Wrapping Up EC&I 831 with a
Summary of Learning Final Project
A Bit of a Background Story
To be completely honest, the Summary of Learning is something that I stress about before the course even begins. I seem to struggle jumping out of the box, and put a lot of stress on myself to find something new, be different, creative, and hopefully, one day ends up on the list of Great Ones. Why does that hold so much attention you ask? I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because being personally better than I once was is something I always strive for, or maybe it’s being able to go above and beyond and get to that next step. Whatever the reason may be, it’s something that motivates me but also scares the living daylights out of me at the same time.
I always joke that in order for me to walk away successfully from this class, I need to do the best I can at both blogging and responding, as well as interacting on Discord and Twitter. I feel like I have done a pretty decent job at hanging out on Discord and helping people out, as well as engaging in conversations with others. I have put more effort into interacting on Twitter and trying to get more efficient and comfortable when using it. Although I don’t have a million followers, or probably 100 to boot, I feel as if I can share things for my own use, learn from other things, or at least get up to speed on the latest news, all while being able to share in a more constructive way. In no doubt, there are trolls and other awful things lurking in the background, but I choose to ignore it and not engage in it. Not because I am afraid, but because I choose my own happiness and mental health, and wellness more than engaging with people who don’t know me, and who choose to bring other people down rather than raise them up. I don’t have the time or energy to subscribe to that, so I don’t.
How’d I Even Get Here Anyways?
Okay, back to the Summary of Learning. When stewing over this project with Jennifer, Amanda, Curtis B, and Raquel, I needed all of the help that I could possibly get. Even though I wanted to originally do a talk show-type project, I knew with my limited editing skills and time, I wouldn’t be able to get the end result that I wanted. Having a sick kiddo in the emergency, and spending a lot of time snuggling and staying up late making sure he was okay, I was lacking the time and energy I needed to execute something so foreign and new to me. Is this a failure? I don’t think so. Or I hope not at least. I went outside of the box, or my four walls at least, and tried something new. It wasn’t as extreme as learning how to edit videos and photoshop, but I am happy with how it turned out.
Enough Talk, Check It Out!
There are a couple of ways to check out my Summary of learning. You can check out the Google Slides here and use the main profile page to jump to my Instagram posts on a given subject. There is a title and a description accompanied by a picture. I covered the 9 main things that I thought were key points of the course. Did it encompass everything we learned? Absolutely not. But it reflects my learning and understanding of the course and of course has a Kelly spin on it. I gained my inspiration through my old peers that I mentioned above, as well as a great little blog I came across called Shake Up Learning. I used the basics of the template they provided but added to it and put my own spin on it. I also added in a few video highlights to try to make things more authentic. I also used photos from my blog posts and connected each of the Instagram posts to the blog posts I created throughout the semester. Neat, huh? At least I thought so. You can also check out a quick overview of my project with this video, my super lovely voice, and all or one with some ambient music. (Full disclosure: if you’re checking out my Instagram Profile before Tuesday’s class I still need to add the highlight videos).
REMINDER: Once in Google Slides, press ‘VIEW’ then ‘PRESENT’.
Where Do We Go from Here?
Although the course is wrapping up and coming to end, I feel like the relationships made throughout the course will continue forward. I would have to say that one thing I love the most about the course is sticking around after to chat about whatever. From new things happening in the technology world, to our classrooms and school experiences, and even the connections that we have made outside of the course to people in the course, I always take away so much from those informal conversations and learning through each other. I also appreciate the laughs and seeing and hearing people differently in a less structured format. I really hope that our paths will cross again soon, and we’ll be able to work and learn together once again.
Let’s hear some of your final thoughts. Like always, reply to one or more of the guiding questions below, leave a general comment, tell me something random, or like the post. It’s up to you! We’re in the home stretch now.
- How do you feel about the Summary of Learning project?
- Do you feel like you accomplished what you had anticipated?
- Am I the only one that feels stressed when it comes to brainstorming ideas and executing the Summary of Learning project?
- Are you also feeling just a bit sad that the course is coming to an end and the after-hours chat about random things won’t be going on anymore?
- How can I beef up my Summary of Learning for next time?
- Do you have some Summary of Learning ideas for me to try out for next semester?
Kelly,
Oh no! Sending love and well wishes to your little one and your family. I say this over and over… I don’t know how people teach, parent, and do school. You’re a rock star and I admire your hard work!
I love how you put your Summary of Learning together! Plus, I think the template you used for your project would be a hit with your students. You touched on many important topics and it is evident you’ve thought deeply and critically about them. I know you don’t feel like you’re very creative, but throughout this semester, I’ve enjoyed listening to your insights. Your Cricut project along with your Summary of Learning show you’re more innovative than you think! I appreciate all of the help you’ve offered– not just to me, but to our classmates, particularly with blogging and my learning project… THANK YOU THANK YOU! I will probably be reaching out next semester with a blogging question by the way…
It has been a pleasure learning alongside you! 🙂
Leigh, thanks so much for stopping by and dropping off such a sweet comment. For sure! By all means, reach out! I am not an expert by any means, but I can figure some of the things out. Maybe I can be an honourary Discord member in the next group? Hahaha, maybe Katia will approve it.
