Beginning my journey in the Digital Learning and Leading (DLL) program at Lamar University was not an easy decision and definitely kept me up at night more than once. Although, when I started my first course and was introduced to the growth mindset (#1 below); everything changed. I began to realize that many of my fears were my fixed mindset trying to peek out from behind the corner, but I soon learned how to deal with those struggles the right way. The next idea that got my mind spinning in circles was when I was introduced to the COVA (#4 …

Action research sounds a little like the last few years of my teaching career. When I started teaching elementary school five years ago I made some pretty big changes to my approach in the classroom. I used to worry when administrators and others would observe me in my classroom, and then it finally hit me that receiving the feedback from those observers was the best way to reflect and become a better teacher. As this course progressed, I found myself digging deep for the right path for my plan and where my passion for education was leading me. Since finding …

When I think about my journey so far in the DLL program; I feel like it is second nature for me to reflect and adjust my ideas for the benefit of my students. I would be lying if I said that I have always done it that way, but am very amazed at how I react differently now as opposed to the past. There is a lot more to be accomplished during my journey, but if it is any indication of what is coming; I am quite intrigued to see what else I can explore and create along the way. …

During my five years in my district, I have found myself as a presenter numerous times for our district’s Edcamps and Professional Learning Days. As a presenter, I have attempted to provide the most valuable professional learning sessions as possible. After reading, Teaching the Teachers Effective Professional Development in an Era of High Stakes Accountability by Gulamhussein (2013), I find myself wondering if any of the teachers that came to my sessions actually implemented what they had learned? I did not provide any additional support during implementation; that is one of the keys to effective professional learning. I hope that …

Why would I want to change what works? That is just one of the questions you might hear from teachers that do not believe that we need to change anything in the classroom. Most people avoid change because it is not easy and requires a lot of commitment. I have always been on the side that asks, “Is our current way of doing things the best we can do for our students?” During this course, I have come to the conclusion that there is so much more we can accomplish and change for our students. Change that will allow them …

Dialogue is such a lost art in today’s world of technology, and yet is probably one of the most important skills needed to bring about change. My students have trouble with conversations on a daily basis, but so do I. Relegated to silence is one of my pastimes and now I see how flawed that strategy is to have productive, and crucial conversations. As I read the book Crucial Conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high, I become more and more aware of all of the opportunities that have been lost over the years to make a meaningful and …

Change in education may be the most difficult change to make successfully. The day to day grind of teachers tends to overwhelm all attempts at real, organizational change. My school has been starting the process of becoming a Leader in Me school based around the 7 habits of highly effective people since last summer. This monumental change will require all hands on deck, but we may just get a little help from the 4 disciplines of execution along the way. At the annual Leader in Me Symposium in Dallas this past week, I was lucky enough to experience some of …

As I have reflected on my innovation plan repeatedly since its creation, I find myself trying to make the connection to influence and how that can help with implementation. I will be the first to admit that I am always a proponent for change in my classroom and beyond. This is definitely a bit larger in scope than any other previous changes that I have attempted though. In order to start this change process, I have to make sure to ‘notice the obvious’ as Harapnuik (2016) states. It is very common to look for the underlying issues, and forget to …

As we learned from Sinek (2009), not every organization knows ‘why’ they do what they do, and this is the reason why some succeed and others do not. In order to implement my Blended Learning innovation plan the proper way; I must remember my ‘why’. No matter what obstacles come up, I will always remember that my students are the biggest part of my ‘why’. I am attempting to contain my excitement after my principal agreed to support my innovation plan yesterday. The next step is to approach the district for final approval to pilot blended learning in my classroom …

Creating significant learning environments (CSLE) for my students is a very important aspect of how I want my classroom to progress toward the kind of learner-centered approach I strive for. Implementing a blended learning rotation model can assist in creating the learner-centered approach I am looking for, but I also must be aware of my previous mistakes of focusing on task completion. So where to now? After creating Fink’s (2003) 3-column table a couple weeks ago, I have begun to step back and see the big picture in the learning that I want my students to be a part of in my classroom. …

Learning focused is the best way to describe what I have just created. Being asked to use the UbD template has been an eye-opening experience, to say the least. It forced me to think backward and forget about task completion and focus on learning and growth. I did not know what to expect during this process, but I now know just how much I have focused on the completion of tasks in my classroom. The UbD template has given me the open door needed to start to change how my classroom and flow of learning continues.  Previously, I was asked …

Over the course of the first three and a half classes in the Digital Learning and Leading program at Lamar University, I have found my classroom to be lacking in so many areas. First, I realized how fixed the mindset of my students and even I was at times. Then I realized just how narrow sighted I have been as I began to create my innovation plan. The more I learn, the more I want to learn about how to give my students the learning environments they deserve. During this course that focuses on creating significant learning environments for the …

My classroom is a place of learning, but is it true learning at its best? After reading, A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change by Brown & Thomas (2011), I have realized just how far away my students are from the new culture of learning that they require. How can I move my students into the mode of learning that they need to be successful in a technology-rich world? I believe that as a teacher, I have enormous control over if and when my students become curious and passionate about learning. As I …

Introduction The role of the teacher has changed because of the integration of technology in the classroom (Horn, 2015). This change has started a new revolution called blended learning. Blended learning is not a new term and is defined in many ways. Most would describe blended learning as the combination of face to face instruction and student-paced technology-based instruction. It must also include the student being in charge of the time, place and location of their learning (Maxwell, 2016). There are many forms and models of blended learning being used in education today, although I will not be discussing all …

Blended Learning has so many facets and possibilities, yet there are so many schools that are not attempting to implement it. Well, I plan to change that at least at the school that I can control. I have created an innovation proposal to show my principal and hopefully will be the first step to a blended learning model coming to a classroom that I teach in! Dear Ms. Turner, I see an unbelievable opportunity to level up in my classroom and I would like to share it with you. I believe that the level of student engagement and the need for …

This may be the first indecision that I have had in my first three courses during my DLL journey. I know that this innovation plan does not need to be started now and this is just the beginning of a long process to implement and refine my plan, but I still am showing some anxiety as I go through the decision process. After reading Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools by Horn & Staker I believe I may have come to some conclusions. My school has been blessed with 1 to 1 Chromebooks in fourth and fifth grade, but …

I began my next course in my DLL journey this past week and find myself overwhelmed with ideas for my upcoming innovation plan. I keep asking myself, what do I want to accomplish in my classroom, school or district that can disrupt the traditional model that I get frustrated with on a daily basis? I just want to try to implement so many ideas and I need to get a better focus on what my direction should be to best help, my students. Being that my classroom is 1 to 1 with Chromebooks and having access to a school license …