5302: Concepts of Educational Technology
Do you have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset? The foundation of the Digital Learning and Leadership program. In order to be an innovator you will need to be open to failure within this course. Through failure comes growth. You are not measured by your failure but by the amount of growth you make. Carol Dweck’s developing a growth mindset helped set the stage for future classes. Through this class I developed my own presentation which is now the foundation for all my classes that I teach.
5303: Applying Educ Tech: Portfolio
Portfolios are a waste of time, at least that was my original thought process. I have created portfolios before, but never with a purpose. With the ideas of COVA in mind the ePortfolio is one of the most important pieces that you will take away from this course. The portfolio that I have created is truly my own and will continue to be used as I continue to grow as an educator. One of the most powerful things that I have taken away from my portfolio is the reflection through blogging. Reflecting has given me more insight into how I have grown and developed as an educator.
5304: Leading Organizational Change
I will be the first to tell you that I didn’t always see myself as a person that could impact change. Maybe that is because I never had the right tools or process in order to do it. In order to impact change you need to develop the WHY. This was impacted by Simon Sinek’s Start with Why. In order for my innovation plan to be successful I needed to present my why. I went with what I was passionate about. If I was going to be successful in implementing Blended learning I would need to show my passion and heart. It’s not easy being an Innovator. In order to be successful a lot of planning and purpose needs to be established. That process was demonstrated throughout this course providing me with several different tools for impacting change. One tool was the power of conversation. I think this is one area that I have grown the most over the past year and a half. Through Instructional Coaching training and this course I have been able to develop better relationships with teachers through conversation. Another set of tools that were used in order to help create a plan was the Influencer and the 4DX model. These tools can be used in order to measure the overall success of my innovation plan. Each one of these tools have been taken and modified in a way that I saw fit my own personal innovation of blended learning. This is another example of how the COVA model was demonstrated throughout the entirety of this program. With the power of these tools I am hoping for the power of 10X the impact.
5305: Disruptive innovation
All I can say is that true innovation is disruptive, and in a good way. This course had probably the biggest impact on me as an educator/innovator. The idea that I could lead and help facilitate organization change within my school district was very rewarding. Here is where the real change started. It all started with a letter. Sending this letter to my principal was the moment that changed everything for me as an innovator. It is the moment that I started to see myself as a person who could impact change within the school. I then went on to create an innovation plan for my school district. The outline of the plan will be expanded upon later on. In this course I was also tasked with developing my own research on blended learning. The research helped give me a deeper understanding so that I could create my own innovation video about blended learning. This was used to help create excitement for blended learning.
5313: Creating Significant Learning Environments
How does a teacher change their classroom from a teacher led classroom to a student led classroom? That is what creating a significant learning environment means. As a teacher in a blended learning environment I needed to look at this very and create my own significant learning environment. There are a number of ways to develop CSLE in a classroom. The first tool which I had used before was Understanding by Design (UBD). Is taking a backwards approach to developing a unit. With the end in mind you build so that you finish where you started. The second tool 3 column table, I was not familiar with but rather enjoyed getting to learn and develop my own 3 column table. Initially I struggled with the 3 column table but came to like this method better as time went on. Combining the first 4 classes together with this class made for a very strong foundation moving forward with my innovation plan.
5314: Digital Learning in Local and Global Context
“What we instill in our children will be the foundation upon which they build their future.”
Steve Maraboli
In EDLD 5314 learning was focused on resources from around the world. The world is changing and technology is playing a major part of this change. In the world that we are living in today there are many uncertainties. One thing that I am sure of is that technology will play a major part. In my call to action I explained the importance that technology is playing in today’s world. It is important that teachers are helping students prepare for that world. After viewing and researching more about current world implementation of technology. I updated my research on blended learning incorporating this new knowledge.
5315: Assessing Digital Learning and Instruction
Of all the classes I think that I struggled the most with Action Research. I was not familiar with Craig Mertler’s Action Research, I found the process of taking action very simple and flexible laid out in the book. I learned that the process doesn’t have to be set in stone and concrete. It can be more flexible to meet the needs of the individual creating the action plan. Creating my own Action Research is where I feel that I fell short in the whole process of my innovation plan. I liked the idea of comparing asynchronous to synchronous learning in a blended learning model, but with COVID 19 in the midst of the first quarter several plans were scrapped at the last minute. In the future I would like to work more closely with my team in order to get a better action research plan developed.
5316: Digital Citizenship
In a world that is turning more and more digital media, citizenship is of the utmost importance. As I learned more and more about digital citizenship I continued to return to Mark Ribble’s Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship. If we are asking students to be present online then they are going to need specific tools in order to be successful. Digital Citizenship is easy to overlook as a teacher. The curriculum that is taught is always at the forefront, but digital citizenship can be incorporated into the classroom especially a blended learning classroom. I find that students need to understand their digital footprint first. That is why I created a call to action video on student digital footprints. In my research on creating a digital footprint students need to understand that a digital footprint can be positive or negative if not monitored.
5317: Resources Digital Environments
In 5317, I ventured out into uncharted territory. I worked to become a published author. For this class I focused on the power of choice. After using COVA in my own classroom I worked to focus on the power allowing students choice when demonstrating their learning. When all is said and done I am looking for students to show authentic work.
5318: Design Online Learning
When I originally started my journey this was something that I was extremely interested in. I wanted to learn how to effectively create an online learning management system (LMS). In order to be successful one must ask themselves many questions on what is important. Instructions must be easily understood. I have since used many of the lessons learned in this class to make my own learning management systems for my own students.
5389: Effective Professional Development
If you are a teacher you have seen your fair share of professional development. There is a right way and a wrong way of creating professional development. I created a video explaining the proper way that educators should be taught in developing new learning. Professional development is important but it needs to be continuous and built around the 5 principles of effective professional development.
5320: Synthesis of Digital Learning and Leadership
As my digital learning experience comes to an end, it really has only begun. I look forward to further implementing blended learning in my school district. I am also interested in helping other school districts implement online learning into their classrooms. I believe that will be the true power of this course, the overall impact it can have on education. Innovation is in each and everyone of us. I have found that out throughout my own Blended Learning Innovation.
Strive to be the change that your students want you to be.
Leigh Jass
leigh4education.school.blog 