Week 4 – Discussion 1

Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

Communication Disorders

In Chapter 8 of the text, you learned about communication disorders, which the author defined as “any kind of impairment that adversely affects a person’s ability to use language” (Piper, 2012, Section 8.1). Communication disorders can be speech related or language related and several are described in detail throughout the chapter.

To prepare for your discussion,

• Please refer to the Week 4 Guidance for further tips and examples that will support your success on this discussion.
• Read: Piper, T. (2012).
  • Chapter 8: Bumps in the Road: Communication Disorders
• Read Speech, Language, Hearing Delays: Time for Early Intervention.

In your initial post

• Describe the differences between speech and language disorders in your own words.
• Choose one speech disorder that you may encounter in your future career. Remembering that early identification and intervention in speech development is critically important,
  • Explain the main characteristics of this disorder, including how they are interconnected with a child’s cognitive development.
  • Describe what intervention strategies may be recommended when working with children with this disorder.
• Choose one language disorder that you may encounter in your future career. Remembering that early identification and intervention in speech development is critically important,
  • Explain the main characteristics of this disorder including how they are interconnected with a child’s cognitive development.
  • Describe what intervention strategies may be recommended when working with children with this disorder.

Week 4 – Discussion 2

Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

Career Goals

As a student at the University of Arizona Global Campus, you have access to the electronic portfolio platform, Folio. This technology tool allows you to develop an electronic portfolio that you can share virtually with colleagues, families, and potential employers both now as a student as well as in the future as a professional. In ECD305, you began the development of your ePortfolio, and in ECD310 you added a page. In this discussion, you will continue to build your ePortfolio by adding a new page with your career goals.

• In your BA ECDDI program thus far, you have seen several potential careers and considered your personal career aspirations and career journey. Developing a career goal is a great way to take charge of planning your career and a useful tool to manage your career effectively. Many individuals may not know how to develop a career goal. Further, to successfully attain your goals, there are action steps for you to take, and Ashford University has a Career Services program called My Career to support you in this exploration! Log into your University of Arizona Global Campus Student PortalLinks to an external site. and locate the Career and Alumni Services Follow the steps below to determine where to start. There are a many tools that can be helpful in determining your career goal, which include conducting a self-assessment, exploring industries and careers, and determining factors that are non-negotiable (e.g., geographic location, salary requirements, and health care benefits). The final step of goal setting is writing the first draft of your goal.

To prepare for this discussion, explore job industries by conducting research on the type of careers that use your interests and skillset. O*Net OnLineLinks to an external site., the Occupational Outlook HandbookLinks to an external site., and Bureau of Labor StatisticsLinks to an external site. are great web resources for career exploration, job analysis, and education requirements.

In your discussion post complete the following:

• Step 1: Self-Assessment – In your initial paragraph, answer four of the following reflective questions:
  • What do you do well?
  • What energizes you?
  • If you knew you could not fail, what would you do?
  • What high school subjects did you do well in?
  • What issues do family and friends come to you for help?
  • What do you receive praise for at work or home?
  • What are some of your greatest accomplishments?
  • What is something you do where you lose track of time when you are doing it?
• Step 2: Career Exploration – In your second paragraph, answer three of the following questions:
  • What careers in your field are you interested in?
  • Does the career you want pay a salary that meets your needs?
  • Will you need any additional training or schooling?
  • Will it offer you opportunities to advance?
  • Is the career you are considering likely to exist when you are ready for a job?
• Step 3: Determining Your Non-Negotiable Items – In your third paragraph, copy, paste, and complete the following chart:

      Must Have                                                                            Do Not Want

 1.                                                                                               1.

 2.                                                                                               2.

 3.                                                                                               3.

• Although we may not speak them aloud, we each have things we are not willing to compromise on. During this step, write out your “must haves” for your future career.
• To help get you started, think about the minimum salary you need to have, where you want to live, and desired work hours. Copy and paste the following table directly after your explanation of Step 2, and complete each section.
• Step 4: Pulling it all together – Write your goal. In your final paragraph, state your career goal.
  • Now that you have conducted a self-assessment, explored industries and occupations, and written down your non-negotiable items, what is your long-term future career goal? As you enter your chosen field, it is important that you return to and reflect on your original goal often, so having your goal written down is an important step for future reflection.
  • Be as specific as possible. The following is an example of a specific career goal:
    • I would like to become the director of a large childcare facility utilizing my organizational skills, education in child development, ability to work well with others, leadership qualities, and love of children. Since I have a family, I would like to obtain a full-time position where I work at least 30 hours a week….

In addition to posting your discussion, you will add your Career Goal to your electronic portfolio, using Folio. Please refer to the instructions below to add your assignment.

If you did not begin the development of your ePortfolio in ECD305, please view the following tutorials to help you set up your electronic portfolio.

Getting Started in Folio

• View the Setting Up and Using FolioLinks to an external site.
• Next explore the several examples of ePortfolios for inspiration.

Adding a Page in Folio

• Add an entry to your ePortfolio.
• Add your Career Goals as an entry to your ePortfolio.

Sharing your ePortfolio

• At the end of your initial discussion post, copy and paste the link to your ePortfolio.