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This week marks the end of my journey in the Digital Learning and Leading program at Lamar University. I am so grateful for my experience, and it is almost impossible for me to verbalize how much the past 18 months have changed my life. I've learned so much, made so many friends, and been completely… Continue reading Every New Beginning Comes from Some Other Beginning’s End

In EDLD5316, I had to opportunity to explore the concept of Digital Citizenship. While my current role as a STEAM teacher helped me to hav a basic understanding of the concept, this class helped me to learn just how complex Digital Citizenship really is. As the need for teaching Digital Citizenship in schools grows, this… Continue reading Digital Citizenship: Be a PATRIOT!

In many ways, 5318 was a unique challenge. This is the first course in the DLL program that, while still having several COVA components, also had a heavy emphasis on process AND product. Having no previous experience in designing an online course, as well as limited experience in participating in an online course, made this… Continue reading Reflection and Analysis of Online Learning

Over the past five weeks, I've had the opportunity to look closely at the topic of Action Research. In the past, I've often cringed when hearing the term "research". In my mind, research is always impersonal and something that has to be done based upon an assignment or a requirement for school or work. The… Continue reading Using Action Research to Support Innovation

George Bernard Shaw once said, "Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." In my previous coursework, I had spent a great deal of time researching the topics of blended learning and makerspaces. Over the past few months, I've been fully immersed in implementing my Innovation project. However,… Continue reading Revisiting Innovation

 In preparation for this week's blog post, I found myself reflecting back on a previous blog post I'd written called "Moving Forward with Mindset". This blog post, written at the end of my first graduate class, summarized both my experiences with and expectations for using mindset in my classroom and my life. It provided a… Continue reading Moving Forward with Mindset AND Grit

Last week, I spent time planning a unit for my Fourth Grade students using Dee Fink's 3 column table. This approach offered me the opportunity to work with selecting a main course goal and then tailor my learning outcomes, assessments, and activities to meet this goal. I feel as though this method of course design… Continue reading Understanding by Design

In the DLL program, one of my favorite sayings has been "Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals", or BHAGs. This week, I had the opportunity to plan to design a course for my students that would have a significant impact on my innovation plan. It allowed me the opportunity to reflect deeply on how I was going… Continue reading Aligning Outcomes, Assessments, and Activities

This week, I had the chance to study learning theories as I constructed my own philosophy of learning. One of the resources I examined was a Ted Talk by Sir Ken Robinson. In the video,  Sir Ken Robinson makes a very bold assertion: we live in a time that is experiencing a "crisis of human resources".… Continue reading My Learning Philosophy

This week, we had the opportunity to read and reflect upon the book The New Culture of Learning by Doug Thomas and John Seely Brown. One of my favorite parts of reading the book and viewing the videos this week was the hope I felt reading and watching these videos! The ideas expressed in The New Culture… Continue reading Creating a Significant Learning Environment