I appreciated learning alongside you and getting all your great tips, and listening to your questions at the end of class each week. You always had something to ask, and I usually ended up learning more or at least on a path to learning something new. I am sure that you will do just great in your next and final course! Good luck! Keep on asking those awesome questions.
Kelly,
I think your summary of learning is so cute and creative! I love the idea of an Instagram page covering highlights. This connects especially well to a course on social media. I think it is great enough to be on “the best ones” page! I have always enjoyed following along with your blogging as you are such a concise blogger.
As for your questions, #3- I also do find it stressful to try and pick a way to present my knowledge. I have always struggled with open ended assignments. Once they are finished though, I am usually very happy with the result and glad that I was given the chance to do something other than a boring old paper.
Thanks for all your comments and insights this semester. I also hope your little one is doing better now!!
Gosh, aren’t you the sweetest Brittney. Thanks so much for following along and the kind words. It is so appreciated and put a smile on my face today! So thank-you.
Isn’t it funny how sometimes we struggle through assignments that are more open-ended and then realize (once we are done that is) that it wasn’t as bad as we originally thought it would be? I always joke that writing a paper is so much easier than some of these final assignments because there is a specific method to follow when writing.
We are slowly on the mend, so I hope by the weekend we are 100% again. I enjoyed your blogs and seeing your final project! All your work looks fantastic! 🙂 Hopefully, our paths will cross again soon.
HI Kelly! Wow, I really liked the aesthetic design and creativity of your project and your overall blog post. You are an absolute champ at making comments on people’s blog, and I aspire to be that engaged and create discussion through these platforms.
#1 hits home for me, because it is so challenge to wrap up and or summarize our learning for this semester into a 5 minute or so video. After the completion of my own summary, I viewed others and my first thought was like “oh shoot” I totally missed out on some key important concepts. However, once I thought more about this process, it is totally apparent that we all take-away different concepts from the content and how it may apply to our own life or situation. So, it was really interesting to see various perspectives and key take-aways from there! Although, really hard to not compare to others in those moments even though we were true to ourselves in how we shared our learning in that process.
Thanks for sharing and all the comments and questions you left on not only my blog, but others in the class. You certainly helped to facilitate great discussion and deeper level thinking from your feedback. My question for you, is how do you manage to provide all your comments on everyone’s blog? What is your secret and how does that process actually occur? I am very eager to learn how to do this better!!
Thanks again!!
Hey Chris, thanks for popping by and leaving some great feedback! I too seem to always have that sinking feeling that I forgot to include something, or didn’t touch on another thing enough, and so on. I guess what I realized since January is that everyone is at such different levels and what one person learns and or feels is valuable to them may not be to the next. So realizing that we are all in different spaces and places is important.
As for the comments, I spend a lot of time working on making sure that I am commenting on others’ posts because I feel like I lack in the Summary of Learning department. Embarrassingly enough I have a spreadsheet that I use to track who I have commented on, responded to comments on my own blog, and who I have referenced in one of my posts. It’s weird, and probably over the top. I totally get that. It’s like a little job in itself, but I have learned so much through people, how they set up their blogs, and what links and information they have to share. It’s probably too much over the top, and not enough of the right balance, but I feel as if it’s important and I learn through it. It’s definitely easier in the Spring/Summer classes as they are shorter, but I felt like I needed to set myself up for a challenge since my Summary of Learnings isn’t always top-notch.
Thanks for checking in. 100% of people are probably judging my tracker right now, lol, and I can’t believe I shared that… but it’s true! Nothing to hide. Just like in our classrooms some are super extra… that happens to be me right now. Anyways, thanks again for stopping by!
Haha I love that you shared that tidbit Kelly – I was also wondering where you find the time to do it all! I think you are a relator and a connector, and love to inspire others or make others feel value, and that is perhaps why you are thorough in this area. Like Brennan said, I too appreciated your comments and feedback. I love your project summary – so very creative!! You should be proud and never worry about what you’re going to do – have no fear, it all comes together in the end!
We talked about creating a balance and that is always helpful to hear. I hope you continue to strike that balance because your family comes first, not your job or school or anything. I hope your little one is much better and you can breathe easier! Take care!
You’re so right, Lynette. Finding balance is key but it can be so difficult. I know that before I had my kiddo, I dove head over heels into work all of the time and always was operating at 110%. After becoming a mom, my role shifted. It wasn’t easy at first, and sometimes I still need to reflect and change things to balance everything better, but it’s a work in progress. He is doing a lot better too, so that makes getting homework done and feedback sent along a lot easier too.
Thanks for your kind words and for stopping by. I really appreciate it. I enjoyed learning alongside you and I hope that our paths cross again soon. Congrats again on your shift in roles at your school. I am sure you’re doing great!