Professional Learning Network Journey

Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) are places where like-minded people learn, share knowledge, and collaborate to enhance professional growth.   At this time, I am currently embracing resources and groups about Eureka Math. Our district is implementing this curriculum at our elementary schools. Reading blog posts, attending webinars, and networking with other districts who are using this program have allowed me to learn about new resources, improve Tier 1 instruction, gain ideas about implementation, and effective strategies to implement in the future, and learn from others' experiences how to deal with setbacks. As I gain insight, I share it with the appropriate stakeholders in our district.  I have made videos showing our Academic Coaches how to access and utilize the resources, we are planning for our professional development which includes technology for easy access. We are starting to see improvement!  

Great MInds Support Center

Learn how to best maximize usage of Eureka Math TEKS Edition.  

The ADL program has allowed me to meet and create a network with colleagues about technology. I have learned so much about many technology resources like AI, and websites, and how to utilize them in schools.  I enrolled in this course to challenge myself and become familiar with technology. At this time I have no social media. I am slowly becoming more knowledgeable about technology and this post has made me realize the need to be more involved in Learning Networks. Already this program has allowed me to identify many learning networks I can join. Here are a some I am looking into:

Building Thinking Classroom 

This is for teachers interested in learning more about the strategies found in Peter Lijedahl's book, "Building Thinking Classroom in Mathematics K-12."

TCTM (Texas Council of Teachers of Mathematics)

Promotes mathematics education in Texas.  

Edutopia 

This is a professional source that shares best practices in education. 

Common Sense Education

This is a nonprofit organization that provides educators with the tools and resources to teach students how to use technology safely, responsibly, and ethically.  

ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education)

ISTE is a global nonprofit organization that empowers educators to transform teaching and learning through technology.

Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching (CLRT)

 CLRT is a free professional learning community that strives to help today's teachers meet the unique instructional needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students.  

References

Solution Tree. (2023). What are professional learning communities? AllThingsPLC.  https://allthingsplc.info/about/

We learned!

As I have been spending more time creating my ePorfolio in the course 5303 my take-aways so far is that blended learning has allowed me to learn by doing and through collaboration.  Although the focus has been on working on our ePortfolios, in reality, the focus all along has been on learning. At least this is my take-away.  

Learned by doing

The power of using technology with intentionality can make learning enjoyable and comprehensible.   During the course, we had reading to do, videos to watch, resources to analyze, and topics to discuss.  Through blended learning, we led our learning by actively participating and collaborating in a well-organized learning environment.  We learned by actively engaging in all the assignments because we were being held accountable by our team, discussion assignments, grades, our professor, and ourselves.  The assignments required us to do something.  We decided how and when we wanted to engage with the assignments.  Doing the assignments was the key because as we did the assignment we learned.  

We learned a lot! 

• We learned to collaborate with the team we created.

• We learned to organize a system for communication.

• We learned to communicate with our teams. 

• We learned to problem-solve when we had technology issues. 

• We learned from each other as we read each other's thoughts, reflections, and perspectives.  

• We learned to have a vision and get creative to make it happen.

• We learned all about ePorfolios, created our own, and refined it as we continued to learn! 

• We learned to reflect and self-evaluate through discussion, grades, feedforward, and reviewing other groups' work.  

We learned how to learn

Yes, we learned about creating our ePortfolios but we were given the opportunity to learn in an authentic learning environment that allowed us to feel connected with ourselves, our small group, our peers, and our colleagues due to the high engagement.  The use of technology exposed us to the possibilities we had overlooked in the past.  “Blended learning is an important support for transforming teaching and learning to increase individual student performance” (US Department of Education, 2015, p 62).  Blended learning is very powerful and if you would like to learn more, take a look at my Literature Review. 

We learned how to learn and that we had the power to drive our own thinking.  I am having a blast in this program because not only am I the one learning but the amazing part is that I get to share it with other people!  I am implementing in small chunks what I am learning at my campus.   Even the smallest rock dropped in the pond has a ripple effect.  The process of creating an ePortfolio has allowed me to share it on a bigger scale at work and I can see how it is having an….effect.   Now, through my ePortfolio I have the ability to publish and make it available to the world!  AMAZING! 

