Building Something New

Four months ago I had never even heard of an ePortfolio, let alone have one of my own. At first I was overwhelmed with the idea of having to build this platform because I had never created a website before. Initially I constructed a place to house all of my coursework, but the more I read about the process I realized that I had to figure out why and how I wanted to use my ePortfolio. I decided that I really needed to focus on my “why” and start from there.

At first I sat down and started mapping out everything that I wanted to include on my site. As I was brainstorming, I realized that I could use this for multiple purposes which would be beneficial to me in the future. I liked the idea of having a place to keep my coursework from this program available to my administrators, colleagues, students and their families. It will be easier to share all that I have learned and created with them in this format. I have also decided to also use my ePortfolio blog space to keep reflecting on my current projects, readings, teaching, and other learning experiences. It is going to be imperative that I share my reflections with my students if I expect them to create their own reflection spaces. I am also going to include a work experience page and gallery of my professional projects as well.

I have now reworked my ePortfolio at least five times and I finally feel like I am getting somewhere with it. I am trying to make it easy to navigate for the user, as well as visually appealing without being too busy. At first I included lots of photos on my home page, but after some discussion with my classmates, I decided to tone it down a bit, and I can finally say that it is starting to feel like it belongs to me.

Overall, I feel that creating my ePortfolio has been an extremely positive experience. I have learned that I do not need to be afraid of using technology in new ways, because I am completely capable of figuring out how to use it on my own and I know that I can find the answers to any questions that may arise. I have learned the importance of self reflection in my own work and how much my students will thrive once they begin doing it more themselves. I have learned the important role that my learning communities play in my personal and professional lives and that feedback and help from others is absolutely necessary if I want to make my ideas come to life.

References:

Harapnuik D., Thibodeaux, T., & Cummings C. (2018, January.) COVA choice, ownership and voice through authentic learning. Creative Commons License. http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=7291

Harapnuik D. (2019, May.) Why use an eportfolio. It’s About Learning. http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6063

Harapnuik, D. (2019, May.) Who owns the eportfolio? It's About Learning. http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6050