The end of the semester is coming up before we know it, so exciting! This week we will reflect on your e-portfolio, and your career goals.
*Share how you're planning to use reflection in developing your e-Portfolio content pages * Everyone will have a different opinions with this, there is no wrong answer.
I plan to use reflection in my portfolio by revealing a few details about myself that, while at first may seem unimportant, are the basis for work ethic that I am proud to have today. My love for reading and writing is a detail that is very important to me and is something that future employers may not think to ask about. I can read a book cover to cover in a few hours, while writing notes and creating my own work in the meantime. This skill is integral to my ability to process information and has helped me succeed in many areas of my life so far to this point. By reflecting on these skills and the accomplishments, I will provide a solid reflection into my own life.
Sometimes it is hard to understand what the difference is between to words that are very similar. We came up with this, and after we want you to *Share your understanding of reflection. How is it different from description?To us a reflection is different than description because it is a deeper look within yourself. A reflection is when you explain yourself in a manner that a person may not expect, bringing to the surface details that they may not have noticed otherwise. Reflection is a discussion of who you really are, the things you like most about yourself and things others may not be able to tell just by looking at you or your resume. It goes beyond the traditional parameters of what makes a good job candidate and makes the candidate stand out from the crowd.
To keep up another great week of conversations, *we want to know what your personal philosophy is on your professional life, is it interdisciplinary or not? Have your career goals altered? Lets hang in there everyone, its almost the end. Do not forget to sign your full name at the bottom of your post. Happy blogging! :)
When I reflect on something, I am usually thinking about the past happenings of a situation. I am thinking about what happened, how I felt, and what did I learn or gain from that experience. I am usually thinking if there is something I might do differently if faced with the same situation, or whether or not I would want to go back. I am pondering the idea of what I did, did somebody/bodies benefit from the occurrence and if not, why? Usually this is how I felt, what I saw or did, or wondered.
ReplyDeleteWhen I describe something, usually I don’t think about what I gained from the experience, I am just explaining what happened at a particular time. With description I am paying attention to physical details versus what I got out of the occurrence.
Stacey Feldman
Stacey,
DeleteThat's an excellent point.
Reflection involves feelings, emotions, reactions, etc while description is mostly physical or statistical.
Reflection doesn't only have to be about something in the past thought. Try reflect on your current situation, on what is happening around you in this very moment right now. What do you feel? Is that end of semester stress setting in? It is affecting your work in any way?
Reflection is a tool we can use in every day life.
Amber Lengacher
I guess you are right. I didn't think about it that way. As far as the end of the semester, I can't believe it's here already! I am excited to finish my first semester at UCF and I feel I have a much better understanding as to what interdisciplinary studies is.
DeleteHow about you? How do you feel about the semester being over.
My career goals have been a steady with regards to my desire to work with troubled youth. I love being with kids and have had so many various influences on my life that I know I will follow this path of working with them.
Has anybody else had a change or a constant in their career paths?
Stacey Feldman
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhen reflecting on my past I make sure I look at how each and every event changed who I am. It is important to look beyond the immediate effect something had on you, but how it changed who you are today. I look back at events both positive and negative and can tell you how it changed me. When describing something I just list what happened, not going into any detail how it affected me.
ReplyDeleteMy professional life is interdisciplinary. I am a supervisor at my place of employment and it involves many different skills in order to be successful. I have to be organized, manage staff and ensure everything gets done. My career goals are altered all the time. Where I thought I would be 10 years ago is definitely not where I am right now.
Allen Haley
Haley, are you happy with the current path you are on right now?
DeleteI am definitely not where I thought I would be, either. Going back to school for me was a major decision, yet it was made very quickly. Just to make sure nobody would try to talk me out of it (I graduated high school in 1988), I registered and began classes only telling my husband. Turned out, everybody supported me.
My professional life is mostly volunteering, and working part time for Weight Watchers. I believe that they are both interdisciplinary because I am drawing from many different experiences and teachings in order to accomplish what I am accomplishing.
Stacey H. Feldman
Allen,
DeleteExamining how the steps you've taken in your life have affected your life today is an excellent example of reflection! Every step we take is a step toward something, even if maybe that ultimate goal changes or shifts like you mentioned. I know, for me personally, I am most definitely not where I thought I would be either. But life is funny like that and it's not only about staying on a certain path, it's also about recognizing the right moment to veer off the path as well.
