Category: Reflecting

ADL Program, Innovation Plan, Learner's Mindset, Learning, Online Learning, Publication, Reflecting

Digital Tools

The Advisor That Cares

5317 Discussion 2

The concept of data-driven analytics and decision-making appeals to me very much. As advisors, we often run from one fire/crisis to another. Stepping into a leadership role in an advising office makes me reflect on the whirlwind discussed during the Four Disciplines of Execution (McChesney & Huling, 2012) in the Organizational Change course (EDLD 5304). It seems there is just never time to reflect on, re-evaluate the effectiveness of, re-group, and collaborate on what is working and what is not. Salman Khan’s dashboard-style data would be valuable if applied to advising topics and discussions and allow feedback and clarity of the materials covered in micro-lecture formats (2011).

I strongly believe that digital learning provides an opportunity to completely shift the nature of the advising relationship and the role peers and community can play in supporting each other’s motivation and success. We can utilize the digital tools at our fingertips and those we have not even imaged yet to create a significant learning environment (advising relationship) out of the significant learning environment (university life). I have enjoyed the value of concise lecture formats when they are effective. I have also benefited from the sometimes vague instructions that leave us wondering when, where, and how we will learn a new skill (for those like me who came to this program without a digital skillset). Canva has been very helpful throughout the creative process by allowing the combination of words and audio, voice and text. Canva offers the ability to utilize the materials in multiple formats which I prefer to post various options for my learners’ preferences to be met. For example, I might use a video I created in Canva, but I will also post the script and slideshow. I understand the value of having multiple formats and the freedom to choose delivery based on my learning preferences and needs. 

Reflecting on the value of video feedback, this is one aspect I had not previously considered bringing into my learning community here in the ADL program, nor into my innovation ideas. I have not received constructive video feedback since my first semester in the program. It helped build a trusted relationship with Dr. H because the real-time review and feed-forward allowed me to visualize clarity issues from another person’s perspective. I never realized how valuable those might be to students in a flipped advising situation. Now I see that real-time reviews and feed-forward messages of encouragement and a growth mindset in times of struggle might be the gentle nudge some students need to explore support options and seek help. 

Reference

Khan, S. (2011, March). Let’s use video to reinvent education [Video]. TED Talks. https://www.ted.com/talks/salman_khan_let_s_use_video_to_reinvent_education?language=en#t-149503

McChesney, C., Covey, S., & Huling, J. (2012). The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals (1st ed.). Free Press.

Communicating Ideas

In this next section of content, after selecting journals and developing rough drafts that can be submitted for publication, the next learning outcome is to

  • “… explore and evaluate media resources to assess the most effective way to communicate ideas” (Module 2-6 Outcome/Goal 2).

Readings

Videos

Discussion Videos

Other Resources

Participate in a class discussion in which you begin by addressing the following issues/questions:

  • What audio and video applications can you use to help you create powerful presentations or demonstrate your personal learning? What video or audio tool are you already are working with and why? What other tools can you consider?
    • Canva has been very helpful throughout the creative process. Allowing the combination of words and audio, voice and text along with multiple format posting options. I will often use a video but still post the associated slideshow.
    • Vlogs, youtube podcast discussions would be another great way to demonstrate and document personal learning.
  • If you haven’t already done so explore using a screencasting or audio tool to offer feedforward to your peers and learning community. Consider how you can incorporate using screencasting in your instructional setting. Consider the feedforward you have been receiving in this course and review and discuss Feedforward Vs. Feedback post at – http://www.harapnuik.org/?p=8273
    • I have not received constructive video feedback since my first semester in the program. I feel that it helped build a trusted relationship with Dr. H because the real-time review and feed-forward allowed me to visualize clarity issues from another person’s perspective. I have grown to crave the feed-forward the learning community of this ADL program provides. It is very lonely here at the finish line of a non-accelerated path to program completion. I see how and why the bonds between our cohort members were so strong. We valued one another’s honest feed-forward and perspective to help our innovation plans grow. Seeing so many of those classmates still live their innovation is exciting.
    • I never realized how valuable those might be to students in a flipped advising situation. I understood the value of having multiple formats and the freedom to choose delivery. Still, now I see that real-time reviews and feed forward messages of encouragement and a growth mindset in times of struggle might be the gentle nudge some students need to explore support options and seek help.
A New Culture of Learning, ADL Program, Advising, Collective, ePortfolios, Focus on the learning, Goals, Innovation Plan, Instructional Design, It's all about the learning, Learner's Mindset, Learning, Learning Community, Online Learning, Outcomes, Professional, Publication, Reflecting

Perusing and sharing Publications

The Advisor That Cares

5317 Discussion 1 (2 of 2)

The ADL program has opened my eyes to exactly how much the landscape of learning has changed and how little the landscape of education has changed. Learners today are digitally connected, and education needs to evolve to include transformative learning opportunities in every environment.

