EDLD 5303 Applying Ed Tech: ePortfolio

As my progress continues within the ADL program, I am afforded the opportunity to reflect on my own learning and contributions to the learning of my peers in this third course of study. Collaboration in this course was through discussion posts, group text messages, and feedforward on our ePortfolios. At the beginning of the term, I found that collaboration was going to be limited due to the purpose of the course. Developing and creating our ePortfolios is very personal. By putting ourselves out there, our vulnerabilities will only allow us to be that much better as a learner (or an educator).  We must be unguarded with our own reflections about our learning to develop those connections required for mastery.  

While I utilized the help offered by WordPress to problem-solve my way through my revisions, I was able to get help through my GroupMe chat groups. We have two groups established to maintain an open dialogue, ADL 2021-2023 and 5303 w/ Dr. H.  Here is a list of the members that I have worked with:

ADL 2021-2023	5303 w/ Dr. H	Individuals that I teamed up with
Adrianne Ortiz,  Anna Diemecke,  Ashleigh Carter  Patrick Rodriguez  Chris Hill James Rawls Kelly Skillingberg  LaTammie Rawls  Melinda Flaugher  Stacey Powell  Tonya Logan Veronica Goodly	Stacey Powell Adrianne Ortiz Anna Diemecke Chris Hill James Rawls Kelly Skillingberg LaTammie Rawls Tonya Logan	Melinda Flaugher Kelly Skillingberg Catherine Duplisea Rebecca Rodgers My Algebra I team My campus Instructional Technology Specialist (ITS)

The individuals I had the benefit of collaborating with assisted me in troubleshooting issues with my ePortfolio.  I was able to get ideas about the layout of the content on my site and issues with navigation and functionality.  I was also able to help them with concerns about their own functionality and ease of use with their ePortfolios.  My team from my own school community and the campus ITS were able to give me a point of view from my audience.

I had to remind myself that my peers were willing and ready to assist if I was struggling.  It was through asking for help that I found clarity as to how I imagined my ePortfolio’s appearance and functionality.  I also did not take the weekly meetings we had with Dr. Haraphnuik.  With his guidance that he backed up by his real experiences building his own ePortfolio, I was able to discover what WordPress had to offer to improve my ePortfolio. 

Another area of growth that I still see in my own learning is motivation and engagement.  This term taking place in the first week of the school year did play a part in that for me.  This is because of the experiences of last year in the classroom. While the obstacles this year are different from last year, time has become a more precious commodity than in previous years. I have established clear boundaries between my work and school. However,  I still must remind myself of WHY I am here and struggling uncomfortably.  I am doing this for me.  I want to be a better version of my educator persona.  I found it difficult to justify collaboration in the beginning due to the fact that it was my ePortfolio.  My willingness to provide assistance and feedforward did not waiver, but I should have not struggled in silence, as I did for much of the middle part of the term.         

There has been lots of trial and error with the themes, layout, blocks used on a page, and how to use the Blog feature.  Ultimately, I have stuck with my theme and platform for my ePortfolio.  I have become more than a novice, but definitely not an expert in WordPress.  WordPress is very creator-friendly once you get a handle on a few features. The ability to add content and tweak my ePortfolio in future courses and beyond has made all the tears and words of frustration worth it.

EDLD 5305 & 5302: ADL Beginnings

My experiences in the first 2 courses of the ADL program have resulted in growth and progress in my journey as a lifelong learner.  I have also realized I still have a lot to learn about learning.  That for me is the most exciting lesson!  The discussions and assignments yielded occasions for me to research and reflect on topics that I thought I had a clear understanding of, like blended learning and growth mindset.  Through the readings, video, and supporting resources, I gained more insight into many concepts I have been previously exposed to in professional development and various cohorts.  I look forward to using this new understanding to help myself and my team in the beginning phases of my Innovation Plan implementation.             

The biggest component of my accomplishments in 5305 and 5302 is a direct result of my learning communities.  The first group I joined was Stacey Powell, Kelly Skillingberg, and Kristin Winzer.  Stacey was kind enough to post on the Student Forum on Blackboard.  We quickly formed a group.  We have maintained constant communication through text messages and multiple Zoom sessions for collaboration and feedforward.    While navigating the courses, I found myself in three groups that utilized the GroupMe app.  Those groups are ADL 2021-2023, EDLD 5305, and ADL Community Collaboration.  My involvement in the Zoom sessions for the courses and on GroupMe gave me the opportunity to form another group with Ashleigh Carter and Evosha Wilson.  We were also working together via text messages on an almost daily basis.  These last few weeks of our 8-week term have caused me to seek out more assistance from my learning communities.  I wish I had taken advantage earlier in this term of the guidance and support of the GroupMe groups.  My collaboration groups (Stacey P., Kristin S., and Kristin W. & Evosha W. and Ashleigh C.) were where I leaned on the most when I was stuck or needed help.  In future courses, I will make an effort to widen my search for suggestions and feedforward. 

ADL 2021-2023	EDLD 5305	ADL Community Collaboration
Members I worked with include: Dawn Short Adrianne Ortiz Anna Diemecke Ashleigh Carter Bethany Eisele Chris Hill Evosha Wilson James Rawls Kelly Skillingberg LaTammie Rawls Leticia Cortez Lola Gatlin Melinda Flaugher Stacey Powell Stacie Perez Maiya Baldwin Veronica Goodly	Members I  worked with include: Adrianne Ortiz Anna Diemecke Ashleigh Carter James Rawls Maiya Baldwin Melinda Flaugher Stacey Powell **Myself, Stacey Powell and Kelly Skillingberg were in 5302.  We collaborated via text messaging so as not to disrupt Kristin Winzer who was in our other LC.	Members I  worked with include: Ashleigh Carter Evosha Wilson (Link to our shared folder) (Link to evidence of collaborations)

Within my learning communities, I received suggestions and edits that led to my first attempt at each of the assignments being something that I was confident in sharing with Dr. Bedard.  My peers were readily available and always willing to give me any advice and assistance I required.  I used the feedforward and suggestions from Dr. Bedard to revise those assignments.  I will continue to be better at posting on discussions, sharing my work, and offering my feedforward in a timely manner so my peers can complete their own contributions.   As we conclude our courses this summer and I am preparing for the new school year, I am encouraged that I will be a better educator.  I owe this to the requirements of the course and all that I have learned from my peers and Dr. Bedard.