Stop. Collaborate and Listen.

In week one of my most recent course, Applying the Concepts of Educational Technology, I had the opportunity to meet with some of my classmates and it was my most favorite activity since I began the Educational Technology Leadership program at Lamar. 

Adrian, Dani, Alyssa, and Randrick are all classmates of mine that began this program at the same time I did. We have had every course together so far, so we have had opportunities to collaborate through discussion posts in each course, but there are no words for the amount of value that has been added to our educational experience by being able to meet virtually with them through Google Meet. 

In our meeting, we spoke candidly about how things were going in our respective jobs and lives at this time. Dani recently got a promotion at work, so we celebrated her accomplishment. Alyssa's school has been struggling in the remote learning environment, so we offered some advice to help her out. It was a great conversation and a breath of fresh air. 

Then, we moved on to review each other's current ePortfolios. We shared them through Facebook Messenger earlier in the week, so we had time to review them beforehand, but through this meeting, we were able to share some glows and grows that were truly powerful. I can't say enough about how much I appreciated the feedback I received from people who I "know" and who are in the same boat as I am right now. My classmates shared that my portfolio was aesthetically appealing, but also that there could be some improvements made in the font size and format of my blog. They also shared that some of my links were "dead" or went to the wrong locations. These are things that I was able to fix immediately and drastically improved the look and flow of my portfolio right away. 

These individuals have seen me at my best and my worst throughout this program, and I can't say enough about how much I value their opinions and feedback. I don't know if any additional courses will ask us to meet like this in the future, but I definitely think it will be something that we make a necessity until we reach graduation. 

I can' help but think about the students in a virtual learning environment at this time and how valuable it is for teachers to give students an opportunity to meet virtually, too. If I, as a 31-year-old woman, needed that social interaction with my peers to get to know them and understand their perspectives and learn from them, then I can't imagine how much our children are craving that same type of opportunity.