References

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology, (2015, April). Ed Tech Developer’s Guide, Washington, D.C. https://tech.ed.gov/

The power of online blended learning

Why I love blended learning

As I have been experiencing firsthand what blended learning feels like, I’ve realized that I love it!  Basically, through blended learning, learners have some control over time, place, path and/or pace (US Department of Education, 2015, p 61). Learners can set their own pace, better-retain information, and their diverse needs are met. Through the courses I have taken in my master's program, I have realized the power videos can have on my learning.  I learn from them, I can pause to take notes and I can refer to them as many times as I need.  I wanted to provide the same experience to the academic coaches that I work with.  I am now applying what I have learned to my role as a math coordinator.  I am creating videos at work!  Academic coaches can access videos at just the right moment based on their needs. Videos provide students with active learning opportunities, hands-on experience and students are in control.  Learning from videos can be applied to any industry because no matter what area of work you do learning and teaching are required.  

When we ask, “How will they learn best.”   Blended learning provides the freedom to transform instructional practices.  As students are provided with a method that supports their learning preferences they become self-learners and learn to decide for themselves where their efforts toward change would be most valuable (Dweck, 2006, p. 51).

Impact of videos

For example, I started creating videos to demonstrate a how-to process.   I am not available to be at each campus every day but I still want academic coaches to have access to support.  It is so fulfilling to know that the time I dedicated to creating these videos is now helping the coaches as they reference the videos as needed.  They have the option to go back when they need it.  This has allowed me to assist them but I don’t have to be the one to do the repetition.  It’s a win win situation!  I continue to teach but via a different mode.  They feel supported and have the flexibility to decide when they need to reference it. It’s all about efficiency and effectiveness.  Technology can be used to accommodate learning when used effectively!

Compound effect

Here is the awesome part, some of the coaches are now recording their own how-to videos and sharing them with their teachers!  I am so excited that this is taking place.  Blended learning is having a compound effect! Now, I must say that my videos are not the best but for now, they will suffice.  One of my goals is to create better-quality videos.  I am working on it. 

It’s all about ownership.  Harrapnuik discusses the importance of focusing on a learner-centered active approach and the importance of creating authentic learning opportunities where the learner has a choice, takes ownership, and has a voice (2018).  COVA has allowed me to make a slow and steady impact.  If you want to know more about COVA, check out the following blog: How did COVA impact my learning? and my Literature Review

“The great teachers believe in the growth of the intellect and talent, and they are fascinated with the process of learning” (Dweck, 2006, p. 188). 

I am definitely enjoying the learning process!  

References

Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.

Harapnuik, D. (2018). COVA. Harapnuik.org. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=699

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology, (2015, April). Ed Tech Developer’s Guide, Washington, D.C. https://tech.ed.gov/

Voice

Express your voice through the use of words

This whole process of creating an ePortfolio has allowed me to realize that voice can be expressed through the words I use and to have an impact on the world.  Isn’t that amazing?  So, I have been reviewing more blogs, and I wanted to share some of the things I found.  I like the vibe that Malika Humphries created in her ePortfolio.  Her choice of words invited me to her website and provided a positive energy that made me want to stay.  She used words like: 

Greetings! So nice to meet you.

I am a lifelong learner, that returns what I learn.

I am honored you found me.  Let’s stay in touch. 

Malika Humphrie’s blog was so inspiring to me!  It reminded me of the Power of Words video I watched in course 5305.  It demonstrates how the right words can capture the heart.  If you have not seen this video it is a must-watch.   I have learned that through the use of the right words, your voice can be a powerful tool to get a message across.  I realized that this is a skill that can be learned and that I need to work on.  I am looking forward to future classes as I will continue to learn and work on my ePortolio.  I will continue to reflect and find ways to make my ePorfolio more personal and add a little more of my personality and what I value. I am eager to see how my ePortfolio evolves and my message is solidified.   If you are currently working on your ePortfolio, I wish you the best of luck on your creative journey!  If you would like to learn more about reviewing ePortlios, check out my blog post titled:What I've learned from reviewing other ePortolios.

Use your voice to make an impact in the world

My innovative proposal is about creating an online blended coaching strategy in the school district where I work.  As I create this ePortolio I will be part of the digital leaders that are making an impact.  My hope is that I will successfully implement my innovative project and that this ePortflio documents my journey to help other innovators in the world.  As a digital leader, I am learning about technology. I am using technology to voice my learning for myself and make it accessible to the world. It is allowing me to make an impact on the way academic coaches learn about math and coaching.  I am starting to provide opportunities to engage adults in the process of upskilling through authentic learning experiences.  I am also documenting evidence to educate others who may learn from my research, perspective, project, and creativity. 

