When I started my journey through the Digital Learning and Leading Program, I was nervous, but excited to get my Masters. I've always been "good at school", but I usually was just able to follow the rubrics and I had a formula on how to get a good grade. This program has helped me grow as a learner and thinker. Throughout the program, I have been challenged to show my learning in creative ways and I have become a better researcher and sharer of ideas. Each class has taught me something about what it means to teach with the COVA model and be a leader in Educational Technology.
Learning Goal of the course: Learners will take ownership and agency over the learning process and incorporate learner choice and voice in designing authentic projects that use technology innovations as a catalyst for change in their organizational setting.
This was the first course in the Digital Learning and Leading Program. Starting this program was nerve wracking. I had friends in grad school at other universities and their experiences had been a lot of papers and quizzes. I knew I could be in grad school and be successful, but the nerves were there. The first course focused on growth mindset right at the beginning. We used Carol Dweck's Growth Mindset book, "Mindset: The new psychology of success" . Using both the COVA learning approach and growth mindset helped me focus on how I can grow throughout this program and not focus on what to do to just get the grade. The first course showed me that I will be allowed to be creative in this program and helped me realize I will be able to take risks and not just the easy way out.
Learning Goal: The learner will prepare and submit an eportfolio that demonstrates their mastery of the learning outcomes for previously completed professional development work (Apple Distinguished Education, Microsoft Certified Educator, Google Certified Educator, EDLD 5302, etc.).
I wish I had taken screenshots of my E-Portfolio during the beginning of the DLL program to see how it has grown and changed throughout the last 18 months. I went through a couple of different sites before settling on Google Sites because of the compatibility of Google. I did have to use some outside tools for commenting. Overall, I am pleased with my "final" EP.
Learning Goals: Learners will identify technology innovations and embrace them as opportunities rather than challenges and proactively use those changes as catalysts to enhance their institution or district’s learning environments.
This was the first class that really challenged me academically in this program. This was the first time our innovation plan was introduced. When I started my innovation plan, it was narrow and focused on creating a database for technology for teachers. I also wrote my first literature review. It has been edited since this class as well. As I was writing my lit review, I changed my innovation plan to authentic learning in the classroom.
Learning Goal: Learners will identify and incorporate constructivist theories to create and implement significant digital learning environments.
Reading A New Culture in Learning during this course, it broadened ideas for my innovation plan. If I genuinely wanted to create authentic learning experiences, I needed to change my mindset of what a classroom looks like and feels like. I needed to create a culture of learning, sharing, and questioning. I developed my BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) and a 3-Column Table that created an overview on how teachers can create experiential learning in their classrooms. I also created a Understanding by Design from a template in the book Understanding by Design by Wiggins and McTighe this focused on the student perspective. It allowed me to break down a lesson plan into precise steps. This course helped me edit and change the direction of my innovation plan. I started thinking more narrow and decided to change my innovation plan to creating experiential learning in my classroom.
Learning Goals: Learners will be equipped with tools to be a self-differentiated leader who can address the inevitable resistance to change that will occur when launching innovative digital learning initiatives.
This was by far my favorite course. The most influential book I read in this program was Crucial Conversations – Tools for Talking when the Stakes are High. The book talked about how to be a strong and effective leader where you are not seen as the villain, becoming a victim or helpless during these conversations that will inevitably happen when implementing change. There were two different models we focused on to help create change, the 4DX model and the Influencer Model.
This course helped me create a plan of action and equip me with strategies to improve my plan and flourish when implemented. These strategies will help create experiential learning in classrooms and help students thrive in the 21st Century world.
Learning Goals: Students will analyze and assess global educational technology innovation projects to determine what worked and what could be done better and apply those lessons learned to local innovation projects.
During this course, we researched prior ICT (Information and Communications Technology) initiatives. We looked at lessons learned in other initiatives so we could learn from their mistakes and successes. This literature review was more difficult to research because my innovation plan is new in the way I want to implement VR and AR into the classroom. I was able to study prior initiatives to help me create a successful roadmap for my innovation plan.
