"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
- Albert Einstein
 5318 Instructional Design Online Learning 90/100 5320 Synthesis of Digital Learning and Leadership 90/100 Courses 5318 and 5320 offered exceptional learning opportunities, largely due to the expertise of Dr. Harapnik and Dr. Bellard, as well as the collaborative spirit of my peers. We engaged in practical applications of educational technology through course development Outlines, COVA reflection, and course design feedback. Learning about design of courses as well as putting one together gave me great insight in how I want to move forward after the ADL program. The diverse perspectives of my fellow education professionals broadened my understanding, and the support from individuals like Joseline Sanchez, facilitated through TEAMS and GroupMe, was invaluable. I am truly grateful for the knowledge and friendships I gained during this experience. This semester, like the previous ones, has presented some challenges as both school and my children require my attention. Despite these hurdles, I am proud of my accomplishments and the work I have produced for my peers in these two courses. I have gained valuable insights into my innovation plan and have established a solid foundation for what I want to contribute to my team and the implementation of our future actions. Positive Outcomes: Despite encountering a few bumps in the road along the way, I stayed on top of my work. I submitted my assignments on time, participated in discussions, completed modules, and attended meetings whenever possible. If I missed any meetings, I made sure to watch the recordings right away. This hard work paid off, and I am proud of what I have created. I am excited to share the courses I have designed, incorporate COVA principles, and reflect on feedback from others to spread knowledge about creating blended learning platforms. Whether through comprehensive plans or in their own classrooms, I believe blended learning can significantly help students succeed in various ways. This program has taught me so much, and I have grown as an educator in so many ways. Opportunities for Growth: Juggling life's demands has been challenging this term, even with my best efforts to stay organized. Although better planning could have helped, unexpected issues arose. Balancing everything is a constant learning process. Through the ADL program, I have experienced growth in my learning journey, shaping me into the educator I aspire to be. Contributions: These classes fostered a strong sense of community, and I actively contributed to both my own and my classmates' learning. I consistently participated in discussions, offering feedback on assignments and celebrating our collective achievements. I also found the TEAMS channels so helpful for gaining diverse perspectives and receiving support. Our collaborative group allowed for in-depth feedback and teamwork on assignments. Additionally, the ongoing support from the GroupMe chat groups was greatly appreciated. I'm proud of my contributions and excited to see where the road takes us all after graduation and beyond.   
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 5315: Assessing Digital Learning and Instruction 88/100 5317: Resources for Digital Environments 92/100 During my journey in courses 5315 and 5317, I have been inspired by my peers and have had amazing learning experiences. Dr. Harrison and Dr. Meeuwse guided us in developing our ideas for publishing an article and conducting an in-depth action research study and literature review on topics we find important in educational technology. I have enjoyed learning alongside a diverse group of education professionals, whose insights significantly broadened my understanding. I am grateful for their support, encouragement, and friendship. Joseline Sanchez and others in the TEAMS chat and GroupMe conversations have been instrumental in guiding me through these two courses. These classes have been challenging, especially with the busy season that fall brings to my household. Balancing a demanding school year, new extracurricular activities for my kids, and my ongoing recovery from spinal surgery has made it difficult to feel as connected as I did in my previous courses. Despite these challenges, I am proud of my accomplishments and the work I have created. I have gained valuable insights into my innovation plan and have expanded my ideas on the changes I would like to implement that the projects in these classes have helped me achieve.  Positive Outcomes: Given all the challenges I faced during these two classes, I performed well overall. I continually completed assignments early or on time, participated in discussions, completed modules, and attended as many meetings as possible. When schedules didn't align with the meeting times, which happened often, I watched the recordings as soon as possible. I am proud of the work that I have produced and am eager to share my learning with others. By creating artifacts such as a published article and a comprehensive research-based action plan and the media project, I hope to inspire others to share my passion for blended learning, whether through a program like my innovation plan or in their own classrooms. The potential for new possibilities and for student success is limitless.  Opportunities for Growth: Even though I try my best to stay organized, I’ve been having a tough time juggling everything going on in my life. While I could have planned ahead for some things, unexpected challenges popped up that caught me off guard. Finding a balance in life is definitely a work in progress! I really wanted to attend more meetings, but my kids’ after-school activities prevented me from attending. For the next term, I’m excited to set a goal of improving my scheduling and organizing my time better. Here’s to making it happen! My Contributions Throughout these classes, I actively contributed to both my own learning and that of my classmates. I participated in discussion posts, celebrated our successes, listened to others' challenges, and provided assignment feedback. I participated in all classroom discussions and provided feedback to peers. The TEAMS channels for the classes offered significant support and allowed me to ask questions to gain different perspectives. We formed a group of six students, which enabled us to collaborate on assignments and offer each other feedback. I am also grateful for the ongoing support and collaboration within the GroupMe chat groups. Overall, I am pleased with my accomplishments and look forward to the upcoming classes, which will help me develop my innovation plan to its fullest potential.
