More Tips for Potential Grad Students: Education

Three tips for students considering graduate studies in Educational Technology and Design:
 
There are many things you can do ahead of time to prepare yourself for graduate studies in our field of study, and most of them would apply no mater what area of education you would enter.  They probably apply to other areas of study too.
 
1. Read voraciously.  Find some key journals and pick out some names of luminaries in the field, and then read everything by them you can lay your hands on.  But don't read too deeply at this point; read widely. Skim most of the books and articles you locate, and try to pick out some interesting themes that percolate to the top of the literature.  Pick one or two themes and read more deeply. Think about why you were attracted to these themes and how that might influence your work in graduate school. 
 
2. Find a good conference in this field of study and attend it. Pay particular attention to how people treat each other. Are they supportive and positive? What are people excited about? Where is the passion in the field of study? Can you picture yourself as a participant in the community?
 
3. Find two things you really care about outside your area of study. Graduate level study will cause you to focus your attention and time on one thing, and it can be dangerous to your intellectual health.  Be sure to nurture a couple of outside interests while you're tunnelling through your graduate work.

Rick Schwier, Educational Technology and Design, University of Saskatchewan, and 3M National Teaching Fellow.

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