The Act of Contribution

Throughout the last 8 weeks and my continued journey in the Digital Learning and Leading program I have had to ask myself more than once now, what does it mean to contribute? Specifically, what does it mean to contribute to my community and to myself? Throughout this process of reflection and being asked how well I contributed to my own learning and to the community as a whole I have come to conclude that contribution may not always mean giving to others, but also supporting them when things become difficult and encouraging them to push themselves and try harder than they are. This view of contribution is accurate to how I viewed my contribution through the 5302 and 5304 courses in the DLL program. As a continued student in the DLL program, I was quite excited to continue taking two courses together, and I was confident in my abilities to stay organized and on top of my work. To say this confidence grew even more during these courses as I continued to get to know my core learning community would be an understatement. Self-Assessing Score: 95 Core Group: Alicia, Nahaira, Pedro, Colby, Robin, Lindsey, Wayne, Brianna, Amanda, & Caitlyn Link to E-Portfolio: https://llovedallison.wixsite.com/portfolio Link to Course Calendar: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/198W4EGEeMTQQI4lYomN-cAAJ5zZgTjvOv0yFPwh3js8/edit?usp=sharing

I believe I demonstrated leadership in my group by sharing assignment developments early and assisting others as they began working or were confused. I also took charge and created a checklist format Google Sheet to help organize and streamline the two courses' turn-in dates and assignments. This document was shared within my group as well as with those in the class that liked to meet separately each Wednesday. It is my belief that this document helped keep many of us on track and not lose sight of the various course deadlines. My group, although we consistently messaged and communicated through our group messages also messaged through the discussion boards located on the blackboard as well as through google documents where we provided each other with feedback through the form of comments and highlights. By using these avenues for communication and still meeting during Live class meetings and our weekly Zoom sessions we were always in contact and able to hold each other accountable for every assignment and blog post throughout the two classes. Aside from my core learning group I myself made sure I was prepared by completely all readings and watching all of the videos provided by Dr. H. In doing this I made sure I understood the topics to be discussed fully enough to contribute to my community and class as a whole. I also discussed these topics with my colleagues thus expanding my own learning community to include those in my workplace as well. By expanding my community I was able to receive feedback from those actively involved in both of the courses I was in as well as from the people who have distance from this DLL world. This feedback provided me with the best opportunities to revise and edit my work as I received multiple opinions and points of view. I have also made it a point to complete assignments and discussions as early as possible so there is plenty of time to receive feedback and to provide feedback to others. Throughout this spring semester as I have grown to learn not only about creating change and growth mindset, but about myself as a learner, a leader, and an educator. My group has decided together that we will continue to enroll in two courses at a time as we work well together and will be more successful together than we will be apart. I look forward to where this team and this program will take me in the future as I continue to reshape my ideas of the world.