  To create powerful presentations and effectively demonstrate learning, I utilize a variety of tools. For visual presentations, I rely on Canva, Google Slides, and Microsoft PowerPoint. To capture audio, I employ Mote, Apple Voice Memos, and Canva's audio recording features. For video editing and effects, I turn to iMovie and Canva. While I primarily use Canva for its versatility, I also consider tools like WeVideo for collaborative video editing, Animoto for quick video creation, and Audacity for advanced audio editing. Screencasting is a valuable technique for enhancing instruction, allowing me to create video tutorials, demonstrations, and lectures. To further improve my screencasting skills, I incorporate feedforward into my practice, seeking feedback on areas like clarity, pacing, and visual aids. By leveraging these tools and the power of feedforward, I can create engaging and effective learning experiences.
When I discovered that this course involved writing for publication, I felt a surge of excitement. I have a strong desire to create something impactful that enhances the field I work in and provides better support for teachers and students. Although I initially questioned my expertise, my years of teaching and ongoing graduate studies have equipped me with valuable insights that can significantly benefit fellow educators. I am enthusiastic about sharing these experiences and strategies, with the goal of making their professional lives more rewarding and effective. Considering these factors, I decided to focus my publication on the integration of Blended Learning in a new teacher academy. As I developed my publication outline, it became increasingly clear how much the blended learning approach could benefit both our teachers' professional learning experiences and student learning. By empowering our teachers to collaborate through this method and obtain feedback, we can equip them with the skills they need to be successful. Peer AssessmentTo ensure a consistent and fair evaluation process, our group developed a peer assessment rubric that outlined the criteria for assessing our publications. After reviewing the elements needed for our rough draft, we decided to categorize them into three main areas: the article's formatting, the explanation of the topic, and the incorporation of digital tools. We used these categories to create a rubric and assigned point values to each required element for the rough draft publication. By structuring our rubric this way, we can clearly identify which areas need improvement based on the scores we receive from each other. We utilized detailed rubrics to evaluate each other's work, carefully assessing various aspects of the assignments. After the scoring process, we provided constructive feedback directly within the papers, highlighting areas that required improvement or revision. This collaborative approach allowed us to support one another in enhancing our writing skills and producing higher-quality work.   My Score and ReflectionAs I reviewed my rough draft and the feedback from my peers, I realized that I overlooked including the submission guidelines for my article. Laura Khan, Joseline Sanchez, and Jahir Tamayo all offered constructive feedback on how to restructure my conclusion. This peer editing process has been invaluable in helping me strengthen my writing and stay focused on my goals. Overall, the peer review process has provided me with a fresh perspective on my work and motivated me to make significant improvements. I am excited to finalize my publication and submit it to the selected outlets. My overall score: 47/50 Below is the rough draft with revisions from peer feedback An area of interest that I would like to publish is the use of blended learning in a new teacher mentor program that would supply an extra layer of support. I would like new teachers to utilize an online platform to post teaching strategies that they implement, receive feedback, and build relationships with their mentors. In turn, they could incorporate this model into their classrooms with their own students.