During this time frame, I was starting to feel burnt out. I wanted to pause grad school and focus on my students and trying to deal with the COVID pandemic. This is where I learned to lean on my cohort at Lamar. We created a Facebook group and we were able to communicate with each other and collaborate on ideas. I wish that I would have reached out to to others in the cohort sooner. I think that it would have helped with the stress of teaching, grad school and the pandemic.
Learning Goal: Learners will effectively apply an innovative teaching practice by collaborating with colleagues to evaluate their impact on learners and design and model authentic professional learning (PL) activities that are active, have a significant duration, and are specific to their discipline.
I love professional development. I am a continuous learner and I have led PD at different conferences and in my prior district. During this course, we learned about the 5 Principles of Effective Professional Development. This information not only helped me to develop Professional learning for this course, but outside of Lamar. The process of creating a professional learning outline for my district was a great experience because it allowed me to see how much work is put into planning PL experiences and the logistics.
Learning Goal: Learners will be able to assess the instructional impact the implementation of their innovation plans have on creating effective digital learning environments.
This course was challenging because I feel like I had to stretch to make connections for my action research. This is a continual theme because there is not a ton of research for VR and AR in the classroom. I had to look at experiential learning/authentic learning in the classroom and VR/AR outside of the classroom. I really enjoyed the research and figuring out how I could use measurement pieces prior studies had utilized successfully. The action research plan outline had to be postponed because of COVID, but I am looking forward to utilizing it post-pandemic. After the last literature review, I felt more comfortable and confident writing this literature review.
Learning Goal: Students will apply constructivist learning theories and instructional design principles in the development and delivery of an online course utilizing significant learning environments through selected course management tools.
This course could not have been at a better time, this course broke down how to successfully implement an LMS and create meaningful learning for learners. Throughout this course, I was able to create meaningful learning experiences that matched up with my innovation plan. This school year, I am teaching virtual and my district is utilizing Schoology as their LMS. I was very grateful for the time in this class to work on how I can organize Schoology and create meaningful online learning.
Learning Goal: Learners who work in the area of educational policy and practice will be able to navigate the emerging educational and legal challenges of a knowledge society where most K-12 students are deeply immersed in online communication, having grown up as “digital natives.”
This course was..rough. This was a course that was unlike any other in the DLL program. I felt like I was constantly completing busy work. The course was extremely important and I consumed tons of information about digital citizenship and copyright, but I felt like the course could have been split up into 2 courses. I felt like I had no time to consume the information fully. This was the only course I felt like did not fit the COVA model. I was able to create 2 different videos in this course, which allowed me to show creativity in some way.
Learning Goal: Learners will examine a variety of digital environments and other digital resources to effectively communicate with others the practical implementation and the pedagogical value for educational use.
I am taking this class while taking my capstone class, I feel like I am not able to fully concentrate on this class and give it my full effort. We created an EdShelf with tech tool that encourage the 4Cs. I chose to write an article for Edutopia because it was more informal and focuses on what classroom teachers can implement in their classrooms right away.
I cannot believe I made it through grad school and am about to graduate. The past 18 months have been stressful, insightful and my brain has been filled with meaningful and practical knowledge. I have learned patience and that innovation takes time. Unfortunately, I was not able to implement my innovation plan in any capacity at my home campus. I am hoping with all of the knowledge I have gained throughout the program I will be able to successfully create innovation in any district I end up in. The courses followed the COVA model and I was able to experience it from the student perspective. I have grown as a leader, educator and life long learner. At this moment, I am still in the classroom, but my plan in the next few years is to find a job as a technology integration specialist at the elementary or middle school level. I feel like this program has helped me prepare for this role. For more information on the Digital Learning and Leading Program, visit the Digital Learning and Leading home page.