For the love of learning
Sofia Vivas shares how her quest for knowledge led her to the learning technologies program
I have always been a reader—whether it was back in middle school when my nose was tucked into a weathered copy of The Hunger Games, throughout my undergraduate time in the English department here at the University of Minnesota, or nowadays simply to enjoy a good story. My love for reading is not isolated to those of fictional worlds; rather, I value reading so highly because it empowers me to learn about the world around me. In fact, it is because of my eagerness to learn that I now find myself as a master of education student in the learning technologies program.
One of the things that I cherish the most about the learning technologies program is how unique everyone’s path to it truly is! In my case, I was in the throes of my sophomore year here at the U, majoring in English, and frankly, quite unsure about where I would take my educational journey. As I registered for spring courses, I came across one in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction titled “Social Media and Connected Learning."
Now, you might think that a class such as this one has nothing to do with an English degree...and sure, the through-line might not be obvious at first glance. However, I overlooked my momentary hesitancy, took the leap, and registered for the course anyway. To my pleasant surprise, I was met with a class entirely unlike any I had taken in the past: we got to debate ethical issues concerning technology and learning, use social networking platforms to build professional networks, and create an online portfolio of text, audio, and video relevant to future work. Both while taking the course and once it concluded, I kept thinking that whatever this thing is, I want to learn more about it!
A recurring theme of my life is that if something piques my curiosity, I dive into it headfirst. So, as a quasi-floundering college student open to where my interests might take me, I asked my professor how I could continue exploring the realm of learning technologies. Flash-forward to the summer semester, and I am officially a part of the LT minor program. As a part of it, I had the opportunity to inquire into how learning and technological advancements affect everything from video games to Artificial Intelligence to mass communication. Coming from the English department, it was exciting to learn about such a broad spectrum of topics, all the while continuing to hone my written and oral communication, not to mention my critical thinking skills. Truly, my minor coursework in LT embodied the idea that while technology has become nearly inextricable from every aspect of our lives, these advancements have great potential to promote more meaningful learning experiences!
A recurring theme of my life is that if something piques my curiosity, I dive into it headfirst.
As I neared the end of my undergraduate degree, my time spent exploring what learning technologies was all about pushed me to look into what the subject matter might look like at the graduate level. Truth be told, I felt that I had only scratched the surface of what learning technologies had to offer, and since I so thoroughly enjoyed the classes I had taken, my curiosity got the better of me once more. I was thrilled to learn that there were plenty of avenues to take under the umbrella of learning technologies, so as I wrapped up my BA in English, it felt natural to continue on to the MEd program. Nevertheless, the beauty is that where an MEd best serves my future career interests in instructional design, the University also offers opportunities for career development and even a PhD in learning technologies as well. Genuinely, the learning technologies program at the undergraduate and graduate levels has far exceeded my expectations on many fronts! On the one hand, I have had the blessing of having so many incredible course offerings and highly skilled professors to learn from, that the “issue” is narrowing down what to focus my attention on. On the other hand, as I continue to get closer and closer to knowing what I want to do once I graduate, faculty within the LT program have been nothing but supportive, happy to help, and genuinely excited to share the myriad ways that LT can take shape post-graduation.
At present, I find myself exactly a year away from completing my time within the LT program here at the U. And yet, what my time here has taught me, much like my love for reading, is that the journey of learning is never truly over. I look forward to the next year, and my graduation with great excitement about how we can better leverage technology to create meaningful educational experiences for anyone from K-12 or college students to corporate trainees. Here’s to learning the technologies that make our world a better place!
—SOFIA VIVAS
Learn more about LT’s MEd program: z.umn.edu/lt-med-connect