Some online publications that I am interested in using are: We Are Teachers- I'm exploring a blog post format as an informal option. Each submission should be between 500 and 700 words. Please refer to the guidelines for specific instructions. Edutopia- This publication site is dedicated to K-12 educators and features a variety of articles, blog posts, and videos. Edsurge—This publication site emphasizes technology in education, educational policy, teacher and student experiences, research, and innovation. As a long-time user of Google Workspace, I have found that the Google applications offer excellent collaborative tools. In my current district, we use these applications throughout our team to receive feedback and share ideas. It's great that you can control access permissions and track changes made by team members. This functionality streamlines the workflow and helps everything run smoothly.  5313: Creating Significant Learning Environments 88/100 5389: Developing Effective Professional Development 88/100 Throughout the journey of 5313 and 5389, I have been inspired by the positive learning experiences. Dr. Harapnuik and Dr. Grogan guided us through Creating Significant Learning Environments (CSLE) and effective Professional Learning (PL). I have enjoyed learning alongside a diverse group of education professionals whose input has significantly broadened my learning experiences. I am grateful for their support, encouragement, and friendship. Joseline Sanchez and others in TEAMS chat and GroupMe conversations have guided me through these two courses. These classes have been challenging, especially as the new school year begins. Juggling a new school year, new extracurricular activities for my own kids, and an unexpected spinal surgery that threw me a curveball, scheduling conflicts made it difficult to feel as connected as I did in my previous courses. Despite these challenges, I'm proud of my accomplishments and the work I have created. I've gained valuable insights into professional development and dove deeper into creating a learning environment with my innovation plan.  Positive Outcomes: Given all the challenges I faced during these two classes, I believe I performed well overall. I continually completed assignments early or on time, participated in discussions, completed modules, and attended as many meetings as possible. When schedules wouldn't align with the meeting times, which happened often, I made sure to watch the recordings as soon as I could. I am proud of the work that I have produced and am eager to share my learning with others. I hope that with the plans set in place for the future of our district's professional learning in our new teacher's academy, professional learning will become more engaging and hands-on in the future.  Opportunities for Growth: Despite my efforts to be organized, I struggled to manage everything that has been going on in my life. While I could have planned better for some things, unexpected challenges arose that I was not prepared for. Balancing various aspects of life is an ongoing challenge. While I would have liked to attend more meetings, my kids' after school activities made it difficult. I'm making it my goal for the next term to be on top of scheduling and organizing my time to the best of my control. My Contributions Throughout these classes, I actively contributed to my own learning and that of my classmates. I participated in discussion posts, celebrated our successes, listened to others' challenges, and provided feedback on assignments. The TEAMS channels for the classes provided lots of support and allowed me to ask questions when needing others' perspectives. I am also grateful for the ongoing support and collaboration within the GroupMe chat groups. Overall, I am satisfied with my accomplishments and look forward to the upcoming classes that will help me grow my innovation plan to its fullest potential.
  Creating a growth mindset culture in the workplace requires careful consideration of all the diverse learners involved in the process. Their needs and accommodations need to be taken into account. When designing our new teacher academy, we want to incorporate opportunities for collaboration and feedback with fellow new teachers as well as our instructional coaches. This will allow them to self-reflect on what is working in their practices and what needs tweaking and support. Creating a positive and adaptable environment requires us to shift our attitude to be positive during setbacks and to welcome constructive feedback. Our goal is to instill in our program the importance of setting realistic yet challenging goals, to push ourselves to be the best educators we can be for our students. By aligning our curriculum with real-world applications, we aim to create a significant learning environment that nurtures a growth mindset culture. By instilling a growth mindset culture in our learners, we aim to significantly influence how they bring this mindset to life in their own classrooms. When teachers teach their students that their actions and activities in class contribute to their learning goals, the students will be more motivated to put more effort into their long-term success. By using a blended learning model, we want our teachers to reflect on instructional videos and strategies and, in turn, grow from the experience. While feedback is often seen as negative, our teachers with a growth mindset can view it as feedforward and use it to improve their success. Challenges can become growth opportunities. To prevent the growth mindset from becoming a passing trend, we must engage in thoughtful planning, ongoing collaboration, and self-reflection. Continuous professional learning with growth mindset values in place will help us create that culture. How does a focus on learning and creating significant learning environments impact or influence your innovation plan?As I was developing my innovation plan, I realized that new teachers are eager to learn and ready to put their hearts and souls into their students. As an instructional coach, I decided to use a blended learning model to support our new teacher academy. This model allows new teachers to meet and learn new strategies, and then share their implementation through videos and discussions with others who have varying levels of experience.
