When I first began this course, I expected to be learning about digital resources, but I quickly realized that I would be writing an article to submit to Southwestern Musician (Texas Music Educators Association, n.d.). The writing process itsdelf was intimidating since academic writing is something I often struggle with. One of the most meaningful moments from the past eight weeks was receiving feedback on my publication rough draft, which shaped how I approached the media project. While a 90% is a good score for others, it was the lowest I have received in this program, and I was initially upset. Eventually, I decided to do what I tell my students—view it as an opportunity for growth. This shift reminded me of Dweck’s (2006) concept of growth mindset, which emphasizes that abilities can develop over time rather than being fixed. Overall, this course challenged me to think differently about perfectionism and reinforced the need to be kind to myself, allow mistakes, and adopt a learner’s mindset.

     One area where I feel most successful is managing our collaborative group. I set up the Google Docs, Zoom meetings, transcripts, and resource pages. Planning ahead with GroupMe allowed us to coordinate around busy work schedules. Leading our group by organizing meetings, resources, and presentations showed me that I can manage projects effectively, even with a demanding teaching schedule.

     While I made progress, I still need to improve my anxiety levels around submitting assignments. I often feel nervous turning in work that could have been better. Time management was also a challenge during marching band season, but I used my planner to stay on top of deadlines. Moving forward, I plan to address this with Sunday planning sessions and midweek check-ins so I can adjust timelines as needed. By recognizing when I am struggling, I can use my growth mindset to create a plan and keep working toward my goal of consistently producing strong academic work.​​​​

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    In the publication outline, I focused on learning about publication requirements. While working on my publication rough draft, I discovered that academic writing remains a hurdle, but feedback gave me clear direction. Creating the media project allowed me to connect my innovation plan to the draft. Schank (2011) argues that real learning happens through authentic, experiential processes, and I felt this when creating my podcast. Although podcasting was not my favorite medium, it strengthened my understanding of multimedia. This final step helped me complete my article, Formative Assessments in the Instrumental Music Classroom, and confirmed that consistent practice improves writing. I am submitting this article to Southwestern Musician.

     My discussion group contributed to my learning by showing me how other teachers are using technology in their classrooms. I learned about apps that were new to me, while I contributed organization, timelines, and resources. This experience also taught me to respect different schedules and working styles. If I could change one thing, it would be having the option for asynchronous discussions, since balancing responsibilities made synchronous meetings challenging.

     Taking both 5317 and 5304 at the same time highlighted important connections. The self-differentiated leader discussion in 5304 reminded me that leaders are value-driven and do not let the emotions of others affect their goals. I applied crucial conversation strategies to stay focused when group members had different priorities. This overlap taught me that leadership skills are crucial in every situation, both academic and professional, and will benefit me as I continue my graduate studies.

     Looking back, I grew most in my academic writing and mindset. I learned that the goal is progress, not perfection, and I now feel more prepared for doctoral studies as a self-directed learner. As Fink (2013) explains, self-directed learners must learn to assess the quality of their own work (p. 103), and this course gave me opportunities to reflect on both strengths and growth areas. Overall, I discovered that I am capable of more than I thought, and I leave this course with greater confidence as both a writer and a learner.

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