I think you're all doing fine!
Hang in there!
Amber Lengacher
Allen, I can relate to your description of reflecting on events, both good and bad, and realizing the overall purpose of those events and how they've paved the way to where I am now. Life is funny. We have no way of truly planning our lives because so many things are beyond our control. We can stay focused, move towards a goal, but it is important to be prepared to adjust and evolve as life forces us to change.
DeleteI'm certainly not where I thought I would be 10 years ago. My life is completely different. I'm even in a different city, but like you've said, certain events both good and bad have created a new and different path. I have my thoughts about where I'd like to be 10 years for now...we'll see.
I'm with Amber, you're all doing fine. Just keep moving.
I agree with Amber, one's past definitely changes one's current perception of things, and those experiences do shape who one is right now, in comparison to how one was before.
DeleteAlthough I think that it can be pertinent to outline how one was changed by it, if it really was life-altering.
-Camilo Echeverri Bernal.
Allen, it sounds like we have a lot in common professionally. I am in a management position and interdisciplinarity is synonomous with how I do my job. I know what you mean about your career goals changing as I go through the same thing almost daily. I have been a college student for almost 10 years and I can really identify with your last statement. Our degrees will finally be an accomplishment soon enough thogh and no longer a goal. Oh, how I look forward to that day!
Delete-Micah O'Steen
Allen, Amber, and Camilo,
DeleteOne's past can change the choices that we make in the future. It is from our own past that we learn and experience events that would make or break us.
Catherine Aboyme
For me I think only I can come up with a reflection of myself, someone else could come up a description of me. Thats the main difference I think between reflection and description. I am going to use reflection in my content pages to come up with things deeper than just describing myself.
ReplyDeleteKayla Lee
Good point. I understand your perspective, Kayla, in the sense that we can reflect upon our own experiences and how they've impacted us, but our description or beliefs about ourselves can be different from how others perceive us and vice versa.
DeleteHey guys I plan on using my reflection and portfolio to express me. i want to show everybody my achievements and what kind of person I am. I feel that they can grasp a full understanding of me and who I am by this. This portfolio will explain my work ethic and how determined I am as a person to succeed.
ReplyDeleteKemal, this will be an excellent use of your portfolio! I'm aiming to do the same. In essence, if this is your goal, your portfolio can introduce your audience to you and let them know who you are and what you bring to the organization. Go for it!
DeleteKemal, thats a great way to use the portfolio. I feel the same way, the portfolio is a tool to showcase who we are and what we bring to the table. When looking to advance your career it is important to be able to sell yourself.
DeleteAllen Haley
I understand completely Stacey thats exactly how i feel. I feel that your reflection should be expressive and tell the real you.
ReplyDeleteHey guys I feel as though a reflection is a personal and expressive statements about you or something. I think that a reflection puts your emotion and true thoughts into your statements. However, description are non bias statements made about something or someone. Also they have no emotions behind them.
ReplyDeleteWhen I reflect, most of the time I feel like I have dig deeper into myself. It is almost like meditating for me. Although, sometimes I talk to people when I need to reflect upon something. A description is more like a fact. Just like what Kemal said, a "non-bias statement."
DeleteCatherine Aboyme
Do you guys agree with my statement about Reflection vs description?
ReplyDeleteI see your point, Kemal, but I think descriptions can be biased and emotional based on who's providing the description. For instance, my full description of something can be different from yours, based on our perceptions.
DeleteI agree with both of you. Kemal, I agree with your views on reflection and I think that Tai has a valid point regarding description.
Delete-Micah O'Steen
I believe that it is interdisciplinary because I use multiple skills and knowledge to complete various tasks. I feel that everybody uses different skills to complete tasks. When i finally get and have a career I know that it will require multiple skills to be good at and be successful.
ReplyDeleteI, too, believe that most careers require multiple skills. Some may work directly in conjunction with another while others may work side by side, but very few things in life require just one skill, especially jobs.