By using blended learning, new teachers can document their growth journey, reflect on what they liked, identify areas they would like to change, and bring blended learning techniques into their classrooms. The continuous feedback and collaboration facilitated by the blended learning platform will support ongoing improvement and individualized learning goals. Overall, blended learning will contain the essential components to foster a growth-focused and personalized learning culture. Being comfortable with discomfort means embracing and accepting the feeling of uncertainty. It's a mindset that allows you to step outside your comfort zone. Growing and learning new things will often require you to venture into unfamiliar territory. When faced with a setback, maintain your composure and approach it positively. Listening to the student taking the lead means approaching teaching with an open mindset. It involves being receptive to students' ideas, perspectives, and questions. Teachers need to be active listeners and pay close attention to what the student is saying. Being co-learners with your students means recognizing the value of mutual respect, continuous learning, collaboration, and humility. By combining these approaches, you can create a more engaging, effective, and meaningful learning experience for both yourself and your students. When addressing being comfortable with being uncomfortable, collaboration is essential for overcoming discomfort and taking the lead from learners. When working together, discomfort can be distributed among collaborators. This can make it easier to face challenges and overcome obstacles. Collaboration can empower learners to take the lead and share their knowledge and expertise. This can help them feel valued and motivated and provide valuable insights to their collaborators. Mistakes and failures are important for both teachers and students. Experiencing these offers opportunities for growth and building confidence by creating a supportive environment where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities. It is important to see your students' support and collaboration as an enhancement to your skills and abilities. This fosters diverse perspectives, improves problem-solving, increases engagement, promotes professional growth, and empowers students. Recognizing and valuing their contributions can create a more enriching and productive learning environment for everyone involved.
If you solely incorporate active learning, you may encounter challenges such as passive engagement, lack of relevance, and limited autonomy in learning. The learner may perceive the professional development as superficial and incapable of fostering deeper reflection. They may also feel that learning seems disjointed if new information is not connected to their prior knowledge.
To prevent this, and keeping the constructivist principle in mind, I would start with activities that aid the learner in connecting new material to their existing knowledge base. Creating relevant, authentic, and engaging learning experiences will enhance the effectiveness of professional development. In addition, encouraging collaboration will promote the sharing of ideas, diverse perspectives, and knowledge among the learners. Encouraging teachers to share ideas and knowledge is crucial for creating an effective professional development environment. In order for collaboration to be truly effective, it must be purposeful, structured, and supported. It's important to set clear goals for the participants to ensure that the conversation stays focused. All participants should feel accountable for their contributions to the process. Reflecting on the collaboration and learning from the PD experience can be beneficial for future collaborations. The strategies I consider for creating a professional development initiative start with clear, specific, and measurable goals. Engaging activities that promote participation and critical thinking will replace the passive approach. Collaboration and reflection will foster a sense of community and respect. Above all, I aim to foster a culture of continuous learning, encouraging ongoing growth beyond PD sessions. To support this, modeling and ongoing support following the PD will be necessary to provide resources and assistance. As a teacher who once attended many professional development (PD) sessions and is now transitioning to a teaching and learning role in my district where I present PD, my main goal in my new role is to avoid being a presenter who just talks at the audience. As an introverted teacher, I had already prepared myself to be able to somewhat pay attention if the presenter was just going to stand and talk. If the presentation didn't really meet my needs, I felt that I could take my credit and move on with my day. As an instructional technologist and instructional coach, I work with a team dedicated to supporting our teachers and students. We focus on ensuring that teachers participate actively and benefit from collaborative structures during our professional development sessions. We believe that it's important for educators to see effective teaching techniques and apply them in their own classrooms. Our school district follows the Kagan model, and my team is currently working towards becoming a trainer of trainers for our educators using this model. We feel it is important to integrate new technology tools and strategies while encouraging student collaboration and peer learning. Instead of just providing professional development (PD) sessions with strategies for our teachers, especially our new ones, we view these sessions as an opportunity to start a coaching cycle or establish partnerships. We constantly seek opportunities to engage and model for our teachers. Therefore, I hope to gain a fresh perspective and new ideas from this course, which we can integrate into our professional development to continue to support both teachers and students in achieving higher levels of success.
