Tag: #5303

ADL Program, Contributions, Growth, Learning, Learning Community, Reflecting

Contributions, 5303

The Advisor That Cares

ePortfolio Course

  • Spring 2022
  • Course Number: EDLD 5303
  • Course Title: Applying Digital Technology Portfolio
On a background of blue sky with fluffy white clouds are green street signs. One has arrows pointing in opposite directions and the other reads "take and give."

Contributions to learning and learning community.

I am giving myself a score of 93 out of 100

Crediting Group Members: Bethany Eisele, Lera Longbottom, and Rachael Lancon

Key and Supporting Contributions

Reflecting on this ePortfolio course my second of the ADL program, I can say with confidence that I worked throughout the semester to be sure I read all of the assigned materials, watched all of the accompanying videos, and followed the subsequent links. I would sometimes ask about a link deep down the links trail to find that not everyone link dived as deeply as I. It took a while to create a systematic method to go through the material to avoid getting lost. I am doing my best to adapt the skills, knowledge, and information I learn into my ePortfolio development and personal learning. I revised all assignments and reflected on being deliberate with the choice of content on my ePortfolio by taking complete ownership of my authentic experience, which helped me develop my voice.

I believe I helped build our core group by reaching out via course mail after our first class meeting. A few classmates contributed to the class conversation and just had a generally positive perspective that made me want to collaborate with them. After a few days of coordination, we formed our core learning community. Having worked in a learning community in the first course, I quickly jumped on creating a GroupMe channel for our group and set up a google drive so that we could share documents and collaborate. I made a “getting to know one another” ice breaker type document within the google drive to allow group members to share and start building relationships. We had cute short bios, including photos that allowed us to connect on a personal level. We gave information about ourselves, our ePortfolio platform, and our innovation strategy. Our core group was great about contributing to weekly group discussions and provided commentary on each other’s thoughts. As we discussed weekly content, we explored further our thoughts, our learning, and our ePortfolio development, leading to additional ideas, blog posts, and blackboard discussion posts. We each worked to give one another timely feedback on discussions and our ePortfolios. I created weekly to-do list to help our learning community keep track of course content, readings, discussion posts, group discussions, and blog suggestions from the weekly modules.

Sharing two classes with my learning cohort allowed us to get to know one another through class discussions. The last two weeks of discussion posts were the most collaborative our cohort has been. It was amazing to see the class come together to help one another with ePortfolio feedforward suggestions. The part that I think I could do better would have been to offer group collaboration sessions regularly for the whole class. I did post in the student lounge that I was interested in mentorship and mentoring opportunities. I connected with several classmates via course mail in the first few weeks of the course, but none grew into the mentoring/mentorship type collaboration I envisioned.

Learning Community Key and Supporting Contributions

I was able to take leadership responsibility in my group in various ways. First, by creating communication avenues and a place to collaborate, as previously described. Then, as the most experienced member of our group (which is quite humorous considering I had only completed one course at the time), I provided feedback on my learning communities’ innovation coursework.

I set up weekly zoom meetings for Tuesdays at 7 pm immediately following the class meeting. I contributed to all learning activities and opportunities and actively participated in the meetings and discussions. Through our group discussions, I was able to dive more deeply into the content of the weekly modules and reflect upon my learning process.

I attended a literature review information session hosted by the Mary and John Gray Library. I informed my learning community about it since I knew they were working on that component in their innovation course. I shared my thoughts, feelings, and struggles with my learning community. Their support through having a peer group discuss content, vent about frustrations, celebrate victories, and with whom to share the learning experience with has been valuable. I only wish for more; more collaboration, more discussions, and more interaction.

I still struggled to keep up with discussion posts once I had added mine to the LMS. However, I eventually figured out how to subscribe to the discussion posts and was able to respond in real-time to my classmates’ posts. I even created a discussion post in the student lounge and a blog post, hoping to help current and future classmates who struggle with this aspect. Had I figured this out earlier in the semester I may have experienced more real-time dialog about the course material.

ADL Program, Goals, Growth, Learner's Mindset

Accessibility

The Advisor That Cares

Accessibility is something that is very important to me. As I develop my ePortfolio I am really trying to learn and incorporate as many features and functions as possible to ensure that all my students and visitors are able to view my content. I will admit that I have a lot of work to do on this aspect of my online presence after feedback I received on my final project “An Invitation to Innovate Advising.”

