Creating an Online Course

My learners within my course will be new instructional coaches that have started this year for my district. My teaching style is really to be a facilitator to the learning that is happening. I am a big believer in the power of timely, specific feedback. I think that the person doing the talking/typing/reading/watching is the one doing the learning. There should be much more student talk than teacher talk as knowledge builds and connections are made. I have done many professional development sessions and partnering with teachers and instructional coaches through virtual instruction. I also filled in at the beginning of the year for just the first week as we hired a 2nd grade teacher. My experience with the content is extensive as I have read the book, been to at least 6 trainings from the instructional coaching group on this book, and I have taken several teachers through the Impact Cycle both face to face and virtually. I am very comfortable with the technology I will be using, as we are a Google district. I will be using Google Classroom since it will be the most accessible to the coaches.

When it comes to the four learning theories according to Bates (2015) and my online course, here is how I see them fitting in with my online course development.
Behaviorism- Information will be presented in an organized way to the audience of my course. Feedback given to the instructional coaches who will be taking my course, will really help them to know if they are on the right track and will help them to adjust how they are completing assignments. I do not, however, feel as though this course can be black and white, or have one right answer. These instructional coaches will be using this class to create and analyze teacher goals based on data provided.
Cognitivism- This theory will really go well with my course as it will really progress through lower level learning about the Impact Cycle for instructional coaches and into them applying what they have learned by watching someone go through the Impact Cycle and determine how to use the tools, then actually taking a teacher through one themselves where they will analyze data and evaluate the effectiveness of the coaching cycle success. I also feel that the aspect of learning how to learn goes well with online courses since there is not a teacher present at all times. The learner really has to be self-directed and know a lot about themselves as a learner in order to be most successful.
Connectivism- This one was tricky for me. Since my course will be for instructional coaches who are learning about the Impact Cycle, which is a type of coaching cycle where they partner with teachers with job-embedded professional learning through looking at data and student outcomes, I feel like this one does go with my course specifically. It does bring together coaches and teachers where that new knowledge that is acquired daily throughout the cycle really does determine what is learned and how it is learned, at the decision of the teacher. Connections will need to be made between the data, the content, and delivery in the strategy. There are many variables that are dependent on student knowledge levels, teacher delivery and consistency, coaching ability, and choosing the right strategy to implement change. This happens outside of the online component though. It will happen when they go apply the learning at the end of the course.
Constructivism- This theory will be embedded within my online course within the discussion board where instructional coaches will build their own knowledge off of each other's thinking as they analyze a coaching cycle together before they go off on their own. As they partner with a teacher to start their own Impact Cycle, they will also merge their thinking with that of the classroom teacher and it will build as they try out new strategies with students.

References:

Bates, A.W. (2015) Teaching in a Digital Age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning (Chapters 1 & 2). Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/

How I Will Continue Using my ePortfolio as a Digital Leader

I have many ideas that I would like to implement with my ePortfolio in my new position as an elementary math coordinator. One of them is to write blog posts and send them out via my Twitter feed. This will be a great way to promote learning about upcoming clusters of learning. I can use the timing to push out more conceptual understanding and progressions of math skills leading the skills about to be taught. 

Another way I plan to use my ePortfolio is as a means to promote best practice and give ideas to district teachers about engaging ways to teach number sense, problem solving, and mini lesson structures. 

I have already used it as a means to showcase myself as a leader in order to help me get my new position within my district. As teachers in my district try to progress and meet new professional goals, I will show them how to showcase the things they have done in order to achieve their goals and truly reflect to grow. 

I look forward to having this as a tool at my fingertips. I'm sure many more ideas will present themselves as I learn my new role entirely.

To find my learning throughout my ePortfolio I have linked the main points from the rubric here:

Learning Manifesto ( including issues related to digital learning) and Growth Mindset- 

https://sites.google.com/friscoisd.org/danifryeportfolio5302/learning-manifesto-and-growth-mindset

Professional Learning Communities- 

https://sites.google.com/friscoisd.org/danifryeportfolio5302/resources-for-learning

What Makes an ePortfolio Great?

 After looking through so many ePortfolios today and over the last several weeks, I noticed that there were many that caught my eye and really hooked me in from the first moment. Most of that was set up of the ePortfolio and how aesthetically pleasing it was to the eye. I also noticed that the ones that posted their blog on the first page were very good writers. You could hear their voice through their writing and the passion they felt for the topics they were writing about. If there was too much text though, it was easy to get lost in it and quickly lose interest. 

When I looked at the ePortfolio for Dr. Harapnuik's son, I definitely noticed first how professional the photography was compared to other pictures I had seen on other ePortfolios. They really drew me in, and you could tell that he is an expert in the field by the content that was presented and how it was presented. 

I follow some of the people presented on Twitter already, so I was excited to see their sites and see what else they have to offer. This was reaffirming of how powerful that Twitter can even be as an avenue to get an audience for an ePortfolio as well. 

I have redone mine several times to hold different information, different color schemes, different themes, etc. At first I felt it was very juvenile in appearance, and I just couldn't figure out how to adjust it to be what I was looking for. So after looking through some ePortfolios from some people in my district, who still use theirs within their professional life, I found a way to start to reach what I was looking for in my own site. It is still very much a work in progress, but I love the way it is coming along. 