When I read about the idea of having smaller, personalized professional learning groups with substitute coverage, I found it to be a compelling approach to improving teacher development. By customizing training to meet individual needs and interests, we can ensure that teachers are better prepared to implement new classroom strategies. This model aligns perfectly with the goals I have set for my initiative for new teachers who come to us with various professional development needs. Workshops' collaborative nature allows teachers to share experiences, problem-solve together, and receive immediate support from coaches or their fellow teachers. This hands-on approach is far more effective than traditional lecture-style training. It is crucial to know the exact standards for professional development (PD), but it is equally important to build genuine relationships with teachers. If teachers are not invested in you and what you are teaching, they will stop showing up for learning opportunities. Trainers can create more relevant and impactful experiences by empathizing with teachers' challenges and needs. While passion and enthusiasm from the trainer are essential, providing opportunities for teachers to apply new knowledge immediately is equally important. This active learning approach ensures that teachers leave workshops with practical tools and strategies they can use right away. Our best approach to creating positive learning environments for professional development is to personalize teachers' learning and encourage collaboration. Resource: Daniels, Kristin. “Empowering the Teacher Technophobe: Kristin Daniels at TEDxBurnsvilleED.” YouTube, 2013. https://youtu.be/puiNcIFJTCU.  Our learning teams 5302 and 5304 embarked on the next phase of their journey. Once again we were met with an insightful reading list featuring The Influencer, The 4 Disciplines of Execution, Crucial Conversations, and Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Dr. Harrison broadened our horizons with a focus on Mindset and Dr. Padovan lead us to think about leading change in a whole new way. Our collaborative exploration began with these foundational texts, providing a collaborative framework on insightful discussions. 5302: Concepts of Educational Tech: 90/100 5304: Leading Organizational Change: 90/100 As I self-assess my progress this term, I reflect on the growth I have made within my innovation plan. Throughout these courses, I have actively worked to fulfill the requirements and have also learned a great deal from my classmates. I feel that the combined efforts of 5302 and 5304, along with the discussions that pushed my thinking and growth, have solidified my blended learning plan and given me a greater push toward the future with my innovation. Throughout this journey, I received immense support from my learning community which significantly contributed to my success this term. I collaborated with various teams within my courses, including Thaddeus Komorowski, Nadia Flores, Melissa Richards, Joseline Sanchez, and many others. We communicated through email and teams, and worked together on blog posts, fostering a supportive environment. Everyone actively contributed by sharing feedback, answering questions, and participating in peer reviews. Joseline Sanchez and I are classmates who have collaborated in pervious courses where we provide each other with feedback on work and blog posts. Positive Outcomes Throughout the term, using GroupMe with my classmates was extremely helpful in promoting collaboration. We used the platform effectively to discuss concerns and provide feedback to each other. I believe that in the future, GroupMe will be a great tool for upcoming courses. Additionally, I found email and Teams to be simple yet effective platforms for sharing my growth mindset plan, learning manifesto, 4DX model, and influencer strategy to receive feedback.
