I was in two groups throughout my 5302 and 5305 courses. We would use GroupMe to communicate throughout the week.
GroupMe members:
Caitlyn, Brian, Kathia, and Kyna
Hannah, Amanda, Edward, Jessica B., John, Lisa, and Nyjah
Starting the Applied Digital Learning program at Lamar University was somewhat of a leap of faith. I had talked about getting my master’s degree for a couple of years, but I always felt as though I would not have enough time. When the program started, I began to feel anxious about my abilities to complete all the tasks ahead of me. But as I began interacting with others through the discussion boards, I started to feel more comfortable. Collaborating has been essential to this program and having some of the same people in both the 5305 and 5302 courses has been very helpful. Early on I joined two GroupMe groups. Each week we would talk about the assignments for the week and discuss what was discussed during class on Mondays and Wednesdays. This is honestly what kept me on track through the 8 weeks of these two courses. With the help of communicating with others in the class, I was able to turn everything in a timely manner and sometimes before the due date.
In these groups, we would provide feedback and share links with each other. We would use google docs and google drive folders to share our work, such as the innovation proposal, and give permissions on documents so we could leave suggestions for one another. After getting the idea from another classmate, Hannah, I created a google doc for the other group to place their links to the implementation outline and their ePortfolios so we could easily access the work. This would give us the opportunity to provide ideas and adjust our assignments based on feedback from others. I worked with several people and left feedback for 5-8 different people depending on the assignment. The feedback I received from others helped me add details that I missed in my learning manifesto and growth mindset plan. We would also use GroupMe to give initial impressions of an assignment.
I would also post on each discussion board after reflecting on the readings and videos for the week. I enjoyed reading through others' posts and their comments. This is where I really started to feel more comfortable in the courses. I would comment on others’ posts to ask questions or just to simply let them know they are not alone in their thinking on a particular subject. After learning about the growth mindset in 5302, I was able to apply it to my work in both courses. The courses really began to blend at moments, and I was able to take my knowledge about the growth mindset and the COVA model and use it when reflecting on my assignments and feedback.
Staying connected to others in the class and being able to contribute to the learning taking place in the course is what made this experience so unique. Self-assessment is important for growth and I believe that I was able to meet the criteria of contributing to the learning community over the past 8 weeks. I do not believe I am perfect and I definitely see some areas of needed growth but from what I have learned, that is part of having a growth mindset! I am so glad I took the leap, and these connections make me excited to see what this program holds and the progress that myself and my classmates will make along the way.
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