Currently, advisors are tasked with almost every initiative faced by incoming students. This creates a prescriptive advising full of information transfer topics that often leave advisors feeling unfulfilled. Additionally, the environment does not encourage the transformative opportunity found through intentional advisor-advisee relationships. Through an innovation of advising, advisors will have a consistent message to share with their advisees, relieving them of their role’s repetitive and transactional aspects. Digital resources that allow departments to ensure the message and information shared with their students align with their policies and beliefs increase confidence in information accuracy. Collaboration with campus stakeholders ensures that other departments can introduce themselves and their services in a non-anxiety-inducing way.

Most importantly, a blended learning approach to advising can increase learners’ curiosity (Musallam, 2013) about their learning experience while simultaneously increasing advisors’ creativity (RSA, 2010) by creating content, refining the message, clarifying the intentions, and assessing the effectiveness of advising as a learning opportunity. The most challenging part of my innovation idea to resolve and convey is my belief that an effective learning environment allows more profound, more meaningful relationships like those described by developmental and intrusive advising. Adding to this is the concept of connectivity and collaboration. The benefits of forming a learning collective among students that supports the advising relationship and initiatives (Thomas & Brown, 2011, p. 52). How much more will a high school student listen to a college student than a university representative at orientation to campus? How can an innovation to advising support the feeling of belonging that students and staff feel at the institution?

Consider how the learning environment is changing and how you can share the changes you are making in your learning environment.

  1. Briefly share one or two possible topic areas that are of interest to you that you can write about. Remember that you do not need to be an expert in the field to have a voice. Please visit http://tilisathibodeaux.com/wordpress/?page_id=841 for ideas from past students.
    • I could write about the collaboration and connection aspect of advising and how a blended learning environment could extend and expand the advising relations well beyond the twice-annual mandatory advising requirement for registration/enrollment.
    • Another topic to write about is how a blended learning environment could relieve advisors of the sage on the stage soul resource for information. I want to help empower advisors to equip learners with the skills and motivation to seek and verify information for themselves.
  2. Identify and share 2-3 online publications of interest in your field. Publications can include online magazines, newsletters, state technology publications/articles. Hyperlink your selections so that others may easily access your selections.
  3. Which digital environments allow the opportunity to collaborate with others as you write and think through your ideas? What is currently well established? What needs improvement?
    • Discussion boards, chat apps, blogs, digital classrooms, and file-sharing tools are all digital tools that have allowed an endless variety of digital environments where thoughts, innovations, and hunches collide at just the right time and place to evolve into a perfect solution to a problem (RiverheadBooks, 2010).

Changing Educational Paradigms

I found this talk so interesting I went to see the full discussion, Changing Paradigms

3 Rules to Spark Learning

Where Good Ideas Come From

References

Musallam, R. (2013, April). 3 rules to spark learning [Video]. TED Talks. https://www.ted.com/talks/ramsey_musallam_3_rules_to_spark_learning

RiverheadBooks. (2010, September 17). WHERE GOOD IDEAS COME FROM by Steven Johnson [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGDbPFU

RSA. (2010, February 4). Sir Ken Robinson – Changing Paradigms [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCbdS4hSa0s

Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change (1st ed.). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Goals, Growth, Learner's Mindset, Learning, Personal, Reflecting

Find your Element

The Advisor That Cares

In the On Point interview, Sir Ken Robinson (2013) shares that as a young person, he found himself in special education classes and recognized people around him. “Finding what lies within” became a personal passion (Wbur, 2013).

https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2013/06/19/sir-ken-robinson

This makes me very interested in learning more about his books:

ADL Program, Personal, Publication, Reflecting

Fire

The Advisor That Cares

Let me tell you. It is not exactly easy to focus on much of anything when there is a 3,000-acre wildfire burning a dozen miles away. I’m really trying to hunker down and diligently write while processing the program content, yet all I can do is scroll and refresh, hoping for some update as to whether or not I need to grab what I can carry and the animals I can haul to boogie on out of here.

My three giant LaMancha goats are probably the most stressful part of that equation. Things are replaceable, and even irreplaceable things won’t impact going on with life if the worst were to face us, but letting loose or leaving my dream and reason for moving out here in the first place is the most stressful of all.

I will try to apply Dr. Harapnuik’s early advice about 90-minute work sessions. I am going to tell myself that I can step away from the wildfire for 1.5 hours to focus on school, then I can scroll for updates until the next 90-minute work session. Surely, my mind can use the break from the anxiety and worry that comes with watching and waiting.

