Creating the Final Paper and ePortfolio

QUESTION

You will create an ePortfolio that includes redesigned activities from prior coursework in your program (MAED or MASEPreview the document) that demonstrate your competency with your Programs Learning Outcomes, which are also the Course Learning Outcomes for EDU 696. Additionally, you will write a narrative reflection of your experience with the program and the ePortfolio construction. The overarching goal of this Final Paper and ePortfolio assignment is to showcase learning from your Master’s Program in a consolidated, web-based format that can easily be shared with anyone: colleagues, potential or current employers, friends, family members, and others. Within this ePortfolio, you will tell the story of your educational journey and value of your personal Master’s experience as it applies to the labor market. Remember, the ePortfolio is your chance to show what you know and are able to do in the practice of teaching and learning with technology. You will submit a link to your ePortfolio and attach your paper portion of the assignment in a Week Six discussion for preliminary feedback by peers and the instructor before the final submission. The earlier you submit in the Week Six discussion the more opportunity you have for input from your peers and instructor to improve your work before the final submission of this assignment.

Creating the Final Paper and ePortfolio

Please include a link to the ePortfolio (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. within the paper portion of this assignment. As needed, refer to your Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) list (MAED or MASEPreview the document). Then, create your final assignment to meet the content and written communication expectations below.

Content Expectations

ePortfolio Components (5 Points): Include at least one artifact demonstrating mastery for each of your Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) ( MAED or MASE).
ePortfolio Design (3 Points): Design the ePortfolio to be professional in appearance. Be sure to exemplify effective and ethical uses of technology so that the ePortfolio logically organized in a visually appealing way.
Narrative – Ranking (5 Points): In no more than one paragraph for each Program Learning Outcomes, rank and discuss the importance of each PLOs to your individual work setting, including an explanation of each ranking and its value to you in your learning environment or your position. Discuss how you currently use each PLO in your work setting and, if PLOs are not used, discuss ways you might begin to use them in your current or future work setting. If you are unemployed or otherwise do not work in a teaching role, you can either (a) use a previous work location, or (b) imagine the perfect work location (e.g., your dream job), and use that fictional work center to rank and discuss each PLO. The overall goal of this section of the narrative is to rank each PLO according to its importance to you as an educator or potential educator, starting by listing the most important PLO to you first.
Narrative – Challenges and Solutions (5 Points): In no more than two paragraphs discusses the design and development challenges experienced while creating the ePortfolio and how challenges were overcome.
Written Communication Expectations

Page Requirement (.5 points): Include one paragraph for each of the Program Learning Outcomes for a total of two to three pages (not including the title and reference pages).
APA Formatting (.5 points): Use APA formatting consistently throughout the assignment.
Syntax and Mechanics (.5 points): Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar.
Source Requirement (.5 points): Reference three scholarly sources in addition to the course textbook.
All sources on the references page need to be used and cited correctly within the body of the assignment.

ANSWER

Introduction

Overall, the MASE experience has been exciting and pleasant for me. All my courses challenged my beliefs and my thinking, which has made me reevaluate and rethink many of my conventional methods of teaching. Through the program, I have learned how to utilize technology in teaching and learned the importance of integrating it in every classroom activity (Burnaford & Brown, 2014). The knowledge that I have acquired through the MASE courses will be very important in my future employment and the rest of my career. All the courses that I have been taken through involved realistic and real-life scenarios meant to prepare me for future real-life situations in my career. Some courses were more challenging than others, while some were quite easy. I worked hard and avoided giving up when tasks and assignments were challenging.

With the skills and knowledge that I have acquired, I believe that I will be able to overcome any challenges that I may encounter in teaching in the future. My writing skills have improved greatly, and I have been able to identify my various strengths and weaknesses as an education professional. The program has provided important skills and knowledge in the field of early childhood education and child development, including skills such as being able to plan curriculums, working with children, and preparing environments. In this paper, the various courses that I have gone through, including the lessons learned and the skills acquired, are discussed. The learning outcomes of the program will also be discussed to determine whether they have all been achieved.

Components of the ePortfolio

Developing my ePortfolio was an exciting experience, as it enabled me to look back at all the previous tasks and assignments. It is quite fulfilling to see how much I have accomplished and learned through the program, improving in areas such as teacher planning, understanding education for children, understanding diverse teaching methods, and understanding the role of technology in teaching. In my ePortfolio, the artifact that best brings out my understanding of the program is the “Supporting Diversity through 21st Century Teaching and Learning” document. The document shows how well I grasped the knowledge and teachings provided in the courses. My ePortfolio has been structured to include various scholarly articles that provide information on how to teach children and how to treat children with special needs or disabilities to assist them in the acquisition of knowledge. The ePortfolio is properly arranged to allow viewers to easily go through it and learn. The following is the link to my ePortfolio: https://pathbrite.com/melissacarte185/profile

Narrative – Ranking of Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)

PLO 1: The MASE graduate designs appropriate learning experiences for students with exceptionalities that are informed by diverse cultural experiences and varied patterns of learning and development.

