For your last project in this class you are designing and creating a digital (or electronic) portfolio. After reading Yancey's piece I want you to respond to the following questions: (1) what, according to Yancey, is an electronic portfolio? (2) what do students learn through creating one? (3) what role does reflection play in the developing of an electroic portfolio? (4) connect back to your own portfolio--what did you learn in this piece that you can take and apply to your own portfolio?
Per normal: target 500 words, engage with others, use the direct quotes and the text to ground your thinking.
Due: Friday, March 25, 2010 by classtime.
According to to Yancey, an electronic portfolio is a form of one’s reflection. It is a reflection on the student; how they learn and how they compose. It is a type of reflection that involves text, but is based purely through the world of media. Yancey believes that it is taking one concept or question, keeping that same idea, yet reverting the text back into a new digital form of text. Yancey wrote about five different iterations that were used to test how well the digital portfolio worked with different students. “In taking up these questions, we engaged in several kinds of learning. We understood reflection anew, as we saw reflection-as-text differently – through multiple contexts.” (6) Yancey goes on to state that “they saw students inventing themselves” through the digital portfolio process. (6)
ReplyDeleteYancey says, “The power of collective expertise enables insight into student learning.” (15) Through creating a digital portfolio, students learn many different things: not only about how to explore media but agreeing with Yancey exploring themselves. They learn how to incorporate their work and personality onto digital text. You are able to tell so much about a person just by looking over their portfolio. The colors they use, how they design it, the information that they use, the composition itself, and even how the reflective mind works. Students learn how to keep the same general idea of what the originated project/writing was and then learn how to put it into a different form without the idea being altered. It provides educating on a more professional level in communicating, composing, and also provides exploration through the technological world. In my opinion it is a more authentic way as to expressing idea’s rather than just a resume on a simple piece of paper. Your personality has the ability to unfold within creating a digital portfolio. Another benefit I believe that a student/person can gain from them is the amount of information that an electronic can hold. There are no restrictions as to how much information can be put on the web where as a packet of information typed/written on paper could be overwhelming. It allows us to learn how to broaden and expand our minds and to think in a more complex yet beneficial way. It allows us to learn how to incorporate photos into our work, sound, color, and character which are all necessities in catching the attention of an audience.
Reflection plays a very significant role. Without reflecting, remediating something would not be easy. When we reflect, we look at the overall picture. It is when all the little pieces we have continuously learned throughout the semester come together. Reflecting causes our minds to expand immensely and gather together, creating the opportunity of learning from the reflection.
I learned a lot in Yancey’s piece and many things I will take back when creating my own digital portfolio. I will ask myself very similar questions. Some of the questions I will ask myself will be - 1. Can we incorporate our reflection in a useful way? 2. Will this digital portfolio teach me something I didn’t already know? 3. Am I meeting the expectations of my professor, my audience, myself? All three of these things can be challenging, but when I reflect and use my work from the course of the semester I can reassure myself and my other classmates that we will discover something about our learning and composing technique that we did not already realize before.
The electronic portfolio, according to Yancey, is “an interactive environment where students can receive response to their exhibits” (9). Because it is live on the web, any person can view it, not just an employer you give your resume to. It also “provides opportunities for formative assessment in deep and extended ways” (195). Whether it is the student who created the portfolio assessing, or the viewer, the student now thinks in a different way. It is this process of learning that students can receive feedback from their work as well as shows others what they can do. Without even realizing it, “through creating, students construct their own map of learning, on congruent with the digital medium of an electronic portfolio” (10).
ReplyDeleteWhen creating an electronic portfolio, students “invite, foster, and support reflection” (8). This is done because their work is presented in an expressive, digital form, different than anything most people do for a typical class. They are forced to look beyond just doing a project but to connect the pieces of the works and see how they relate to one another. The portfolio allows students to “practice self-assessment in reflection…and, through analyzing their own reflections and the feedback of others, students become more knowledgeable about the progress of their own learning” (195). The progress of learning itself is crucial to the student as a whole.
