Throughout my final 8 weeks in the Digital Learning and Leading program, I have had to ask myself more than once, what does it mean to contribute? Specifically, what does it mean to contribute to my community and to myself? Throughout this process of reflection and being asked how well I contributed to my own learning and to the community as a whole, I have come to conclude that contribution may not always mean giving to others, but also supporting them when things become difficult and encouraging them to push themselves and try harder than they are.
This view of “contribution to my learning” reflects my learning through the EDLD 5320 course.
Reflection on what is working and what you can do better.
The reflection process is always part of our learning. My reflection on what is working is that I feel very included within this course. I really enjoyed not having strict deadlines on discussion posts and responses. It allowed me to plan ahead. I have gain significant knowledge on the feedforward style in which would be used in future courses and in my role in education. A change that I’ve noticed in myself is the view of failures. From a young age I was taught that failing wasn’t an option. With this in mind, I stressed out when given an assignment or task. In my mind, I had to get it right the first time or it was an automatic F. The first session in this ADL program was very intimidating. I wanted to give up after a few days. Fear of failure had me in a chokehold! I’m so happy that I did not give in. My lesson learned was to embrace every moment with the right mindset and give myself permission to fail.
There were by far more highs than lows throughout this course. Some of the highs included teamwork participation. It allowed me to explore my creative side, constantly challenging myself to think about things in a new way and trying different digital tools.
One of my main goals throughout this program was to transform the way learning happened. I was able to accomplish this goal as learners have become an active part of the entire process.
Personal Learning Networks
From the beginning of my journey in the ADL program, I knew collaboration was needed to be successful. I loved networking with my fellow cohorts and getting involved. I have connected with classmate in Facebook group chat as well as a GroupMe chats. Communication has taken place from the very beginning.
A few of our group members include Dawn Short, Nastaja Tyler, and Patrick Rodriguez. Together along with many others, we shared ideas, asked questions, and provided feedback. I found the collaborative discussions beneficial to the assignments given in this course. While working through the course, it better prepared me for the reflection assignments as well as revisiting my innovation plan.
Throughout this session, I attended every virtual meeting and also revisited some of the recording videos for any missed information. I also contributed to and provided feedback on classroom discussions. Course readings and videos were all viewed, and learning did occur. All assignments were completed and submitted in a timely fashion as directed. For these reasons, on the contribution to learning assignment, I give myself a 85.
I hope that even as this program is coming to an end that this will not be my final contribution to learning. The opportunities that lie ahead are countless.
-Melissa Strout
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