My journey through the ADL program at Lamar University continues with Organizational Change (EDLD 5304) and Ed Tech Publication (EDLD 5317). Collaboration continues to be encouraged and expected. My Learning Community continues to grow, and for that, I am all the better. Through rich discussions that I participate in virtually (i.e., discussion boards, Zoom meetings, and GroupMe Chats), I have reached a greater understanding of the course outcomes.

Within my Ed Tech Publication course, I was assigned a group to collaborate with through our discussion board assignments. My group consisted of James Rawls, Adrianne Ortiz, Stacie Perez, and Marcus Owens. When first assigned to the group, I created a GroupMe chat with James, Stacie, and Adrianne. We collaborated in a previous course through the GroupMe app. Ms. Perez did an excellent job of sending reminders to continue to work on commenting on the discussion posts of the group members. Despite not being able to directly reach out to Marcus, my group was able to assist in peer reviewing our publication outlines and rough drafts. Responses to the discussion posts provided guidance for assignment completion. Feedforward for myself was invaluable and much appreciated. I hope that my peers found my suggestions helpful, as well.

Adrianne Ortiz was exceptionally helpful. We worked together on the media pitch. I would hesitate to even call it work, as it was definitely one of the more fun assignments I have completed. I have been bitten by the podcast bug. I am exploring how I can develop a podcast with a coworker. I have found my confidence. This is something I could have never imagined myself doing even 6 months ago.

Through the GroupMe app, we coordinated times for collaboration sessions before assignment deadlines for both courses. These sessions happened through Zoom. During these meetings, we brainstormed ideas, shared drafts, and offered feedforward. Those in attendance were always different. Collaborative sessions were also an opportunity for us to get to know each other. I believe that strengthening these relationships has built strong bonds of trust. This makes receiving and giving feedforward easier. I also appreciate how the GroupMe chat includes various learners throughout the ADL journey. I learned that a few are getting ready to graduate in one more term. It is great to have access to them for clarification and advice as one who has completed a particular course.

I still continue to work on my own time management skills. Juggling my professional responsibilities and assignments has not been as difficult as I believed. Even though I have not missed a deadline, I know that for my peers to provide me timely feedforward, I need to stay on top of getting things started earlier. Procrastination is one of my biggest faults. I will continue to tackle this obstacle.

What is working is my participation in several learning communities. I continue to work with Kelly Skillingberg, Stacey Powell, and Kristin Winzer. We first began collaborating in EDLD 5305 last summer. Dawn Short has proven yet again to be my MVP. Her willingness and availability to help whenever I am lost or just have simple clarification on an assignment or discussion post are unwavering. Needless to say, I could actually say that about several of my peers. Technology allows us to be in constant communication. My peers seem to always be available for whoever is struggling at that moment. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with these individuals. With them in my corner, I cannot lose!

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