A Combined Reflection for Applying Educational Technology: ePortfolio and Creating Significant Learning Environments
As I developed my ePortfolio when I began the ADL program, my initial thinking was that it is an online notebook, nothing more than a digital filing cabinet, and a safe place to keep my work where it would be easily accessible to my professors, my collaboration group, and myself. As I began to add more content and review the ePortfolios shared by others, I realized that this was more than an online notebook. It was a reflection of my thoughts and philosophy about digital learning, and of myself as a learner.
What I Did Right
During both courses, I joined a collaboration group with three wonderful ladies who were extremely helpful; Elenor Wilson, Lakesha Smith, and Maria Lopez. We collaborated on Zoom, through email, and commented on each other’s posts in the discussion groups. We also visited each other’s ePortfolios, commented and read the posts. This was a great experience to read posts that reflected the thinking of other educators in the program and see their innovative ideas for digital learning. As most of us are taking two courses at a time, we collaborated on assignments for both classes, as well as the discussion groups for both classes. The blog posts that we commented on in our ePortoflios were often reflection posts from Creating Significant Learning Environments. While I did focus on my collaboration group, I also posted to others’ comments in the discussion board.
Along with making sure that I posted to all discussions in both courses and that I met all assignment deadlines, I took the time to revise work from prior classes. As I began to learn more about CSLE+COVA, The Growth Mindset, and Creating Significant Learning Goals, I realized that my Innovation Plan Overview needed some work. I also began to compare my ePortfolio to others who have completed the course, as well as those who had shared their links. My navigation was not working for the purpose of the ePortfolio. It was a daunting task to think of reworking my entire theme so I reached out for advice. After emailing Dr. Haurapnuik and receiving some amazing feedforward, I had a clear vision of what I needed and wanted from my ePortfolio. I completely revised the entire site and I am now pleased with the simplicity of the format, the ease of the navigation, and the clean design. Am I finished with it? Most likely, no. It is definitely a work in progress.
Along with reading the course suggested readings, videos, and supporting resources, I began finding my own resources and articles, following leaders in Blended Learning on social media, and digging deeper into the research that focuses on my innovative proposal. My blog posts were a reflection of my readings and of my assignments in both the ePortfolio and the CSLE course. When I posted to the discussions, I varied my responses with those that were cited and those that were reflections on what others had stated. Combining the collaboration between both courses gave me an even clearer picture of how courses of the ADL program fit together cohesively using the CLSE+COVA framework. As I reflect on both courses, I feel that I met the Key Contributions, but there is room for improvement.
What I Can Do Better
Learning is an incomplete process, and sometimes life gets in the way of the learning. Schedules are hectic and things happen that cause us to forget deadlines. This is definitely where I can do better as far as posting to the discussion groups. While I always made the final deadlines, I was not as prompt with my initial posts a few times as I feel I should have been. Timely discussions are so important when reflecting on topics. Late posts and comments are like showing up to a party after it is over. No one is there. This is where I plan to do better with my next courses throughout the remainder of the ADL program.
Showing Growth
When I reflected on my first two courses in the program, I did not grade myself highly. I struggled to grasp the overall concept of the CSLE+COVA approach and was timid about collaborating. While learning about The Growth Mindset was a catalyst for finding my bearings, I still found juggling work, family, and graduate school to be a challenge. It is still not easy, but I have discovered that the work I am putting into the program, along with collaborating with others, is very rewarding. Can I do better? Always. That’s what learning is all about. This time I feel I have earned an 89 in both courses.
Blended Elementary 