ePortfolio: Learning From Others

While viewing the ePortfolios of the former DLL graduate students, I learned many things that I believe will be helpful and beneficial as I continue the ePortfolio process. Aside from learning that there is so much variety in the looks of the ePortfolios, the information included, and the amounts and types of media used to display information, I think the most important information I learned from viewing these ePortfolios is which components I should include in my ePortfolio to make it a true representation of me. Upon viewing each page, my emotional reactions as I perused it let me know me know which aspects of ePortfolio content truly resonated with me and which did not. The ones that resonated are the ones I will continue to use.

So what are these details that resonated with me? Well, at the very basic level, I learned that my ePortfolio should be aesthetically inviting and reflect my personality in an interesting way. As I clicked on each of the various ePortfolios, I noticed that the pages that were more colorful and “fun” looking, like Sean Robinson’s, made me excited to continue looking through the rest of the content. I wanted to know more about the information being presented. The ePortfolio I am currently building does not have this type of energy. It is much more conservative because I initially felt as though the ePortolio had to have a particular look. However, by viewing these examples and speaking with my professor one on one, I now know that this is not the case and have been working on making it more aesthetically interesting.

I also learned that incorporating pictures, graphics, and videos throughout my ePortfolio is something I need to include. Chad Fexon does an excellent job of showcasing this throughout his ePortfolio and made it one of my favorites to view.. He definitely gave me a lot of ideas and inspiration for how to organize and present information on my ePortfolio.

Finally, I learned that I want to make sure my ePortfolio clearly supports and displays my “why” throughout. My “why” for joining this program is individualized learning for students and utilizing technology in a way that caters to various learning styles. Although there were several ePortfolios that incorporated videos and pictures in addition to the written blogs, these media primarily address the visual and auditory learners. My goal is to find a way to also incorporate technology on my ePortfolio that addresses tactile learners, post apps and websites that are useful to various learners, address individualized learning and technology in my blog posts, and show video of individualized learning taking place in the classroom. When I add these three components to my ePortfolio I believe I will definitely feel that I am beginning to take true ownership of my learning.