Beginning with a Commodore 64, at the age of 8, technology has always been a part of my life. Growing up, I taught myself what a computer was and how to use it all at the same time. Luckily, my love for technology has stayed with me into adulthood. The older I get, the more I realize that technology makes a pretty good friend because it never goes away and it always gets better.
Having a great relationship with technology helped me to make one of the best career decisions of my life. After 10 years of teaching junior high, I was ready for a new challenge. I decided I would pursue my Masters, but in what? I had no desire to be a principal or an assistant principal. I did not want to waste time and money on a degree I would never use. With that thought in mind, I put my goal on hold and continued on my path feeling blessed that I "get to" do what I love. My love is teaching a college readiness course called AVID. AVID prides itself on teaching organization through the use of a traditional three-ring binder. However, with so many digital resources focused on organization, the paper and pen method is quickly becoming obsolete. AVID recognized that to better prepare students for life in technology rich society, the traditional binder must give way to the eBinder. Fortunately, I was in the right place at the right time when I was approached by my district to pilot the use of Microsoft Classroom. Not long after that, I was instrumental in partnering representatives from AVID with ones from Microsoft OneNote to begin the transition. It was at the annual AVID National Conference that the head of AVID's educational technology department asked me what I wanted for my future. I said I really wanted my Masters but did not want it in administration. He suggested that with my current tech knowledge and skills, I should check into a Masters program in Educational Technology. While I believe the AVID and Microsoft people entered into my life at the perfect time to start me on this amazing journey, it was the professors and my cohort colleagues that carried me through to the end. Having the constant support of a professional learning community helped me to feel comfortable expressing my voice throughout the entire DLL program. Making lifelong connections with like-minded people is truly a priceless resource. Reflecting on the highs and lows, all I can say is what a great roller coaster ride it has been. There were times when I felt the DLL program had pushed me to my breaking point, but...it really wasn't. It was my ownership point! The lows I experienced were out of fear of failure. Often, I would procrastinate on the assignments that made the most uncomfortable, but once I owned the assignment, the ideas began to flow. Discovering that I had choice, ownership, voice and authenticity in my learning changed my outlook on everything. I was beginning to live up to the theme of my DLL life by fearlessly learning to lead. I completely trusted the process. In turn, allowing me to produce many quality products. How I felt throughout the process can be summed up in one phrase: The DLL program shows you where to look, but it does not tell you what to see. From start to finish, my professors and colleagues led me in the right directions, but it was up to me to gather the knowledge and apply it to real world learning. Throughout the DLL program, the highs have always come in the form of the products I created. Beginning assignments with the most comfortable media platforms, such as Powerpoint, quickly gave way to more advanced outlets like Prezi, emaze and Powtoon. The DLL program gave me the confidence to coach myself through the unfamiliar. I was empowered with the freedom to choose my digital resources, engaged in owning my learning, expressive with my voice and enriched by my authentic professional and personal connections. One of my favorite highs was the creation of an online course through the use of Schoology. My district took notice of my course and will be including it in next year's online professional development credits. My second favorite accomplishment was the development of a plan for innovation. In the future, my goal is to implement my plan for blended learning school wide and district wide. I am poised to appeal to the hearts of the resisters and eager for lead their minds in the right direction. Looking back on what worked and what I could have done better, trusting in the process is what I found to work best. In every course, I tried to keep the big picture in mind and not get bogged down in the details. I tried to step out of my comfort zone to try new media platforms, instead of always relying on my go-to, safe digital resources. Trusting in the process helped me most in my scholarly writing. I never dreamed that my writing would progress enough to attempt a submission for publication. Could I have done some things differently...sure. I wish I would have sought more feedback from my colleagues. Mostly, I shared my work with my peers out of compliance. It was not until the last few courses that I realized the value of collaboration, even if my cohort members were worlds away in distance. I let the one thing I was seeking the most, building relational capacity with technology, become one of my biggest hindrances. Mistakes aside, I have learned countless lessons from my time in the DLL program. They seem to come in thee form of mantras. Some of my favorites include: Model, Model, Model Be Less Prescriptive Become a Catalyst for Change Learn by Doing "If we teach today's students as we did yesterdays, we rob them of tomorrow."---Dewey Culture is what you allow The Power of Yet COVA Holy Crow! and my all time favorite...The head won't go where the heart hasn't been! For me, the head and the heart mantra resonated the loudest. It is one that will stay with me and help to influence my approach to leading organizational change or for that matter, any type of change. As of now, all my hard work in the DLL program is paying off. Currently, I am not at liberty to reveal the details, but I promise you the chance I have been presented ranks as once in a lifetime status. All I can say is that if everything goes as planned, I will have the ability to teach in a technology-rich environment where I can put COVA to use everyday. I will be able to immediately apply my DLL knowledge to create more opportunities for significant learning. I feel like I need a year to decompress from the demands of being an educator, instructional coach, AVID District Director and Staff Developer before I begin my next journey. I plan to continue my studies in Educational Technology through the Lamar University Doctorate program. Knowing that I will have my DLL professors as my support system, made that decision a no-brainer. As I sit here only hours until I walk across that graduation stage, I can say with the utmost of confidence that my DLL journey has been one of the best in my entire life. I am so ready to take ALL I have learned and PAY IT FORWARD! Reaching My Escape Velocity
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AuthorMadeline Brandi Collins is a Louisiana girl through and through. Raised by her beloved Maw Maw and namesake, she moved to Texas 13 years ago to pursue a career in education which proved to be one of the best decisions EVER!
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