Reflection on COVA & the ePortfolio

Since graduating with my Bachelor's degree, I have always felt like I was swimming upstream, trying to innovate within structures that seemed resistant to change. However, my experience in the graduate course of studies in Applied Digital Learning has been a breath of fresh air, like the best, pro-longed, life-giving conversation. This program has not only affirmed my deep-rooted beliefs but also connected me with passionate educators who share my enthusiasm for leveraging digital tools in education.

Breaking the Mold

I vividly remember my final capstone presentation during my Bachelor of Arts in Education. I remember feeling nervous while watching the presentations on day 1 waiting for my turn to present on day 2. Every single one of my peers opted for a very formal traditional PowerPoint presentation, down to handouts in fancy folders. My stomach was in knots as I had taken the assignment at it's word, and did not specify a formal presentation. You see, I had gone to great lengths to reserve a room and created an actual experiential exercise for my participants (and the College of Education faculty) to learn about the importance of play THROUGH playing. It was too late to change. I stuck to my belief that THIS was the BEST possible way for everyone to learn about my given topic.

So the next day, during my allotted time, I led the class (and faculty) to my reserved room that I spent setting up the night before to represent a kindergarten classroom. I welcomed them and gave a mini-lesson and then began facilitating their learning about the pedagogical practice around the room earn about this pedagogical practice while I facilitated their learning around the room. They rotated through centers. They had task cards. They had music, movement, inquiry, exploration, literacy, numeracy, technology, and social items - complete with blocks, scarves, balloons, and finger painting. This approach was unconventional, but it left everyone smiling and genuinely engaged in learning. I was so nervous because I had gone against the flow. At the end of my time, I gathered them back together again for a wrap-up discussion, thanked them for their participation, and gave them a full-color brochure of the key points and reference materials. Waiting for that grade seemed like years... I am happy to say it ended positively with the faculty, but my peers were still in a state of shock because they couldn't even imagine doing something like that.

Fast Forward to the Covid Years

When the pandemic hit and we had to switch to online teaching, I found myself among the few who didn't experience traumatic stress in this transition. It was not seamless or easy by any stretch of the imagination, but teaching online and adapting to the digital environment came easily to me because we had already been using it in class; now we just used it all the time. When we returned to in-person, I continued using my newly discovered tools and adjusted my practices to allow for even more technology integration. My colleagues, on the other hand, were not as excited about using digital tools to enhance teaching and learning in the brick-and-mortar situation. It was like my college presentation all over again. Lots of second-guessing and defending that what I was trying was good for learning. And guess what? It was. My students who went from shut down year 1, to half in-person/half virtual year 2, (I moved up grade levels and they looped with me) and fully in-person year 3 with a different teacher had little to no learning loss.

With that solid success, I was waiting for my district and school to fully embrace all the positives that blended learning had to offer, the one silver lining in a sea of trauma. We had the means and capabilities to truly provide an equitable and accessible curriculum for all learners. However, I found the exact opposite to be true. There was a return to NO technology, and instead, technology became the personification of trauma that resulted from the Pandemic. This was not true of just my district, but other districts around the country. It seemed like our nation at large truly missed the opportunity to embrace innovation.

A Game-Changing Course

Then along came the graduate course in Applied Digital Learning, where not only the professor but also other faculty members were walking the talk they were promoting: learner-centered education through the use of digital tools. I feel like I have been waiting for this course since graduating all those years ago. I have attempted to start my Master's program several times before; for many different things and have always postponed due to other circumstances. I think it's because I was meant to participate in this graduate program. This graduate course of studies in Applied Digital Learning is like the best, pro-longed, life-giving conversation. It's affirming deep-rooted, personal beliefs that I have had for a long time.

This is my second semester in this program and I find that because of the design of the course where the professors were actually DOING what was being promoted in the class that I was participating in; it became something I wanted to do more with. I love that this course pushes me to go even further in my thinking. Most of all, I love that it has connected me to others who are along this transformational journey with me.

However, I really think the most valuable lesson I have learned so far in this program is the newfound confidence in my teaching methods and approaches. I discovered that my natural inclination towards certain teaching strategies and my love for learning, thinking, discussing, and questioning were not "too much" or "overachieving." In fact, they have been researched, supported, and endorsed by others. This realization has empowered me to think outside the box and share my ideas without fear of judgment.

So far, this journey through the Applied Digital Learning program has been a long-awaited opportunity to embrace transformation and innovation in education. Through this program, I have found a community of passionate educators who inspire and support me. I am no longer swimming upstream but rather riding the wave of digital learning, confident in my abilities and excited to explore new approaches. I'm more assured than ever that together we can create a future where education is enriched by the seamless integration of technology and pedagogy, one classroom at a time.