I did not know what I would go through when I started my ADL program. I was asked to identify a problem or opportunity for innovation in my organization. During the first school year after COVID-19, I saw desperate teachers struggling to motivate their students to take agency in their learning. One of my goals in returning to school was acquiring knowledge and tools to help students take control of their learning. With this dream, my Innovation Plan was born. The first component created for this project was my Letter Proposal; I was very serious about promoting my innovative idea, and verbally, I shared My Why with one of the 5th-grade teachers. After my students' homeroom teacher agreed to team with me, I talked with my principal, and both offered me support for the pilot implementation. Unfortunately, our principal is no longer with us, and I still need approval for the pilot implementation, initially scheduled for the second semester of the 2023-2024 school year. As a suggestion from the assistant principal in our last PLC, I am moving the pilot date to the beginning of next school year. The first lesson learned is that the reality of time and power has set in. It will take longer than anticipated, so I updated my Implementation Outline. A Growth Mindset helps me see these setbacks as learning opportunities. 

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Through this program, I have created significant components that make every step on my path to innovation more solid. The plan is almost complete, but I am still in the promotion stage of my Innovation Plan, having these crucial conversations and showing the promotional video Call to Action, using Literature Review 1 and Literature Review 2, my Article Publication, and Media Project to discuss the benefits of ePortfolios and trying to appeal to people's hearts with My Why. As soon as I get the approval for the innovation pilot, I will start with the Professional Learning sessions, where every member of my ePortfolio team will take the instructional online course I designed. As a self-differentiated leader, I will use the Influencer Model to achieve desirable results and fight the whirlwind by applying my 4DX strategy. Using the action research will help me assess my students' learning and present the results to my stakeholders to get approved for the full ePortfolio implementation.

One of the first lessons I learned when I created my growth mindset plan is that we need more than sharing concepts and giving our students information if we want them to adopt a learner mindset; it requires creating significant learning environments that foster a growth mindset. I also learned how to incorporate technology in the classroom, knowing that learning comes first and the goal is to prepare self-directed and lifelong learners, as I stated in My Learning Philosophy and Learning Manifesto. This program prepared me to use backward design for my units, Fink's 3-Column Table and Understanding by Design, where the learning outcomes, activities, and assessments are aligned.

My ADL journey has been a learning experience around me, the student. Working on a real-world problem that interests me and having a choice and voice while developing all the components of my innovation project led to the ownership of my learning. COVA principles have been one of the most valuable additions to my project. When students have agency in their learning, they are more engaged, knowing that it is their responsibility to construct and go deeper in their learning. By having agency in my learning, I engaged in every course I took, gaining strategies to create the components of my innovation project. Having the opportunity to apply the theory into practice really worked for me. I also learned that adaptability and flexibility are crucial when planning an innovation. What worked initially may need adjustments later. Communication, collaboration, and feedback were essential factors in my project.

The leadership skills I gained through the ADL program and the experience of creating my Innovation Plan prepared me to lead new innovative projects. This journey has been a learning experience of adaptability and flexibility. What worked initially may need adjustments later. Involving stakeholders during the planning is essential for feedback and the project's success.