My Reflections on CSLE + COVA

 As I was reading this weekend about CSLE and COVA (Harapnuik et al., 2018), I feel like these terms make it sound a lot easier than it really is, but also these should be the focus of every educator. CSLE stands for Creating a Significant Learning Environment and COVA stands for Choice, Ownership, and Voice through Authentic Learning. The reading this week focused a lot on taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture. We want students to be learners and not just the producers of a cookie cutter product. Sometimes we get so stuck in the day to day as educators, we forget that if we zoom out, our job is substantial and changes the lives and trajectories of the students we serve. If we can step back, and teach students how to learn, the possibilities for them are endless. If teachers can create learning opportunities where students can own their own learning and really figure out how to learn and create products that really demonstrate their knowledge, that is where the dynamics of a classroom change and become the most effective. Teachers need to be facilitators of student learning instead of directing it. I have loved seeing my district shift its focus over the years to really setting the stage for this kind of learning to happen within our district at all levels. 

Harapnuik, D., Thibodeaux, T., & Cummings, C. (2018). Cova- Choice, Ownership, and Voice through Authentic Learning. Creative Commons License.

Check Out This Great FREE Resource for Instructional Coaches!

 If you are an instructional coach, administrator, or in the position to coach others in any capacity, you need to read this magazine. It is so timely for how to navigate this time in a pandemic with overwhelmed teachers and how to partner with them through this time. 

https://www.flipsnack.com/R13Coach/r13-coach-november-2020.html

There are countless nuggets of information from Steve Barkley's blog post about how to turn a gripe into a goal, how to be a balanced coach, how to support overwhelmed teachers in this time, and how to build trust.

You won't be disappointed by the time you spend reading it. 

How do we get students to "own" the work?

This week in my Masters class, the question was, "Who Owns the ePortfolio?" We read articles about who really owns the creation or learning if it is assigned work. This stirred up so many thoughts and much reflection about my experience as a learner in my last two classes. At first when this ePortfolio was just an assignment for me, I wasn't very invested. I was checking off the boxes of what was required so that I could get the grade. After I got further into the creation of it, saw more examples of how others use theirs in their professional lives, and really reflected about how I want to present information to others, I got really invested in the process. Having an open ended project and being able to make this what I want it to be makes the learning experience a bit uncomfortable and freeing at the same time. All of our ePortfolios will match each of us as individuals instead of being a cookie cutter project that isn't as useful to us. I have already changed mine completely as my thinking has evolved over the last 10 weeks. I adjusted it to showcase my work and as a digital resume when I was applying for a new job recently. Now that I am working outside of that purpose, I am turning it into a place that will work for me as a tool in my new role.

This question is not JUST speaking to me for this class though. How do we get students to "own" their work? I talk to teachers all of the time about giving students voice, choice, engaging work in order for students to own their learning. How can they own their learning if the work assigned is not meaningful for them?? How can they get invested in a worksheet or cookie cutter assignment that doesn't showcase their strengths, creativity, and critical thinking? This goes for any learning experience. As educators, we need students to be able to figure out their strengths as early as possible so they can invest in deep learning in their own element. I know as busy educators, grades really inhibit this action a lot of the time. That discussion is for another time. 

As far as having students create their own ePortfolio early on, I don't know how much I agree with giving young students their own domain to see growth. When I think about students' minds not being developed, and having the ability to put their thoughts out there for the world to see, is just not a good idea. One way that my district is helping students to create an ePortfolio safely is through the app, Seesaw. They will turn in a variety of assignments throughout the year, then choose a certain number of their favorite activities that will be saved throughout their educational career. I don't know when the appropriate age is to set kids free to start creating their digital footprint on the internet. I would hate for something that is posted early on to affect a person negatively later when they may not be mature enough to understand the impact of their words.

Why Use an ePortfolio

I think that ePortfolios are a wonderful way to showcase yourself as an individual. I love what Dr. Harapnuik shared about his sons both having an ePortfolio, but using them in their own unique ways. He further explains how for one of his sons, it showcases him in his profession as a well rounded individual which helps him to get sponsors. His other son uses his to showcase his design ability, in turn helping him to get more opportunities and more clients (Harapnuik & Thibodeaux, 2020). When I finished up my teaching degree, I wanted a way to make myself stand out and really showcase my strengths. When you go in for an interview, you can't really control a lot of what happens. The questions they ask might not showcase your strengths and experiences as well as you would like. When you have an ePortfolio, you have control over what your future employers see and learn about you as a person and learner. You can even personalize your strengths toward the role you are trying to get. At that point, 10 years ago, I just added a QR code onto my resume, and handed my resume to the interviewer. It contained my resume, my educational philosophy, and all of my letters of recommendation from professors, mentors, colleagues, etc. I have since used a form of ePortfolio every time I have tried to get a new job since then. Every time, someone has made a comment about how it helped me to stand out among my peers, helping me to get the job.




I think another huge reason to have an ePortfolio is the reflection process it makes you go through as a learner. You really have to think about what qualities you want to continue developing and how you would showcase that. When I was reading the 41 Benefits of an ePortfolio (2010), it described the benefits from three different perspectives: the student, the educator, and the employer. It broke down the benefits for each of those roles in the process and the product. My biggest takeaway from this article was the reflection piece and being able to look back on how far you have grown and to also look forward toward goals you want to achieve and what that can look like. Going through the process of creating an ePortfolio is the embodiment of being a learner and the documentation that goes with the growth that happens. It makes learning visible and more intentional.


References:


(2020). LMD EP30 ePortfolio Why. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx304CW-gKU&feature=youtu.be.



Barnstable, K. (2010, September 30). 41 Benefits of an ePortfolio. Stable Transitions. https://kbarnstable.wordpress.com/2010/01/08/41-benefits-of-an-eportfolio/.