A Change In Direction

Yes, I am making a change in direction - no more log cabin building for Jim!

In just a few short days, I will complete my undergraduate studies and will have earned a Bachelor of University Studies from the University of Tennessee at Martin.

The last 30 hours of that degree I earned “online”, and it was by far the most challenging and difficult. Those last 30 hours sparked in me an intense desire to know more and share that knowledge with - all those who seek knowledge. I had a good GPA (Grade Point Average) so I decided to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and if I scored high enough, to meet the requirements of the graduate school, I would apply for admission. Well, I did score high enough and made application and was accepted into the program of study for Master of Science in Education and Related Studies. The related studies will be Criminal Justice where I have a varied 30-year experience at both the street level and the command/administrative level.

Graduate school and the academic challenge it presents will be great, and the challenge to secure a teaching job, because of my age (I will be 70 when I graduate) will perhaps be even greater, but I remain optimistic about the future and my role in that future. There are jobs available in the public and private sector and in the developing online “open university” environment. I am particularly interested in the prospect of integrating technology into the classroom, wherever that classroom might be, and I believe it can and increasingly will be anywhere. I support the idea of a universal degree program- a degree earned by online or in classroom study, at any university in the world. I have joined Teachers Without Borders and support the Millennium Develop Goals, of the United Nations, (and that is about all I support of the United Nations) and the role education can play in the realization of those goals. From Nigeria to Indonesia to the established pedagogies of Europe the quest for knowledge is growing, and is being quenched by the far reach of technology. Technologies that are being used as tools not just delivery devices.

On every continent the untapped resources of the human mind and spirit await the opportunity to actualize their full potential, and I intend to be a part of that process. I invite each of you to join me on my journey of discovery by subscribing to my blog. I will be talking about much more than education, on that blog, and I welcome the opportunity to learn from your comments.