In my opinion, I feel that an electronic portfolio is a reflection in disguise. When you create a portfolio, you essentially evaluate, critique, and revise your projects to make them look good for your portfolio. Yancey describes this process of reflection similarly as a “knowledge-making activity-like the making of knowledge in science and the design of art and performance-relies on reviewing, recontextualizing, and reiterating, processes functioning as means of discovery and development” (14). When you reflect, you also discover, because your work is viewed from a different perspective. Yancey also says, “reflection is itself a site of invention, a place to make new knowledge, to shape new selves, and, in so doing, to reinvent…” (16). I think the process of reflection is so important. Not only should we just do assignments to get them done, but also we should think about why we do the things we do and learn from it. This includes anything we do, not just in school.
Through Yancey’s piece I learned that I could learn a lot by doing an electronic portfolio. It will help me to reevaluate myself as a composer and also as a learner. Reflection is key to anything I do, as I mentioned before, and creating my own portfolio will help me to think in a different way than I’ve ever thought before. I will definitely have to think outside the box, but it will stretch me and I’m ready for it. I feel my portfolio will give me a chance to express myself in a creative way and allow others to see some of the work I’ve created. I agree with gbyrne4 in that “you are able to tell so much about a person just by looking over their portfolio.” A resume just shows on paper what a person has done, but a digital portfolio allows for a creative mind to show depth. Also, by creating this portfolio, I will be able to add to it and keep it with me for the future, continually reflecting and learning throughout every phase of my life.
According to Yancey, an electronic portfolio is an “invitation to reflect (9).” It is an interactive space that allows students to reflect and exercise their abilities to reflect (8). An electronic portfolio is a map of learning (11) as it enables students to view their improvements. In creating an electronic portfolio, students become makers of knowledge by forming connections and learning new things about themselves that can be applied across the board and beyond their academic lives (5). Advanced learners understand how knowledge is created and how to create knowledge (10). Electronic portfolios promote reflection. Reflection of an electronic portfolio is related to student success because it helps them to understand their own process and makes them want to learn (12). Since the portfolio is interactive, there is communication between the communicator and the audience (12). This means there is recognition of an audience and response to the portfolio. When you reflect, you are creating your own response to your portfolio, allowing others to appreciate the steps you took to learn what you learned.
ReplyDeleteIn my own portfolio, I will be sure to reflect on my work so that I can learn as much as possible about my learning or composing process. I think that the importance of reflection on an assignment is the comprehension of why you were assigned a certain project. It is asking, “Why is the purpose of this project? What information about the class, my major, or myself, am I supposed to derive from this assignment?” When we know the answer to that, we can make the connections back to what we are supposed to be learning. Reflection is an important process because what you learn from it may be used more than once. If you can figure out what struggles you have with certain aspects of a projects and what strengths you know you have, you can learn how to correct your behavior or learn how to get over these obstacles to play to your strengths. The hope in reflection is that you will not just learn something that can be applied to the class you happen to be in, but to the rest of your life outside of your academic life. I can appreciate the questions gbyrne 4 will be asking themselves during their project period. I think those questions will be very helpful for them. I also agree with Amanda Saxton when she says that the portfolios are reflection in disguise. You have to “map” out your ideas so that definitely requires quite a bit of reflection. These portfolios are supposed to be a reflection of you, so they definitely require you to learn about yourself.
Throughout this reading, it’s mentioned numerous times that an eportfolio is a mode of reflection for students. Basically, it is a personal exhibit of revised coursework that according to Yancey, seeks to connect our experiences in “experienced”, “lived”, and “institutional” cirricula and reflect on it(16). Therefore, the point of making an eportfolio is to engage with past work by trying in retrospect to piece together what we have learned not only in class, but in life as well. I like how Amanda S. claims that an eportfolio is “a reflection in disguise” because I believe that while we are distracted doing the work to create this project, we will really be reflecting on past experience by re-encountering our work and reworking it. In that way, I believe it’s a really good way to take in what we have learned in this class through practice. On that note, I also agree with Tiffany when she says about relfection, “If you can figure out what struggles you have with certain aspects of a projects and what strengths you know you have, you can learn how to correct your behavior.” So by making a digital portfolio, we will be forced to examine our strengths and weaknesses, and that will be extremely valuable to us as EWM majors when dealing with different aspects of media in future coursework.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, Yancey relates the process of making a digital portfolio to reflection because reflection itself is based in the methods used to create such a portfolio. She says that reflection “relies on reviewing, recontextualizng, and reiterating, processes functioning as means of discovery and development”(14). There’s really no room to deny that the whole point of going back through past work, revising it, and compiling it into a comprehensive, cohesive unit is going to bring up reflection of the work and process.
