Throughout these courses, I have grown in my understanding and skills related to creating alternative professional learning and designing blended learning instructional courses. This experience has not only broadened my knowledge base but has also reshaped my approach to educational development. I've become more proficient at designing learning environments that are both innovative and inclusive, focusing on the needs and motivations of diverse learners for both students and teachers. After engaging in various course readings and modules, I've gained valuable insights which I have applied to design my alternative professional learning plan and 4th-grade instructional electrical circuits blended learning course.
Therefore, as I approach the end of these two courses, I find myself reflecting on the learning journey I've undertaken. By taking the time to reflect, I can adjust my learning strategies to better suit my needs, leading to more effective and personalized learning experiences. It allows me to take corrective actions for the courses in the future by addressing my strengths and weaknesses. Identifying what worked well, and what I could potentially do better next time.
After reviewing the self-assessment marking guide provided for the courses, I will assign myself a score for both ADL courses taken (5389 & 5318). This will be considered a true indicator of my self-awareness throughout each course.
My self-assessment scores are as follows below:
Developing Effective Professional Leadership(5389)- 94.5
Instructional Design for Online Learning (5318)- 98.5
Key Contributions to My Learning
In designing both the alternative PL course and instructional blended learning course, I utilized Fink's Three Column Table with the Big Hairy Audacious Goals along with extensive outlines (5389 Outline) (5318 Outline) to ensure a structured yet engaging learning experience for educators and students. Fink's 3-column framework (5389 Table) (5318 Table) allowed me to clearly define the learning goals, teaching activities, and assessment methods, ensuring alignment across all elements of the course design. The extensive outlines played a crucial role by providing a detailed roadmap for each module, breaking down complex topics into manageable segments that were easy for learners to digest and retain.
By setting concrete objectives in the first column, I tailored the activities in the second column to actively engage students and educators through interactive sessions, collaborative projects, and real-world applications that capture their attention and foster deep learning. The third column helped me create relevant assessments that not only measured comprehension but also encouraged ongoing reflection and application of the knowledge. This systematic approach, supported by rigorous outlines, ensured that every part of the courses was purposefully designed to maintain learners' interests and facilitate significant educational outcomes.
Throughout the courses, I completed all of the course readings, videos, and supporting resources, which helped me dive deep into our discussions and bring out the best in my coursework. My coursework displays this deep engagement, as I successfully incorporated learning concepts, theories, and practices into my assignments and projects meeting all submission deadlines in which my graded coursework and feedback exhibit. Throughout both courses, any feedforward provided by the instructors was immediately implemented for the next assignment as I did not need to make any resubmissions.
Even though I was unable to attend every live Zoom session due to scheduling conflicts, I made it a priority to watch each recorded session. This ensured that I fully understood the directions for each assignment and stayed aligned with the course's expectations for each module.
Contributions to my Learning Community
My learning community embodied a supportive environment where we could collaborate, exchange ideas, and ultimately help each other succeed in our learning endeavors. We utilized a variety of communication methods to maximize our collaboration and ensure everyone could participate and contribute effectively. Zoom meetings allowed us to discuss topics and assignment instructions in real time, ensuring that we could clarify misunderstandings and deepen our understanding through live interaction. Beyond these virtual meetups, we stayed connected through texting and phone calls, making it easy to reach out for quick questions. We provided each other with feedforward which helped each other to succeed even more throughout these courses.
My learning community for each course is listed below.
Developing Effective Professional Leadership(5389)- Kimberely, Regginee, and myself
Instructional Design for Online Learning (5318)- Kimberely & myself
Lastly, throughout the courses, I made sure to actively participate in every discussion post, always submitting my contributions on time or before time. This consistent involvement helped me keep up with the class and understand new ideas and other classmates' perspectives. Additionally, I always responded to at least two to three peers on each post. By exchanging thoughts, feedforward, and supporting each other, we could see different viewpoints and improve our own understanding. This made the learning process richer for all of us, as we shared insights, offered help, and strengthened our connections with one another. Each discussion forum has also been updated and posted to my e-portfolio blog section.
Conclusion
Overall, I'm grateful for the educational journey I've encountered thus far in the ADL program. It has greatly improved my teaching and learning methods. Completing all the course work, using Fink's Three Column Table effectively, and actively participating in my learning community have all helped me achieve high grades and create a supportive learning environment. These efforts have sharpened my skills and prepared me to lead and inspire both students and fellow educators. As I look forward, I'm excited to apply what I've learned to future educational projects, and my ability to innovate and make a positive impact in the field of education. This foundation sets me up for continued growth and success in teaching others. I am excited to move forward in closing out my ADL program with this acquired knowledge and tools I have added to my toolbox as I continue into the next/last 8-week coursework before walking across the stage in December 2024!
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