Jackie Bittner M.Ed.

Learning with a Community

Contribution to Your Learning and the Learning Community 

Address what is working – 

For me, what is working with the ADL program is that I get to respond to prompts or questions, after reading articles, or watching video clips of the different topics of things that I am learning throughout the program. Mainly, I was able to seek the thoughts of others, and try the new things that I learned.

I also feel that receiving feedback from others, especially my professors, on my responses throughout the courses, have certainly helped me feel that I can share information with others that are currently studying the same degree as me, or have gone before me, and can understand my perspective, and circumstances. This was a great learning environment and was significant to what, how, and why I am learning all about ADL. It also allowed me to face my challenges, and grow from my mistakes, or misunderstandings.

I felt that being able to see other people’s perspective, having others tell me if they support my ideas, allowed me to see and  learn if I am on the right path, or if there is something that I could have done better. I also was able to provide my thoughts and ideas to others, and help share our understanding of what we are learning.

I appreciate the open communication with my peers, and professors. This platform actually made a huge difference in my learning environment, and made me feel comfortable and supported. I plan to use this significant learning environment in my own classroom in the future so that my students will gain the same benefits.

What you can do better –

First off, I will say that coming into this learning environment was already a huge obstacle that I was trying to overcome at the very beginning, and took me almost a handful of years to get here. However, even after getting here, there were other struggles that I faced. Some of them include the amount of reading that came with the ADL program, following the instructions, the days of Zoom Calls, or TEAMS meet ups, and really understanding the assignments, and projects, to make sure that I knew what was expected of me. 

I wasn’t really prepared to read this much, but I am happy to say that I am glad that I pushed forward and did not give up. I really had to learn how to pace myself, and realize that it wasn’t going to all happen in a day. So, I had to learn how to chunk the information that was given. Therefore, there were a lot of self reminders on my part to take it at my own pace, and not feel like I am racing to get to the finish line. 

As for the online meetups, using different technology was a challenge, and I had some glitches early on, where I might have missed 2-3 calls throughout both courses. When this happened, I was extra hard on myself, and had a few panic attacks. I can’t forget to mention the reality of that. But, having these calls recorded and sent out, allowed me to catch up and take in this important  information, at my pace, and in my environment, on my own time, which was incredibly helpful, and made me feel like I was still a part of the learning community.  And, that I learned what I needed to do, and did it. 

When I heard about the projects, and read the instructions, I still was not clear after the first glance reading it. And, I noticed that having a fixed mindset quickly got in the way. I felt overwhelmed, and really thought that I was in over my head, and could not do this. I had to read, re-read, and read again, to the point where I was reading to understand what I needed to do, and what was expected of me. Over this course, I realized what kind of a learner I am through the ADL program. In general, I am not the kind of person that usually gets it the first time around, or even does well with receiving fly-by information that is meant to be grasped quickly. However, I’ve learned, it could take me more time to process my understanding, but it is certainly something that I can do, just like anybody else.I recognized that I definitely have a growth mindset now, and that I am a smart, capable, and dedicated learner. This is my personalized, lifetime journey! I enjoyed the CSLE+COVA framework, and feel that it was applicable to what I was learning.  Also, it is something that I will share with my students and colleagues in the near future.

Overall, I feel satisfied, and proud of my accomplishments. I grew from a learner with a fixed mindset to a learner who found my growth mindset, and know how to focus on the growth mindset, over the fixed mindset that I can have. I grew in so many ways that I never knew I could. I still look forward to more that I’ll learn, and what I can do with it. I appreciate the learner that I am now.

 Highlight your contributions to your learning and to the learning of the community. – 

I learned so much from this learning community, and felt that I could equally contribute my thoughts and ideas in a way that would be received, and not rejected. I feel happy that I gave myself room to learn new things and improve from where I was at. I have so many takeaways, but one of the most important that I learned is that even if I’m not there now, it just means that I am not there “yet”, and that I can still learn, and grow with consistent effort, and hard work through my misunderstandings, or learning issues.

Each time there was a topic of discussion, I felt that I responded and shared my thoughts and ideas without holding back because I was comfortable in this setting, and felt that others had the same impression. When I read through other people’s responses, I felt a connection, so then I would add comments, or let them know how I can support them, or what I really liked about what they said. I was able to meet some classmates, and tended to communicate with about 4 people consistently. These people are: Paige Shaw, Joe Perrone, Ennija Armour, Nadia Flores, Jelisa Davissophus, and Thaddeaus Komorowski, just to name a few. This was really great because it was mutual communication, and I did not feel like I was the only person reaching out. For each person, I could see the ways, or reasons that we connected, or why we easily shared information back and forth.

The best part about this program is that it allowed, and encouraged this type of bonding , and networking. I also feel like it helped us see and feel, what it is really like to be a learner, and what a learner really needs to overcome their obstacles, or struggles. ADL helped me build confidence in my day to day, work environment, and personal life. Internally, I feel more well rounded and complete, and for that I am excited, and thankful. I feel that I learned that even if I don’t know it now, that it means that I don’t know if yet, but can grasp the understanding that I need through hard work, persistence, and overcoming setbacks. I need to allow myself room to grow, and that I am not meant to already know everything, all at first glance. Learning takes time, and should be personalized with choices, so that learners can be motivated, and engaged in what they are learning and doing. Having a voice to reflect and share is a way to validate what a learner has accomplished. A learning environment needs to be real, or authentic, and really captivate all of these areas so that a learner can feel supported in the learning environment, which is what I have experienced over all.

THANK YOU so much for this opportunity. I feel like a changed person on this journey. Even though I still have a lot to learn, I am aware of it, and I know that I can do it. I have learned so much through feedback, feedforward, and making adjustments to my work. The  growth mindset makes all the difference, and I certainly have that. I understand what my triggers are, and that the fixed mindset is a part of me, but I can challenge it, and use it to my advantage, and get me to a growth mindset in a faster way. It takes a community to build a learner, and I really felt that for myself in the ADL program. This leads me to my final thought, which is an African Proverb that I am reminded of, “It takes a whole village to raise a child.” Thank you for your help, and support. I couldn’t get there without you!

On a side note – 

I am pushing through a hard time right now. My family went to Florida for the 4th, but when we came back home, our AC unit at our house shut down, and we needed to get parts replaced which were the blower motor, and coils. We ended up staying in a hotel for several nights, mainly so that I can get my work done for the ADL program. It is too hot in Texas not to have running AC. While staying at the hotel, we also found out that we had a major gas leak in the house, which happened after the AC company came out to check the unit. It was like this for an entire day, practically. At this moment, I am so thankful that I called to have Texas Gas come out and check for a leak, which they did find pretty quickly. All I can say is THANK GOD we are all safe, and alright. Overall, we were without AC for 11 days. I am facing major adversity right now, and pressing forward for success. I have grown so much through the ADL program. I am thankful for the opportunity! Looking forward to where this program will take me in the future. Thank you for being great mentors, and professors to me. You make a difference in my life.  =)

Self Score: 93/100

My ePortfolio and work/assignments for both classes can be viewed at: https://sites.google.com/view/learnerstoolbox/home

I have plans to switch my ePortfolio to Wix, instead of using Google Sites, in the future. Therefore, my ePortfolio will be updated and improved upon as I continue my learning journey through the ADL Masters Program.

Below are links to my assignments from both of my classes:

Note: Your advice to help make things better for my success in learning is welcomed. I am willing to make changes, improve on my work based on constructive feedback/feedforward, and apply a growth mindset. I am also willing to help or work with anyone that needs it. Thank you for your guidance. It is very much appreciated.