I can’t help but make connections to this week’s module content and discussion. I absorbed Sir Ken Robinson’s message (2013 & 2015) to explore passions, following interests, and creativity to decide what I could say about my innovative digital idea that others would care enough to read about. As I sit here wondering if the worst was to come, what would I look back on smoldering ruin, wondering what I regret leaving behind. In much the same way, this publishing course answers the question, what is one thing I want other people to know about me about my passions. How can I help change the world, one learning at a time, so that others with the same heart can do the same?

Update. I made it about 40 minutes before I am stepping back outside to watch, smell, and scroll some more for updates and information. I am determined not to let this situation cost me my GPA, final semester, and second-to-last course. This first assignment is due Sunday, and I will find a way to power through between stress, anxiety, sleeplessness, prayers, and naps.

ADL Program, Advising, Goals, Innovation Plan, Online Learning, Publication, Reflecting

Pub Crawl

The Advisor That Cares

That is a bit misleading… because when I say “pub crawl,” I mean crawling through the publication process.

In my typical form, in the ADL Program, the first thing I do is Google “where can I publish about academic advising,” The first result is this lovely 2013 guide on Exploring Publication Opportunities, which adds to the two or three professional journals I always turn to when looking for information.

NACADA is the professional organization I always turn to when I’m researching advising, so it makes a lot of sense to explore potential options within NACADA.

TEXAAN is another professional organization that I turn to for professional development, and in recent years, they have started growing their member articles.

TCEA encourages the utilization of technology to support and encourage learning. This would be another great place to consider publication.

The EDUCAUSE Review hosts an outlet for higher education-specific technology topics of interest.

ADL Program, Advising, ePortfolios, Evolution, Focus on the learning, Goals, Humor, Instructional Design, It's all about the learning, Learner's Mindset, Learning, Online Learning, Personal, Professional, Reflecting

Sneaky, sneaky

The Advisor That Cares

There are so many times while reflecting on this program that I see and appreciate how sneaky Dr. Harapnuik is with this whole learning thing. I hope that other learners throughout my cohort see their own learning development and recognize that we can help our learners do this too. This program has equipped us with so many strategies to effectively create and implement change in our areas.

For example, I’m reviewing the final usability assignment and seeing how many other courses lead and tie into this. Every step is connected to a previous one in some form or fashion. I see how much my thoughts and ideas evolve and how much stronger they will be as I invite others to innovate, advising with me.

A New Culture of Learning, ADL Program, Collective, Contributions, ePortfolios, Focus on the learning, Growth, Growth Mindset, Innovation Plan, Instructional Design, Learner's Mindset, Learning, Learning Community, Online Learning, Professional, Reflecting

Contributions, 5318

The Advisor That Cares

Instructional Design Course

  • Summer 2023
  • Course Number: EDLD 5318
  • Course Title: Instructional Design in Online Learning

Contributions to learning and learning community

I am giving myself a score of 96 out of 100

Crediting Core Group Members: Kelly Skillingberg, Shay McDonald, and Valary Patterson

Collective Members: https://advising.blog/collaborations/ 

Contributions

Key

The key working component of my ADL Program learning journey is the authentic learning opportunity. There were so many points throughout the instructional design process that the realistic aspect of my innovation provided the framework to structure my course around.

The cognitive dissonance experience while trying something new is always uncomfortable. Nonetheless, the determination of a learner’s mindset embraces every new learning opportunity. This required that I complete all of the provided reading materials and do a lot of additional research to understand instructional design principles and techniques.

An aspect in which I could do better would involve confidence in the design of the three-column table. Many times I had to redirect my attention back to that original plan. I kept hearing Dr. Harapnuik’s advice to peel more away instead of adding more content to drill down to the desired learning outcome without overwhelming information.

Through the ADL Collective GroupMe, I have maintained a solid contribution to the learning community I helped build. Our group is a fantastic support and primarily where my core collaboration group provides feedback to one another and anyone else seeking support.

I appreciated how each module’s discussion in this course provided an opportunity for review and feedforward from our classmates. This learning opportunity really allowed me to see how others interacted with the material, what other types of innovations were being implemented, and helped me clarify confusion at different stages of the instructional design process. This might be one of two course where the discussion component of learning did not feel forced or like an item to mark off the checklist. The discussions were very helpful to my learning process.

Throughout the course, I completed ALL of the course readings, videos, and supporting resources while meeting all activity deadlines as outlined.

Supporting

I took leadership responsibility in your base group and the course by contacting my classmates to check on progress in assignments. I helped organize and host collaborative sessions to resolve confusion and discuss plans for course requirements and impacts to innovation ideas.

