ePortfolios: A Learning Voyage

In June of this year, I didn't know what an ePortfolio was. I mean, I could've guessed but I probably wouldn't have thought much of it. In July when I started my first class in this Digital Learning & Leading program, and was tasked to create my own ePortfolio, I thought, Okay, I can do this. I'm a good student... But once I invested some time and patience into creating my website, I realized how awesome this could be for my own students. As I continued to build my own and reflect on my learning, I was constantly trying to figure out how to implement this into my classroom. I decided to jump in, both feet, and roll it out.

Why?

One of my undergrad professors once asked, "Why do you want to be an English teacher?" At the time, I struggled to answer. I just knew it was what I wanted to do - that, coach basketball, and have summers off. Over the course of my career I often think of that question. Sure, I want my students to read and write and be able to present themselves intelligently to the world, but I also want so much more for them. I want to teach them to think - to think for themselves and be able to analyze and question the world around them. I want them to discover their passion - or maybe stumble upon it. But over the last few years, I felt I was falling short. How can I compete with Snapchat?! Technology is one of their first languages; however, in my experience, I've noticed they know what they know, and that's it. Let's embrace the fascination they have with technology and teach them some more of what is out there. My "why" changes every year - on average I get 150 new "whys" ranging in ages from 14-18 - here are a few of them.

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In response to my students, I decided to approach the ePortfolio as something more than a piece of technology in the classroom. The more research I did, the more I realized I wanted this to become something more than a place to store their work. If done correctly, ePortfolios truly have so much potential to tap into some amazing learning experiences. This literature review provides a brief look at just how much information is out there and how effective ePortfolios can be.

How?

At first, I thought I was doing all of this work for a grade. Then I realized, I can actually make a change - a much needed innovative change. More importantly, I want to.

I recognize ePortfolios are not the answer that will solve all of education's woes; however, as I suggest in this proposal to my colleagues, ePortfolios could be an essential piece to enrich learning. I've started using them with my own students in order to have some evidence to entice others to join me, and also to be able to survey my students to get some direction.

Getting everyone on board may be a hurdle, but it is one I'm willing to take on. I've outlined the important steps in rolling ePortfolios out to our students, and truly hope this journey is one we will all take together.