I want to do my part as a digital leader and teach innovatively.  As a leader and learner, I reflect on the following quote often:

The difference between what we are doing and what we are capable of doing would solve most of worlds problems. 

~Ghandi

Reference

Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.

Humphries, M. (1016 ) mhumpries.org. https://www.mhumphries.org/?page_id=129.

Do Better!

Reviewing other ePortfolio provides Clarity 

When I analyzed other ePortolios I started to see patterns that were important when accessing information online.  The examples I reviewed allowed me to critically evaluate my work. The reviewing of other ePortfolios allowed me to take action easily as I had examples to guide me.  It literally cut the brainstorming process at least by half.  Let me explain, I have enjoyed seeing all the creativity and diversity that is out there.  The best part of reviewing other ePortolios is that you get some ideas to mimic yours or to take their idea and add your own spin to it.  Just to name a few, here are some of the ideas I got:

Ideas about Aesthetics

Overall, a very clear and crisp design that includes colors and images that do not overstimulate the viewer is ideal to my liking.  When evaluating the ePortfolios, I found myself paying attention to the colors, the setup, the fonts used, and how clean or busy they seemed.   Some had so many fonts on one page that it was difficult to follow.  I came across one that had a lot of text and no images.  I found it challenging to stay engaged.  Isn’t it interesting how we can stay engaged in a book but not on a website?  Harapnuik(2023) created a video and a list of Examples of ePortfolios to get you started.  This will be a good starting point for you.  

Ideas to set up your ePortfolio to enhance the learning

How does the setup control the experience of the person viewing it?  This is huge, make it to where the content is useful and easy to follow. I spent some time on Jordan Roberts' website.  When I looked at the date on his site, I was surprised he had created it 8 years ago  (2016).   I really liked how his blog post included some text to entice you to keep reading.  This setup makes engages the reader, and it easy to digest as it provides enough content to tantalize the reader to keep digging.  This is an example of an idea that I copied!      

I also liked that in his About Me section he had a side-by-side personal and professional section.   This setup provides enough information about the person and provides an opportunity to demonstrate your credibility, and at the same make you relatable.   This is an ideas that I took and added my spin to it.  Take a look at my home page.  Isn’t it crazy to think that something someone created many years ago can still inspire others.  I know this happens all the time!  Books do this to us but I wonder if HE knows his creation is making an impact in 2024.  So, I decided to send him the following message as he had a contact me link. (I don’t have a contact me link in mine……)  I wonder if he will receive it.

Ideas about making the content easily accessible

The organization plays another important part in setting up your ePorfolio.  You want the viewer to find the information easily.  An example of this is to create tabs with dropdown menus that have subcategories.  Another idea I noticed when viewing other ePortflios is that you can be detailed in the titles as this will provide a better idea to the viewer about what that link contains.  For this reason, I decided to make my blog titles clear and to the point.  Take a glance at my blog titles.   

What I realized when assessing other ePorforlios was that I’ve come a long way but there is definitely room for growth.  With all the creativity I have seen so far, I’m reflecting on how can I make my ePortfolio clear and easily accessible.  I know I will keep adding to my ePortfolio as this is an ongoing project.  I edit and revise process has been constant for me as I aim to hit the target.

Feedforward

Ever since I learned about Kaizen in business school, it is something I have embraced in many areas of my life.   Kaizen is a Japanese term meaning change for the better or continuous improvement.   In the master's program I am currently taking I learned about feedforward.  Harapnuik(2020) states that feedforward points to opportunities and provides pathways for improvement and growth.  When I learned about feedforward it was music to my ears as I made a connection to Kaizen.  This is the way I like to simplify my life.  If there is something that is not functioning smoothly, I ask, “What can I do to improve it?”  Building the ePortlio has been definitely a productive struggle for me as using technology is not my best suit but I can honestly say I am proud of the effort and progress I have made so far.  As mentioned earlier, reviewing other ePortfolios allowed me to critically evaluate my work and take action to improve it.   

