Fall 1999
Vol 8 Issue 1
IN THIS ISSUE...
Technology: Places for Student Voices
Assisting Student Learning with Technology
Technology and Computers- More than Just Classroom Learning
Laptops, Websites, and Angkor-Wat
Ten Years of Student Voices on the Electronic Forum
Learning, Programming and Moving On at MCLI
Learning that Provides a Direction for the Future
Are We Listening to International Students
Hands-On Experience, Service Learning Makes it Real at MCC's Network Academy
SEE ALSO...
The Forum
Assidere
Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction
Learning That Provides a Direction for the Future
Colen Wilson, MCC Student
My name is Colen Wilson, and I am currently a MCC student pursuing an associate's degree in Computer Information Systems. Upon completion of this immediate goal, I plan attend a university in a related field of study. I am also a part-time Instructional Programmer at the Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction (MCLI) at the District office. I think I have an advantageous point of view because I am able to see my education from two perspectivesthat of a support staff member and that of a learner.
Life in the city is very distant from my upbringing. I am a Native American of the Navajo Tribe and originally from Fort Defiance, a dusty reservation town in Northern Arizona. I went to a small private school in St. Michael's, a few miles away. Upon graduating from high school, I moved to the city to further my education. I began my college career at Arizona State University in the College of Architecture. Since I enjoyed building things, I figured this was the path to take. I spent the next couple of years enrolled in courses, but I was still uncertain about my future.
I remember having the feeling that I wasn't getting anywhere fast enough. I needed to make a change. I received my first 'A' in a computer programming class while at ASU. I enjoyed the class so much that I decided that this was the path I was going to take. I heard good things about the classes at MCC, and it wasn't that far from ASU, so I enrolled with a new majorComputer Information Systems.
A whole new world opened up to me, and I couldn't believe that I passed by it on my way to ASU! The classes I took became immediately applicable. After working at various customer service jobs, I came across the Student Technology Assistant Program at MCC. Having taken a Web Publishing class, I knew this was the road for me. I began my role as a Student Technology Assistant (STA). There, I worked along with the faculty of the Department of Design, Family and Consumer Sciences, serving their technological needs, which was mainly web development. This was a great experience because, not only was I able to apply my skills in a job setting, but I was also able to interact with faculty. Observing education from an instructor's perspective was very rewarding.
It was this experience that led to the current role I play at the MCLI. My position truly allows room for growth and actively encourages it. I am able to learn on the job and on MCC's campus. As a student and an employee, this is an ideal situation.
In approximately the same amount of time I spent at ASU, a portion of my future has materialized through the Maricopa Community Colleges. I can actually see the direction of my future.
