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Introduction:
When I learned that I would have the opportunity to create an ePortfolio and learn about the importance of the learning environment, I was excited and eager to learn. There are times when I applied for specific jobs and the company requested a portfolio; however, I did not have one to provide and I was not too sure where to begin. Being able to create a portfolio throughout 8 weeks, to be able to speak with the professor, and have students look over my portfolio to provide constructive criticism was very helpful. In addition, to freely be creative and include additional professional information will help me in the future with my career transition.
Evaluation of Success:
One of the areas of success was the ability to be creative in both classes because I was not subject to complete an assignment a certain type of way, there were suggestions on how to construct an assignment, but ultimately it was my choice. I was able to incorporate AI images, AI presentations, audio video recordings of myself, and collaborate ideas with my colleagues.
Areas of Growth or Improvement:
Some areas of improvement I would suggest are…
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As from a previous reflection, I still believe some areas of improvement have more examples of corporate implementation with the assignments. Often, I had to think back to my teaching/ school counselor days to determine how to answer the discussion boards, complete some assignments, and specifically complete blogs for 5303.
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Another area of improvement is providing more examples of what is expected in some assignments. Although the directions and assignments are discussed in class and sometimes shared, for vision learners like me it is helpful to have an example while completing the assignment to ensure it is being done correctly.
Brief summary and reflection of each assignment:
When I first started the Exploring Digital Resources assignment, I was a little nervous because I could not use the same resources I have used before like Canva. However, I thought to myself let me ask AI to list digital resources and it provided a lot of useful information. I was able to discover different resources that were able to create videos based on AI generations, storyboard makers, and applications like Canva.
The leadership role simulation was confusing in the beginning because the directions were not very clear as we were the first class to attempt it. Once we had class, further explanation was given, and some examples were provided. However, collaborating with the group seemed to be a challenge for everyone due to scheduled conflicts and how we wanted to proceed with the project. Something that helped us get on board was the implementation of a poll provided by me to see how we wanted to produce our work either via video or email. After the process was established, everyone got on board and helped in the best way that they could. Overall, I learned a lot about my leadership style, my communication skills, and how to effectively work with a group by ensuring everyone is heard.
I have genuinely enjoyed creating my eportfolio. In the beginning, I was intimidated with the process, but I realized I had experience with creating websites, so it should not be too difficult. I enjoy that we have freedom of choice on how we want to display our information, the theme colors, and the additional information we can add. There is one page that I kept revising because I did not care about the layout and I wanted to ensure that it was user friendly. That page was the Blogs page, I was not too sure if pictures could be added, if we needed a title, or if I could direct my blogs to a different page. Ultimately, I chose to structure it as collapsible text because I felt it provided a cleaner look. I wanted my ePortfolio to look modern, clean, and easy to navigate.
Reflection of your collaborative discussion group:
The collaborative groups went well in both classes, most of my classmates had great communication skills and they motivated and held us accountable for our discussion boards. The conversations and ideas that were had were informative, we utilized Canva presentation and Padlet; however, I suggested we tried whiteboard, and it went well.
Summary or Conclusion of course and your learning:
Overall, these courses pulled on my creativity from role simulation, digital resource creation, and the eportfolio exploration. In addition, these courses have proven how important it is for students to have their own voice while completing work because it provides a sense of confidence and leadership from within.