I had the opportunity to get input from my peers that allowed me move forward.  Since I had analyzed other ePortfolios I was able to take action to improve my ePortolio before I received feedforward from peers. 

Here are some of the comments I received:

• I really love the colors of your website; they give off a refreshing beach and ocean vibe. The quotes you included are a great touch—I never thought of adding quotes myself, but it's a fantastic idea! One area for improvement could be to add more blog posts. This would help viewers relate to you and connect on a deeper level, allowing us to hear your voice and perspectives more clearly. 

• Nice looking site, Sonia. All of the content is easy to find with the drag-down menus. It is very clean and not super flashy, which I like. I like that you have a separate tab for ADL from your blog. This is something I need to implement in order to make it easier to find everything. I would suggest in addition to having the 5305 content in the drag-down from the tab, having a link to all of this content on the actual 5305 page.

Receiving feedforward is exciting to me as I can reflect and self-evaluate my work.   I take feedforward as the knowledge that I can act upon to improve.  I was happy that they noticed some of the things I was aiming for; a refreshing vibe, a clean site, and content that was easily accessible.  Their feedforward allowed me to realize that my links were not properly linked and confirmed that I was on the right track in writing my blogs.     

The US Department of Education identified over 1,000 studies on blended learning that included K-12 grades, medical training, and higher education. The finding of those studies is reflected in the statement below: Overall, the available research evidence suggests that promoting self-reflection, self-regulation, and self-monitoring leads to more positive online learning outcomes (US Department of Education, 2010, p 45).  This study also demonstrated that the number of concepts learned increased and students performed better overall when asked to reflect on their learning.

I hope I sparked an interest about feedward.  Thank you for taking the time to read my blog!

References

Harapnuik, D. (2023). Examples of ePortfolios. Harapnuik.org. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=5979

Harapnuik, D. (2020) Feedforward Vs. Feedback. Harapnuik.org. https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=8273

Robert, J.(2016 ) Jordan T. Roberts. [Wix]. https://jordantroberts.wixsite.com/trainer

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development, (2010, September). Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies, Washington, D.C. https://www.ed.gov/about/ed-offices/opepd/policy-and-program-studies-service--p-12

Can an ePortfolio help you grow as a professional?

Published 14th of September 2024

Yes, through active engagement and reflection

I started my ePortfolio during my first course of the graduate program, Applied Digital Learning.  So far, I realized through reflections of the first stages of creating an ePortfolio that I gained knowledge that led me to become a self-directed learner.  Having an ePortfolio allows me to grow as a professional due to constant reflection and creation.  I learned that I needed to work on self-regulating and critically evaluating my work.  I gained insights into my learning and studying organizational systems.   I have the opportunity to learn and iterate on whatever I find I need to improve.  This iteration process provides multiple opportunities for improvement.

The process of reflection has allowed me to become aware of the areas I need to fine-tune and help me grow as a professional.  For example, at times I felt overwhelmed as I was doing assignments that were new to me and I had to figure out how to do them. Sentences like the following would go through my head:

“How am I going to do this?  

“I’ve never done this much research, I’m not going to finish on time!” 

I’m not tech-savvy, I don’t even know where to start!

I realized I had to change my thinking and approach to learning to move forward.  I changed my approach by collaborating, embracing research, exploring and evaluating resources, creating and believing that I am capable of doing difficult things.  As I went through productive struggles, I experienced how satisfying it felt to complete something that I thought was impossible.  It was pure satisfaction!  I now know I CAN do difficult things.  I kept telling myself a quote from Les Brown: 

“If you do what is easy, life is hard.   If you do what’s hard, life is easy.”  

Slowing down enough to reflect on the contribution to my learning and the ability to read my reflection and blog post allows me the opportunity to compare my work.   This comparison process so far has allowed me to reflect, critically evaluate my work, and take action to improve my craft.  Although I experienced some success, there is always room for growth.  Although I am in the early stages of creating my ePortolio it has allowed me to grow professionally.  For example, learning to create videos, start a website and reflections has given me the knowledge and experience to implement those things in my current position.  I am now creating videos to coach our Academic Coaches.  I started a website at work that will hold information on best practices, I am embedding reflection as part of my agendas and professional development.  I even created an Innovation Proposal to impact learning for academic coaches.  The ePortfolio has a compound effect on my profession.  

