This post reflects my contributions to my learning and the learning community for 5305 and 5302. As I reflect on my time in both courses, my self-assessment is as follows:
5305 Disruptive Innovation in Technology: 47/50
5302 Concepts of Educational Technology: 94/100
My collaborative group for both 5305 and 5302 includes myself, Lauren Blasdel, Mattheiu Brooks, Deena Fell, Lance Moran, Yagaira Alaniz, and Juliana Abiro. This group has been a phenomenal group to work with as we have all supported each other through the confusion, the worry, and the fun! It’s also been nice having members Lance and Yagaira in our group because of their experience in 5305. They were able to give insight into many of the assignments and share their own to help us first-timers.
Here’s a shot of our very first Zoom Meeting together!
What Worked Well?
After lots of messaging back and forth, we finally finalized the members of our group. Knowing myself and my love for collaboration and leadership, I took the initiative to create a Google Doc for 5305 and 5302 where we could all share our assignments, feedforward, and any helpful resources. This document also includes our emails, GroupMe link (created by Lauren Blasdel), and the link to our weekly Zoom meeting. Every Monday after our 6 PM meeting with Dr. Harapnuik, our group would hop over to our own Zoom meeting at 7 PM. During our sessions, we would discuss our plans, any confusion we may have had, and celebrate our success! We would also let each other know when we posted a discussion post so that we could respond. After our meetings, I would open our Google Doc, update what we discussed, and load the Zoom screenshot. Our conversation continued throughout the week in our GroupMe messages.
With the utilization of Zoom meetings and our GroupMe, we were able to review each other’s work, provide feedforward, discuss the readings and our thoughts, express our emotions, and be a true support system for each other.
This group also helped me enjoy the learning process; I never felt alone or defeated for long.
In addition to collaborating with my ADL group regularly for both 5305 and 5302, I also enjoyed discussing and reading others’ opinions in the discussion posts. I committed much of my time to exploring the content as the readings, videos, and supporting resources were enjoyable for me. The content was not only interesting, but it made me reevaluate and question my perspectives on the realms of learning and education.
What Could Be Better?
While I enjoyed participating in discussion posts, I wish I had participated in some discussion posts a little earlier to maintain a balanced workload. Initially, I posted every assignment and discussion post for both courses and discussion post in my Google Calendar to stay on track; however, I quickly realized that I was taking entirely too long to post. I got so wrapped up in the material that it took me a long time to put my thoughts down. To help with this, I began working on discussion posts exclusively during the morning hours before work. That seemed to help because I had limited time to produce a post and it kept me from going down the rabbit hole!
Furthermore, in 5302, I received feedback regarding the font size in my Growth Mindset Plan, which I promptly fixed. In 5305, I was asked to update my Innovation Plan and discuss how I would pilot the program. I went back and added a few sentences for clarification.
Contributing to Learning and the Learning of the Community
Throughout both courses, I consistently attended Dr. Harapnuik's Zoom meetings, with only one exception. During the meetings, I actively listened, took notes, participated in break-out room sessions, asked questions, and had great discussions with my classmates. For the one class I did miss, I spoke with my collaborative group and watched the recording to ensure I didn’t miss anything.
In addition to my collaborative group interactions, I reached out to other students who had taken 5305 to gain further clarification on assignments. These individuals graciously shared their ePortfolios as examples and shared multiple resources. I also asked for feedforward from my colleagues, specifically for the Literature Review. As an English major, I had little familiarity with APA format, and the insights provided by my colleagues, who held doctoral degrees and possessed extensive experience with APA, proved extremely beneficial in enhancing the quality of my work.
Overall, I take pride in the contributions I have made, especially considering this is my first round of courses. I have practiced more time management than I have in my entire life! However, my journey would have been notably less enjoyable and rewarding without the support of my group. While each member has made significant contributions, Deena, Lauren, and Mattheiu have been exceptionally dedicated and have made my experience in both courses so much FUN! Lastly, I will be forever grateful to Dr. Harupnuik for encouraging us to build our collaborative community. Contrary to my initial expectations, being a part of this group has been a defining aspect of the ADL experience.
As High School Musical says, “We’re all in this together!” and I wholeheartedly embrace it!
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