​Over the course of the Applied Digital Learning program, my understanding of teaching, leadership, and innovation shifted in ways I did not initially anticipate. What began as a desire to improve classroom efficiency evolved into a deeper exploration of instructional design, sustainability, and systems thinking.

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This page synthesizes the major components of my ADL journey and connects the work represented throughout my ePortfolio into a cohesive professional narrative.

 

Where I Started

I entered the ADL program as a middle school band director focused primarily on performance outcomes and classroom management. I valued structure, preparation, and high expectations. However, much of my instructional practice relied on personal effort rather than intentional system design.

 

At the time, I sensed that my workflow was unsustainable, but I lacked the framework and language to articulate why. My students were dependent on teacher-directed feedback, and I was operating in a constant cycle of correction and response.

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The ADL program provided the theoretical and practical tools to rethink that model.

 

CSLE, COVA, and the Shift in Mindset

Through the Creating Significant Learning Environments (CSLE) framework and the COVA learning approach, I began to rethink how meaningful change happens in a classroom. Instead of focusing on completing tasks or implementing tools, I started to see that sustainable improvement requires ownership, alignment, and authentic learning experiences (Harapnuik, 2018a, 2018b). COVA challenged me to move beyond compliance-based assignments and toward work that had genuine application in my classroom and professional context. Designing my innovation plan required me to take ownership of both the problem and the solution.

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This shift was not immediate. Initially, I gravitated toward clearly defined expectations and narrow parameters. Over time, I developed greater comfort with ambiguity, iteration, and authentic design. I learned to build with long-term impact in mind rather than short-term completion.

This marked the beginning of my shift from seeking a tool-based solution to designing a systems-based intervention.

 

Innovation Planning and Systems Thinking

My innovation plan focused on implementing technology-supported formative assessment systems in the band classroom. The goal was not to increase technology usage, but to redesign feedback cycles in ways that reduce cognitive overload and foster student independence.

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As I progressed through the program, my focus expanded from improving classroom efficiency to examining instructional sustainability. Through literature review and action research planning, I explored how intentional formative assessment design can reduce decision fatigue and support both learner autonomy and teacher longevity. These components did not exist in isolation. Rather, all components strengthened and refined the same core innovation.

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Rather than viewing burnout as an individual failure, I began to recognize it as a systems issue. This perspective reframed my work from “working harder” to “designing better.”

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Action Research and Evidence-Based Design

Building the action research framework forced me to slow down and get specific. It wasn’t enough to believe the innovation was helpful. I had to define what improvement actually looked like and how I would measure it. Instead of asking whether the tool worked, I had to ask whether the system was producing meaningful change. What data would show growth? How would I know if students were becoming more independent? What evidence would demonstrate alignment between feedback and performance outcomes?
 

That process sharpened my thinking. Measurement stopped feeling like a requirement and started feeling like clarity. It helped me see gaps, anticipate challenges, and design with intention rather than assumption.

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Through action research, I moved from implementing an idea to refining a structure. I designed a structure that could evolve, adapt, and remain sustainable over time.

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Community and Professional Growth

Additionally, collaboration and reflection played an essential role throughout this journey. Peer feedback and discussion-based dialogue deepened my thinking and refined my work.

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Equally important was the role of reflective blogging in shaping my professional growth. Through posts such as “Bandtober is a Scam and This is My Villain Origin Story,” I examined the cultural normalization of exhaustion in performance-driven environments and began articulating burnout as a structural issue rather than a personal failing. In “Leadership Goals: Amy-Level Preparedness, a Growth Mindset, and Yes—There Will Be Lamination,” I explored how intentional preparation and systems-based thinking support sustainable leadership. Additionally, in “From Perfectionism to Progress: How ChatGPT Helped Me Set Boundaries and Embrace a Growth Mindset,” I reflected on the shift from perfection-driven effort to aligned, purposeful design.

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These reflections were not separate from my innovation work. They documented the mindset transformation occurring alongside it. Blogging allowed me to connect theory to lived experience, strengthening both my instructional design and my leadership identity.
 

Presenting at professional conferences and publishing professional writing extended these ideas beyond reflection and into contribution. Together, these experiences reinforced that the work developed in the ADL program has relevance beyond a single classroom.

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What I Created

The work represented throughout this portfolio includes:

• A cohesive digital portfolio connecting theory and practice

• A new teaching philosophy

• A list of inspirations and quotes that help visitors understand who I am as both a teacher and a person

• A digital toolbox for music educators

• An organizational change plan for working with different stakeholders while implementing my innovation plan

• A professional development plan for my innovation plan

• An online classroom for beginner clarinetists

• A blog where I share my thoughts and ideas about music education and my classroom

• A place to support teachers who are new to the field

• Professional presentations and publications extending this work into the field
   

More importantly, this process helped me rethink how I approach teaching. Instead of reacting to problems as they appear, I now focus on designing systems that support sustainable learning for both students and teachers.