Opportunities for Growth Over the summer, despite being an educator, I had to work a longer contract due to the demands of my role. Balancing this fast-paced work with taking care of my two kiddos and attending the ADL program presented several challenges. My time management skills were stretched thin, and I often felt overwhelmed. At times, I couldn't attend Zoom meetings due to my children's summer sports schedules and other commitments, but I was grateful that the meetings were recorded, allowing me to watch them later. In the future, I aim to prioritize and develop a plan to balance all the needs in my life while striving to do my best in my courses.  Summing my experience in these two courses, focusing on the COVA model, had a significant impact on my professional growth. Through engaging in authentic learning experiences and taking ownership of my work, I developed a stronger growth mindset. This new perspective empowered me to refine my innovation plan and visualize its implementation within my organization. The COVA framework provided both structure and freedom to explore innovative solutions, ultimately leading to a clearer path for positive change.
Professional Networks that I have Joined:
I am part of several instructional coaching groups on Facebook, where my teaching and learning team communicates with coaches from across the state and nation. We share ideas for coaching cycles, professional development suggestions, and effective strategies for our schools. Last school year, we brought in Diane Sweeney, a consultant for Student-Centered Coaching, to work with our team. We are also part of a group that allows us to exchange ideas with her team. Additionally, a small group of us are active participants in Kagan cooperative learning and are involved in Kagan forums and groups on Facebook and online. Reflect on your experience as a member of a learning community (ies). Being part of a professional learning network is essential because it allows me to continue growing as a professional, share ideas and resources, stay updated with best practices in education, collaborate on projects, and learn new skills. Regarding sharing on the foams, I have not collaborated on the sites themselves, but I have collaborated with my colleagues on the next steps in our district using these platforms. Our team has become trainers for several initiatives in our school district, including student-centered coaching, and we are working toward our Kagan Certification by attending another training this summer. I enjoy learning all that education offers and growing in my position. What are you consuming, and what are you contributing? I am fortunate to be part of a team that promotes improving education in our areas of expertise each year. As I mentioned earlier, a significant aspect of my role involves technology and classroom engagement. I have attended conferences such as Kagan Cooperative Learning, TCEA, and Lead4ward's Think conference, which have provided valuable information to share with teachers in our district. We use these conferences to conduct professional development for our new teacher academy and provide bite-sized PD offerings throughout the year in our district. Are you preparing your receiver for feedback or feedforward? In my current role as an instructional coach and instructional technology specialist, our goal is to support both teacher and student growth. Feedback focuses on highlighting the teacher's strengths and areas for improvement for a specific lesson or unit. At the same time, feedforward is geared towards future success, helping the teacher to develop strategies to reach their goals. To be effective in my role, I need to provide both feedback and feedforward to support the teacher's short-term and long-term goals. It's important to approach the meeting as a collaborative effort and begin by focusing on the teacher's strengths. Feedback should be balanced with specific, reachable steps for improvement (feedforward). Lastly, open-ended questions should be used to encourage reflection, fostering an environment where the teacher can actively follow improvement through the power of feedforward. Instructional Coaches Connection A Community for Student-Centered Coaching The COVA learning approach used in the ADL program has motivated me to consider implementing this model for teachers and students in my district. This approach has allowed me to explore my interests more deeply and has provided a more personalized learning experience. Traditional teaching models often result in passive, less engaging learning experiences in the classroom. COVA promotes increased engagement, with students actively participating in their learning process. I feel that students will gain a better grasp of the content being taught when they actively participate in applying the knowledge. I work with new teachers all year, and letting them have a voice and choice while also building their confidence and guiding them along the way will greatly impact their growth. I am already strategizing how I would like to utilize this model.