Little did I know that citations for images looks very similar accessible descriptions. I’ve been lazily avoiding adding my descriptors for fear that I would also need to add accompanying image citations. However, as I take greater ownership of this

To begin familiarizing myself with how to best add descriptive captions to my images, I began doing some additional research into best practices.

ADL Program, Contributions, ePortfolios, Evolution, Growth, Learning, Learning Community, Personal, Reflecting

Hugs

The Advisor That Cares
Two women wearing black shirts embrace in a hug. Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.com

I always do my best to shine a little light, encouragement, and love with those willing to connect. Tonight, I stopped at the local drug store. The employee was having a rough night, and I asked how much longer her shift was (10:30 pm with 7 am return).

My husband picked up chocolate peanut butter ice cream, and she said she would come over to cry and help me eat it. She said something about being a hug person, and I lamented how much I also miss hugs.

As I was preparing to leave, I asked, “can I give you a hug?” She accepted and met me at the end of the counter for a genuine hug.

My favorite days are the days I get to hug strangers. I’ve missed it so much.


As I said goodbye to my classmates Tuesday night (our last class meeting), I had to say out loud that I would miss seeing many of them next semester (accelerated post coming soon). Some will be graduating by December, and our classes no longer overlap. Tonight, I reflected on our one-two sessions together, our growth and vulnerabilities.

Then I realized that some of them will walk at the commencement ceremonies. I volunteer at those events and hug strangers at those events. Surely, I will get to meet some classmates at graduation! I started to imagine the next two years! Three ceremonies a year, potentially meeting the people with whom I will undoubtedly grow so much.

  • Who will we be after completing another class? What about two classes from now? Four?
  • Can you imagine looking at our final projects, reflections, innovation plans, and these digital babies (our ePortfolios)?
  • How much will they/we change through the evolution of this program?
  • How are you feeling?
  • Have you taken a good deep breath lately?
  • Have you hugged a stranger? (Okay, I know that the last one’s not for everyone)
ADL Program, ePortfolios, Growth, Learning, Reflecting

Selfish reflection

The Advisor That Cares

As I move toward the final culmination assignment for the ePortfolio course in the ADL Program, I cannot help but feel that I have been a bit selfish. I am reflecting on the process of making decisions about what to include and how to relay my genuine care for my students. Finding my voice. I will admit there have been times that I allowed myself to become bogged down in my own crisis of self process. It is not easy reconciling my choices, taking ownership of my learning and figuring out how I can assist in my students’ learning; finding my voice; while maintaining an authentic learning experience.

I keep hearing Dr. Harapnuik’s voice encouraging students to “make it real” and saying “don’t try to fake it” from our weekly class discussions. This course has provided such an opportunity to explore within the ePortfolio itself. The call to action in front of us through our ePortfolio course is so compelling. I just keep hearing the voice of Dr. Harapnuik sharing his wisdom:

“most importantly, make this your own. This is your ePortfolio. This is your opportunity. Take advantage of the choice. Take advantage of the opportunity to take ownership. Find your voice. Embrace this opportunity to find the courage that it takes to find your voice. And embrace this ePortfolio this authentic opportunity that you can you can use for years even decades to come to make a difference in your world and to share that with your colleagues and more importantly with the learner that you have influence over as well.”

I just feel so grateful for this opportunity to grow and learn through the COVA/CSLE experience provided by this program.

Reference

CSLE2COVA. (2019, August 9). EDLD 5303 Week 4 Learning from Leaders Tips [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ98azhUcZ8

ADL Program, Advising, ePortfolios, Goals, Growth, Learning, Professional, Reflecting

Feedforward

The Advisor That Cares

This morning I am reviewing some of my classmates in the ADL program‘s ePortfolios in hopes of actually providing helpful feedforward. I found myself inspired as I viewed tristandixson.com‘s recent blog post on feedforward and how a shift in focus could significantly impact the review process in professional environments.

