Topic 8
Hello Cornerstone students. This is the last post for you! It has been a great semester and our group as enjoyed mentoring you and reading your posts. This is a good time to think back over the semester and think about what you have learned or what you will take away from this class. Every class we take to earn our degree offers something valuable that you can use in the future. In this class you began to develop your e-portfolio and prepare yourself to look for a career. This post will summarize your experiences this semester and how you feel about your e-portfolio. You can use the questions as a guideline to help you.
Looking back on this semester what is something valuable you will take away from this course? Have you put any of these to use?
Can you foresee this helping you when you graduate?
Will you make use of the campus resources to find a job?
What excites you most about your e-portfolio?
How do you feel about the artifacts you gathered?
Was it difficult to find artifacts?
Will you use these artifacts when looking for a job or applying to graduate school?
Are you planning to attend graduate school?
Here is an article that you might find interesting and you can post regarding this as well: http://www.quintcareers.com/college-to-career.html
Have a wonderful summer and good luck in the future!
NOTE: Please reply as three separate comments not as new posts but as replies UNDER 3 separate posts to receive credit for Cornerstone class requirement.
Nikki, Edison, Heather, Kristin, Rachel, Rikesh,
Susanne and Victoria
I haven’t seen my career goals change, as of yet, but I have discovered more options and opportunities that come along with interdisciplinary studies. If things do not go as planned with future career, or it doesn’t turn out to be the path for me, I feel as though my interdisciplinary background had prepared me better for a wide range of career paths. This course has always prepared me for a better explanation and better understanding of the strengths that come from interdisciplinary studies. I see now the benefits, and will be able to articulate this to interviewers. I only wish I had pursued interdisciplinary studies earlier in the college career!
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Bethany Moore
Hi
DeleteI felt the same way after changing from Business Admin to IDS. If i knew IDS was offered i would have started it long time ago before half way as a Business Admin. As stated IDS will provide its graduates with stron educational background for any career chosen.
Its great that you chose this major because you will be able to try out many different areas of study and figure out what you would like to do for your career!
DeleteHello Bethany,
ReplyDeleteI think as time goes on you grow in many ways and that career you thought of in your 20's kind of takes a lot of turns and twists. You are right in that your Interdisciplinary Studies approach will afford you the opportunity for more choices. There's a lot of things I wished I had done earlier, like 30 years ago. Life is what it is. Don't sweat the small stuff. Each path you have taken is a journey in developing you. I am a firm believer that nothing goes to waste, and what you may have thought was a wrong turn or bad choice ends up being just where you were suppose to be. Life is funny like that. The best of luck in all of your endeavors. I have enjoyed this blog and interacting with everyone.
Thanks,
Susanne
Hello Susanne,
DeleteI agree with you completely. Life is to short to worry about wrong or bad choices. One should just take the lesson that was given and learn from it. All those twists and turns brings light to whom you really are and whatever path you should walk down. Everyone wishes they could have done something different in the past but that is why it’s called the past. You should never look to deeply into it, but focus more on the future and what you can make of it.
- Ashley Vanzant
Thanks Susanne! I have planned on attending dental school after I graduate, and currently have applications in. I spent majority of my college career as a Biology major (which allowed me to take the necessary pre-requisites for admission into a dental program, and also provided the knowledge for good scores on the Dental Admissions Test). Currently, I am not having much luck on my applications for Fall 2012 admission, but there is still a small window in which I may get called for interviews). I am beginning to considering other options for after graduation, and the interdisciplinary studies program (along with my health sciences minor), has really allowed me to see the options I have. I am considering taking the FTCE and possibly pursuing teaching. That is, if I don't re-apply or don't get accepted into any dental programs. I have gained more confidence in my abilities, and hope for my future through the interdisciplinary studies program.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the discussions,
Bethany Mooore
I am planning to attend graduate school. I am hoping to be accepted into a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine program. I know it is very competitive so it is very important to perfect my resume and my e-portfolio. Many of the assignments we did in this class were very helpful for me because they forced me to lay out all of my information and get organized. I now know where I need to focus on making improvements. The e-portfolio is a great tool to highlight all of my accomplishments and skills.
ReplyDelete-Randi Owen
Hello Randy,
DeleteGood luck with your Veterinary Medicine program. If you stay focused and stay organized you will do great. The e-portfolio is a great tool, and improvements will always have to be made. You have to highlight all your skills and accomplishments not for a job but for yourself. This will create confidence in everything you do and with that skill it’s hard for you to be brought down. With the resume and the e-portfolio you can create that for yourself and do great things. Having confidence and focus you can do anything you would be interested in. Good luck in everything you attempt.
- Ashley Vanzant
Rani, I wish you the best in the future with your goals of attending Veterinary school.
DeleteI did find it difficult to find artifacts. I threw out a lot of material from many of my previous classes, so it was especially hard to find artifacts for those. However, I feel that the artifacts can be very useful to provide evidence of what you are claiming and a visual representation. From now on, I plan to focus on keeping any materials that may be important or could be used as artifacts in the future. I also plan on taking more photos to try to log what I have done and provide evidence to demonstrate that.
