I began this unpaved road with hesitation and fret, but blossomed into a learner and leader I never knew I had the potential to become. Through a new way of learning, COVA, I was able to apply my learning in so many different ways. I quickly learned the vitality of peer collaboration and feedforward, and am now able to implement those factors into my organization. This journey is unlike any other and I am ready to make the right changes within my own district to better both educators and students alike.
Another skillset that I gained through this journey is video producing and editing. This newly found interest was a struggle in the beginning, but as I invested more time and saw each final product after, I realized how much enjoyment I found in it. Slide through a few of my creations and subscribe to my YouTube Channel to see my past and future productions.
Meet My Team
Allison
Palmer
Allison and I started the ADL program together in January of 2021. I have seen her fluriosh into a true master of education. She has pushed boundaries and has shown me that there are educators that still believe in giving students the best learning opportunities in a significant learning environment.
Pedro Beltran
Pedro and I also started the ADL program together. I owe him an immense amount of credit for using his people skills to create the strong team that we have. He continuously encourages me push myself to new lengths and use the voice he knows I have. He his the perfect description of a learner and leader.
Colby
Clifford
Although Colby and I did not begin this ADL journey together, sometimes I forget that because we have always made each of our schedules work in such a cohesive manner. She provides me with a wealth of knowledge from her experience. Her love of research and exploration only adds to the already phenomenal educator that she is.
In the midst of this journey, I found the following like-minded individuals who share the same beliefs that I do. Take some time to look through their work and join us in our evolving adventures.
Joining a community of individuals who share in the wild and brave idea of students having choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning experiences has stretched my thinking to a world of endless possibilities. I began this journey unsure of what I needed to do, and unsure of where it would take me. I'm now ending this journey with a wealth of knowledge that can never be forgotten. This "ending" is actually only the beginning of a lifetime of changes and working through struggles that I now have the tools to use to become successful. I intend to share my ideas with the rest of the world and watch each of them flourish just as I will continue to. This newfound journey has become my way of life, rather than a temporary destination.
Choice Ownership Voice
Authentic Learning
The past ten months have felt both like yesterday and ten years all at once. Looking back on the journey I started, I would not have imagined a program changing my life to this capacity. I figured I'd stay up a few long nights and get some quizzes and discussions in and then call it a day. This is not that program. These are not those kinds of courses. With so much initial shock and hesitation, I will admittedly say that I considered dropping the program before I got too far in.
I am so proud and happy that I didn't do just that. I stayed the course and it has changed me in ways I never thought imaginable. I now have a voice I didn't know I had nor one I thought I needed. I have encountered authentic learning experiences and projects and want to continue giving this to my own learners...of any age. COVA has allowed me to embrace the struggle and appreciate the hard work. Listen to our podcast and hear how my team and I have taken this program and truly made it our own.
Not familiar with COVA?
Watch to learn more...
COVA has created a world that my team and I have truly made our own. Dr. Dwayne Harapnuik, the creator of COVA and CSLE, allowed us to have genuine real-world experiences throughout our Applied Digital Learning journey by putting the importance of ownership and collaboration foremost. Now, we continue to push our learners to be in the same significant learning environments that we had the pleasure to be a part of. We guide them on an educational and personal path to develop a better version of themselves as both a learner and leader. We warn our learners that the only requirements for COVA include a growth mindset for feed-forward because although it will undoubtedly change them, it will not always be easy.
Use the link above to download the e-Book to learn even more about COVA.
References
Dr. Dwayne Harapnuik. (n.d.). CSLE. It's About Learning. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=849
Dwayne Harapnuik. (2018, February 14). COVA Approach [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ft__0LE3qQ
Dwayne Harapnuik, Tilisa Thibodeaux, & Cynthia Cummings. (2018). Choice, Ownership, and Voice through Authentic Learning COVA. Creative Commons License. https://doi.org/https://gallery.mailchimp.com/1bdbac4d4fbdff334a642eb11/files/8b18ae2a-8696-4d58-9b80-192f4cc6624c/COVA_eBook_Jan_2018.02.pdf
Harapnuik, D. (2017, July 19). Cova. It's About Learning. Retrieved June 23, 2021, from http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6991