When developing my e-portfolio, I developed my voice through reflective writing. Journaling about my learning experiences and discussions with classmates was insightful. Videos and presentations also showcase my learning journey in diverse ways. COVA directly supports a learner mindset by encouraging growth for all learners. It helps students understand that learning doesn't just stop and that they can improve as they grow. A large part of personal and professional growth comes from seeking and embracing feedback from others. It's important to always be open to new knowledge and different perspectives, especially when it comes to improving our work. By applying COVA strategies, we can continuously enhance the learning process. One of my primary goals is to introduce blended learning into my district's new teacher program. Although new teachers have the opportunity to meet with our coaching team in our new teacher academy, they often struggle with managing their workload and the stress of the school day. I believe they could benefit from ongoing guidance and support between our in-person sessions. To achieve this goal, we need to adopt a growth mindset as we tackle the challenges of implementing this approach and supporting our new teachers.
Dealing with failure can be tough, especially when you've put in a lot of hard work to achieve your goals. Personally, I always try to avoid failure, but I'm fortunate to work with a coaching team that embraces failure, learning from our mistakes and using them to move our program forward. Our “why” is the reason for pursuing our goals and is the most crucial driving force. Our actions are guided by our emotions. I believe that the new teachers joining our academy are seeking guidance and ideas. With the assistance of the blended learning model and our growth mindset approach, they are sure to have an incredible first year and acquire many new teaching tools. As I reflect on my work as an instructional coach, I realize that the first video I watched resonated with me, and its message was very powerful. I often find myself guiding teachers on new skills or teaching methods, but I sometimes fail to explain the 'why' behind these approaches. In reality, the 'why' should be the most important aspect of my guidance. Both teachers and I want what's best for students and their learning success. My job is challenging because teachers often see me as someone who points out what's wrong or just another thing to add to their workload. However, if I approach every coaching session with a clear 'why' and a compelling reason for trying a new approach, the outcome will definitely be different. A shift to a growth mindset will be apparent, and the potential for transformative change in our teaching methods will be unlocked.
My main focus in my role is to inspire new teachers joining our district. We provide guidance, professional development, and coaching to support them during their first years as educators. Over the years, I have noticed that many new teachers are attracted to the profession mainly for the summer vacations and holidays rather than a genuine passion for teaching. It's disheartening to see that, for some, teaching is merely a job for the paycheck. I am determined to change this mindset. My goal is to ingrain in new teachers a sense of purpose and a growth mindset in their approach to teaching. I believe working in education should be driven by a work of heart. I aim to promote the long-lasting impact that teachers can have on students' lives by helping new educators find their "why" and motivating them to make a difference. This is my focus for the upcoming year. As I embark on my Master of Education in Applied Technology program and focus on the Disruptive Innovation in Technology and Applying Educational Technology courses, I'm dedicated to this self-assessment process. Examining my strengths, weaknesses, and contributions throughout this journey is an important piece for measuring growth and building up my learning experience.
My self-assessment is:
At the start of my courses, I aimed to hit the ground running and team up with classmates to collaborate and support each other throughout the process. I had the pleasure of working with Janeal White, Faith Lopez, Kimberly Meshall, and Joeline Sanchez. I believe that our strength as a group was our ability to work together effectively. We collaborated well on all assignments and provided constructive feedback on each other's work. Group discussions helped with clarifying assignments and troubleshooting our ePortfolio development. I actively reached out and incorporated feedback from our group on my work, leading me to a more well-rounded submission. To make sure that I had a thorough understanding, I completed all course readings, and videos, and posted all discussions in my ePortfolio. These posts were helpful to me in my research and decision-making for my innovation proposal and plan. My biggest challenge with collaboration was managing my time effectively. I made an effort to attend as many Zoom meetings as possible to gain a better understanding of expectations and work collaboratively with the class. However, due to conflicting life schedules, there were times when I couldn't attend live meetings. In such cases, I made sure to catch up on the recordings as soon as they were posted to stay on top of things. My comfort zone in my past college career has been working independently on coursework and being responsible for my own learning. It was a shift in mindset to collaborate with others and share perspectives in order to make changes. In the next course, I plan to start collaborating with my peers immediately. I need to improve my leadership skills and responsiveness to feedback from classmates in both our group and whole class discussions. Juggling two courses together was demanding, especially as a new ADL program participant in March. The way in which the two courses were linked proved to be very beneficial for me. I could apply knowledge gained in EDLD 5305 directly to my EDLD 5303 ePortfolio, enhancing both projects. In conclusion, I have learned a lot from these two courses and my classmates. I had to step out of my comfort zone and maintain a growth mindset. The projects tied to this class will be so beneficial for me in the long run of my career. My Innovation proposal and video have already caught the eye of my academic director for my district and I can't wait to show her all my research with my literature review. I am hopeful about the possibility of using my implementation outline to bring about positive change in my district. Before completing the program, I eagerly anticipate gaining knowledge from the next eight courses. I am excited to see the content of my ePortfolio at that time. We need to create a balance between COVA and CLSE.