ReplyDelete-Randi Owen
Hi Their the e-portfolio will serve you as strong resource to have for graduate school. During the interview process you can introduce about what an e-portfolio is and how it has helped you. Furthermore, for the artifacts as stated choose ones that will help you get where you want to go. In other words pick items that will motivate you to keep pursuing a Veterinary degree.
DeleteThe artifacts for the e-portfolio are great to give a visual aid to show what you have done in the past. If you have thrown away your old ones dont worry! You can always just explain what exactly you have done.
DeleteWhat excites me most about my e-portfolio is how the finished product looks. It turned out way better than I was expecting. There is also so much more I can do to improve it. I like that it is easy to navigate and you can add certain touches to personalize to reflect you, your audience and your goals. I also like that it was a useful tool for me to lay out all my information and see where improvements need to be made. I feel that my artifacts are not completely up to par and could use improvement.
ReplyDelete-Randi Owen
Thanks Randi! I agree with you, the final product was great to see. Intially, I felt like I was doing all these separate assignments, but seeing it all condensed into the final product really made it more relevant. It also provided a great confidence boost for future aspirations, or future interviews. I also see where I may need improvement or expansion before I have interviews for graduate school (which was my target audience for the ePortfolio). I think I can add some things from school applications to the portfolio to enhance it (such as recommendation letters, or projects relvant to aspirations). This class has been very helpful.
DeleteThanks for the great discussions,
Bethany Moore
Hi Randi;
DeleteI agree that it makes you look closer at your artifacts. When I was in the Cornerstone class I gathered what I thought was important; however this semester I have improved my artifacts. It helps to identify the type of job you want and gather artifacts that would help you get the job.
Good Luck.
Victoria Kania
I will take with me the wealth of information I have acquired from the cornerstone class. I believe the active participation of the instructor made it even more informative and worthwhile. I also believe that prior to becoming an interdisciplinarian, I was an unconscious interdisciplinarian (as most of us are) but realizing this fact required the use of a microscope or this course to bring the truth to light. Sorry, for the metaphor but it is one of the skills I’m routinely inserting in my writing and conversation to convey my point. Overall, I can surmise that the ability to define and defend my major is made possible through the transferability of knowledge gained from this course. I will continue to build up this foundational construct with the information capstone will provide.
ReplyDeleteThank you capstone students for the great advice and feedback, best regards to all.
Kerline Leonard
Thank You for your feedback cornerstone is the just the begining as an IDS student. If this was exciting just wait for capstone it will expand your thinking more and will enjoy it as same. Im glad we capstone students were glad to help you guys.
DeleteK. Leonard,
DeleteI think you pointed out something important here. Before this course, I would get nervous when people would ask me what my major is, because most people aren't aware that IDS is a major. Our ability to define it and defend it as a legit way to land a job we actually like is powerful. This course did provide a great foundation for us to build on and understand transference and integration.
-Cristina Albert
What excites you most about your e-portfolio?
ReplyDeleteThe e-Portfolio of the cornerstone course is an essential component. This component is a lifelong enrichment asset that can be utilized to further one’s career, employment, or networking. The process of constructing the portfolio takes considerable amount of time but it is worth it at the end. One of the many aspects of the project that I have enjoyed is the simplicity of the program (user friendly), for a website application it is one of the least complication format I’ve experienced. I have the ability to change the layout, fonts, size, background, and so much more. The application is designed for beginners to the most advanced computer programmer. But the most exciting part is the finish product; I’m amazed that I was able to complete this project without any major stressors.
Kerline Leonard
It is a user friendly program and it allows you to input your information accordingly. Once you have learned how to input your information it is easy to update. It can be easily designed with your pictures and color choices for the background.
DeleteVictoria Kania
I agree that the program is user friendly for people that do not have a lot of knowledge about computer use. However, when i did take cornerstone i did have some difficulty using the program which caused headaches. However, now with the google sites it is much more easier and you can do so much. You should give it a shot and see which one you prefer using.
DeleteEdison Tenezaca
Will you use these artifacts when looking for a job or applying to graduate school?
ReplyDeleteYes, I plan on using my artifacts when applying for employment and graduate school. Currently, I have applied to the UCF masters of social work program and submitted one of my artifacts to the admission committee. Moreover, I am in the process of applying for a job in the field of gerontology or elder abuse administration and I plan on providing a link to my e-Portfolio. I believe the e-Portfolio takes out the burdensome complication of carrying around a load of paper work to every job interview. This is particularly true for students in the arts (designers, production, music, photographers, etc…), and works great for me because I have a collection of formal written work from all my disciplines.
Kerline Leonard
From the Cornerstone class, I learned to think outside of the box and look at my concentrations as a whole degree (interdisciplinary) instead of separated compartments (multidisciplinary). This will be valuable when finding a job because I can apply myself to more than one type of career or even make up my own business that utilizes the skills I learned. As far as campus resources, next spring semester I plan to be in contact with my IDS advisor and office to find an internship.
