Collaboration... it makes the world go round!

These past eight weeks have felt like being submerged in a whirlwind. This is my first semester in the ADL program, but not my first semester in grad school. Last semester I was enrolled in the Educational Technology Leadership program and realized I did not want to be involved in leadership, strictly technology. I did more research and found applied digital learning; I figured this would be my best option to capitalize on my love for technology. I am not sure what I was expecting from this program, but it has challenged me more than I initially

anticipated. Although this program has been an adjustment, I am thrilled to gain the knowledge it has to offer.

When I completed undergrad, I never collaborated with my peers. I was very timid and honestly afraid of interacting with them for fear of not being as smart as them, not being able to contribute meaningful information, or not being as creative as them. So, when Dr. H informed us that collaborating with our peers would be a requirement and part of our grade, my anxiety immediately set in. It took me a few weeks to find a group I could join because I was terrified of reaching out to anyone. Although, in happenstance, I stayed after one of our zoom calls to ask a question, and Gina Beltran did as well. Gina and I realized that we were taking similar routes for our disruption to innovation, and we just clicked. Gina has been an incredible friend and peer throughout these eight weeks. We have shared resources, had weekly check-ins, and she also connected me via the app Group Me with a group she was already working on, with Valerie Regalado and Maiya Baldwin. I was also in another group with Maria Lopez and Mikeela Pittman. Both groups were very welcoming, and we were able to ask each other questions, share ideas, and provide feedback to one another. These groups have not only helped with 5303 but also 5305. 5305 and 5303 went hand in hand because the assignments we completed in 5305 had to be presented in our ePortfolio we created in 5303. These ladies helped me with how my assignment should be constructed, and also how I should upload it on my portfolio. I was also able to take the information I learned from one group and share it with my other group. This was beneficial because everyone had a voice since the groups were not big, but ideas were still being shared across the board since I was able to bring over information from each group. This also held true for each course. I was able to use information from each course to help me communicate my ideas, take ownership of my learning, and create a space for change on my campus and eventually my district.

My biggest mistake during this first set of classes was not pacing myself at a reasonable rate. When these courses began, Dr. H mentioned that time would fly by, and this could not be truer. As he mentioned though, life happens to us all. Around week 4 I had an awful flare-up with my pyoderma and had to go back to the hospital. I was already somewhat behind before this transpired, so this only put me further behind. Although if I had a plan in place to efficiently complete my assignments, I could have lessened my load once I was feeling better.

These courses have taught me so much about myself and how I manage my schedule and stress levels. In the upcoming classes, I will be more proactive in completing my work in a timely manner and becoming more vocal in classes and my collaboration groups. My plan is to create a schedule for myself with daily to-do lists so I can complete a little work each day and prevent myself from becoming overwhelmed and stressed during the last couple of weeks of classes. I know that the accelerated path is feasible, but I must be more disciplined to ensure that I am learning and internalizing everything that is being presented to me.

Finally, for course 5305 I would give myself a grade of 38/ 50, and for course 5303 I would give myself a grade of 78/100. I was unable to post in a timely fashion with our discussion board posts to allow my peers the opportunity to respond to my posts. I also did not complete ALL of the course readings and videos; I only completed about 80% of them. Although, this will be remedied by creating a weekly schedule as stated above, for my upcoming courses. This has been an eye-opening experience and I look forward to growing in the ADL program.