ePortfolio

Wrap-up perspective

I was initially unsure about the value in creating an ePortfolio. I understood that it needed to be more than a record-keeping tool, but I’m not a website developer and I’m certainly not a blogger. And that was perfectly fine, because creating an ePortfolio was none of those things. The value of the ePortfolio is in the “doing”. Creating my ePortfolio allowed me to reflect on my learning in real time, synthesize the ideas I was learning about, and make connections to my profession.

​

Why use an ePortfolio? An ePortfolio forces you to think about that you’re learning and how you want to use what you learned. Rather than have “information silos”, I was able to integrate concepts from my other courses to help me better understand the relevance of what I was learning. The process of demonstrating my learning led to additional learning because I needed to truly understand what I was posting before I shared it. It’s an ongoing loop of learning. Given the choice of how and what I wanted to share, fostered deeper reflection of my learning. By having the option to choose, my voice and my personality would be reflected in my ePortfolio. I had to really think through was important enough for to me to share in my blog posts. If not given the opportunity of choice, it might have been easier to tick off the checkboxes of an assignment, but it also would have been superficial. I would not have gained as much knowledge and experience. Given the freedom to develop my ePortfolio, I became more of a self-directed learner. I researched different website platforms, learned more about blogging, using media, copyright infringement, creating effective links, html code for widgets, and so on. If I wanted something particular in my ePortfolio, I had to figure out how to do it. The struggle was real. The struggle was also necessary in order to go deeper into learning.

​

Deeper learning helped me take ownership of my learning. Ownership can lead to more effective learning because we’re in the driver’s seat. As Daniel Pink (2010) asserts, we have a deep need to direct our own lives. If we’re not in control, we’re not as motivated to get things done or to fully participate. The learning was more effective because I was developing the ePortfolio for my benefit and everything in it was relevant and useful to my professional life. With each posting of my innovation plan components, I better understood who my audience was and developed a more targeted message. If I had not posted my plan on my ePortfolio and only submitted it as an assignment grade for my course, I would not have been as invested in the outcome. I was able to learn more through autonomy, reflection, and authentic, purposeful work. Because I own my ePortfolio, I am engaged in what I’m doing to develop it.

​

The ability to taking ownership and become a more self-directed learner evolved through reflection and maintaining a growth mindset. But these two things do not happen without the help of others. Learning is social. We cannot expect to learn effectively in a vacuum – we need to hear and see other’s perspectives. Participating in a learning community and being able to learn from others was essential to my learning process. As I reflected on how I wanted to create my ePortfolio, it was helpful to share and discuss ideas with my peers. Their feedback was important to helping me feel comfortable with the direction I was taking and to change course when necessary. Just as important to learning are the online communities of experts and resources. Developing an ePortfolio helped me compile a list of resources that I want to continue using as I learn more about innovations in educational technology. An unexpected, but important, consequence of my blog was the realization that I need to share what I’ve learned and what is working well for me. Learning communities are not a one-way street; it’s a give and take relationship.    

​

My ePortfolio is an evolving process. It was never about something that had to get done, it is about learning by doing – which aligns nicely with my learning manifesto. I have realized the value in and the potential of an ePortfolio in creating an enriching learning experience. The concepts of COVA - choice, ownership, voice, and authentic learning - all converged as I developed my ePortfolio through reflection, growth, and purposeful work.