Innovation Plan Update
At the very beginning of the ADL program we were told to develop an innovation plan. Since I work with senior students and have a specific territory in Houston that I oversee, I decided to create an online platform where students can go to learn about college admissions and what information they need to submit for applications. I am currently about 1/3 of the way through creating the online platform for students. I have a website made through WordPress called Enrollo. I have already created one course and I am still adding to it. I plan on getting some videos of admissions professionals explaining all about their colleges for students to be able to access. In my Implementation post, I explain all about my online course that I have created so far for the website. I have also added resources to the website which students can access such as fee waivers for college applications.
I currently still need to complete a lot of the online platform because I have been really busy with my job and my current living situation. I do plan on hopefully having this done by the end of 2026 so I can implement it properly. I am really excited to be able to make my online platform come to life and have students utilize it when they need so I will continue to work on it as best as I can.
Analyze and Reflect
When I first started out on my online platform, I had no idea where to start. I was confused and lost and was worried that I wouldn’t be able to accomplish everything that I have in the past year. After going through some of the courses in the program, I started gaining more confidence and that’s when I started building my online platform even more. With each component and step, I have learned that if I keep my mindset on growth, I will be able to accomplish anything I want. From writing my innovation proposal to creating an online course, my implementation has come so far. I am excited to be able to continue my online platform and hopefully implement it next year.
What Worked, What Could I Have Done Better and Lesson I have Learned
The assignments in the different classes definitely helped with my innovation plan. They really helped me focus on the why, what and how for my online platform. They also helped me start to develop my website and to properly nail down the purpose of it. My online platform will help students to have ownership and their own voice through learning by letting them control what they learn and at what pace they prefer. Some things I could do differently are I could spend a little more time on the platform to perfect it and I could also do the online courses listed on the website better.
Some of the lessons that I have learned are simple. There is always room for improvement no matter how skilled you are and if your passionate about helping your students, there is nothing that can stop you from putting your mind out there to better help our kids. There is much room for improvement and when I go further in my innovation project, I will definitely improve my content.
Promoting and Communicating
There are a few ways that I plan on promoting and communicating my innovation plan. One of the main ways is since I have contacts of counselors all over the southwest Houston area, I will be able to pitch my innovation plan to them so they have the opportunity to help me promote this to our students. Another way is I will hopefully get my colleagues to help with my online platform design so they will be able to get it out to their territories all over Texas. Lastly I plan on advertising the platform to my students that I see at college fairs because I believe word of mouth is the fastest way to grow my online platform. If I could do things differently, I would spend more time on my innovation project and communicate better with my colleagues about it. I struggle with communicating a lot of the time and that is one of my weaknesses.
The Next Innovation Project
I honestly do not know what my next innovation project will be. Once I complete the current one I am developing, I will probably focus on creating more content and managing the online platform. If I ever did another innovation project I would probably incorporate my website into it. I really don’t have my next steps as of right now but once I do, I will write it down in this post. I know I want to keep helping teachers and students with my next innovation project but I am at a point in my life where I am moving on in my career in higher ed so my life is uncertain right now. I will definitely continue to develop my innovation project and hopefully release it to the public next year.
Timeline
It's Not Just About Ideas 
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