I work at a state institution which means we have very structured review requirements. We are asked to evaluate ourselves and set professional goals for the next academic year. I have always dreaded these exercises because I would much rather have a constructive review of what is working and what could be better, as I am a solution-oriented employee. I find little benefit in the culture of who’s to blame or who is right. I really appreciate the focus on solutions. Solutions feed my soul; otherwise, it isn’t productive. Just grumbling and complaining. 

Thinking about my self-assessments, I never see the point of reflecting on “accomplishments” but instead, strive for new goals and ways to grow and assist with the continued improvement of the system. Implementing the feedforward concept into the review process would assess the current system’s efficiency and effectiveness, student and employee satisfaction, accurate and transparent communication, and what each member can contribute toward proposed solutions.

ADL Program, Advising, Growth, Personal, Reflecting

Advising Mindset

The Advisor That Cares

This is a difficult time of the advising cycle and seasons for an advisor who cares. As the semester comes to a close, some students are looking forward to commencement. I volunteer at these ceremonies and love connecting with students and their friends/families.

This is the time when degree plan reviews take place, and some students have to be made aware of some university policies, degree plan requirements, and in the worst circumstance that a student is lacking a graduation requirement.

This is where I need to learn better how to equip my students with a growth mindset. I have spent the last 10 days individually reviewing degree audits, enrollment reports, personalized plans, email correspondence, course repeat limits, GPA requirements, and academic standing.

All while working to improve registration procedures, update college departments, alleviate concerns, answer student questions, participate in departmental committee work, and maintain daily tasks.

Oh yeah and there’s this ADL program that I am living. I listen to the Learners Mindset Discussion (LMD) daily in productivity cycles since week four of the current eight-week session. After learning about so many productivity experts and our very own biohacking mentor, I have been inspired to incorporate aspects of engagement management. I guess I’m still lacking on the 25 minutes of something enjoyable, but instead I’ve been blasting some music from my past that I find allows me to zone in and do more of the repetitive portions and getting up for 15-minutes sunshine blasting walks. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate these LMD and the passion our program creators show for our purpose here. It is truly overwhelming to think about who we can be at the end of this program. Personally improved. Professionally improved. Organizationally improved. All we have to do is connect with our why, be willing to fail forward, embrace a growth mindset, and believe in ourselves and our goals passionately enough that we are willing to smash through the wall of fear.

I’m doing my best to move into my personal life as a student with a growth mindset. I’m also looking at this challenging cycle professionally with a growth mindset. What can I learn? How can I improve my communication, the information I share, the amount of outreach? How can I help my students develop a growth mindset when faced with disappointments and challenges?

Do you have any ideas? Suggestions? Thoughts? I would love to hear them in the comments.

ADL Program, ePortfolios, Learning, Reflecting

Voice

The Advisor That Cares

I am constantly struggling to find the voice of my ePortfolio. I get focused on the purpose of the portfolio, and then I get confused over who my audience is. On the one hand, I want to refer my students to the portfolio for my tips and information. Yet, on the other hand, I want to utilize my portfolio professionally to showcase my development as a professional. Then on the third hand, I also want to personalize my portfolio and share my growth and learning as a student. 

Because I come from an older generation where you didn’t want to give away too much personal information online, I am still struggling to find what voice my portfolio will fulfill for myself and my audience. As discussed in chapter 11 of the COVA book, I need “formative feedback/feedforward and encouragement” to continue to develop my voice.

I have realized that while trying to figure out what I’m supposed to be reflecting/blogging about, I have not started implementing my Advisors Tips/Innovation plan. The only way I will be to apply the information I am learning in this ePortfolio course is by authentically living with and using it. I have started phase one of finding my voice by taking the most common information I share with students on a daily basis to build those sections on my website. I will immediately be able to start sending links to this portfolio and obtain feedback with the users it is intended to help.

I feel like this portfolio changes almost daily as I implement different aspects and tweak different placement, information, links, and functions. Once again, I am just trusting the process and hoping that as I exercise this muscle, I will gain confidence and find my voice through and beyond the ADL program. 

References:

Harapnuik, D., Thibodeaux, T., & Cummings, C. (2018). COVA: Choice, Ownership, and Voice, through Authentic Learning.

ADL Program, Contributions, Learning, Learning Community, Reflecting

Watch party, as collaboration?