The COVA (Choice, Ownership, Voice, and Authenticity) framework and CSLE (Creating Significant Learning Environments) aim to create student-centered learning experiences. This is fantastic! Students thrive when they're responsible and take ownership of their learning journey. However, achieving complete ownership in a school setting presents a challenge. Building ePortfolios is a great way to give students flexibility and control over their learning. They curate content, showcase their progress, and connect with peers. But the question remains: is this truly complete ownership? Schools understandably require and put in place restrictions to protect students from inappropriate content. However, these filters can limit access to valuable information and hinder student control over their learning resources. So, how do we balance student ownership with the need for a safe environment? Here some thoughts that I have:
Resources: Who owns the ePortfolio http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6050 Do I own the domain if you grade it? https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-08-10-do-i-own-my-domain-if-you-grade-it Shifting mindsets isn't enough for lasting change. Specific actions, called vital behaviors, are crucial for success. Ideally, focus on two or three key behaviors to drive the desired change. The Influencer framework emphasizes that without identifying these vital behaviors, achieving change becomes significantly harder.
Once identified, it's time to implement these behaviors within the target group. The framework outlines six sources of influence that, when used in conjunction with vital behaviors, can significantly increase the likelihood of success. By addressing motivation and ability across personal, social, and structural domains, organizational change becomes achievable. Reflecting on this class and applying it to my work life as an instructional coach. As an instructional coach, empowering teachers is our biggest job. One way to achieve this is by ensuring teachers have voice and choice in their professional development.
Instead of a "top-down" approach where pre-determined strategies are presented, begin coaching conversations by understanding teachers' goals and challenges. This approach helps validate their expertise and fosters a sense of ownership in the learning process. Don't limit teachers to a single approach. Offer a variety of research-based instructional strategies and technology tools. This empowers them to choose methods that best suit their teaching style, student population, and curriculum. Once a strategy is chosen, guide teachers in adapting it to their classroom context. Provide resources and support, but allow for creative freedom in implementation. This fosters teacher ownership and increases the likelihood of successful execution. By prioritizing teacher voice and choice, you create a space for professional growth that is both meaningful and sustainable. Teachers who feel valued and empowered are more likely to embrace new ideas and implement them with enthusiasm, ultimately leading to a more dynamic and effective learning environment for all. As educators, we are constantly seeking opportunities to enhance our teaching practice. For me, technology has been a guiding light in my educational journey since I first stepped into a classroom many years ago. My passion lies in creating a culture of digital learning within our school systems. The Applied Digital Learning (ADL) program at Lamar University initially sparked my interest, but it has since evolved into something more. I am now eager to embrace the challenge of the program, confident that the skills I'll gain will not only enhance my teaching experience but also significantly expand my toolkit, thereby benefiting my teachers and the entire educational community. My Learning Journey : I have taken on a new role in my educational journey where I have the opportunity to bring about positive change not only in students but also in the teachers who guide them. I am determined to deepen my understanding of digital learning and use it to support and transform the learning culture. As an instructional coach, I am able to actively participate in the classroom, and with the help of the ADL program, I can make my vision of change a reality. |
