Image created by Samara Marin using Copilot 2024

“Most great learning happens in groups. Collaboration is the stuff of growth.”

– Ken Robinson

When I first started the Applied Digital Learning (ADL) program, the idea of putting my ideas on the internet for the world to see was terrifying. However, my fear dissipated after the first assignment in EDLD 5305 Disruptive Innovation. I was allowed to resubmit my assignments with corrections. When I received my first assignments for 5313 and 5303, I immediately looked back at the feedback excitedly because feedback meant improvement. Feedback also meant lower scores; however, when my ideas are on the internet, I am more worried about fixing any mistakes that could be a direct reflection of myself. In my ePortfolio course, I asked more about the looks of my ePortfolio; if my ePortfolio did not look appealing and were not easy to navigate, then I would want to fix these aspects. After the initial check-in post, I revised the character sizing of the original postings to make the blog posts easier to see. Another revision I made was citing my AI-created images to ensure proper citations. Regarding creating a significant learning environment course, I revised and resubmitted my first assignment and continuously corresponded with the instructor on the second assignment until my post was virtually perfect. I make the revisions more for my digital footprint and what someone will see when they Google my name.

When it comes to my learning communities for this class, I started out with three classmates from 5302 and 5305: Mia D. Fayerweather, Rose Rayner, and Anna B. Gonzalez. In this rotation of classes, Amburh C. Jernigan and Maria I. Montemayor have also been collaborators in our group. Between staying up late in the Teams forums, responding to posts about assignments due at midnight to a video call explaining assignments, and offering support. I look forward to looking for these ladies’ names in the next rotation of classes. It has been an interesting experience going from reading the instructions for my first “contribution to my learning community” to having Team posts of almost 200 replies. I look forward to having these ladies in the next set of courses; I have seen how helpful collaboration has been. Whether it is helping each other with an assignment or simply supporting each other through completing an assignment through a long night of doing homework, our learning community has made getting through the ADL program much less stressful.

The readings were the most difficult parts of the program to find time to complete. Nevertheless, where there’s a will, there’s a way. At the beginning of the program, I discovered Speechify, an AI program that allows a person to listen to any file, webpage, or Kindle file as long as it is on a computer, phone, or tablet. Each time I complete a reading assignment, a new question is posed, meaning a new door is open. I first joined the ADL program because I felt my learning journey had stalled, so I was no longer asking questions only answering them. Now that I am in the program, I am given new texts to read and new questions to answer, which opens the doors to new questions I have. I have been doing new research that I have chosen to do independently. Because of my readings, I have independently researched AI programs and how they affect teachers and teaching. On that same note, the discussion posts help with my learning journey because they help me see the information from various perspectives. I like going in and treating the responses from my classmates similar to the readings. The difference between the readings and the discussion posts is that the discussion posts offer a different perspective than mine. I also like to see what my classmates think of my perspective. Above I posted the amount of time I spent in each class; although, this doesn’t specify exactly what I did with this time, the time was spent on reading both discussion posts and class readings.

Timelines are necessary for me to complete any assignment. I used the grade and the modules to keep me on task and made it a point to turn in everything at a different time than 11:30 p.m. the day it was due. I made my best effort to turn in all assignments at least 24 hours before the due date and believe I succeeded, except for one or two that I submitted the day they were due. Even then, I submitted the assignment hours before the due date. This is because, if necessary, I would like to revise my assignments even if my grades will stay the same due to my ePortfolio representing myself for the world to see.

Image created by Samara Marin using Copilot 2024

5303: 90

5313: 90

In both classes, I gave myself a 90. The reasoning behind my grade is that while I did all the key and supporting aspects required of the class, I didn’t start the class as a leader. I sat back and observed before diving into the forums and collaboration of the course during the first week. I always end the courses as a strong collaborator; however, I start timid and wait for my classmates to come to me with questions instead of collaborating from day one.