Nancy Curley

Professional and Career Goals

When I first started in the Graduate School at ECU, I was a classroom teacher who hoped to immediately use the skills that I was learning in the MAEd in Instructional Technology program in my own classroom to enhance student achievement. I recognized that over my teaching career the learners in my charge had evolved and that my teaching must evolve as well to meet the needs of my students. Students have a rich digital life outside of school and I felt that those digital tools may be the key to reaching my students and maximizing their potential in the classroom.

 Mid-stream in my journey here at ECU I accepted a position as an Instructional Technology Coach for my county. At that point my course work became even more relevant to me in my daily work.  Now, I was not just responsible for my own classroom but for helping many other teachers to use technology to affect their students’ learning.  My circle of influence had just grown exponentially. 

The degree that will soon be bestowed upon me will allow me to become an official Instructional Technology Facilitator and receive the additional pay that a master’s degree brings.  However, for me it is much more than that.  Much personal satisfaction and confidence in my skills as a professional has also been earned with this degree.  For the future I will strive to continue to sharpen my skills as a technology facilitator and to work every day to make a positive difference in the practice of teachers at my schools for the success of students.