ePortfolios - The Big Picture

I am super excited about this specific class because the timing couldn't be better for me and my district. We JUST implemented a district-wide digital portfolio system in Aug, and I am in charge of the rollout and training. I believe that the why is the most important part of the training right now to be sure that our educators are in a good place to begin to communicate the importance of digital portfolios as a learning tool for their students. I have so many things in my head and so many different ways to try to best communicate the significance of digital portfolios, but just didn't know where or how to get started. The information found on Dr. Harapnuik's blog has been so helpful for me. The part that hit home the most was the section in "Who Owns the Learning" about modeling. A systemized Implementation of digital portfolios can be a long process that requires planning. I say this because when I read about modeling and what the research says about it, I need to be sure that educators are modeling the use of portfolios for their students. In order to do this, my team, the Digital Learning Coaches need to be modeling the use of digital portfolios for the educators and use digital portfolios as a place for educators to house evidence of their own learning from our professional learning opportunities. If we can provide ways to show how they can use portfolios to create evidence of their understanding, they can see how it works for their students. I think the big challenge is making sure that we use COVA methods during our professional learning opportunities.

This quote from the article really made me think about making sure that we provide opportunities for educators to use their own portfolio during their PL.

"....the problem is the people trying to explain it [the eportfolio] have probably never used it so in a way they have no clue what they are talking about, basically. To put it frankly – after listening to them you would be like, Okay so you as an outsider who never even used it is telling us we should do this because it is the best thing since sliced bread but you have never used it...."

I think I will hone in on trying to be sure that our educators are set up for success in order to help create a way for them to model the use of a digital portfolio with their students.

I am looking forward to continuing to build my portfolio throughout this whole program and believe that it will just give me more evidence to use as a way to model for my Digital Learning Coach team, district administration, teachers and students in CISD. I have already begun a portfolio outside of this masters course, and at first I was going to keep them separate......but as I read more this week, I think that I need to rearrange my portfolio to include not only my work in my masters course but also the work I have begun for myself over the past few years. I think that as I move along, the way that I organize my portfolio will look different. I am excited to continue the use of Bulb, because it allows for me to organize and reorganize my work.


**image source: https://pixabay.com/en/mindmap-brainstorm-idea-innovation-2123973