I strongly believe that we should use an ePortfolio as it allows us to engage in authentic learning and grow professionally.  I own my learning as I engage in authentic learning opportunities based on my ability, creativity, and preference.   I need to be proactive and intentional about my learning.   As I created an ePortolio,  I realized that I was capable of accomplishing more than I believed I could because I was actively learning by doing.  The ePortfolio allowed me to experience how I learned how to learn (Harapnuik, 2015).  

I will be able to blog about the learning process through an ePortfolio and I will have something tangible to show the learning journey.  Learning is an active search for meaning by the learner (Stark, 2024)    

In the post, Making Meaningful Connections in an ePortfolio, it mentioned that an ePortfolio allows the person to show future employers what you are capable of.  By providing an ePortfolio to a current or potential employer you are showing them what you have worked on, what you have learned, what you have created, what you value, and your growth over time.  

If you are considering starting an ePortfolio, don't hesitate.  You will grow professionally and you will thank yourself later!  

Reference

Harapnuik, D. (2015). Making Meaning Connections in an ePortfolio. Harapnuik.org. https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=5790

Who owns the ePortfolio?

Published 14th of September 2024

Yes, YOU are the owner of the ePortfolio.  If you are like me and are wondering what exactly is an ePorforlio, here is a minimalist definition: Harapnuik (2023) An ePortfolio is a learner’s digital evidence of meaningful connections.  An ePortfolio allows you to authentically engage, and own your learning as you create a digital collection of your work, learning process, achievements, and goals.  You build digital evidence of your learning as you create, design, assemble, redesign, write, reflect, and make meaningful connections in the platform you choose.  In the ePortolio you can share results, your growth journey, and learning experiences with other people. It gives you the opportunity to support others and at the same time share your digital evidence with other colleagues or future employers.    The process makes you a self-directed learner. 

The process makes you the owner

The process of building the ePortfolio allows you to own your learning.  Harrapnuik discusses the importance of focusing on a learner-centered active approach and the importance of creating authentic learning opportunities where the learner has a choice, takes ownership, and has a voice (2023).    As you build the ePortolio you have a choice of how to build it, you take ownership of the entire process and have a voice over the work and ideas.  You the creator of the ePortfolio are the owner.  

In the beginning, I felt like I was not the owner of my ePortolio because I was adding content (assignments) my professor required in my ePorfolio.   I also felt that I truly did not own the setup because I had to add pages and post that were not fully my topics.  As I engaged in the learning I realized I was the creator and I had the liberty to design and make it my own.    

I feel that creating an ePorfolio is comparable to my Literature Review assignment.  In this assignment, I did so much research and synthesized so much information to create a Literature Review.  The spent days and days on this assignment but it was worth it as I learned so much on a specific topic and about myself.  I had to push through all the different studies, articles, and websites.  I kept revising and editing to make it my own.  I shared 

it friends who did not know anything about the topic and asked for feedback.  I revised it again based on their feedback.  To this day, I am very proud for pushing through this assignment.  I made an "A" on it!  I feel that creating an ePortfolio requires time and effort that allows you to grow as a creator and learner.    

As I reflect on who owns the ePortfolio, I honestly believe the learner is the owner of the ePortfolio as the process engages you in authentic learning.  The process exposed me to think of other ways to learn and I had control of coordinating my work.  I learned how to learn.  I was fully engaged and involved in a true learning process which made it meaningful.  I learned new skills that I am implementing in other areas of my life.  

Since I started my ePortofio, I have learned so much!  Due to the knowledge gained so far and the learning to come, I can take my ePortfolio expertise and create other ePortflios for different purposes and own the entire process.  

Reference

Harapnuik, D. (2023). Who Owns the ePortfolio. Harapnuik.org. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6050

Harapnuik, D. (2023). What is an ePortfolio. Harapnuik.org. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=5977

How will adopting the growth mindset change the way you learn?

Having a growth mindset to learn has been a liberating experience for me.  I heard a podcaster once say, “Failure is feedback, feedback is knowledge, knowledge is power.”  I learned to do things despite being afraid because if I don’t succeed, at least I have feedback that will guide me.  It gave me peace knowing that I could just keep iterating.  Each time I try, I will gain information about my progress.   For example, when I started learning to make videos using Screencastify, I gained the following insights:

• Increase the seconds before I click on the record button.

• Instead of starting a new video each time I messed up, I had the option to pause and resume the video.