DeleteStacey Feldman
Does anybody have a complete different philosophy then mine?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think you're on the right path, Kemal. A reflection will definitely involve a little more emotion, but it is possible to have it in a description as well. I think a description is more consisted of things like what jobs you've had, what volunteer and school experience you have, things like this. A reflection is where your objective and portfolio About Me statements will come in because you're going to have to be a little more insightful. You're going to have to look deeper within yourself and TELL THEM SOMETHING ABOUT YOU, not just what you are on paper. Tell them something that makes you tick, something that will set you aside from the other candidates.
ReplyDeleteI hope this helps.
I'm not even really sure about it myself, it is a tricky issue.
Amber Lengacher
I am a little different than most in that I am currently situated in a career already. While, my career path will most likely change in the future, my philosophy in my current prfessional life is completely interdisciplinary. I must use many different disciplines, together, throughout the course of each day to complete that tasks that are set before me.
ReplyDeleteI think that a reflection of myself that would be an integral part of my e-portfolio would be how I solve problems. When an issue is brought to my attention, I try to first simplify the problem or start with the smallest parts of the problem. By doing this I avoid letting myself get overwhelmed by trying to deal with the whole issue all at one time. Often I have found that by doing this, a problem that may seem very complicated at first has a very simple and easy solution. All it takes is some attention and thought to start the solution process.
Micah O'Steen
Michah, like you, I am also in a career that will change and agree with you approach to problem solving. It is easy to become overwhelmed when we look at a situation as a massive issue, but when we break it down and think through it, it can be easier to get through it.
DeleteTai and Micah, I agree with both of you, I used to become overwhelmed when I would be thrown lots of work both in my professional life and my schooling. I would have trouble breaking it into smaller more manageable pieces. I have now begun to do that and have seen success in limiting my stress and accomplishing my goals.
DeleteAllen Haley
My career goals have altered a lot over the years which has changed my IDS major as well. It still has the main aspect of sport but in terms of what I want to do career-wise has chsnged into many different paths.
ReplyDeleteSokhara Goodall
Hey Sokhara,
DeleteMy career goals alter a lot, too. I was satisfied when I found IDS because it fulfilled the needs that I had with my academics. I had to frame what I think I want to do right now just so my mind will stick to it. I definitely want advance my career goal and go to grad school.
Catherine Aboyme
One's career goals are bound to alter, Sokhara. It is natural. In my case, I decided that I would go with the IDS program, instead of the journalism program at UCF. A better choice, and one that accommodated itself to my needs and interests as well.
Delete-Camilo Echeverri Bernal.
I feel that all professional lives are interdisciplinary because you apply so many aspects of different lessons in life, experiences and skills into your career. You have to apply management skills, time management and communication skills in almost every career.
ReplyDeleteSokhara Goodall
I agree with you that really in the professional field there are many ways to apply interdisciplinary traits. I wonder what the best way to convey how useful an interdisciplinary approach in the workplace is to a potential employer.
DeleteKyle Greaves
Reflection, I would say, is mostly thinking about what has happened before and identifying the lessons I have learnt from that experience. Also, thinking about what I would do differently if I was presented with the same situation again.
ReplyDeleteWhereas, when I describe something, unlike thinking about what I gained from that situation I just explain what was happening/happened. I pay attention to the samll details rather than what I learnt from the experience.
Sokhara Goodall
I agree with your view on reflections and descriptions, Sokhara. Reflecting usually makes us think back and examine what happened and how it impacted us, while descriptions don't require that insight. I believe our lives will be full of reflections. We can describe what we're doing in our classes and on this blog, but when it's over, we'll be able to think back and reflect about this experience and what we can take from it.
DeleteI think the major difference between a reflection and a description is that a reflection offers some perspective or insight on events and that a description is more of a recounting of the details of an event. I think I can use reflections to show insight or a perspective that someone reading might value.
DeleteKyle Greaves
I think a reflection differs from a description in the sense that it compiles what has been covered, and is far more summary and all-encompassing than a mere description. It also entails highlighting certain things one has learnt. It goes deeper into a particular subject, in this case, the portfolio and/or one's resume/career, etc.
ReplyDeleteA description is far more brief and superficial, I would say.
-Camilo Echeverri Bernal.
I think that is a great point that you made in that a it highlights something learned. A reflection offers insight and I think a description is more of a recounting of an event. Great way to put the differences between the two.
ReplyDelete-Kyle Greaves