The Advisor That Cares

I’m just reflecting on the discussion boards, our group discussions, the weekly class discussions, and the content we explore in the ADL Program. I always wish for a more interactive discussion of our weekly course content. That made me wonder if anyone has ever considered a watch party-type weekly collaboration.

Would anyone attend a class watch party? It seems like a group of classmates (or even the learning community members) could turns reading chapters, content, and screen share for videos and examples.

I’ve always wondered what class would be like if we all had that additional time to build trusted relationships while actively engaging with the content and discussing it in real-time. I think we could even record our session to rewatch our own ideas for later personal learning reflections.

I know that I get so many ideas, thoughts, and inspirations in our breakout sessions and individually while reviewing the information through each week’s modules and associated links.

I enjoy learning from all of you and seeing your perspectives.

ADL Program

ePortfolio Exploration

The Advisor That Cares

When creating an ePortfolio, I honestly didn’t explore platforms at all. I spent a fair amount of time at harpanuik.org before committing to the ADL program. I had seen enough podcasts and posts to know that students reflected at the end of the program on how much they wished they had just listened to Dr. H when he recommended selecting a robust platform like WordPress. Upon starting the ADL program, I signed up on WordPress and committed to a year of hosting. I later realized that the Innovation course did not require the development of an ePortfolio yet. Now that I have started the ePortfolio course, I have learned that there may be other hosting options I should have considered. However, since I’d already paid for an annual plan with WordPress, I didn’t want to move to a service like Bluehost purely for financial reasons. I sincerely hope that does not become something I regret moving forward. I am taking Dr. Harapnuik’s (n.d.) advice to “take control of your domain and site and ensure that you can take your work with you” as a critical lesson learned from his experience and professional evolution. I also hope to be one of the exceptions to the statistic cited by Harapnuik (2016), which shows that “many students stop using their eportfolio after the completion of their program of study.”

After reviewing other students’ and professionals’ ePortfolios, I am inspired to continue finding and sharing my voice, passion, and why. Many prior ADL/DLL students left interesting breadcrumbs of tips for succeeding in the program. I feel I have a much better understanding of the ePortfolio’s purpose for the immediate focus of showcasing my progression through the program. 

Thoughts on Levi Harapnuik’s page: seeing the evolution and change over time is interesting. On Caleb Harapnuik’s page, the home page and sleekness are breathtaking. Both pages utilize a simplicity that provides a clear focus for each independent purpose. Andre Malan’s undergraduate example page is super simple, with excellent cartoon illustrations. During my review, I found myself searching for more content and learned the Steinfield method for developing a new habit after reading a reflection I seriously need to incorporate concerning my learning reflection writing. Jesse Lee’s portfolio seemed like a collection of blog posts. 

From the ADL/DLL examples, Brooke Joseph’s ePortfolio is very colorful and cute. Still, I find some of the backgrounds and floating images too overwhelming for my eye. Once again, I really liked the simplicity of Bridget Gallagher’s ePortfolio. I really like how her homepage summarizes her learning throughout the program. Michelle Little has done a great job reflecting on her experience and organizing her ePortfolio. Once again, I am struck by the simplistic color selections and menu options. Kris Bumstead’s ePortfolio was very engaging throughout through the use of digital storytelling. Rebecca Recco’s ePortfolio has very elaborate navigation panels. I really appreciate how Jordan Roberts’ ePortfolio’s About Me page divides his personal profile from his professional one. That is something I could see myself incorporating in the future. Judy Cornelius has a very well-organized and visually appealing ePortfolio, too. Nancy Watson’s ePortfolio seems so professional that I assumed it was misfiled under ADL/DLL examples. I love that she has a testimonials section. I wonder if I couldn’t create an area for positive student feedback. Testimonials that I genuinely am the advisor that cares.

Roselynn Verwoord’s ePortfolio inspired me to see how a professional portfolio could market and showcase one’s abilities, learning, and accomplishments. Rebecca Lynn Taylor’s portfolio’s organization, clean lines, and color contrast really appeal to me. 

Harapnuik, D. K. (n.d.). Examples of ePortfolios. Harapnuik.org. Retrieved April 15, 2022, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=5979 

Harapnuik, D. K. (2016, March 8). What if we gave students enough time to learn. Harapnuik.org. Retrieved April 15, 2022, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=6336