ePortfolio

Own your ePortfolio

In my master class we are asked to create an ePortfolio. In my previous post I discussed “Why an Eportfolio?“. In this post I will discuss my ownership of my ePortfolio. I first started out on google sites. I was most familiar with this platform but soon found out that I was limited in functionality and navigation. I won’t lie that I often time wish that I would have stayed with google sites. It was a familiar platform which I was very comfortable with.

So what does ownership look like. For me I wanted to make sure to check all the boxes that were presented for the class. Though I know that I can choose whatever I would like to put into my ePortfolio, I still feel that need to follow what the teachers have asked us to do. So parts of my ePortfolio may not be a true 100% ownership. As I read through my blogs. The blogs that I completed because of class expectations or suggestions probably fell short in some ways. I may not have had true ownership of my learning. The blogs that I had a deeper connection with really brought home the ideas of ownership. The blogs that I showed my struggles of developing an ePortfolio, had 100% ownership.

As I go forward in my adventure with my blog and ePortfolio, I want to make more 100% ownership connections. These connections give me a greater sense of accomplishment. So how are you developing ownership in your own life?

Past Blog Posts

Embedding in WordPress

20 Hour Practice

Reviewing ePortfolios

Over the last week I have been reviewing other ePortfolios. It is amazing to see the creativity and passion put into each ePortfolio. One of the key things that I have learned in viewing ePortfolios is that each one is different in their own way. Some are creative in their nature. You can really see the creative mindsets in each portfolio. Some are simplistic but still elegant.

Learning can be seen through each and every ePortfolio. One thing is clear that learn is different for each and everyone of us. Each person has gone through a different journey. The learning that has taken place has brought each person to a different place in their journey. Some have struggled with platform and functionality. Some have struggled like I have with wordpress. WordPress has been one of my biggest struggles with technology in the last few years. I would classify myself as a novice when it comes to creating a blog. Blogging has been something that I have had to work at.

I had put off sharing my ePortfolio because I have felt that it wasn’t there yet. What I came to realize was that it will never be perfect. I will continue to tweak and adjust my ePortfolio. It will never truly ever be done. The learning will continue to happen and I will continue to share as my journey continue.

Marketing yourself with an ePortfolio.

I graduated college in 2005 from Buena Vista University. One of the requirements at that time was to create a portfolio full of my teaching pedagogy. For each of my teaching foundation classes I was required to write a paper that would go in my portfolio. The purpose of the portfolio was to help employers understand how I would be as an educator. So how many times did I pull my portfolio out to show all my hard work? In the few interviews that I had I never once used my portfolio.

In 2005 a resume was the first thing that an employer would see from me. I remember spending hour after hour trying to perfect my resume. I would place my resume in a folder and organize all my papers trying to make it neat and noticeable.

So does the same process still exist today? The sad thing is yes. I have sat in on several interviews and I have never seen an ePortfolio. One of the first things that we do as a team is to see your digital footprint. What is out there about you? What can I learn about you on the internet? A ePortfolio would be a great way for someone to create a digital resume that would be representative of who you are.

Students today should want to create an ePortfolio. It’s a great way to market themselves. Students have an opportunity to start marketing themselves before they are even ready to go out into the work place. Students can also use them to apply for scholarships and colleges. Not only should students be using them but teachers should be teaching students how to use them. Students need to be competitive in the future workforce. Students in the United States are no longer competing against only people in the United States but in a global market. Students need to be able to adapt to new ideas and creative ways of thinking. By creating an ePortfolio students can start marketing themselves before they ever send a resume.

Student to Teacher Relationships

As I met and talked with Dr. Harapnuik my professor. I really got that sense of teacher to student relationship. I started to think about how easy and comfortable he made me feel in just a short conversation. How important is that relationship? With school just around the corner. Students will be coming into the classrooms with new aspirations and anxieties. As soon as students start to come in the building you have an opportunity to start making those connections. Students will be in the classroom with teachers for 180 days. That means 1260 hours over the course of a school year. Needless to say that relationship is very important.

Students that have strong relationships with their teachers create several benefits. Teachers tend to see higher student academic engagement, attendance, grades, fewer disruptions, and lower school dropouts (Sparks, 2019). I think that we can agree that we want all of these things. Teaching the content isn’t the only thing that you need to be good at. One might say that building relationships is more important than knowing the content. Any new teacher coming into my district, I would stress the importance of relationships. Get to know your students. What are their likes and dislikes? What activities are they involved in? This investment from you will payback ten fold. So take the time in the first week or two to get to know your students. Start to build those relationships.

Resources

Sparks, S. D. (2019, March 13). Why Teacher-Student Relationships Matter. Retrieved August 3, 2019, from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/03/13/why-teacher-student-relationships-matter.html

Why an ePortfolio?

Why an ePortfolio? That was the question presented to us this week. I started to ponder more and more about my own ePortfolio. I want the structure of my portfolio to be functional but yet a representation of who I am. The structure of my portfolio needs to really express who I am as an educator and as a student.

One of the biggest pieces of the portfolio is the reflection. With reflection comes massive amounts of growth. Reflecting on my learning gives me a deeper sense of learning. Reflection is often times over looked as an educator and as a student.

As an educator I need to take more time to do the reflection piece. When teaching lesson after lesson day in and day out. As a teacher I often times forget about the reflection piece. Reflection allows teachers to build better lessons and create better learning opportunities.

As a student it allows for growth of the mind. Thinking about the learning and the process gives way for growth. When I take the time to think about the learning I feel even more connected to my learning. That connected piece allows for me to grow and truly see where I am headed.

Early Portfolio Ideas

As I have been working on my portfolio, it brought back some memories of when I was teaching with another district. In 2006-2007 the school implemented a graduation requirement for all seniors to create a portfolio. Seniors had to create a portfolio that they would share with a panel of people before graduation. Through out their four years in high school they are given several opportunities to explore career avenues. The school brought in people to speak about their careers. Students then reflected on the careers that they have chosen to explore and research. Students also included classroom artifacts from their core classes. They could also included artifacts from any other area that they seem fit.

How does the COVA model fit into all this. Students had the power of choice. They could choose which careers they wanted to research. Students had the choice for what class work they wanted to exhibit. It was up to them to create their presentation how ever they would like. Students had a a great deal of Choice overall. Students could be limited based on what careers the school was able to get to come to the school. Students didn’t always have the opportunity to speak to people in their specific career. With that being said most students were given opportunities to start an early form of networking. Student ownership was at the for front of this project. Students that took this project to heart showed a great deal of ownership. I loved when students did their presentations. You really got to see the students future plans. I loved hearing them talk about how certain projects or assignments impacted them through out their high school careers.

As I start to create my own portfolio, I look to embody the same passion. There are so many ideas that are flowing through my brain. One of my biggest obstacles is getting those ideas to be conveyed on the ePortfolio. As students in this program we are given so many opportunities to demonstrate the COVA model. Continue to follow my progress on my ePortfolio.