I was excited when I learned in EDLD 5302 that we would have to build a website. As a new teacher, subject matters such as curriculum design, lesson planning, and traditional education resources were not my strong suit, but graphic and digital design was. I am a creative, and any opportunity to create something, especially something that allows me to be creatively free. I knew I wanted to include vibrant colors and dynamic elements like GIFs, memes, and other culturally relevant components my students would identify with. In our last Zoom meeting for EDLD 5303, I made several significant last-minute changes to my website, the most notable being brand consistency. While reviewing my colleague Patrick Rodriguez's eP, I noticed he created a professional Twitter account and used it to document his ADL journey, among other things. I was inspired to create a professional social media account, but I decided to go with Instagram, as that is the platform my students use most often. From that, Ms.Carter Creates was born, shared, and well-received by my students, colleagues, and peers. Pivoting from Ashleigh Carter Kegler to Ms.Carter Creates provided brand consistency across my social media accounts and my eP and made it easier to streamline content and dial into the "O" in the COVA model.
Although I am confident in my ability to create my eP, I am still building and revising my project guidelines for my students' ePs. In my innovation plan, I detail how I would like my students to use ePs in Digital Design and eventually in all their classes. One of my main concerns is interest. Although eP construction is one of my TEKS, I am still concerned that the students will find the project tedious or daunting. I enjoy creating and adding to my eP and want my students to share the same sentiments, but I worry that the overall project will seem like too big of a mountain to climb. To prophylactically address my students' concerns or anxiety, I introduced Carol Dweck's Growth Mindset before even showing them my eP. The primary tool I used to define and provide applicable skills for a Growth Mindset was my Growth Mindset Plan. For me, my eP is my happy place; it is a space where I can be 100% authentic and create the content I want to put into the world. I am still perfecting my approach and the presentation of this project to my students. I am confident that I will find a way to present the construction of their ePs as less of a task and more of a liberating experience.
I acknowledge that my eP is in its genesis stage, but I love where it is. It's truly a representation of who I am as a person and educator. My next goal for my eP is to be more consistent with blogging. In one of our Zoom meetings with Dr. H, he reminded us that not every blog had to be based in your content area. He explained that we should also be blogging about our personal lives and experiences. There's that "O" in COVA again. Making my eP my own was my focus in EDLD 5303, and I am satisfied with how this website represents me. If Beyonce were here, she'd say, "From one Ms. Carter to another, well done!"
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