E-Portfolio Cover Letter

This is a cover letter discussing the knowledge and skills I have acquired as a result of this course (Computer Networking in Communication Disorders) The following is the list of objectives for the course and explanations of how I completed each one of them.

Learner Outcomes: Conceptual

1. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the principles and methods of accessing relevant, pertinent, and credible information pertaining to their research question.

By researching information pertaining to my research question at Marshall University’s online Library and on the internet and then compiling (and using) a list of resources, which are in the references page of the project, I have demonstrated that I met this objective. I used what I learned through completing other assignments to be sure that information I found was credible ( week 4 assignment 5) and I also used various combinations of words to find information more specific to my research question (week 3 assignment 3).

2. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the principles and methods of analyzing websites for credibility.

By completing assignment 5 in week 4 I achieved this objective. I followed an the outline given to complete the assignment and determine whether the sites were credible. Some of the things that I looked for were the copyright date or date of last modification, references or sources that site has listed, information about the author or organization publishing the site, and more.

3. Students will demonstrate the knowledge of the principles and methods of critically analyzing information.

By analyzing my own website in assignment 2 week 14 and reporting on the strengths and weaknesses of it I believe I met this objective. I used what I learned in assignment 5 of week 4 (previously mentioned) to analyze and then improve my website.

4. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the principles and methods of evaluating information.

I met this objective by completing the assignments mentioned above, by analyzing my own website and others, and by compiling a list of useful information for my project.

Learner Outcomes: Technical

1. Students will prepare for and participate in class discussions and activities.

Before meeting online, or in class, there was a list of readings given with that week’s assignments so that I could be prepared for discussions. In the online discussion at www.tappedin.org in week 6 it is evident that I, and my classmates, prepared for the topic. I reflected on my own participation in the discussion for assignment 4 week 6 by answering questions such as, what question I raised, what I left the discussion with, and the contributions other members made.

2. Students will develop strategies for effectively planning and completing independent work (meeting both the letter and the spirit of the work, not just the letter of the work) in a timely manner.

Assignments were due on a certain date and usually in a certain format. I turned every assignment in on time and by looking at the comments left by my classmates you can see that my assignments did meet the spirit and the letter of the work. What helped me most was creating a project prospectus. It was basically an outline of the work I would planned to complete and the order I planned to complete it in. By creating this outline and making many of the decisions about my project early on, I was able to spend less time trying to figure out what to do during the semester and more time on completing my assignments meeting the letter and spirit of the work.

3. Students will think practically (solve problems and make decisions) by thinking critically (analysis and evaluation) and thinking creatively (imagining and creating).

I think in order to make many of the genres (e-mail exchange, poem, journal entries) I had to be creative to put myself in the shoes of the patient and family members. By choosing to write the genres that I did I had to imagine what they could be like and also think practically as I contemplated my limitations as a creative writer. I had a lot of fun with these and got caught up in the fictitious family.

4. Students will demonstrate the abilities to use the internet to collaborate (collaboration), to find and manage information (rich and interactive information), and as a vehicle for publication (self expression).

I used the internet weekly if not daily throughout this semester. I found and managed information for several assignments, such as assignment 3 week 12: Digital Literacy and assignment 4 week 4: Collaborative Software. I published everything for this class on the internet at my own website, www.bellomy.wordpress.com, which I created early in the semester. I also collaborated with my peers as we discussed our research questions at www.tappedin.org in week 6, and shared useful sites through e-mail.

5. Students will demonstrate enhanced communication skills and strategies, using the discourse of the discipline, in both oral and written formats.

I met this goal by completing every assignment this semester and meeting with my instructor and other classmates both in class and online. By discussing my project and my classmates’ projects online and in class, and by researching topics related to the discipline I feel that my communication skills using the discourse if the discipline have been enhanced. I also think that by revising my work, many things several times, I found better words to use and better ways to convey what I was thinking. It isn’t so easy for others to see the changes that I have made because I revised along the way, but as I did make changes I could see how my understanding and use of the discourse has improved over the course of the semester. You can see the changes that I made in one area by looking at the project prospectus and then the revised project prospectus.

6. Students will participate and collaborate, synchronously and asynchronously, in online professional communities (ASSOCIATE).

I participated in chat sessions at www.tappedin.org where I collaborated with my peers and instructor synchronously. I collaborated asynchronously by commenting on my groupmates’ work every week. The comments were a very benficial part of this class for me. I also joined an alzheimer’s mailing list in the third week of class but I only e-mailed once so my participation and collaboration in that area was very minimal.

7. Students will craft a researchable question (ASK).

In week 3 assignment 7 I did craft a researchable question and with the instructor’s help I later revised that question which became “How does a person’s communication change from early to late dementia?” To craft my question I followed 3 steps: list areas of interest (10), choose one area and identify 2-3 issues of important, choose one issue of importance and turn it into a question that asks about how the world works or how things came to be.

8. Students will gather relevant information concerning research question (ACCESS).

You can see, by looking at the list of resources on the reference page of my MRP and the in text citations that I used in my genres, that I gathered quite a bit of relevant information relating to my research question. I searched the web and Marshall University Library’s site to find the information.

9. Students will critically analyze and evaluate web sites and information (ANALYZE).

By using the form provided in week 4 assignment 5 I did analyze web sites and information to be sure that they were credible. There was a specific site given to anaylze and report on, I chose a site related to my topic to analyze and report on, and I also used that same form to evaluate my own website in week 14 assignment 2 and as a result I found that there were things that I could/should add to or change about my site.

10. Students will publish their work online (ANNOUNCE).

I have published all of my work for this class online; from the weekly assignments to the Multigenre Research Project. The web address is www.bellomy.wordpress.com. I created the site at www.wordpress.com and it was very simple. Once I began posting on the site and learned a little about it I became concerned with the way it looked and how others would view it. I wanted to make it as user-friendly as possible and changed the presentation many times before finally finding the perfect one. I am very pleased with the way the site looks and I think that visitors will be able to browse easily and will understand what the site is all about.

11. Students will demonstrate self-confident interdependence in electronic spaces and interactions.

I believe that I met this objective, but it is hard to show or explain exactly how. When class began I was nervous about some things that I was going to be doing throughout the semester such as podcasting and making my own website. I don’t spend much time on the computer and don’t have much of a desire to, so I think it is safe to say that I was, and in many areas still am, technologically behind. However, I feel very confident meeting online for class, podcasting, and creating websites now and this is a feeling that developed over the course of the semester. I feel that by completing the Multigenre Research Project I have used more of my creative side, which isn’t utilized often in my classes. I have learned more about myself through this class than anything else. I have become much more confident in electronic spaces and honestly it was all quite simple which is the exact opposite of what I anticipated.