Teachers should go beyond instilling academic skills and knowledge in their students. They need to teach skills that are customized to meet the individual needs of students, their interests, and their preferences (Burnaford & Brown, 2014). Differentiated learning gives a teacher a method of providing a learning experience that is suited to the needs of the students since students have diverse and varied patterns of learning and development. Through the 4Cs: collaboration, creativity, communication, and critical thinking, teachers should be able to meet the needs of culturally diverse students. My focus on student learning and teaching makes me rank this PLO as number one as it is all about student success and achievement.

PLO 2: The MASE graduate synthesizes results from evidence-based assessments to guide educational decisions for individuals with exceptionalities.

The use of evidence-based assessment to direct or guide learning and teaching ranks as second among the PLOs. I do not think that teachers can teach and help their students to achieve success without having to weigh the effectiveness of their teaching and measuring the progress of their students. Evidence-based assessment is important in the measurement of student progress and the ability of the teacher to teach effectively. This PLO is important in my teaching work as it will improve the effectiveness of my lessons and enable me to provide my students with quality learning.

PLO 3: The MASE graduate creates a safe, inclusive, culturally responsive environment that cultivates active and effective learning for students with exceptionalities.

The teaching career is one that involves focusing on students in the classroom and their development. The teacher has to have the ability to establish a learning environment that is safe, inclusive, and culturally responsive. The teacher has to understand all the necessary elements that are required to develop such an environment and ensure that every child learns and develops crucial life skills (NAEYC, 2010). In my teaching career, this will be one of my main objectives and goals. This PLO ranks number three in my career.

PLO 4: The MASE graduate incorporates cross-disciplinary skills using evidenced-based instructional strategies for students with exceptionalities.

The various assignments that I have completed involved vast research into children, their development, and learning. I researched the various issues that affect children at the local and global levels, including diversity and children with exceptionalities (Applied Educational Systems, 2019). It is important for a teacher to acknowledge the diversity of children and their different strategies of learning. It is also important to incorporate inter-disciplinary skills in teaching to ensure that all students are able to benefit from teaching. I plan on ensuring that I increase the awareness of my students on various disciplines and issues around them, gauging their understanding by asking questions related to my teaching and the student learning environment. Since this PLO informs my teaching practices and how I manage my students, it ranks number four in my career.

PLO 5: The MASE graduate plans cross-disciplinary learning experiences that promote individualized academic and social abilities, attitudes, values, interests, and career options for students with exceptionalities.

While a teacher is in charge of an entire classroom of students that are different and that come from diverse backgrounds, it is the role of the teacher to ensure that each student acquires and develops the required social abilities, academic abilities, and the right attitude for learning (Edyburn, 2013). Learning has to be individualized so as to meet this goal. My plan is to develop teaching strategies and lesson plans that focus on giving attention to each student and ensuring that the lesson plans meet the individual needs of each student. With a keen focus on students, this PLO ranks number five for me.

PLO 6: The MASE graduate integrates positive collaborative practices with various stakeholders to address the needs of students with exceptionalities across a range of learning experiences.

Throughout the program, I have been able to use many forms of communication to communicate with my peers, professors, co-workers, and many other individuals in the education field. Through these interactions, I have acquired the skill to collaborate with various stakeholders in the field towards the achievement of set goals. This skill will be important in my career, as a collaboration between various stakeholders makes teaching and learning easy. This PLO ranks number six in my career.

Narrative – Challenges and Solutions

The MASE program has been a great experience for me. However, I have experienced a number of challenges over time. For instance, the development of the ePortfolio was very frustrating and confusing. It took me a lot of time to figure out how work is uploaded and arranged in an orderly manner, so as to be meaningful. I also faced a huge challenge trying to explain how the various PLOs relate to my career and what I had learned with relation to each PLO. However, through continuous practices and research, I was able to develop my ePortfolio and explain what I had learned throughout the program. Developing lesson plans was another area that posed a huge challenge for me. The task involved integrating ISTE standards and technology, which was quite a challenge for me. However, I was able to handle the challenge by using the knowledge acquired from the courses and the PLOs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the program has been informative and exciting, even with the noted challenges. Even though I encountered various challenges, I was able to overcome them and learn from them. The skills and knowledge acquired through the program will be important in my career, helping children learn and develop life and education skills. It is my hope to be a great teacher and to bring improvement in the education field.

References

Applied Educational Systems. (2019). What are 21st century skills. Retrieved June 22, 2019, from www.aeseducation.com/careercenter21/what-are-21st-century-skills

Burnaford, G., & Brown, T. (2014). Teaching and learning in 21st century learning environments: A reader. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Edyburn, D. L. (2013). Inclusive technologies: Tools for helping diverse learners achieve academic success [Electronic Version]. Retrieved June 23, 2019, from https://content.ashford.edu/

NAEYC. (2010). 2010 Standards for initial early childhood professional preparation. Retrieved June 23, 2019, from https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/our-work/higher-ed/NAEYC-Initial-Professional-Preparation-Standards-Summary.pdf