Why an ePortfolio?
An ePortfolio is a tool - one that will not make or break one's career or time in academia. That being said, the ePortfolio is an invaluable tool that can serve as a showcase of one's best work, an avenue that can be used to reflect on academic lessons learned, and as a bank of valuable resources its creator has encountered. It can be used as an example for others to follow in creating ePortfolios as well. ePortfolios are something of a trend; however, they embody a principle used with paper and pens before the advent of technology.
The process of creating an ePortfolio is not a simple one for a few reasons, namely:
1. The possibilities are endless. There are countless aesthetic layouts one can give an ePortfolio and just as many apps and widgets one can include in it.
2. Most, if not all, of us in the course would agree that the best ePortfolios are introspective in addition to being informative. This requires digging deeper beyond the surface of a typical homework assignment or project at work.
As I have been researching and tweaking my ePortfolio, I found an informative resource that may come in handy for anyone else. Per the site, it arose out of a "project funded by the United States Department of Education" (2016). I believe that it is a resource created by Pima Community College; it's not flashy but it provides a lot of valuable information. The main page for the site is: https://sites.google.com/site/resourcecentereportfolio/.
I encourage students and educators to start the process of creating an ePortfolio. After creating an ePortfolio, the learner emerges with a tangible tool they can carry with them throughout their education as well as their profession. In addition, the learner may end up learning about himself/herself in the process.
References:
Pima Community College. 2016. Obtained from: https://sites.google.com/site/resourcecentereportfolio/