August 2020
Show and Tell
Ahhhh! The dreadful "show and tell" day. I would not say I liked it. As a matter of fact, it was probably the only day of the school year I hated as a little girl. I did not particularly appreciate standing before people talking about something that interests me and inviting others to have the same regard. Looking into the pale eyes of my classmates, caused more anxiety than I ever wanted to experience. I survived and hoped not ever to have that experience again. Ironically, after working more than 20 years in corporate America, I’ve become a teacher. Now, I look into the pale eyes of my students talking about things that interest me and hoping they have the same regard.
I've been an adult for quite some time now, and the “show and tell” days are a bit different. Well, sort of. Instead of standing before a crowd, we present our information in the form of resumes and websites, such as ePortfolios. I understand the importance and benefits of sharing my work, experience, learning, and self-reflection; however, it’s just not something I’ve fully embraced. I guess I should say that I’m okay with the sharing of experiences and learning; however, I think I struggle more with the self-reflection aspect of the ePortfolio. Being intrinsically motivated, knowing I’ve completed a task brings me the satisfaction I need and don’t really think that reliving the experience is beneficial. So, why an ePortfolio? I have conducted some research to gain more knowledge.
The Benefits of an ePortfolio
Dr. D. Harapnuik’s, “It’s about Learning” blog (Harapnuik, 2019) states that ePortfolios allow learners to take ownership of and go much deeper into their learning. The learner is in control of their learning, something that helps me to appreciate the ePortfolio. An interesting concept that brings to mind what Joi Ito says in his TedTalk, Want to Innovate? Become a Now Ist, “Education is what others do to you. Learning is what you do to yourself”. Processing information in a way that helps me retain knowledge of what I’m learning is helping me to understand part of the significance of an ePortfolio. I have ownership; thus, my connections to my learning are more significant. Dr. D Harapnuik also states,
It is this ownership of ideas that leads to deeper learning. In order to make meaningful connections, one has to take ownership of those ideas and concepts in order to construct meaning.
As I dig deeper into learning more about ePortfolios, I found Jose R. Zubizarreta’s definition of what he calls a learning portfolio interesting. (Zubizarreta, 2009) defines the learning portfolio as follows:
The learning portfolio is a flexible, evidence-based tool that engages students in a process of continuous reflection and collaborative analysis of learning. As written text, electronic display, or other creative project, the portfolio captures the scope, richness, and relevance of students’ intellectual development, critical judgment, and academic skills. The portfolio focuses on purposefully and collaboratively selected reflections and evidence for both improvement and assessment of students’ learning.
While reading Dr. D. Harapnuik’s blog, he points to another interesting concept of ePortfolios and that is the acronym - COVA. According to the blog, COVA is choice, ownership, voice, and authentic learning. The term was coined in 2015 by Dr. T. Thibodeaux. The idea of COVA is to allow learners or students to have choice, ownership, voice and authentic learning over their digital domain (Harapnuik, 2019). Applying the COVA principle to ePortfolios can aid in the learners ability to remain engaged and motivated.
While there are many other benefits to creating and maintaining an ePortfolio, I would like to finish out with how to make meaningful connections as this may be the most important advantage of having an ePortfolio. Dr. D. Harapnuik’s blog states, “Other than a degree or certificate these people all too often have nothing tangible to show for their many years in education” (Harapnuik, 2015). This drives home an important point to me in that my thoughts and ideas are often so sporadic that I have difficulty with keeping track of them in just a few minutes, let alone attempting to connect all I’ve done over many years. Considering my work spans across years, it Is important that have a place where I can bring all my skills, experiences and learning to one place – the ePortfolio.
A changed mind?
Having researched ePortfolios a bit, I can honestly say I understand the importance of having one. Nevertheless, I am not excited about completing an ePortfolio as I truly struggle with self-reflection and believe that I will only create one and never reflect upon my learning or experiences. While I understand this may be more psychological, I also understand that it is important for growth. However, it is important that I remember to focus on my growth and not the final product.
References:
Zubizarreta, J. (2009). Chapter 1. In The learning portfolio: Reflective practice for improving student learning (p. 20). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Harapnuik, D. (edited 2019). It's about learning. Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org
Ito, J. (Director). (n.d.). Want to Innovate? Become a Now ist [Video file]. Retrieved August 21, 2020, from https://www.ted.com/talks/joi_ito_want_to_innovate_become_a_now_ist
Harapnuik, D. (2015). It's about learning: Making meaningful connections in an eportfolio. Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org
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