5303 & 5305: Contributions to the Learning Environment

Posted on by karinst8ler
Stephen Lewis
Kimberly Purvis
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

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.