My Growth Mindset
Reviewed & Renewed
One of the larger challenges of going to Graduate School is going to Graduate School. The time, investment, and expectations are all factors that play into becoming a student learner after having spent so much time as a teacher learner. This summer has taught me a lot about where I am moving forward with my life. There are a great many things that have challenged me to push myself to progress not just in the program, but in my own life. Reflecting on the completion of my third semester with Digital Leading & Learning program, I have taken these lessons and values from my experiences and contributions to learning.
Timing is everything.
With starting a summer job, I knew that my time management would be required to change and evolve with regards to my new schedule. There were times when I would be in class and at work simultaneously. This made getting things done both challenging and more rewarding. I found myself accomplishing tasks and completing my work much more efficiently and with greater focus than I did during the school year. Despite the many different occurrences within the past month, dedicating time towards the pursuit of innovation plan and goals were amazing. I became more organized, and by extension was able to focus my attention on the skills needed to develop my innovation plan. My biggest takeaway from this summer is that any and everything is truly possible. It is a matter of how much you are willing to dedicate towards your goal.
Collaboration is Key
While attending the usual Wednesday night group meetups with my classmates was no longer possible during this summer session , I found myself being able to lean on my collective groups more than ever this summer. Wayne and Bianca have been such a strong motivating force during this summer session. They have helped me in so many ways just getting my head around what needed to be done for each week. These two are the first group I collaborated with and will continue with until the end of the program. Wayne’s presence on his websites and Bianca creativity where constant sparks of ideas firing in my brain.
I have the honor of becoming a member of another group consisting of Lindsey and Vonn. Both of whom are working on similar learning models as I am. This group added the second layer of motivation and challenge. Both have such unique ways of approaching the different assignments that at times I thought that I was playing catch-up to them. Yet, they were teaching me through constant example. Vons unique Apple insight was a welcomed touch of critical thinking. Lindsey’s innovation plan is well thought out, not to mention the simplicity yet near perfection of her website.
In turn, I was able to provide them with the organization tools I found overtime. Recently, I completed the task of finding majority of the books that we use in the program in PDF format. Giving my peers access to this is a great resource for past and future readings. Additionally, providing them with the documents and templates found through research has been helpful to them given my unique ways of finding and research using Google.
Collaboration can take many forms. In some areas it could be as big as a classroom, while in others it could be as small as two to four people texting each other. This summer, my two groups up to push me even further to graduation 2021.
Personal Reflections
Reading & Learning is Great!
Admittedly, one of my larger struggles during the ADL program was reading the course material. I honestly do not know what changed recently. However, I am certainly glad It did! I thought I had lost my zeal for reading. Finding it again in the midst of the summer session is honestly one of the greatest things that has happened to me in a long time. I did not just begin to read the books for the class, I began to read some of the books on my new bookshelf I purchased last week. Some audio books that I found on YouTube and books that I found as PDFs to travel with. I even have a book that I am currently reading right now that I find most enjoyable.
Overall, my spark for reading has been reignited and I am beyond happy that it has. Reading ignites the path to lifelong learning. But implementation of is where the magic happens, and you grow from where you are to where you are supposed to be.
A Growth Mindset will take you far in life.
To conclude, my reading of the growth mindset has altered how I view my experiences. I have come to believe that a fixed mindset is necessary at certain times. A fixed mindset allows you to take a task at hand without interruption. I believe this is a necessary quality of life. Alternatively, a growth mindset will help you overcome any situation presented to you. While going through life, challenges will arise, the growth mindset teaches you to face those challenges with thought provocation and clarity. This for me is the difference between the growth and fixed mindset. The fixed mindset help you develop your goal while the growth mindset is meant for you to accomplish your goal.
Where Dreams & Technology Meet! 