Graduate Profile: Scott
A conversation with Scott Floyd
Gladewater, Texas
UT Arlington Graduate 2006
M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with Literacy Emphasis
UTTC: Why did you decide to learn online, and why did you choose UT TeleCampus to do that?
Scott: I was attracted to the online learning because of the flexible hours it offered. I was able to teach during the day, spend the evening with my family, and then read my son his bedtime story all before sitting down to work on my studies. I looked at other online programs prior to choosing UT TeleCampus, but the UT System offered the most respected online education program available. Having earned awards for its strength and course offerings, I knew it would be one I could be proud to say I was a part of.
What part of the online experience was most beneficial to you as a working professional?
My students need to be taught 21st century skills. Part of those skills requires working in a virtual environment. Being a part of the UT TeleCampus program allowed me to face the triumphs and struggles of this online world. I am able to take my lessons from the interactivity and technology usage and apply them with firsthand knowledge. I earned a Masters degree in 18 months doing what was some of the most challenging work I have ever faced -- in an environment I had never participated in at that level. I walked away a much more confident and driven teacher because of it. My students, my campus, and my district will all benefit from my experience.
Most students come into the online classroom with expectations, and are sometimes a little surprised by what they find. How about you? Any surprises?
I expected to find a sterile environment where the discussion board was faceless. What I found was a truly dedicated group of students willing to work together in a collaborative environment to succeed. I found a group of professors that wanted to know their students offline as well as on. Many great professional email exchanges occurred outside of the program that just strengthened my faith in the backbone of what is the UT TeleCampus.
I expected to find a program that was flexible for me all around. I was right. In the middle of my degree, my father began having heart issues. I was able to continue my studies from his hospital, and his home, three hours away from my own home. I am very active politically for public education as well. This has me in Austin regularly. With my laptop in hand, I never missed a beat in my coursework. I could not have completed this degree the conventional way.
Like most of our students, you’ve balanced work, family and school correct?
Yes! I am in my mid-30's, married to a teacher, and have a 6 year old son. I have taught for ten years, mostly middle school language arts. I’m also the coordinator for our campus Gifted and Talented Program. I have been named ATPE's (Assn. of Texas Professional Educators) Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year and have been honored by Who's Who Among America's Teachers four times. I am very active in my church, and I love to play golf. I truly enjoy presenting at conferences about the 21st Century skills our students need now and the read/write web. I want other educators to see what I am doing in my classroom and show them how easy it is to do in theirs.
During your studies did you create any interesting projects or perform research you found especially valuable?
I completed my capstone course early because they were changing the topic, and I loved the technology aspect of the one being phased out. I chose to prepare a website based on blogging in the classroom. A new book by David Warlick had come out about the topic. I used it as a model for my training, among other sources. This led me to pursuing the topic even further than my project required. I ended up regularly conversing with Mr. Warlick, and even using his educational blogging server with my own students.
That led me to participate in the National Writing Project literacy training at University of Texas at Arlington through the Bluebonnet Writing Project. Because of my knowledge and experience working with blogs in education as well as literacy instruction, I was asked to become a part of the leadership team. While I live three hours away, tools such as those used within the TeleCampus system made me a part of every aspect of the program. These experiences allowed me to present at a higher education conference in Austin for the University of Texas, as well as receiving the largest classroom grant in my school district's history!
Both of those events opened a door for me to consult for nine universities, including one in Australia and one in Japan, in a collaborative science project dealing with the moon. I offer them insight into read/write technologies that will allow their professors, pre-service teaching students, and grade-school students to effectively share and discuss observations of the moon from different hemispheres and locations on earth.
What was your greatest challenge learning online?
My greatest challenge was impatience. A live classroom offers immediate feedback, and the online environment doesn’t always provide that.
What was your greatest reward from the experience?
The positive and uplifting comments left for me about the work I was doing from other students in the classes, some of whom I was able to meet personally at graduation. I even got a hug from one lady who shared that my input kept her going through several courses we had taken together. It reinforced the fact that I was in the program I needed to be in. I could easily say the same thing about other students in my courses that I will never meet face-to-face.
What advice would you give other students entering the online classroom?
This is not a cake walk. Be prepared for some of the toughest course work you have ever completed. Deadlines are crucial, and there are times others depend on you to get your part done. Go in knowing that what you will leave with is more than a degree on paper. You will leave with a proud accomplishment you just cannot explain to someone who has not lived it. You couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face for months after graduation.
What advice do you have for professors teaching online?
Monitor the classes carefully. Sometimes students are drowning and no one notices. Personal emails will fly around between students looking for help. I realize it should be a collaborative environment where students should be able to count on one another, but every course is different and each professor requires different things. Even the written syllabus can be translated in so many ways. Give examples to help ease the tension. Oh, and take an online class yourself in a subject you might struggle with. It will give you a whole new perspective.
How are you using what you learned today?
I am working with my district's administration to create a new technology program for our district based on choosing and using the right tools for information literacy. A new position may come out of this work, and my Masters and online experience has me right in line with the needed requirements. I’m also thinking more about administrative work and looking at the UT TeleCampus superintendent certificate program UTOPS. Bottom line is I want to create a better future for students on as broad a scale as possible.
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