MY e-portfolio--Putting the Pieces to Together

       One thing I have both appreciated and feared about the COVA approach is the freedom I have been given in the creation of my e-portfolio. However, the fact that I have such freedom is what has helped me to not only own my work, but also spend a great amount of time making sure that my voice is heard when people look at my e-portfolio.  Voice plays a huge role in how I want to be seen as well as the information I want to include. I am already seeing the value of documenting my educational journey, and I know that I will be able to look back in a year and be able to see what I have learned, as well as how much I have grown professionally and personally. 

      Over the course of the semester I have gained a whole new perspective on building an e-portfolio with purpose and creating it to be a living entity that will continue to grow and change as I continue my educational and professional journey. Not only will I continue to utilize my e-portfolio to document my educational journey as I progress from this program into my doctoral program, but I also plan to include my e-portfolio on my resume as I seek employment as either a digital specialist or an assistant principal. My e-portfolio will give prospective employers an in-depth look into who I am and what I can offer, which is much more than what is listed on my one-page resume. 

      Looking forward into next semester, I plan to use my e-portfolio as an example for my own students. As I have said in previous posts, I feel like I approached the teaching of the e-portfolio all wrong. Furthermore, I have come to realize that showing my students what I have built will help them get a feel for the content they might want to include, as well as the ways they can customize their siteto reflect their own style and voice. Additionally, they will see that I am not asking them to do anything I have not already done. I feel I am a much more confident and competent Google Sites user, and I will be able to guide them, piece-by-piece, in navigating the construction of their very own e-portfolio masterpieces! 

      Thus, I plan to start the new semester by re-introducing the e-portfolio with the COVA approach, which will allow my students to have more freedom to build it in a way that not only makes more sense to them, but also in a way that will be for FUN for them! Furthermore, I hope that I can teach my students the value of building and maintaining a portfolio that they can use in high school and beyond.

         FINALLY, I have included the link to my e-portfolio below. I hope you will take time to look it over, find some great information, and get to know who I am a bit better. Any feedback you have on my portfolio is welcomed and appreciated. Let me know what you think in the comments below. 

www.digitalshoe.org

Portfolio Show and Tell

       One thing I love about looking at other  portfolios, is that I get to see all the cool and creative ideas that my colleagues have come up with. The best portfolios I have seen are the ones that make me feel like

I have gotten to know their authors a bit better. When I feel a connection to the author, I tend to want to read more or dig deeper into their content. Furthermore, it gives me confidence to know that I am on the right track with my own portfolio. Another thing I have enjoyed about looking other portfolios from the DLL program, is that I get a sneak peek at what is expected from the remaining courses that I will take. 

     Being part of a program that fosters a highly collaborative environment is great because, isn't collaboration what we want to teach our students? I believe that more we learn to collaborate with each other, the more effectively we are able to teach our students to do the same. As a future administrator, I will be able to move my campus forward by facilitating the implementation of e-portfolios, as well as speak to the different ways they can be used as faculty not only build their own portfolios, but also teach their students how to begin building theirs. 

    As I have progressed through this semester, I have also gained a totally different perspective on what an e-portfolio should look like, as well as how I should approach it when teaching my students how to build one of their own. Furthermore, looking at various portfolios has helped me gain a better understanding of COVA and the freedom that comes with embracing its concepts. As I continue to organize and finesse my portfolio, I am confident that it will grow into something I will be proud to share with friends, colleagues, and prospective employers. With that being said, I welcome any and all feedback on my portfolio. I have included the link below. 

https://sites.google.com/view/digital-learning-and-sel/home

Who owns your e-portfolio?

     
  My first thought in answering this question is absolutely yes, it is mine! I feel that if I put the work in, then I should own it. However, after I read the articles, I realized that it really depends on what kind of information you are including in your portfolio. If I am simply working from a template or completing assignments that do not require original thought, then I would say that the teacher is the one who owns it. However, if I want my students ownership of their portfolios, then I must give them some control over what they include in their portfolios as well as the design of their portfolios. Rikard (2015) says it best when he states, "giving a student ownership over data means nothing if it doesn’t allow them to determine that data." While I do believe my students need a rubric to work from as well as a list of assignments required by our campus (i.e. the data tracker), they need the freedom to design their portfolio in  a way that  makes sense to them. 

      One of the ways I can help my students take ownership of their portfolios is to have them reflect on their learning in each class on a weekly basis. Reflection can take many forms, so having them explore their options  is a great way to help them figure out what works best for them. For example, one week I

could have them create an infographic that highlights their learning in science and how it will impact their lives.  The next week I could have them create a PowToon video that discusses their learning in Social Studies and its impact. They also should be exposed to blogging, which is a great platform for journaling and giving feedback to each other--much like we do in this discussion board. The great thing about all of the examples I have mentioned, is that I can show them personal examples of each of those. As Harapnuik (2019)points out, "[effectively modeling] what we expect our students to do with their e-Portfolio by showing them ours" makes the feedback we give them "much more valuable and more openly received." I also think that being transparent about our own struggles with the trial and error of designing our own e-portfolios gives our students permission to ask for help from others, which can lead to healthy collaborative discussions about how to build their own portfolios. When I hear my students having these kinds of collaborative discussions, I get a sense that they are beginning to take ownership of their work. 

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References

Harapnuik, D. (2019, May). Who Owns the portfolio? Retrieved November 30, 2020, from http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6050

Rikard, A. (2015, August 10). Do I Own My Domain If You Grade It? - EdSurge News. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-08-10-do-i-own-my-domain-if-you-grade-it