ePortfolio Share

I thoroughly enjoyed viewing the ePortfolios of my peers. COVA in full effect! You could see how we all used our Choice, Ownership, Voice, and Aunthenticity in our products. Some made me rethink my choice, but after reading comments that were left for me, I could see the beauty in my own decisions and continued as I had planned. I did tweak my layout after not being real comfortable with my own, and seeing how fluid others were. Viewing the work of others clarified things for me that I still was a little fuzzy on. During the process, I often wondered what others were doing, and this activity aloud me to take that tour. I can see growth from 5302. During that course, I often wondered "where is the connection". I can see clearer now, and its all coming together.

https://sites.google.com/view/leesquest/home

ePortfolio: Show me Yours and I will Show You Mine

I have learned so much through this ePortfolio process, that I initially wasn’t sold on. I now see how beneficial it is to have one. Its fluid and if tended to on a regular grows as the owner grows.

I have come upon many ePortfolios while searching different topics and found them to be great pieces of work. tells you so much about the person professionally. Now I get to create my own. I have noticed that some were easy to maneuver while others weren’t as user friendly. A good ePortfolio would need to be functional and professional of course. You never know if an employer would request access or just happen upon your ePortfolio, so staying professional is key. Also, with it being public, my students, or even my child could happen upon it.

I enjoy looking at others to get ideas for my own. I want it to be interesting and helpful, like I’ve found some to be, where the visitor wants to bookmark it to visit again, and not overwhelming.

https://sites.google.com/view/leesquest/growth-mindset

ePortfolio: Who's the owner?

This was interesting because as I created my ePortfolio, I never questioned ownership, it's my creation, so its mine. I am the owner.  I created the ePortfolio as a tool for myself that others can utilize.  The COVA learning approach affords me the opportunity to share my ideas in a way that I choose, adding my own personality and creativity. I've enjoyed the freedom in that. Apprehensive at first because I think we've been accustomed to learning being scripted or a template of sorts. This DLL program allows us to change that and to take charge and ownership of our learning. We display that ownership in our ePortfolios. Even though a professor gives feedback and suggest changes hear and there, how those changes are implemented are still up to the owner. That's the skill practice ans mastery of the project. There must be some type guideline. 

In changing the way we think, growth mindset was introduced early so that we could use that approach throughout the program. When my mindset shifted, my approach shifted. I'm still a work in progress though. I tend to normally have more of a growth mindset when it comes to my students, but in my personal life, its a struggle.

Why use an ePortfolio: Go & Show v/s Sit & Get

It is clear to me now how very beneficial this ePortfolio can be personally and professionally.  As I spend time making it better, tweaking its contents, It allows me time to reflect on the process, and on my journey. Reflection is such a huge part of the growing process. We often ask our students to “reflect”  or “go and show” on their learning experience, in hopes that they will be able to see things in their reflection and react to them. I found the article Reflection4Learning a great resource to shed light on how vital reflection is. I often read my students reflections in their journal and tweak my lessons or my approach based on some of their concerns in their reflection.  I have found many “pros” from having an ePortfolio. In many ways I believe that it can be used as a resume or body of work for me if I were putting in for another job. Also It keeps up with all of my accomplishments, and lessons, I’ve created. I honestly did not envision an ePortfolio would be something that I would create, but now, I truly see the value. As I continue to research I only see the positives in creating an ePortfolio. Just like the COVA approach, the ePortfolio allows me to choose how and what I display and add for others to see. So there isn’t a script, or template to guide every move in the creation process, we all have a choice in how its presented.

My ePortfolio: Getting Started

I must say that I was a little apprehensive about the ePortfolio initially.  I've never created a blog/website before and was unsure of the process. After going through the process, I can see how beneficial having it will be. Some teachers I follow on Instagram or other social sites, have blogs, that they utilize for work purposes.  In my work life, I post my lesson plans, class projects, class announcements and other useful information. I can use it as a tool for showcasing my professional work, share my teaching philosophies, and accomplishments. ePortfolios will make my learning visible to others as the examples that we were given were to us.  My ePortfolio should be fluid, in that I can change it and add new information, and constantly update its content.  Deciding on the platform is time consuming, as you want to choose one that is user friendly. A friend explained how she used the same platform when she was a classroom teacher for her students lessons, etc. I found it to be easy to access, and make changes to. Adding content is fairly easy to do, even though I'm still learning it somewhat. Another component I looked for in choosing a platform was the ease of share. I wanted a platform that will allow me to share with ease and enable others to share with me.