Imagine. Innovate. Implement. Repeat.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Licensed CC0, Creative Commons. Retrieved from Pixabay.com

“Alice laughed. ‘There’s no use trying,’ she said. ‘One can’t believe impossible things.’

I daresay you haven’t had much practice,’ said the Queen. ‘When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”   (Carroll, L. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland).

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We know that doing the same things in the same ways will always yield the same results. But just because we’ve always done something in one particular way, does that mean it’s the only way? For many, the idea of doing things differently is not entertained. It’s not imagined.

But… What if…
What if we try doing it differently?

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The Effects of Amygdala Hijacking in Online Learning

Dahl, L. (2008). Brain [Photograph]. Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC 2.0)

The first time I heard the term “Amygdala Hijacking” it was in reference to an episode my son had in middle school. He had punched another student in the face during the Pledge of Allegiance one morning, and had been sent to the Principal’s office where there was talk of suspension. I learned that the boy my son had punched had been tormenting my son; calling him names and poking him with a pencil… belittling him in front of his peers on a regular basis. That morning, he pushed my son to his limit, and my son reacted, the victim of “Amygdala Hijacking.”

Hello? …Is anybody out there? Creating A Sense of Presence…

Hello?   …Is anybody out there?

Computer Problems, by CollegeDegrees360 Licensed for Creative Commons (CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Think about some online course experiences you’ve had as a learner/participant. Have you ever had one in which you did not have opportunity to interact with the instructor… or other students… or even content? I have. And as a student, that can be pretty frustrating.

Be disruptive… Be innovative… Be transformative…

Smith, M. (2013). Nature [Photograph, modified with quote by Doug Floyd]. Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

Think about it… if we continue doing the same things in the same ways, how can we expect different results?

Digital Learning and Leading: Self-Assessment Of Past, Present, And Future Leadership

Part One – Option 2 – Digital Learning and Leading: Self-Assessment Of Your Past, Present, And Future Leadership

The Past

I am relatively new to the Digital Learning and Leading world. About five years ago, I had a major life-shift. My mother was in end-stage emphysema, and I needed to help with her care. I left my job with Communities In Schools of Northeast Texas, a program that works with kids in K-12 identified as at-risk of dropping out of school, helping them to overcome the obstacles that hindered their ability to stay in school. My role with that organisation

Checking Out the ePortfolios of Others…

I really enjoyed seeing the ePortfolios of other students. I have been struggling with organising my web presence, both for this class, and the site that I am building as a training repository for our faculty at the college where I work. Seeing how others have organised their work has helped a lot. I have a lot of ideas. It’s interesting to see how differently everyone’s eP looks, even though we all have a similar goal.

Why Blog About It?

Through this learning process, and as part of the DLL program, we are encouraged to blog. But why is blogging important for educators? Clearly we blog to share our knowledge and experiences. We blog to contribute to a network of resources from which other educators may benefit. But additionally, according to a blog post by Shelly Blake-Plock (2009), blogging, like the ePortfolio, helps the learner reflect on their growth and their situation. As educators, we reflect on our situations, we are able to see how we think. According to Blake-Plock, “to blog is to teach yourself what you think.”

Using COVA+CSLE to Empower Learners to Make Connections

Rhondda. (2013). Learning [Photograph]. Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC 2.0).

As we move through the DLL program, we have been introduced to concepts such as COVA (Choice, Ownership, and Voice through Authentic learning), and CSLE (Creating Significant Learning Environments). (Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, & Cummings, 2018). These concepts build on the research and work of constructivist theorists, and focus on the importance of learners taking responsibility for their own learning (ownership). When learners are given opportunity to choose how they are going to learn, they have a greater tendency to feel a sense of ownership for their own learning, and make the needed connection. Learning becomes relevant and meaningful.

Why Do Learners Need ePortfolios?

Forsythe, G. (2011). e-Portfolio. Licensed under Creative Commons (CC 1.0, Public Domain).

What  Is an ePortfolio, And Why Does It Matter?

ePortfolios are, at the most basic level, an electronic repository… a collection of evidence of student learning (Harapnuik, 2015). They are a place where learners can store their work. But they can be so much more than just a longitudinal repository of learner work. According to her article, “The ePortfolio as an educational resource and its impact on job search,” (Ciesielkiewicz, 2015), Monika Ciesielkiewicz identifies the following purposes for developing and maintaining ePortfolios:

Where Did All The Questions Go?

Macrovector/Freepik. (n.d.) Question Mark Made of Mobile Travel Application Icons.

Last Spring, I had an interesting experience with a part-time faculty member and a student in an online class. The student found her way to my office to ask for technical help with her class. The instructor had told the learners they had until Sunday to post to the discussion board in the learning management system, and to respond to peers.