While a majority of MALDT and DET students are in K12 or higher education, there is a whole world of educational training opportunities beyond the traditional classroom. Zippia.com offered a list of top educational technology careers; many of which use titles like “teacher,” “instructor,” and “trainer.” However, the MALDT program is designed to help students prepare for careers not only in the K12 classroom but also in “businesses, nonprofits, the military, health care, and other training settings.”
For example, DET candidate Ashley Gabel works in the fashion industry and, as an extension of her current role, has brought widespread learning opportunities to her colleagues. Every step of the DET program has better prepared her to take on this responsibility, from writing professional project proposals to executing elevated professional development sessions. She utilizes her knowledge from educational technology when putting together presentations and educating her teammates on global events; daily activities in a global business.
In fact, in his article “The Need for a Corporate Training Culture in New Age Enterprises” Sanjay Bahl noted that elearning opportunities are changing the landscape for corporate training. Students with degrees in the field of educational technology are uniquely positioned to design, modify, and implement training opportunities for employees in order to grow business. Dr. Jeremy Bond serves as the Director of Instructional Development for CMU and uses his knowledge from the MALDT and DET programs to develop new online courses using backward design and ground them in the TPACK or SAMR frameworks. He also stated that what he learned about motivation “is often put to use with my team as well as our faculty constituents.”
Further, MALDT students who pursue ISTE Certification have proven themselves to be technologically competent and passionate about providing authentic opportunities to learners. Whether you choose to use your degree in a K12 setting, higher education, or the realm beyond typical classroom walls, educational technology advocates and experts are in demand in our increasingly virtual world.