EDLD 5301 End of Course Reflections

The lectures for EDLD5301 were quite informative.  Drs. Arterbury and Jenkins did a respectable job in providing a video version of the weekly overviews we received from the professor.  However, I truly feel the lectures would have more of an impact if they allowed the professor of record to present them.  Dr. Abshire stressed that the courses are built ahead of time, but it was still a bit unsettling having such crucial content and instructions delivered by persons with whom we would have absolutely no additional contact.  I attended all of the web-conferences in the first course.  However, I still felt out of sorts and unsure of my success in the Masters program (as it pertains to this construct).  However, this drove me to strive to attend each of the web-conferences with the actual professor which proved to be priceless! As I stated to Professor Abshire during one of our web-conferences, I was initially concerned about the assigned reading.  At first glance, the readings seemed redundant and unnecessary.  However, the more I read, the more I discovered that I knew absolutely nothing about action research.  I appreciated the fact that the content of the readings was assigned sequentially, contextually, and repeatedly.  Just as with out students, repetition was the key for me to adapt from a traditional research perspective. The searches were second nature to me.  However, I was pleased to have more practice. The assignments and activities were quite involved and demanded the utmost attention.  I appreciate the fact that we had far more assignments than those of my colleagues involved in traditional face-to-face matriculation.  The assignments and activities were designed to ensure we are just as prepared (if not even more so) than students learning in the traditional setting.  I feel very confident in what I am learning and have every confidence I will be a strong, confident, and compassionate leader whose ethics and leadership skills help continue to mold future generations.  The discussion board and blogging was new to me.  However, I embraced both concepts with the mindset that they would benefit my program and my students.  The first thing my colleagues and I noticed was that these are tools that I can incorporate into my program to maintain connectivity and interaction between all parties involved, particularly the stakeholders. Dr. Abshire’s guidance made me (and countless others) feel grounded in the program and ready to accomplish the tasks ahead.  She provided thorough explanations, insight, and encouragement.  I am looking forward to continuing on to the doctoral program immediately after successful completion of this Masters’ program.  THANK YOU!