EDLD 5318 - 97/100
EDLD 5320 - 95/100
Writing this blog post is bittersweet. As I'm eager to finish my last semester of Grad School, I'm sad it's about to end. I have virtually met some really cool people in this program that have created some really powerful innovations. To be learning alongside them has been inspiring.
One of the challenging aspects from this last semester was the fact that I was required to complete all of the assignments on my own. Throughout my ADL journey, I was blessed to be able to collaborate with two of my very own
colleagues and friends, Veronica Balli and Erika Peña. We played off each other's strengths and filled in the gaps when we just weren't feeling so sure of ourselves. Having to work on my own was difficult, but in the end, I proved to myself that I could do it.
The ADL GroupMe, which consists of 20+ members was super helpful as well. They were always there to answer questions, provide notes, give feedforward, and of course, make me laugh.
This final semester, I was able to design my own 5-week course in 5318, Instructional Design Online Learning and reflect on the key aspects of my ADL journey in 5320, Synthesis of Applied Digital Learning Capstone. I absolutely loved designing my 5-week course. I took COVA into account when creating the learning activities. Doing so forced me to revise the activities I do in my own classroom. I kept the design of my course simple and easy to navigate. The challenges I had during this course were the fact that we had to record ourselves. I didn't think it would be so hard to stay within the time limit, but I was wrong. I must've had at least 25 outtakes. It finally came together, though. The first assignment I had was to begin designing and planning my course. I briefly explain the key components of the course and its supporting documents in my Course Overview video. The second assignment was to fully develop the Getting Started section and first two modules of my course. My Implementation video briefly explains the components that every module has, such as, Learning Outcomes, Videos, Discussions, and Learning Activities. The final assignment required me to have my stakeholders actually test the usability and function of the course. They did this by reviewing the Getting Started section and first two modules, then completing a course evaluation form in Google Forms to give me feedback. The feedback was so useful and I immediately took them into consideration and made the necessary changes. I created a Usability video reflecting on the feedback I received.
In 5320, I learned by reflecting. I reflected on how CSLE+COVA has impacted my learning journey. Then reflected on my innovation project and what still needs to be done to ensure it keeps moving forward. I then reflected on and synthesized my entire ADL journey and created a video to share key takeaways from this past year. When creating the ADL journey page on my ePortfolio, I couldn't help but be proud of all the work I completed with the help of my classmates, colleagues, and facilitators. Thank you!
The key contributions I partook in this semester were attending all but one live class, responding to discussion boards in a meaningful way, collaborating and providing feedforward for my classmates on GroupMe as well as for Veronica and Erika, making revisions to my course design and ePortfolio based on feedforward from my classmates, and meeting all deadlines.
In thinking about the entire program, what worked was the collaboration aspect. It is amazing how much you can learn from your peers. Being able to call on them day in and day out was what helped me get through the program. Another thing that worked was having COVA. I know for a fact that if this program was all about tests and quizzes, I wouldn't have learned nearly as much. Taking ownership of my learning helped me in making meaningful connections.
There's always room for improvement. I wish I would've pushed myself to create a podcast. I feel like if Erika, Veronica, and I would have recorded ourselves during our Zoom calls or while working in person, we would have had one. Our conversations were great, but since we are friends in real life, I worried about there being too much laughter. Laughter IS the best medicine and we did A LOT of that this year.
So this is it! I've learned so much about myself this past year. I've learned that when faced with challenges or setbacks, I may break down, but I get back up determined to finish successfully. I've learned that I do have great ideas worthy of sharing and my voice should be heard. I've learned how to be a lifelong, self-directed digital learner and will work hard to instill this in my students as well.
I am definitely going to continue learning, adding new learning to my ePortfolio, and encourage others to do the same. Thank you for your guidance and helpful feedforward, Dr. Bedard and Dr. Bellard. I appreciate you all so much.
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