Deena Duarte Fell
5502 & 5305 Contributions to Learning Community
During our first Zoom class, Matthieu Brooks sent a message about starting a group. He and his coworker and friend, Lance Moran, were both in the program, just at different points. Lance started over the summer and buddied up with Yagaira Alaniz. I checked out her profile and found we lived in the same area, and she also worked for a Waterford partner district. Perfect!
I told Mattieu I was “in,” but also wanted to add Shaneigh Smith, as she worked in another school district I support. He contacted her and she’d also chatted with Lauren Blasdel and Juliana Abiro. That was that…we had our team! Over the next few days, we heard from others, but just had to draw a hard line to keep the integrity and size of our group. We also decided to stay as a team for the duration of the program as many of us were in 5305 and 5302 together, while some were already a class or two ahead. Now that I am no longer in the classroom, I miss having a Professional Learning Community (PLC), but this feels very much like that!
Here we are, getting to know each other on Week 2. During our first meeting, we documented with a picture and shared our contact details.
My self-assessment is as follows:
46 out of 50 for 5305 Disruptive Innovation in Technology
93 out of 100 in 5302 Concepts of Educational Technology
I did all that was asked and joined nearly all Zoom classes. Even when traveling for work, sitting at an airport or on the shuttle to pick up a rental car, I made it a point to join. I feel that in Zoom class, I spoke up and contributed, while also asking questions and sharing details we’d discussed in break-out groups. When my breakout groups were quiet, tired, or timid, I often found myself guiding the discussion or trying to find ways to pull out information from classmates. After different classes, I had classmates reach out to ask for additional information and clarification on various projects. Three times throughout 5305 & 5302, I had to turn down classmates that asked to join our group. I offered to help when and however it was needed, and I did so, in phone calls, texts, and via our messages and Group Me app.
Discussion posts allowed me to find other like-minded people and there is something comforting and validating to read where others have a similar thought process, belief system, or struggle. I tried to be thoughtful in my discussion posts, as well as my replies to others. Most weeks, I kept up with posts and came prepared to discuss with breakout groups during virtual class. If I made a connection with someone’s post, I commented and sometimes offered food-for-thought. At times, I may have questioned or asked for additional details or invited classmates to share a similar experience if they made a connection to one of my posts.
I tried to be positive and offer feedforward both in discussion posts and reflections and when assisting team members. Within our Group Me messages, we shared drafts of assignments, and I offered basic revision and editing advice, but also areas which I saw could be improved upon with additional details. Beyond a cheerful, “Nice job!” I wanted my group mates to know I’d taken the time to read and reflect on their ideas and plans.
In our small group, I took more of a supporting role, where others took the lead. Lance led the way sharing his ePortfolio and giving us a great model of what our own could look like. Matthieu suggested we schedule a weekly meeting and we agreed on Monday after class. Lauren created a Group Me connection for our small group because it’s easier to communicate than BlackBoard messenger and we get instant notification, just like texting. Shaneigh created our Zoom links for our Monday meetings. Mattheiu suggested we keep roll or take a screenshot/picture of Monday nights’ participation. Shaneigh went a step further and created a shared Google doc to record our meetings, topics, and attendance and a section to share our projects and help with accountability. In my professional life, this is the first quarter of our fiscal year, and also my busiest travel season. I can’t stress enough how grateful I am to have such a supportive group~I plan to pay it back and forward in taking a more proactive lead role as opportunities arise in the future.
As we completed each assignment, we’d add it to the appropriate section of the Google Doc created by Shaneigh. All of our notes and details and shared activities can be viewed HERE.
Initially, I dreaded what I thought was going to be a typical group project. I learned quickly that these classes and this program are anything, but typical. We are constantly seeing examples of how to live and learn in a COVA environment, including choosing our teams and determining how we are going to work best as a small group. This exercise is also a testament of how Dr. H leads by example and has us learn by example. Self-reflection is such a powerful tool. It’s the last thing most think about doing, but probably the first thing we should all do as we continue to evolve as autodidacts.
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