Reflecting on this course in the ADL program, I found it to be very similar to the Instructional Design course. As I developed an online professional development course, I was able to use the 5 Principles of Professional Development I learned in this course and apply it when creating professional learning courses for both classes. While the overlap was confusing at times, the strategies I learned will help me in the future when planning more professional development, whether online or in person. Collaboration is the key to creating meaningful, relevant, and ongoing professional development. One of the things I feel I should share with ADL students who have not taken summer courses is to plan accordingly. I realized very quickly that summer schedules easily derail productivity and keeping a calendar, phone alerts, or some other means of a reminder is crucial so all assignments are turned in on time. Typically, a teacher’s summer is a time of relaxation and spending time with family. Not having a regular schedule may seem easier, but in the end it was much harder to stay focused due to all of the family activities and vacation plans.
Key Contributions
Just as collaboration is the key to professional development, it is also important in the ADL program. Although I did not build a collaboration group, I was part of a group. We used GroupsMe to leave comments, ask questions, and give feedback on our assignments. My group members that I most often collaborated with were Eleanor Wilson, Maria Lopez, Lakesha Smith, and Valerie Regalado. I also provided feedback within the Blackboard discussion group and appreciated the feedback and comments I received as well. I completed all of my assignments on time. I did not have to make any revisions to any of the assignments. I completed all of the course readings and videos and enjoyed watching the videos for each weekly module. They were very informative.
Supporting Contributions
As stated in the Key Contributions, I was part of a collaboration group but I did not take a leadership role. While leadership is crucial, I was more of a participant in the group. I did participate in all of the activities and discussion boards within Blackboard as well as in my personal group, and I posted in a timely manner. However, for the discussion group for week seven I was a little late due to being out of town on a vacation. Again, summer schedules made it very hard to maintain focus. My postings were a mix of posts with comments and posts with citations.
Final Thoughts
Considering I was very busy this summer with my family–including the birth of two grandsons a month apart and taking two other grandchildren on a vacation with us–I was able to keep up with my course and participate. I do think that the relaxation of my current schedule interfered with my participation. From posting a little late to missing a few online meetings, I feel that I have earned the grade of an 88.
Blended Elementary 