ReplyDelete-Cristina Albert
How do you feel about the artifacts you've gathered? Was it difficult to find these artifacts?
ReplyDeleteI feel the artifacts I chose represent what I like most about each discipline. They present the things I find most important and will eventually integrate into the other disciplines once I graduate. It was not difficult to find the artifacts because I know what my interests are. If you know what you're looking for, it is easier to find it.
-Cristina Albert
Something valuable that I took away from this course was looking at the actual requirements to apply for a job as a physician. I always knew that it was what I wanted to do but never realized the actual process. This will definitely help me when I am finished with medical school and I am looking for potential places of employment.
ReplyDelete-Travis Burnett
Hello Travis,
DeleteGood luck in becoming a physician. With e-portfolio it should be easy to gather all the skills and abilities you have and focus them. You have an advantage already since its something you always wanted to do. If you have confidence and stay focus will you be fine when medical school is finished. Take the skills you have obtained in the course and direct them towards the skills you need for employment. Should be easy to organize these skills into a resume, also with these skills opens other opportunities for different jobs in the medical field that might be of interest.
- Ashley Vanzant
As far as my artifacts are concerned, I don't really like the ones that I found. I don't think that it will be something that I will use in the future because I didn't really grasp the point. Perhaps if I was exposed to the concept a little more my opinion would change, but as of now it's not something that I think I will use.
ReplyDelete-Travis Burnett
I also don't really like any of the artifacts I found either. In my next couple years of undergrad I think I'll have to look out for ones that I could use instead of my current ones. Like you, I don't know how much use I'll get out of these because I don't understand exactly what they're for. The explanation of the was kind of general and I guess I just couldn't get a grasp on it like you. Hopefully in the future I can understand the concept of artifacts and put them to use!
DeleteI actually enjoyed creating the website on google sites for my e-portfolio. I think that was the most exciting part of my e-portfolio. Seeing it all come together and seeing the purpose of all the little assignments throughout the semester was pretty cool, and it made me feel accomplished to put it all together. I also enjoyed learning the actual components about making the physical website. It made me want to create more web or blog sites.
ReplyDelete-Travis Burnett
What is something valuable that you will take fro this course? Have you put anything to use? Can you see this helping when you graduate?
ReplyDeleteOne things that is valuable about taking this course is learning how to answer a question or solving a problem that it too complex to be dealt with by a single discipline. I have already blended some coursework from different areas and applied it to new knowledge with real world scenarios. I can foresee this class continuing to help me when I graduate; I plan to strengthen my interdisciplinary and critical thinking skills. this class will help me to enhance many aspects of my life.
-Shatori Brockington
Are you planning to attend graduate school?
ReplyDeleteYes, I plan to attend Dental school. I have aspirations to become a general dentist. This class is definitely a prep course for successfully getting in. This class has taught me how to be a better critical thinker. I'm more open minded, and I look at things from different perspectives. Going to dental school is going to be a great move for me. It will deliver, a vital intellectual wake-up call and start me on a path to a new satisfying career.
-Shatori Brockington
How do you feel about the artifacts you gathered? Was it difficult to find? Will you use these artifacts when looking for a job?
ReplyDeleteI feel like there are good reasons for collecting artifacts. You benefit greatly from collecting all of your learning artifacts (assignments, etc...). collecting your artifacts is not only a method to reflect and think critically upon what you've learned but also a way to assemble and present yourself to future employers.It was a little difficult to find and gather the artifacts, simply because I had to think back on all of the courses that I had taken. But, I can't wait to see the benefits of showing off my artifacts to future employers; it will represent reflective statements and a self assessment of myself.
-Shatori Brockington
Through the course there are a lot of valuable aspects that I will most definitely take away with me. I've heard from peers that have taken IDS already that it was a lot of busy work. Even though there was a lot of work in this course, it was useful assignments that I can keep on my computer and use in the future. I don't believe it was a lot of busy work because all the assignments linked together and had their own specific point. The most valuable assignment to me was the e-portfolio. That is something good to always have and if it weren't for this class, I don't think I would have made one. It's going to be so useful in the future and it is so easy to keep up to date!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe artifacts was the hardest thing in this course, to me. It was really difficult to find an object in my life that relates to my areas of focus. I ended up finding three artifacts but I don't really think they're the best three I could have picked. I think through the next couple years of undergrad I could really look out for artifacts to replace the current ones I picked, so I can make sure I have the best examples I could possibly have. I'm not sure how useful this will be because I'm not too sure I understand it completely.
ReplyDeleteHi
DeleteI had the same difficulty as a corner student when it came to picking the artifacts for the e-portfolio. However, a capstone student was able to guide me in choosing the items. For example, first he suggested where are you heading towards a main goal or career field. Then write down what is necessary to get that goal you have in mind. Write down what you have do so far and see if their is an object or something you did still available. An item can be test you did well, a course book, or any object that was used. later on expand on the object and how it fits as puzzle to your main goal. Hope this helps
Edison Tenezaca