I contributed to the learning of my colleagues and myself by being active and engaged in every learning opportunity. I attended all class meetings and participated in chat threads to review assignments, clarify questions, and provide support. I always cite source material in blogs and discussion postings while ensuring timely posting to allow time for feedback and to provide contributions to my classmates.

Through class discussion posts and continued ePortfolio blogging, I made additional postings that were not required but contributed to my learning and understanding. I utilized APA citations while reflecting on my learning process.

I have continued to actively participate in my and my classmates’ learning by participating in every opportunity to learn. I constantly reflect on my learning process and embrace the learners’ mindset.

What could be better?

I allowed myself to get overwhelmed by a classmate this semester. During the early parts of the course, I was chatting and sending program examples to a confused classmate. I was basically attacked for my optimism and positivity. I was accused of being condescending for attempting to explain the COVA Framework and constructivist learning theory. I allowed this to make me withdraw from the ADL Collective chat as actively as I typically would based on these negative interactions. I know that I must embrace the learners mindset with learners in the heat of frustration over this uncomfortable approach to learning. This is something I am actively trying to improve as I move into the last two classes of the ADL program (after this one).

ADL Program, Instructional Design, Learner's Mindset, Learning, Online Learning, Reflecting

More Research about Usability Testing

The Advisor That Cares

Scenarios?

How do I provide my users with action-oriented questions but not provide them any step-by-step instruction? Hummm.

Really trying to dig into the art of asking questions in usability testing.

https://surveysparrow.com/blog/user-experience-survey-questions/

Usability Testing Questions: 7 Rules & 25 Examples
ADL Program, Advising, Evolution, Goals, Growth, Influencer, Leadership, Learner's Mindset, Learning, Outcomes, Personal, Professional, Reflecting

Accountability

The Advisor That Cares

Personal. Professional. Academic.

Accountability.

Man, it really does go so far in helping you work through your own thoughts and ideas. Just having someone ask you what is working, what could be better, and just check in to say, did you consider this? You may have overlooked that? Don’t forget you wanted to do this. I keep thinking of the WIG sessions for 4DX; what did you do to move the WIG, what are you committing to do in the next week to continue moving the WIG, what are you not meeting expectations, and how will you improve or compensate?

Academically, I’m feeling a bit out on an island, so I’m throwing out some feelers to see if I can rectify that. Professionally, my leaders are doing a great job holding their team members accountable. They are collaborating and seem to be moving toward healthy functioning teams. I am doing everything I can to be a supportive leader and teammate by asking for their feedback and ideas, genuinely appreciating their efforts, and hoping (thinking) that the workplace environment (morale) is improving.

ADL Program, Advising, ePortfolios, Evolution, Focus on the learning, Goals, Growth, Growth Mindset, Innovation Plan, It's all about the learning, Learner's Mindset, Learning, Learning Manifesto, Online Learning, Outcomes, Personal, Professional, Reflecting, Why

Where it all began

The Advisor That Cares

My innovation plan was born out of a desperate desire to increase student motivation to seek the information they need to be successful in their academic pursuits. When I began the ADL Program, I was advising for a few online graduate Master of Education programs (including this one). I kept having students miss critical deadlines and requirements due to their lack of information. It was not that they did not have access to the information that was provided, published, and available; instead, it was a lack of inquisitivism that prevented them from even beginning the search for understanding.

Revisiting the process and learning I undertook with the facilitation of Dr. Kelly Grogan while creating significant learning environments, I keep looking for ways to align outcomes. What are my desired outcomes? I want learners to be autonomously motivated.

In my typical form and fashion, I begin my studies by reviewing, reading, and note-taking through the resources provided in my program coursework. Inevitably, I search for Learner’s Mindset discussions on the topic and/or YouTube videos on key concepts, terms, or goals.

This source resonates with me and can serve as a reminder to all of us as we endeavor to create significant learning environments.

Jon Stolk recommends that we remember to utilize the following:

  • Real Tools (physical need)
  • Real Choice (thinking, reasoning, decision-making)
  • Real Trust (emotions/feelings)

He continues by stating that “when students feel these things (choice, trust, acceptance, encouragement, care, dialogue), there are extremely strong positive correlations to a bunch of the stuff we say we care about (self-efficacy, metacognition, active help-seeking, creativity, task value, peer learning, and intrinsic motivation)” (TEDx Talks, 2015).

Therefore, I intend to keep these in mind as I prepare to outline my plans for an online learning course’s instructional design. I keep hearing Dr. Harapnuik telling me to focus on the learning.

Reference

TEDx Talks. (2015, November 5). Creating autonomy-supportive learning environments | Jon Stolk | TEDxSMU [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxlFzrfdqa4