April Summary

John posted on Groups 1 & 4
Scott Posted on Groups 1 and 4 also
 

Scott’s Comments

This month provided me with the opportunity to share a community education article and also a few useful tools for community educator use. The article I picked focused on motivational strategies for ABE programs. I think that is so important for the success of a community education program but also the continued livelihood of it as it continues to evolve over time. For a tool I focused on the education coalition out of Columbus, IN. The coalition was such a powerful word for me because it really emphasized a partnership and collaboration that is so critical for community education programs. When I looked at the coalition it was truly that as so many different groups and individuals had teamed together to make this program work.

The rest of the semester was spent on the community education toolbox. Honestly if you do the work and work as a group and a team on each of the prior assignments then the toolbox is pretty easy to put together as it allows for a group to highlight what they have accomplished, researched and learned throughout the semester. I think it is a cool assignment because it allows you to go back and see everything you did throughout the semester (a lot of hard work) but also shows a student how everything relates and comes together at the end. In a way our brochure tells a story of our journey in this class.

Jillian’s Comments

Compiling our education toolbox was a great conclusion to the semester. A lot of times I do not reflect back on all the work that I do, but the toolbox allowed me to do that. We created a brochure about community educators and each had our own portion to complete. I think each of us brings different qualities to the table and it was nice to see it all come together once again this semester. I can’t believe the semester is almost over!

We also worked on our survival memo. I think this is a useful tool for future students in this program and course. It can be very intimidating starting a class with a new professor, but allowing students to reflect on what worked and didn’t work for them is something that should be done more often.

John's Comments

I think April demonstrated how we've grown as a group/unit. Compared to February and March we communicated much better, each sharing our input and asking questions of one another via email. The community educator toolbox brought all of our assignments together so that we could see the full progression of our work. This toolbox helped me to personally appreciate the overall value of this course. Much of what our interviewees said at the beginning of the semester can be mirrored in the final toolbox. The emphasis on partnerships, flexibility, organization, and the creation of sustainability are all intertwined in our brochure. Professionally this course enables the student to really value the effort needed to create substantial impact within their community. Moreover, the survival memo points to the realization on our part that communication cannot be taken for granted. Just as in professional life, nothing is going to get done unless you pick up the phone or send an email. I'm happy to say that we adjusted to this necessity, and collaborated positively from mid-semester onward.

                                                                  Katrina’s Comments

For the month of April as a group I do believe we have all pulled together and worked well in the end. We are all busy professionals however have managed to bring what was needed to complete our assignments. Out of all the assignments the community toolbox was the most engaging for me. The toolbox did allow me to reflect and put together all the work we have done this semester. Like Scott I too discover the community educator coalition founded in Columbus, IN. I had not read Scott’s suggestion in week 13 discussion before I posted about the same thing. It was very enlightening to read how this coalition began along with the initiatives that have been created within. Also in the same discussion there were other suggestions for tools that I plan to use in the future with edweb being one of them. Overall for our last month working together as a group I think we collaborated very well. I am proud of our toolbox along with our survival memo. Hopefully others will gain suggestions or ideas from what we have contributed to this class.