As the Fall semester draws to an end, I’ve had the opportunity to take two additional courses in the Applied Digital Learning master’s degree program: EDLD 5313 – Creating Significant Learning Environments and 5389 – Developing Effective Professional Learning. These courses challenged me to design and implement a significant learning environment that fosters learner engagement, collaboration, inquiry, and creativity and apply the principles and practices of effective professional learning to my own context and goals respectively.
A Focus on the Learning
In EDLD 5313, I explored the concepts within A New Culture of Learning, developed my learning philosophy, and continued to develop my Technology-Enhanced Project-Based Learning innovation plan by building out a significant learning unit using Fink’s 3 Column Table and a separate Understanding by Design template. I also revisited my growth mindset plan from EDLD 5302 and made some additions that reflect my new findings. I believe this course has helped me design and implement more engaging and meaningful learning experiences for myself and my students, and develop a deeper understanding of the theories, principles, and practices of effective learning.
Furthermore, in EDLD 5389, I had the opportunity to learn even more about the research conducted into professional learning (PL) for educators and designing presentations that resonate with audiences and propel them to act. With this learning, I created a call to action for embracing a style of effective PL that utilizes the 5 principles of effective professional learning: duration, support, active participation, modeling, and relevancy, completed a professional learning outline that details an 8-week professional learning series that incorporates the 5 principles of effective PL, and also created a corresponding professional learning series that equips teachers of emergent bilingual students with strategies to improve their conversational/speaking skills.
I think that what I’ve learned in these courses will help me to be more focused and intentional as I continue to roll out my innovation plan. As a result of these two courses, I have:
- Designed and implemented a significant learning environment that fosters learner engagement, collaboration, inquiry, and creativity and play.
- Reflected on my own learning process and outcomes and sought feedback and feedforward from my peers.
- Applied the principles and practices of effective professional learning to my own context and goals.
- Explored various digital tools and resources that support and enhance learning and teaching.
- Continued to develop a growth mindset and a lifelong learning attitude.
What’s Been Working and Areas Of Growth
One of the factors that contributed to my success in both courses was the collaboration with my peers Yagaira Alaniz and Hilda Rodriguez. We communicated frequently through email, Blackboard messages, and text messages and kept track of meeting notes, upcoming items, and ideas for how to complete assignments. Lastly, we also worked together to review assignments and provided constructive feedback and feedforward throughout the semester.
In relation to contributions to the EDLD 5313 and EDLD 5389 learning communities as a whole, I was able to post in all discussions on Blackboard and comment on other posts as well. As with the previous courses from the summertime and the first half of the Fall semester, I enjoyed being able to read the posts of my peers which contained varying perspectives and unique ways of interpreting the readings, videos, and resources.
In regard to areas I can grow in, I think I could have reached out to more peers in our courses to expand my learning community although I was in touch with previous collaborators to answer outstanding questions regarding assignments. I would have also liked to explore more tools and platforms for creating and sharing educational content as I continue to develop my innovation proposal. Given this, I would score myself a 95/100 for EDLD 5313 and a 95/100 for EDLD 5389.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, I am grateful for the opportunity to take these courses and to learn from my instructors and peers. In these past eight weeks, I have acquired new knowledge and skills that will help me create more engaging and meaningful learning experiences for myself, my colleagues, and my students. I am eager to implement what I have learned in these courses to my current and future projects.
