EDLD 5303 Applying Ed Tech: ePortfolio

As my progress continues within the ADL program, I am afforded the opportunity to reflect on my own learning and contributions to the learning of my peers in this third course of study. Collaboration in this course was through discussion posts, group text messages, and feedforward on our ePortfolios. At the beginning of the term, I found that collaboration was going to be limited due to the purpose of the course. Developing and creating our ePortfolios is very personal. By putting ourselves out there, our vulnerabilities will only allow us to be that much better as a learner (or an educator).  We must be unguarded with our own reflections about our learning to develop those connections required for mastery.  

While I utilized the help offered by WordPress to problem-solve my way through my revisions, I was able to get help through my GroupMe chat groups. We have two groups established to maintain an open dialogue, ADL 2021-2023 and 5303 w/ Dr. H.  Here is a list of the members that I have worked with:

ADL 2021-2023	5303 w/ Dr. H	Individuals that I teamed up with
Adrianne Ortiz,  Anna Diemecke,  Ashleigh Carter  Patrick Rodriguez  Chris Hill James Rawls Kelly Skillingberg  LaTammie Rawls  Melinda Flaugher  Stacey Powell  Tonya Logan Veronica Goodly	Stacey Powell Adrianne Ortiz Anna Diemecke Chris Hill James Rawls Kelly Skillingberg LaTammie Rawls Tonya Logan	Melinda Flaugher Kelly Skillingberg Catherine Duplisea Rebecca Rodgers My Algebra I team My campus Instructional Technology Specialist (ITS)

The individuals I had the benefit of collaborating with assisted me in troubleshooting issues with my ePortfolio.  I was able to get ideas about the layout of the content on my site and issues with navigation and functionality.  I was also able to help them with concerns about their own functionality and ease of use with their ePortfolios.  My team from my own school community and the campus ITS were able to give me a point of view from my audience.

I had to remind myself that my peers were willing and ready to assist if I was struggling.  It was through asking for help that I found clarity as to how I imagined my ePortfolio’s appearance and functionality.  I also did find my attendance at the weekly meetings we had with Dr. Harapnuik extremely informative.  With his guidance on typical issues found in ePortfolio development that he related to his own experiences, I was able to discover what WordPress truly had to offer to improve my ePortfolio. 

Another area of growth that I still see in my own learning is motivation and engagement.  This term taking place in the first weeks of the school year did play a part in that for me.  This is because of the experiences of last year in the classroom. While the obstacles this year are different from last year, time has become a more precious commodity than in previous years. I have established clear boundaries between my work and school. However,  I still must remind myself of WHY I am here and struggling uncomfortably.  I am doing this for me.  I want to be a better version of my educator persona.  I must not be too proud to ask for help. We should not have to struggle in silence.  My understanding is only deeper through that collaboration.        

There have been many trials and errors with the themes, layout, blocks used on a page, navigational menus, and how to use the Blog feature.  Ultimately, I have stuck with my theme and platform for my ePortfolio.  I have become more than a novice, but definitely not an expert in WordPress.  WordPress is very creator-friendly once you get a handle on a few features. The ability to add content and tweak my ePortfolio in future courses and beyond has made all the tears and words of frustration worth it. I am proud of how far I have come and look forward to adding my work to my ePortfolio.