Tech Play 2 – ePortfolio Tools

This week I was supposed to play with e-portfolio tools. This was a very challenging and exciting assignment. I’ve never had any type of portfolio and I was looking forward to testing some nontraditional options. When I first learned that Texas A&M Commerce offered a free e-portfolio I felt relieved. Technology is intimidating for me and I wanted something that would be free, easy and efficient. I thought I had hit the jackpot. When I started entering some of my basic information I found that I was unimpressed with the options available. Though the site was very user friendly, it was also very boring. Eventually I lost all desire to complete the assignment and abandoned the e-portfolio hallway through. I didn’t want to use a proprietary tool because now I wanted a bit of a challenge. And felt that it would be too easy to create using these tools.

I honestly didn’t even know why an e-portfolio would even be useful. I made it all the way through undergrad and never needed one. Along the way, I learned that e-portfolios and personal websites provide the opportunities for me to showcase my best work and demonstrate what skills and knowledge I can bring to the education field. This is why I ultimately I chose to create a website using Wix.com. It’s free and the templates available are far better than what you see on standard web pages.

If I were asking my students to create an e-portfolio I think I would still make them create a website. I think it offers the best options for creativity and this will definitely increase student engagement in the classroom. Creating a website will also give students a chance to showcase complex skills that aren’t often utilized in the classroom. Using a webpage template also gives students a variety of options to showcase everything from school work, major projects, or handmade art. The options are endless.