EDU 696 Introduction

Hello everyone,
My name is Nicholas Tsikitas. I live with my family in Bayville, a small town located in
New York. I have worked as a financial investment advisor before. I took a sabbatical to pursue
a Bachelor’s Degree in Education here at Ashford. I graduated recently and now pursuing a
Master’s degree in Education. I want to start my second career in education as soon as I am done
with my Master’s degree. The Master’s program has equipped me with the knowledge and skills
that I will need to effectively manage and teach a 21 st -century classroom. I feel well prepared and
ready to kickstart a career in teaching.
I created a blueprint and a rubric for the first time during my coursework as part of the
Master’s program. This was a new experience for me. It was quite challenging. Calculating the
test values for each question and ensuring that the questions asked aligned with the instructional
objectives was challenging. The rubric part was also not easy. I found it difficult to create an
objective rubric as it can be very subjective. I studied and did a lot of practice, and this helped
me overcome the challenge. Also, through interactions with my peers on the discussion forum, I
was able to overcome some of my fears about the exercise. After practicing severally, going
through my instructor’s feedback, and reading about how to create a rubric and blueprint, I
sharpened my knowledge and skill on how to use these tools during an assessment.
One of the quotes that symbolize my belief about the Framework for 21st Century
Learning is;

“The illiterate of the 21 st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who
cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. ~Alvin Toffler (Hennessey, 2002). 
Part 2: Folio account
The folio account link is: https://portfolium.com/entry/edu-696-introduction-19
Part 3 Reflection
I set up my folio account at the beginning of my Master’s program. It was not a difficult
task. I was guided by some tutorials that I found online. I followed the steps outlined and was
able to successfully create a folio account which I have been using for quite some time now. I
have uploaded several of my previous assignments for courses that I have taken here at Ashford
in the folio account. In my current status as a student, I can use the folio account to document my
academic progress. It helps me know what I have learned, knowledge, and skills acquired
through different tasks and assignments. I can also use it to know whether I have met the
learning requirements for different courses through the assignments completed. I am able to look
back and reflect on my academic goals. As I continue to upload assignments on my folio
account, I am able to get a clear and accurate picture of what I have learned and what I can do as
a teacher. In future practice, my prospective employers will see my academic achievements.
Having a well-organized and complete folio account will show the prospective employer what I
am capable of achieving as a teacher. I can present my folio as an exhibit in the future to show
my expertise and academic achievements.
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References

Hennessey, J. (2002). Embracing the Need to ‘Learn and Relearn.’ Retrieved 23 February 2021,
from https://stanfordmag.org/contents/embracing-the-need-to-learn-and-relearn