Members of the Portfolio Community,

 

I am excited to be approaching the culmination of the Learning Systems Technology Education program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.  After several years of contemplating returning to graduate school, I am glad I finally returned to finish my degree to which the knowledge learned will be applied to goals and ambitions in the future.  I am thankful each and every day for being able to earn several scholarships and obtain a graduate assistantship to complete this degree as well as have the strength and time to further my education.  I also give thanks to each of my professors and the time dedicated to facilitate learning online. Because of each of you, I have been placed in a position to impact others in the teaching and the technology field for any career or business I choose.

 

In the process of completing the LSTE program, using the website portfolio as a capstone project was naturally the best way to show off skills as oppose to a comprehensive exam.  Technology itself is project based so it is useless to do a lot of work on paper aside from brainstorming which can now be done using technological components. Having the ability to bring my knowledge, skills, and assets to the table by advertising myself through this LSTE portfolio which showcases my completion of this program is the upmost importance for promotion as well as pride.

 

Strength Analysis:

 

My desire and gifts in teaching in technology were my primary areas of strength and growth throughout the LSTE program.   I have always had a gift of being an educator since elementary school and over time as I got into my teenage years, I became highly engaged in technology.  Being required to use web 2.0 technologies and other resources of web development allowed me to see how much is being used to facilitate learning without the need of HTML programming.   I learned HTML several years ago when there was no such thing as Web 2.0 technology.   There has also been an explosion of technologies that make teaching in the classroom more interactive and less redundant.  This allowed me to understand more than I did years prior the importance of what it takes to be an educator in today’s society with consistent technology changes and integration being necessary.  Also, it shows why technology is required in the classroom now when it was optional just a few years ago.

 

In addition to the integration of technology in the classroom, research is vital to establish the highest quality of education possible.   As American cinematographer Conrad Hall quoted, “You are always a student and never a master. You have to keep moving forward.”   This goes for the teacher as well as the student.

 

Growth Analysis:

 

I have worked in the higher/adult education system for about eleven years now.   My first position was as a computer lab assistant.  Looking back, I now see that my web design skills help facilitate a learning module for breast feeding mothers. When I went into tutoring, educational technology became the norm for programs like Aleks which allowed students to learn and practice their developmental mathematics skills through repetitive and asynchronous methods.   Other programs that required hands on work for my mathematics undergraduate program included Maple for Calculus and LaTek for mathematics programming.  While these were not mainstream for majors outside of mathematics and engineering, their usefulness gave light to integrating technology into teaching as well as seeing the visual effects of what mathematics can do.

 

When I began teaching developmental mathematics, it became mandatory after about a year for everyone to start implementing a system call MyMathLab.   Throughout my educational career, I have found that every job I had used some form of technology.   Prior to enrolling in the Learning Systems Technology program, I’ve noticed even at the beginning as a student worker that I wanted a career that combined education and technology of some sort.  Completing this degree was a passion as it had already matched much of my experience.

 

 

Self-Evaluation

 

The Learning Systems Technology program has provided me the knowledge and the ability in for incorporating emerging technologies into previous jobs, my current career, and my future business venture. Web design and other educational design tools which include but are not limited to Weebly, Wix, Adobe Captivate, etc. have allowed me use additional methods for educational, leisure, and business practices.  Here in the near future, I will be starting my on internet technology company with the aid of earning a graduate certificate in Technology Innovation to help me get started.  All of the technologies introduced in the LSTE program have been beneficial and quite enjoyable to learn and use. While continuing to use newer technologies, I will become a magnet for opportunity and creativity that will allow me to excel in the educational, technological, and the business world.

 

Letter of Application: Exceptional Educational Technologist

 

Dear Sir/Madam:

 

I am happy to submit this letter along with my Curriculum Vitae for your position as an exceptional educational technologist.  You may also access my professional portfolio at http://carltoncoleman1983.wix.com/cacolemanportfolio to gather more information about me and what I have accomplished in this program and beyond.

 

I am a Project Program Specialist for the TRIO program at the University of Arkansas Little Rock (UALR). My current degrees are an Associates of Applied Science in Computer Information Systems (2005), and Associates of Arts/Associates of Science in General Studies (2006) all from Pulaski Technical College (PTC). I transferred to University and Arkansas (UALR) and completed a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics (2008). I returned to graduate school during the Spring 2013 and have completed the Master of Education degree in Learning Systems Technology in Fall 2014 and the Graduate Certificate in Technology Innovation in  Spring 2015.

My career as an educator started back in Spring of 2006 where I began working as a Computer Information Systems Intern/Lab Assistant for about seven months. About a few months after that, I began tutoring mathematics at the University of Arkansas Little Rock where I remained for about three and a half years. In 2009, I began tutoring at UALR and PTC simultaneously until a few months after I became an adjunct instructor of developmental mathematics. I remained a tutor at PTC till Summer 2013. I started as an adjunct in Spring 2010 and even though I had not yet completed my masters degree and still remain a provisional hire, I taught for more than four years.

I hope to use my credentials in a fashion that will not only profit me financially in a career or a business but also as a service to the world. I am strong believer that you make a living by what you get but you make a life by what you give.

 

Hopefully my professional portfolio will provide details and answers to your questions.

 

Thank you for reviewing my curriculum vitae and professional portfolio. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Carlton Coleman