5303 & 5305: Contributions to the Learning Environment

Posted on December 10, 2021January 16, 2022 by karinst8ler

Grades:
5303: 94/100 (94%)
5305: 47/50 (94%)

I can’t believe that my first two grad school classes are almost complete. I am tired, but it’s that good kind of tired. My accomplishments are meaningful and my growth is measurable. When I look at my ePortfolio or Literature Review I think, “I did that.” I am proud of my accomplishments so far and look forward to what is coming next.

Key Contributions

Glows & Grows

As I reflect on my role in my own learning and the learning of others, I recognize that a lot of what I am learning is clicking! This is because I – like all humans – have a natural love of learning and I’m putting effort into my work. For starters, I love the look and feel of my ePortfolio. It is organized well for the ePortfolio course, the Disruptive Innovation course, and for coming courses. I also did a great job of creating all of my discussion posts for both classes as blog posts first. I love to use writing to connect ideas, so blogging is right up my alley!

There is always room for improvement. I like to turn opportunities for improvement into goals, so my goals throughout grad school and the implementation of this plan are to:

Build confidence: I can implement my plan innovatively! I know that I have the right pieces in place.
Increase flexibility: I am going to listen to feedforward regarding my innovation plan for the paperless office. It will keep me from getting stuck. I definitely have room for improvement here.

Collaboration

One of my greatest strengths is connection and collaboration; I learn best in groups. When I learned about Stephen’s “business world perspective,” I e•mailed him immediately. He connected with Kimberly. Kimberly set up the Group Me chat, and our “Adult Learning Focus Group” was born. We used our group chat to discuss specific assignments for Dr. H and to review formatting tips for Dr. Sue. To be honest, the three of us led equally, each with different strengths that we bring to the table.

Stephen brought a business perspective, insightful suggestions, and a thematic approach to our group.
Kim is highly detail-oriented, analytical, and you can count on her to be ten steps ahead.
I am the big picture thinker of the group, full of ideas and motivation, and I offer the ability to refocus on the “why” in each assignment.

We all grew constantly from our interactions with one another in both 5305 and 5303 simultaneously. We created our ePortfolios alongside our assignments for 5305.

Revisions

I made revisions constantly based on comparison and feedforward from my peers and from class, 1-on-1 meetings, and feedforward from Dr. H. Examples include:

I changed the color of the lettering on my ePortfolio from grey to black. After reflecting on Stephen’s theme I changed my ePortfolio to match the colors of my district logo.
I corrected the references in my Literature Review.
After reviewing Kim’s metaphor, I included more intentional phrasing on my front page.
After a meeting with Dr. H, I changed the focus of my proposal so that it is broader.
I changed a step in the implementation plan from “teach” to “empower.”
Finally, my drafts were continually changing with the support and feedforward of my group.

I completed as many of the course readings, videos, and supporting resources as I was able. My intention in grad school – and in life really – is to keep learning, reading, reflecting, and connecting as long as I can. I see this as a constant need for improvement. I met the various course deadlines, even when I was sick!

Supporting Contributions

Leadership Responsibility, Participation, and Communication

I was a leader among my base group, but also within my course. Within the course:

I assisted many individuals – including Jasmin, Kelvin, Andrea, Pedro, and Chastity – by fielding questions.
I responded to a number of posts within each discussion.
Jasmin, Kim, Danielle, Andre, and I met in a small group over Zoom to discuss the required readings. I devised a plan to split the readings, Jasmin created the group, and Kim and I both posted our notes on the 5305 Course Discussion Board.
I also participated in all of the discussions, communications, group chats, and live class discussions.
Finally, I made additional blog posts that weren’t required.
One area of growth – one of my posts was not submitted until toward the end of the course. If I could do it over again I would do all of the discussions earlier so that I could spend more time responding and reflecting with my peers.

In short, so many people from our crossover 5303/5305 group were supportive of one another.

I look forward to what the next courses hold.

You wanna know a secret?

Posted on December 8, 2021January 16, 2022 by karinst8ler

I don’t know if I really am innovative. In fact, I’m scared that I might not be. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to follow through with my innovation plan. That it will be – along with grad school – just a thing I didn’t finish.

Okay so maybe I’ll finish grad school. I’m pretty persistent after all.

But am I innovative?

What makes an educator innovative?

Over-communicate

According to John Kotter – Communicating a Vision for Change, the key to making innovation happen is … well… talking about it. He says that it’s far too easy to under-communicate by huge amounts that will kill change.

There are three parts to talking about change effectively:

How much do you talk about it?

Probably far less than you think you do. Talk about the strategies. Talk about how it ties to the future. Talk to everyone from the highest up to the lowest rung. In fact, look 3 levels down to see the effects of your communication.

Where do you talk about it?

If it’s not everywhere in your corporation, it’s not enough. Saturate people with your vision, your mission, steps to your plan.

What vehicles of communication do you use?

Use them all. YouTube, Twitter, e•mail, newsletters, bathroom stalls. Find a way to communicate your innovation daily. Many ways, preferably.

Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash

Honestly – SELL IT.

Keep it real by connecting with real people.

If your lessons and plans don’t connect students or teachers with real people and real situations, you are doing them a disservice. You are holding them back from the opportunity to enact real change.

I guess I do communicate about my innovation plan a little bit. After all, it’s frequently on my mind. While my innovation plan is still in the early stages, I feel confident that I can enact a real change through my plan.

So am I innovative?

I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

References

Kotter, J. (2011, March 23). John Kotter – Communicating a Vision for Change. YouTube. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGVe3wRKmH0

Nielsen, L. (2016, March 13). Are You An Innovative Educator? Here’s How to Find Out. The Innovative Educator. http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.ca/2016/03/are-you-innovative-educator-heres-how.html

The ePortfolio: Controlling Your Brand

Posted on December 8, 2021January 16, 2022 by karinst8ler

We all have a brand. This is the “face” that we put on for the world, specifically on social media. I think about my brand often, specifically:

· What is the intention with a post or tweet?