• I could crop the beginning and end of the video before it is saved to my Google Drive for later edits.  

I learned all of this faster than the time it took to get started.  Now, every time I find myself starting to procrastinate I remember that I will learn faster if I just start.  This process allows me to find the discrepancy between where I want to be and what’s my current reality.  Carol Dweck has so much wisdom in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success that I included a quote from her on my homepage.  Having a growth mindset makes learning more exciting and less stressful.  Having a support group that is there for each other to listen to the questions, concerns, and doubts we may have is very comforting.  Being willing to accept support and being persistent makes learning engaging and fun.   Dweck (2006) says it best: “.... for no matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites your ability and turns it into accomplishment.” (p 41)

References

Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.

Contribution to my Learning and the Learning Community

Published 23 of July 2024

Reflecting on my journey to become a powerful performer and self-directed learner, I realized I’ve grown in many areas in the short eight weeks.  I gained insights into my learning and studying organizational systems.  I noticed it took me a while to see the big picture and get into a routine to stay on schedule with the reading, discussions, and assignments.  At first, I felt overwhelmed by all the resources and sections on Blackboard.  It was not until the 4th week that I started to feel comfortable with my learning system.  After learning about AS Learning in the Assessment as Learning video I created a reflection tab in one of my journals because I need to work on self-regulating and critically evaluating my work.  For the next courses, I need to be proactive and intentional about my learning.  As soon as I get access I am going to get familiarized with the course setup and expectations to pace myself.     

At times I felt overwhelmed as I was doing assignments that were new to me and I had to figure out how to do them. Sentences like the following would go through my head:

“How am I going to do this?  

“I’ve never done this much research, I’m not going to finish on time!” 

I’m not tech-savvy, I don’t even know where to start!

I realized I had to change my thinking and approach to learning to move forward.  I changed my approach by collaborating, embracing research, exploring and evaluating resources, creating and believing that I am capable of doing difficult things.  As I went through productive struggles, I experienced how satisfying it felt to complete something that I thought was impossible.  It was pure satisfaction!  I now know I CAN do difficult things.  Throughout the course, I kept telling myself a quote from Les Brown: 

“If you do what is easy, life is hard.   

If you do what’s hard, life is easy.”    

So far I have earned A’s on my assignments.  I could not have done this without my perseverance, colleagues, and professor.  Dr. H. was always willing to support me via email, scheduling a virtual meeting, and answering my questions during our Zoom weekly meetings.  I looked forward to receiving the video that provided assignment feedback.  Our group created a Group Me where several of us shared resources, sent out reminders, gave feedback, and encouraged each other.  Our group was made up of: Patti, Melissa, Khelia, Whitney, Joseph, Nadia, Jelissa Ennija, and Thaddeus.  It was a place where we felt comfortable asking questions, asking for feedback, and seeking out resources.  Jackie, Julissa, Joseph, and Thaddeus are the ones who provided more feedback to me during the course.  Sharing our work was very helpful.  For example, when I worked on my implementation outline I was able to compare my work to Andrea’s, Jackie’s, and Khelia’s implementation outline.  This comparison process allowed me to reflect, critically evaluate my work, and take action to improve my outline.

The hardest but most rewarding was the Literature Review assignment.  I researched and learned so much!  The team was stressed out so I reached out to my sister for feedback.  The topic was new to her. I asked her questions about the topic to make sure my thesis was supported with sufficient evidence.   I did not have to create an ePortfolio since I was only taking one course.  My team collaborated a lot about the ePortfio I was inspired me to make my own ePortfolio. I learned a lot even though it was made through Google Sites.     

Although I experienced success, there's room for growth.  I can improve on posting assignments earlier and ask for specific feedback so that I can get more responses from my peers.  For my innovation proposal I did get feedback from my profession but I only received feedback from Jackie.   I can make my discussion posts better by posting the week they are due and providing research that supports my thinking.  I need to be more like Thaddeus and Joseph and post more often.  For example, Joseph posted twice as much as me.  

I was hoping to collaborate via video communication with my peers throughout the course.  I sent out the hours I was available during the week and sent out my email but it looks like my peers would rather communicate via text.  I know we would be able to have more in-depth conversations with a platform like Zoom or Google Meets.  I understand we all have different lifestyles so my hours may not work for them.  As a group, we collaborated on assignments, shared resources, and gave each other feedback.  My group is amazing!

