This semester I took EDLD 5302 – Concepts of Educational Technology and EDLD 5304 – Leading Organizational Change. In taking these two courses, I began to evaluate how I engaged with the course content, collaborated with my group and peers, and how I applied these concepts and strategies to my work.  Combining the concepts from both courses allowed me to connect educational technology principles with leadership strategies, which helped me reinforce the foundation for the Innovation Plan I created.

 

In taking both courses, I would score myself a 92 and 94 knowing that there’s always room for improvement. This score reflects my active participation, applying course concepts to my work, and consistently collaborating with my group and peers.  While I did see successes from my grades throughout this course, I also realized that there are still some areas I still need to work on such as time management and organizing my ePortfolio, to further enhance my learning experience. Time management has been a struggle, especially when trying to balance two courses and family life.  While I was actively participating in weekly discussion posts, I sometimes struggled to find time to reflect and do more research. While my ePortfolio has showcased my journey, I will continue to aim to keep it visually appealing and organized so I can showcase my progress.

 

Contributions to My Learning

In EDLD 5302, I became more engaged with the growth mindset and the COVA model, reflecting on its application to educational settings and my innovation plan. When exploring ownership, I wanted to see how giving financial aid staff ownership of the automation process could increase adoption and engagement. In my weekly discussion posts and assignments gave me a better understanding of the relationship between learner agency and technology integration.

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In EDLD 5304, the focus was more on leadership strategies to drive change, which included assignments such as the Influencer Model and the 4DX (Four Disciplines of Execution). Creating a “Why” statement and applying it to my innovation plan helped me align it with measurable goals.  These assignments not only helped me understand the concept of change leadership but also allowed me to tailor strategies to the needs of my organization.

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Contributions to the Learning Community

In starting the journey in the ADL program, I have managed to find a group who have actively participated in giving feedback and provided support when I faced challenges with my assignments.  I actively collaborated with my group – Lydia, Julia, Shaqueta, Jana, and Angela to share ideas and provide feedback that helped connect both courses.  Our group comes from different backgrounds of work which has helped me learn from different perspectives when it comes to innovating technology in the workplace. In EDLD 5302, we discussed the growth mindset and the COVA model and how each would help our professional development initiatives, which helped our growth mindset expand as we progressed in the course. At one point, I was stuck as to how to approach my Learning Manifesto.  I had written a draft and shared it with my group, but my groupmate helped me steer it, so it was more personal and not so much towards the institution. In EDLD 5304, we discussed and contributed ideas on applying the influencer model that addressed resistance to change, which focused on the importance of intrinsic motivation.

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In our weekly discussion posts, I posted on time and provided constructive feedback to other peers in the class.  Reading the replies to my posts, helped me reflect deeply on things I didn’t catch on when I wrote my initial post.  These interactions fostered a collaborative environment that enhanced the learning experience for all participants in the course.

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Linking the Courses

Both EDLD 5302 and EDLD 5304 allowed me to develop a well-rounded approach to innovation and change. In EDLD 5302, the focus on learner agency connected with the behavioral strategies from EDLD 5304, which allowed me to create initiatives that met both individual and organizational needs. Combining the COVA model and tools such as the 4DX and the influencer model, helped me create a strategy that focuses on learners while giving measurable results. Connecting both courses helped my understanding and improved how I apply these concepts to achieve the desired change I want to implement.

 

Conclusion

My contributions to EDLD 5320 and EDLD 5304 reflect an ongoing commitment to active learning, application, and collaboration. Engaging with the course content and contributing to the discussion posts, have helped me develop strategies that can help me bring new methods of implementing change in the workplace.  Moving forward, I will continue to focus on improving my time management and keeping up with learning better methods of using WIX to keep my portfolio visually appealing.  This reflection will help me foster lifelong learning and continuous growth as I continue in the ADL program.