Dear Mrs. Morris, ​As a first-year teacher, I experienced a lot of hardships, lessons, and triumphs; however, my greatest struggle was how to get my students to care about the content and understand the immediate benefits of the skills we learn in class.  As a CTE educator, it is the mission of our program to prepare our students for the workforce, and what I encountered most often with my students was the question, “Why do we need to know this?” This question is the bases of my Master’s project, and I have prepared a proposal that will change the way students respond to the content, reflect,  engage with their peers and participate in authentic learning. ​Digital Design covers vital content from soft skills, marketing, and graphic design, all of which are highly sought-after skills in most professional and creative workplaces. What I am proposing is that each student creates an e-portfolio. The e-portfolio will benefit the students in several ways. First, students will be able to track their progress using project-based learning, reflective writing, and collaborative reviews. “Digital portfolios provide an effective means for cataloging and organizing learning materials, better illustrating the process of learner development. Student work becomes easy to share with peers, teachers, parents, and others, and lets students and others provide feedback through a single electronic container” (Wade, A., Abrami, P., Sclater, J. & Sclater, J., 2005). As the student learns more, they will add more to their e-portfolio. For example, the first unit we cover is soft skills in the GS Suite. As the students learn how to create presentations, websites, formal letters, and resumes, they will display their skills via projects in their e-portfolios. ​The students’ e-portfolios will also allow them to share and engage with their classmates and teacher using the blog tool. Students can ask questions to develop a deeper understanding of the content and/or skills and create and maintain a collaborative and fluid work environment in class. Giving students the authority to shape their own learning experience also promotes student accountability. “Creating a digital portfolio encourages students to take responsibility for their learning and showcase that learning with others.” (Basken, 2008). Although getting the students to give their all was challenging at times, when they did master a concept and submit a final project, they were always excited to share, present, and engage in meaningful conversation about their work. ​By the end of the school year, the student will have developed an e-portfolio/website that serves as a living representation of what they have learned, promoting growth and their professional identity, as well as a resume complete with real-world skills, sample work, and experiences that make them prime candidates for any design or creative workforce. ​Executing this plan is simple as we already have all the tools necessary to begin. I know this e-portfolio may seem like a project for high school or higher education learners, but I am confident this project will change the trajectory of how I present my content to my students, how they receive it and how they plan to apply their skills in the workforce. I am hopeful that you agree and will allow me to begin implementing this plan during the 2022-2023 school year.  Kind regards, Ashleigh Carter Kegler ​​​ ReferencesBasken, P. (2008, April). Electronic portfolios may answer calls for more accountability. The Chronicle of Higher Education.​Wade, A., Abrami, P., Sclater, J. & Sclater, J. (2005). An Electronic Portfolio to Support Learning. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology / La revue canadienne de l’apprentissage et de la technologie, 31(3),. Canadian Network for Innovation in Education. Retrieved June 20, 2022 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/43167/.