The best advice you can have for creating a plan of attack for the Applying Educational Technology 5303 course.
Photo Credit: WIX Media
All jokes aside, it was relieving to hear that this course is designed to give learners a chance to slow down and really plan out a nice website and blog. I loved all the knowledge and skills I was able to learn during Spring 1 in 5305 and 5302, however, I really struggled to build my ePortfolio to culminate all the valuable information. Creating this ePortfolio was a completely brand new experience and I felt that I was short on time to really delve into the creative process and create a website that was well designed and aesthetically pleasing. Being given a glimpse of the big picture of the program allowed me to take the time to ensure that I would be able to make a well functioning website that is also pleasing to look at that I can add to easily and keep track of all my progress.
I am so excited to move forward in the program and delve into creating an ePortfolio that will stand the test of time in this program and moving on throughout my professional life and I thought I would share the most important tips Dr. Harapnuik shared in his blog post "ADL/EDLD 5303 Tips and Perspectives" about this course.
Tip #1 - Start using your ePortfolio for more than just coursework.
Honestly, this is the best tip I could have received. Once I started playing around my ePortfolio by blogging and writing about my experiences I started picking up tricks to make my posts and pages look much better. Informal learning has always helped me pick up new skills when compared to formal settings. I learn better by playing around and just trying different things especially when learning new technology or programs, so being encouraged to add personalization and my own ideas to the page has helped me figure out the host site that my ePortfolio is on much faster and more in depth I would have otherwise had.
Tip #2 - Take your time to revise, organize, and improve your ePortfolio and its overall design.
Starting my ePortfolio was especially challenging for me because I just struggled to get a firm understanding of how the site works and what tools were available to me. There are many tools and functions to explore and I just didn't have much previous knowledge or exposure to create an ePortfolio easily. I was also short on time so I didn't think much about the overall vibe and navigation through my site. Getting advice on navigation sections that I should have helped me understand just how to organize my site in a way that makes sense to viewers.
"Include quotes by experts in your post to add credibility." – SEO specialist
Tip #3 - Consider your future work and how it will fit into your ePortfolio.
Dr. Harapnuik gave this advice on his blog post (linked above - you should definitely visit that post because it is so helpful) and it is important. Luckily, I picked a hosting site that will support blogs, adding media, creating pages, and so much more. I feel that I will be able to integrate anything this program may ask of me into my current ePortfolio and
Be creative and thoughtful while you create the ePortfolio it should feel authentic, like an extension of you and your ideas and opinions.
As the process of creating your ePortfolio continues, it should start becoming familiar and exciting. Blogging should feel like a conversation or like completing a journaling prompt. I have grown to love my ePortfolio and I love that I can express my thoughts and be able to look back at them over time to see how I have grown and changed. I look forward to seeing how this evolves and becomes more personal as I think of more things I can add or discuss as time goes on.
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