted in my life. I suppose whenever something is around you all the
time you stop looking at it with eyes of wonder and just believe it will always be there. This
program re-opened my eyes to the true wonders of technology and what it is like to experience
these new discoveries through fresh eyes. Hearing the responses of my Cadremates throughout
the program as they learned about websites and resources I was all too familiar with awoke a
fire and excitement within me that I did not realize had died out a long time ago. I began to
realize that my jaded view of technology was actually hindering my ability and desire to learn
more and use it more in my everyday life. I had forgotten what it was like to be innovative and
seek new ways to use what I loved and had around me all the time.
This program truly allowed me to look at technology through a whole new lens and
experience it again for the first time in a new and exciting way. Now I can teach others how to
use it better because I understand their struggles and frustrations in a way I didnt before. I feel
that I can now make technology easier to understand and adapt it to learning in a multitude of
ways because I am more aware of what it is like to embrace technology for the first time and the
fears that come along with it that I had long forgotten.

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Life Long Learning Plan

Becoming a teacher means being a life long learner and never stopping the learning process,
and knowing that I get to be a student forever is a dream come true. This program has provided me
the skills I need to continue to succeed not only in the world of education but in any path I take.
My life long learning plan is going to consist of attending conferences, both live and
online. I would love to be able to get more involved in that type of atmosphere because I learn
best in a classroom type environment and I also love meeting people face to face and sharing
ideas together. I also would love to establish a stronger Personal Learning Network (PLN). I
believe I now have the foundations to create a PLN that will not only benefit me but that will
benefit others as well. I want to make life long connections with other educators and people in
the technology field so that I can continue to stay ahead of trends and constantly bring the best
resources to my students. If you fail to connect to the network of learners, you miss out on a
global conversation concerning topics about which you are passionate. And missing out is a
darn shame, because it can save you time, energy and increase your reach, no matter how
brilliant (or not) you are. (Guhlin, 2012, para. 8)
Another goal of mine is to actually get into a classroom and begin putting to use what I
have learned. At my current job a leader of mine once said, that the problem with our job is we
have so much information and knowledge swimming around our heads that it is hard not to
want to share it all, but we have to be wise in when to share it and how to share it. I truly feel
like I now have a whole tool belt of information and knowledge that I want to share eagerly
with students and teachers to help bring technology into education more than it currently is
right now. One focus I do want to continue to work on is that of cyber safety and helping to find
a way to make the internet a safer place for everyone, especially children.

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Conclusion

Honestly, its hard to believe this program is coming to an end. When I think back to the
beginning of it all, it feels like it was yesterday. It is not often that I can say I leave a school or
program a better version of myself, but I can say this program has really helped me spiritually,
personally and professionally to grow and become better as a person.
When it comes to the future we can never be certain of what lies ahead. What I do know
is I feel confident of whatever the future holds because I now have the skills, ambitions and
dreams to make something extraordinary out of that future. I have discovered who I am in Christ
more assuredly and I have the confidence to know that I can stand in front of a classroom or
school administrator and share my passion for technology with facts and reasons that are true
and compelling. The future can be a scary thing but when you are well prepared, as I feel I am,
then the fear will only cause you to wake up and not to shut down.
This paper was entitled Divergent and according to the New Oxford American
Dictionary the word means, tending to be different or develop in different directions, (2014)
and I feel thats the path I have been on since I started my Masters program at Azusa Pacific
University. I began in one direction and than shifted towards this program and every little path I
have taken has had a part to play in who I have become and who I will be. The name was also
important because I leave this program wanting to be different and stand out from the rest in a
way that motivates and inspires others to not be afraid of change or technology. I want to help
develop new ways to make technology accessible and relatable to teachers and students. While I
may not know what the future holds I do know that I want to be a light that breaks through the
darkness of fear when it comes to technology and the unknown. How I will accomplish all of
that I do not know, but I am confident that I now have the resources and tools to make anything
possible that I dream up and I will not stop fighting for those dreams.

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References

Grey, M. (n.d.) Retrieved from

http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/245976-a-team-is-only-as-strong-as-it-s-weakest-link
Guhlin, M. (2012, October 1). Build your personal learning network. Retrieved February
22, 2015, Retrieved from
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/columnists/guhlin/guhlin004.shtml
Muck, T. (Ed.). (2005). Faith in action study bible: living god's word in a changing world : New
International Version. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan.
Stevenson, A. (Ed.). (2014). New oxford american dictionary (5th ed.). Oxford, New York: Oxford
University Press.