· How does a picture or post fit into my long-term goals?

· Who is my audience for the picture or post, intentional or otherwise?

I don’t put as much thought into my “brand” as an influencer, movie star, or athlete might, but I am pretty intentional about what I share on social media. Whether other people realize it or not, they are too. It’s my opinion that everyone should put a little more cognizant thought into what they are posting and why. This gives you more control and direction over your personal and professional brand.

Why Sponsor Levi

I love how Levi has already mastered the idea of a brand. His video Eportfoio Video taps into his story and his humanity. I really liked the racing shots, and Levi’s narration alongside demonstrated his passion for his sport. By the end of his video, I wanted to sponsor Levi, too!

ePortfolio Observations

An ePortfolio is another medium for creating your brand. This medium is not like social media in the sense that you have a greater degree of ownership over it. It’s not a profile on a secondary site – it is YOUR SITE. My own website is karinstateler.com! My biggest takeaway after reviewing several of the ePortfolios is the transition from coursework to “real life.” Right now – while Dr. H says our ePortfolios are for us and that they are real – they still feel like an assignment. However, the ePortfolios I reviewed were not assignments. They were businesses, professional sites, resumés, and more.

I look forward to transitioning my website to a digital representation of my brand throughout the ADL courses. I know that I’ll “feel it” when it starts to happen.

References

Harapnuik, L., & YouTube (Directors). (2015). Eportfolio Video [Film]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfiebRB6rHI&t=5s

What a strange machine man is!

Posted on December 4, 2021January 16, 2022 by karinst8ler

Coming down after the literature review to refocus on “my Why” has been a trip. Though I truly consider myself to be an empath, communicating facts to people to change their minds seems like it should work! Take the example presented in How to Change People Who Don’t Want to Change. Smokers didn’t want to hear facts about smoking, even when presented by cute little children. Why don’t facts work to change people’s minds?

The head won’t go where the heart hasn’t been.

When it comes to changing anyone’s minds or behaviors – whether quitting smoking or trying to influence leaders in your district to adopt your implementation plan – “the head won’t go where the heart hasn’t been” (Harapnuik, 2015). In his post about called The Head Won’t Go Where the Heart Hasn’t Been, Dr. H says that

when you load people up on information – even if it’s correct and important – doesn’t create significant change (2015.) You need to connect to someone’s affective domains first: Their values, motivations, attitudes, stereotypes, and feelings . It’s like the saying “Maslow before Bloom’s” – you need to meet people’s physical and emotional needs before you can reach their cognition.

Why Ted Talks don’t change behaviors.

I love a good Ted Talk. They can inspire, delight, and teach. However, the Ted Talk Why TED Talks don’t change people’s behaviors didn’t surprise me after some of the readings and videos in my ADL class. On the other hand, why this is true surprised me and helped me make connections to some of the previous readings and videos. Tom Asacker (2014) reminds us that humans are not the same as machines. He says, “[Humans] aren’t fleshy machines who make decisions based on the facts. We’re mad, feeling creatures who are being pushed and pulled by our environment, by our instincts, our truths” (Asacker, 2014). Similarly, the quote from Zorba the Greek that states, “What a strange machine man is! You fill him with bread, wine, fish, and radishes, and out comes sighs, laughter, and dreams” (Kazantakis, N. 1996). We want to be like machines because machines make predictable decisions based on algorithms that we’ve programmed them to know. Humans on the other hand make decisions rather recklessly sometimes: Look at COVID, our response to climate change, and so many other examples. That’s because our decisions are based in: pleasure, control, and the story we tell about ourselves and others. Those things are not programmable. When you think about the fact each human views life from a unique perspective in which they are the protagonist, it’s a wonder we are such prosocial organisms! But alas, we are. So how do you convince someone to change, grow, and learn? Simple.

You appeal to their heart.

In the end, I actually have personal experience with getting two men in my life to quit smoking. One of those men is my father. Honestly, I think I convinced him to quit smoking by… well just by existing. I represent piece of his heart outside of his body, therefore my distaste for smoking made him rethink why he did it. I think parenthood is capable of making people face who they are. In my statements to him about wishing he would quit – because it was gross, because I didn’t like the way it smelled, and because it made me cough and hurt my lungs – I think I was able to touch his heart in a way that facts and a stranger might not be able to do. Parenting holds up a mirror the same way that only therapy can do. If you choose to look at the mirror, of course.

The other man I convinced to quit smoking is my husband. Again, it was because of love. This is more a case of time and patience. He sees who I am – someone interested in change and growth – and I think I inspire him to be a better person, as he does me. This created a desire for him to quit smoking. Again – not with facts, but by appealing to his heart. In both of these cases, the heart created the change and the head followed. Love will find a way.

I look forward to creating my video to communicate my ideas. And I think I know just how to do it:

❤️
🧠

References

Asacker, T. (2014, June 30). Why TED Talks don’t change people’s behaviors: Tom Asacker at TEDxCambridge 2014. YouTube. Retrieved December 4, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0jTZ-GP0N4

Harapnuik, D. (2015, January 9). The Head Won’t Go Where the Heart Hasn’t Been. It’s About Learning. Retrieved December 4, 2021, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=5461

Kazantzakis, N. (1996). Zorba the Greek (C. Wildman, Trans.). Scribner.

Maxfield, D., & Grenny, J. (2015, January 5). How to Change People Who Don’t Want to Change | The Behavioral Science Guys. YouTube. Retrieved December 4, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ACi-D5DI6A