20 hours of practice

Through this process of creating an ePortfolio I have spent hours of learning. Creating an ePortfolio hasn’t been easy. I have struggled to get to know the platform of wordpress. In some instances, I spent four to five hours at a time trying to learn how to create something in my ePortfolio. Earlier this week I saw a great video that could be useful for anyone that is trying to learn something new.

The video lays out Josh Kaufman’s ideas of how to be successful and learn new concepts. Here are the 5 steps to learning something new.

1. Establish what your goal is.
2. Deconstruct the skill.
3. Research
4. Remove barriers to practice.
5. Commit to 20 hours of practice.

Let’s take a look at each one of these steps in my process for creating an ePortfolio. Step one is establish what your goal is. My goal for my ePortfolio was to create something that would be functional for my educational journey through Lamar University. I also wanted it to be useful in my career as an Instructional Coach. I wanted my ePortfolio to be functional as well as eye appealing.

The second strategy is to deconstruct the skill. What skills are need for a successful ePortfolio? One skill needed is a basic functionality of your platform. I started out first by using google sites. I was familiar with this platform but didn’t care for the overall look that it was giving me. Another skill need is reflective practices. A portfolio should be reflective of who you are.

Research is the next step in the process. This is where I started my transition with my portfolio. I went looking for new ideas for my ePortfolio. I started looking into wordpress. My research started by following the tutorials, but then to watching youtube for helpful hints and tricks. When I have come across issues and problems youtube has been my saving grace.

Removing barriers to practice is probably on of the hardest things for me. When looking to practice I have found that my safe place is my office at school. Here I can remove my barriers. By removing barriers I have been able to have better quality practice time and learning. Removing items like family noises, T.V., and other distractions have been beneficial to my portfolio creation.

Committing to 20 hours of practice. This has been very beneficial to me feeling more comfortable with the wordpress platform. As I spend more and more time with this platform, I grow more efficient with my creation. With any goal you must set aside time to practice. It doesn’t have to be great practice but practice. Practicing can lead to to better understanding and better performance.

I know that as I continue to build and practice my skills with wordpress that my ePortfolio will manifest into something that I can be proud of. So for anyone that is trying to learn a new skill, all you need is 20 hours.