Why Use an ePortfolio?

The program I went through to become a teacher was big on metacognition and teaching us to think about our thinking so we could in turn teach our students the same concept. Now that I am in the DLL program, I am once again brought back to this theory.  The key difference is there is a tangible way to connect to my thinking now through my eportfolio. Helen Barrett (2005) referred to reflection and pointed to research showing how reflection can help move learning into the long-term memory. The blog in our eportfolio is the perfect place to reflect on learning and serves as a way to look at our growth over time. As I continue to add posts, I am becoming more comfortable with the process. I see this aspect of the eportfolio as a way to look back on what I have done and tweak and make changes moving forward.

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Another benefit of using the eportfolio is that it is something I have built, and it belongs to me. As Dr. Harapnuik (2015) stated, people will eventually view the portfolio and my work and will be able to see what I am capable of doing. As someone who undersells myself, being able to point people to my eportfolio and have them see what I have accomplished and how I learn is important.
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The eportfolio is a representation of my work and I want to make sure it represents me well. That is the point I am at with it right now. In the beginning the creation of my eportfolio was more about the mechanics of it and learning how to get all the elements I needed onto a site. Now that I have become more comfortable with creating within my eportfolio, I am starting to move things around to help with the flow of my site. I also really want to make it a true representation of my voice as both a teacher and learner. Investing in the eportfolio as Dr. Thibodeaux and Dr. Harapnuik (2020) discussed can lead to making connections and giving me a way to express myself, my thoughts, and my work in a way that really matters. 




 
References: 
Barrett, H. (2010, September 30). 41 Benefits of an ePortfolio. Retrieved November 26, 2020, from https://kbarnstable.wordpress.com/2010/01/08/41-benefits-of-an-eportfolio/ 
 
Harapnuik, D. (2019, May). Why Use an ePortfolio? Retrieved November 26, 2020, from http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6063 
 
Harapnuik, D., & Thibodeaux, T. (2020, May 25). Eportfolio why [Video file]. Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://youtu.be/hx304CW-gKU