Graduate Student Assembly
AECT Board Representative:
Irene Bal
Loyola University Maryland
I am in my 2nd year at Old Dominion University in the Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) Program. I am also a faculty member at Loyola University Maryland in an Educational Technology Graduate Program. I have a Bachelor’s and a Master’s in music education, and a Master’s in Educational Research. I joined the GSA in 2019 and became an active member, taking advantage of the social events like #ShutUpandWrite and joining committees like the webinar and microlearning teams. Through the GSA, I have grown in my knowledge and research in educational technology, IDT, and research, and made connections around the world with researchers, practitioners, and other students.
I am running for the GSA Rep for the Board for 2021-2023. I feel I am the right candidate for this position as I don’t mind speaking up and being a voice for a group. Although I excel at leading, my passion is advocating and creating opportunities for other students. In my faculty position, I advocate and create opportunities for my learners through grant writing and promoting my students through their coursework locally and globally. I write grants that provide financial support to current graduate students and program alumni to design and facilitate learning for K-12 educators. I also promote my students’ work through my university’s social media channels, global blogs, and local and global conferences. In AECT, I advocated and created opportunities for graduate students globally in my role as the leader for the Volunteer Subcommittee for the 2020 AECT Virtual Convention, providing graduate students financial and leadership opportunities while attending the convention. For the 2020-2021 year, I am also the TED GSA rep, where I am taking an active role in the Teacher Ed Division, identifying opportunities that may be of interest to GSA members.
During my time in AECT, I have learned a lot of how the board and executive committee function and look forward to learning more in the next few years as I continue my program. I want to continue this work, advocating for GSA and finding/creating leadership opportunities and connections for graduate students in AECT, through the position as the GSA Rep for the Board for 2021-2023.
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