Overall this course changed my attitude and now I embrace challenges.   Dweck (2006) says it best: “.....for no matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites your ability and turns it into accomplishment.” (p 41)

For the above reasons, I give myself a score of 44. 

References

Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.

How did COVA impact my learning?

AS A STUDENT

Just in case you have not heard about COVA, the following will get us on the same page:  A learner-centered active learning approach allows the learner to have ( C ) Choice, ( O ) Owership, ( V ) Voice through an ( A ) Authentic learning environment.  This is known as COVA (Harrapnuik, 2022b).  

Currently, I am taking an online course for the Applied Digital Learning Masters program at Lamar University.  Through this program, we are engaging in COVA.  During the two courses I have taken so far, I have experienced firsthand what it means to have choice, ownership, and voice through an authentic learning experience.  For example, in the course 5303:Applying Educational Technology: Portfolio we created our own groups and we decided when we wanted to meet, how we wanted to collaborate, and what format we wanted to use for our discussions.  We took ownership of our learning and made decisions that worked best for us as we worked on the assignments.  Throughout the entire process, we each had a voice as we learned the content.  We helped build and contribute to our group’s learning. From my point of view, we were fully engaged and it was fun!  Our success was confirmed by our professor, Dr. Diane Johnson, with the following feedback:

Feedback for student

Ladies and Gentleman, Can I please just say this week's discussion was near perfection. I just loved the detail, the time, the raw honesty, and the emotion I saw in all of this. I could see all of you growing as ed tech educators as I was reading. My only critique is that you had all of your references but no in-text citations! Add them next week.

Final note: May I be added to this Google Doc, so I may keep this one as an example for future classes? It truly was impressive!

Sonia, Additional note for you, have you thought about going for your doctorate after this? If not, you should! You have insightful details that go beyond the usual. It would be interesting to see all you do next!

As you engage in learning and collaboration, COVA naturally leads you to reflect and self-regulate.  I have learned so much because I naturally wanted to keep learning.  One reflection led to another learning journey and this process continued.  For example, when our team had discussions, we learned from each other's experiences and thinking.  I was able to learn and reflect on their perspectives and that led me to be curious and want to learn more.  

I feel energized and empowered as I have engaged in this new way of learning.  Harapnuik has eloquently written about how COVA plus CSLE approach promotes the growth mindset and the construction of a learning environment that fosters experimentation and collaboration (Harapnuik, 2018, 2022a).  This has been my experience!  As I worked on my ePortfolio I experimented with many setups and collaborated with my team about other ePortfolios and theirs as well.  

AS A MATH COORDINATOR

Harrapnuik discusses the importance of focusing on a learner-centered active approach and the importance of creating authentic learning opportunities where the learner has a choice, takes ownership, and has a voice (2023).  As a District Math Coordinator, I am applying COVA as I support our Academic Coaches.  At this time we are implementing our math curriculum across all campuses.  80% of the academic coaches are new to the positions so there is much to learn!   I am conscious about providing them with choice, ownership, and voice through an authentic learning environment.  For example, I provided them with a choice of how they wanted to implement the campus math fluency needs assessment.  I provided some information with them and have made the other content available through presentations, links, and videos for them to access to continue their learning or for reference. They took ownership and were very creative as they made their schedules to complete this task.  They collaborated and shared their schedules with each other.   I can already see the positive impact COVA is making.   When I meet with them on a bi-weekly basis they are reflecting and adjusting.  I love to collaborate so encouraging collaboration is very easy for me to do.  I am happy to say that they have created a very supportive group to collaborate with.   

COVA has taught me how to learn and for this reason, it is impacting many aspects of my life.  One of the things I like about COVA is the student engagement aspect.  Want to learn more about student engagement? I invite you to take a look at my Literature Review as it analyzes the effectiveness of blended learning, specifically the impact student engagement and personalized learning have on student achievement.   I hope that I sparked curiosity in you to learn more about this topic. 

References

Harapnuik, D. (2022a). CSLE+COVA vs Traditional. Harapnuik.org. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=7143

Harapnuik, D. (2022b). CSLE. Harapnuik.org. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=849

Harapnuik, D. (2023). Who Owns the ePortfolio. Harapnuik.org. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6050