Four months ago, when I was first introduced to the e-portfolio, I was intrigued. The idea of creating a virtual space to organize and clearly present my professional thoughts, ideas, and beliefs, in addition to my teaching and practicum experience, was exciting. Those who know me know that I am obsessively organized; that I love design; and that I strive on presenting a polished product. Those who know me also know that I am no “tech wiz”; that I have no idea what Meta Data is or how to use a widget; that I know slugs to be gastropod molluscs, not a part of a URL that identifies a page on a website in easy-to-read form (what?!?)

As such, I was also intimidated by the task of creating an e-portfolio as part of my pre-service teaching program. The early stages were slow and cumbersome. I avoided the process—dedicating my time to more imminent tasks and assignments with deadlines. I think our professors caught wind of this because deadlines were soon put in place that required attention. I started digging in, bit by bit, and became familiar with my site and how it worked. My proficiency improved and I found myself staying up late to work on it, dedicating time over Winter Break to make it my own. The more I worked on it, the more I reflected—both on who I am as a teacher candidate and uncertified teacher teaching on call, as well as who I endeavor to be as a fully certified teacher in the years ahead.

The Centre for Teaching Excellence (n.d.) states that: “[w]hile ePortfolios might be described as digital collections of artifacts, a good academic ePortfolio also represents a process—specifically, the process of generating new or deeper learning by reflecting on one’s existing learning”; adding that “they are effective learning tools because they support students’ own knowledge construction, make otherwise invisible aspects of the learning process visible, and place agency in the hands of students, which fosters learners’ motivation.”

Simply put, the act of creating (and maintaining) an e-portfolio fosters the ability to be a reflective practitioner. One must reflect on what is important to her; what to include (or omit); what deserves more (or less) attention. An e-portfolio showcases who one is, and demands reflection and answers to burning questions such as: what do I want to tell my audience about who I am as a teacher; what are my values and goals; what are best teaching practices; what is my personal teaching philosophy; what artifacts and evidence support this; what competencies and skills do I possess that will lend themselves to this profession; what are my strengths and stretches; how am I living up to the nine Standards of our profession; and so forth.

The blog space is especially valuable to the reflective practitioner because it provides a platform to express thoughts, ideas, and concerns—monthly, daily, or whenever one feels enlightened or perplexed. It is a space of dialogue—where professors, peers, colleagues, parents/guardians, and students can leave comments, feedback, or questions. It is continuous and shows growth over time.  According to Burns (2020), it “helps chronicle your experience”; “gives you space in which to share wins and how you overcame obstacles”; “to celebrate small and big victories”; and “to reflect on your experiences.”

Upon completing this program, I plan to maintain my e-portfolio—not only because I now thoroughly enjoy it, but because it will serve me in several important ways. In agreeance with Edwidge Simon (2014), I will proudly include it on my resume and reference it during job interviews; I will share it with colleagues, using it as a “home base” to share professional information; and I will use it to showcase my ongoing learning, classroom experience, teaching artifacts, and evidence of student learning (with permission).

My e-portfolio could also serve as inspiration to future students—an exemplar of what they could do as part of their educational journey.  In two of my past temporary, shared contracts, I had students create portfolios (physical not “e” ones) where they included work which they were proud of, as well as self-reflections and self-assessments.  Students thoroughly enjoyed the task and found a sense of identity in the process. In the future, I will endeavor to incorporate “My Blueprint” (an online portfolio site used by School District #28) into my classroom. I have seen it used successfully during my time teaching on-call in the upper intermediate, junior, and high school grades (particularly in career education courses).

I may also dedicate a section of my e-portfolio to valuable educational resources for parents, guardians, and students (especially during current, unprecedented times when the pandemic delays start to school or in times of remote learning). I do not, however, intend to use it as a space of back-and-forth communication with them; for this, I prefer to use my school district email.

My e-portfolio is something I am proud of, and I am extremely grateful that creating one is part of the pre-service program at UNBC. Normally, at the end of a semester, I would have filed my coursework into a banker box and stacked it in the closet. I still have boxes from my undergrad (dated all the way back to 2001) collecting dust in the basement! Equally untouched are the essays, research projects, and presentations I have stored on old 3mm discs, saved to hard drives of old computers, on USB drives, and on my current computer.  But my e-portfolio has changed this: it is giving my work a higher purpose; it is allowing me to connect more fully to my work; to be proud of it and to take the time to showcase it on a virtual platform; to reflect on it, revisit it, and then reflect on it some more. Miller & Morgaine (2009), highlight this phenomenon with a quote from a Portland State University student who stated that “the e-portfolio helped to achieve the goal of linking my personal work to my personal goal.” With this, I could not agree more. I look forward to continuing to develop and maintain my e-portfolio as part of a personal and professional goal into the future!

References

Burns, Monica. (2020, October 15). Using a Portfolio to Document Remote Teaching Experience. Retrieved January 5, 2022 from https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-portfolio-document-remote-teaching-experience

Centre for Teaching Excellence (n.d.). ePortfolios Explained: Theory and Practice. Retrieved January 5, 2022 from https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/educational-technologies/all/eportfolios

Miller, Ross and Morgaine, Wende. (2009). The Benefits of E-portfolios for Students and Faculty in Their Own Words. Association of American Colleges & Universities, 11(1). Retrieved January 5, 2022 from https://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/benefits-e-portfolios-students-and-faculty-their-own-words

Simon, Edwidge. (2014, July 17). Do I Need a Digital Teaching Portfolio? Retrieved January 5, 2022 from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-teaching-portfolio-edwige-simon