Other than that, students learn a lot from eportfolios like “increasing academic achievement by strengthening learning and assessment, aiding career development for employment, and encouraging student expression by providing a site where personal representations are welcome” (12). By this Yancey means that we are accomplishing a lot more than putting our work on a page—we are tackling self-assessment, creating a useful example of work experience for future job interviews, and exploring our voice as composers through designing our own structure.
I think the most important piece of information I could take from this text is the importance of reflection before, during, and after compiling a digital portfolio. Being aware of the importance of reflection in each step of the process I take to compile my body of work will really help solidify my own composing process. Not only that, it will be be a great resource for the future and a way for me to present my work to a professional audience.
Yancey discusses electronic portfolios in a variety of iterations laid out in the opening section of her piece, but I thought the most digestible working definition of an electronic portfolio was “an interactive environment where students can receive response to their exhibits”. I thought it was a useful starting point from which to think about electronic portfolios because of the way that reflection and revision factor into the definition. In creating a space where they can receive responses to their exhibits, students are forced to revisit their works before reassembling them into the portfolio, and the ability to receive feedback creates even greater opportunities to revisit them and improve them. I thought that Amanda S’ description of an electronic portfolio as a “reflection in disguise” was a good one because as she points out, the activities involved in creating an electronic portfolio like evaluating, critiquing, and revising your own work are things that are closely linked to reflection. By going back and doing more thinking about their previous works in this process, a student comes away with a better perspective on their work and a better idea of themselves as a composer.
ReplyDeleteAs far as what students learn by creating an electronic portfolio, I think the most important thing is the way that creating them helps students make connections between what could be a wide array of different works or projects. Yancey’s article includes a few different examples of structures or maps that track the process of creating an e-portfolio, and her quote that “through creating, students construct their own map of learning, on congruent with the digital medium of an electronic portfolio” summarizes this idea pretty well. Portfolios help students to better form a concept of their own work and learning. I also liked Amanda S’ point that e-portfolios involve more than a regular class project, and require thought about how different pieces connect together. I think having to do that kind of thinking invites students to think about themselves overall as composers rather than just focusing on slapping together another assignment for a single class. It is in this sense that I think reflection plays its greatest role in the creation of an e-portfolio. That type of bigger picture thinking about the various works to be included in the portfolio is an essential part of conceptualizing the project as a whole, and I think that thinking is a form of reflection that allows us to look at our work in a new light- not an isolated one striving to satisfy specific criteria for an assignment but a light focused on ourselves as composers as a whole.
That aspect of the e-portfolio project will apply to me as well, as I will have to think about my own works and their connections to each other in one digital space representative of me as a composer. This article helped me begin to collect my thoughts as to how I want to plan out this space that should be truly my own. I’m starting to get a better idea of the type of work and thought that will be required, and I’m looking forward to attempting this portfolio and making it as unique and successful in capturing me as a composer as possible.
An eportfolio is a compilation of a person’s work on the internet, available for others to see. Students generally create these as a means of showing their work to future employers or administrators for grad schools. It is a helpful tool because it puts all of your work in one place and makes it accessible to people who can help you. When Yancey talks about the eportfolio, she really stresses reflection. She starts out the piece by saying that “Print and electronic portfolios historically have featured reflection as their centerpiece” (1). Like Amanda Saxton said, an eportfolio is really a reflection in disguise. I totally agree with this after reading Yancey’s piece because the entire thing is basically about reflection and how it helps improve students’ writing.
ReplyDeleteIn creating and electronic portfolio, students learn that their work is never really finished. By compiling these things into one place, they can go back and look at their work and think about what needs to be changed. Reflection is a constant process and the eportfolio helps with the upkeep of a student’s work. I think the eportfolio just eases the process of reflection. A student in Yancey’s piece said “I like reflecting on what I’ve learned or hope to in the future. Makes it so much easier to focus on what it is I’m trying to learn when I know there is a place for me to reflect upon my work at a later time” (12). I agree with this student because I know if something is not right in front of me, I am not going to go looking for it to reflect on it. And if it’s on a website, I am definitely going to want to make it better because other people are going to view it.
I think if a student writes a reflection in their eportfolio, the reader gets a feel for they were really trying to convey in their work. It shows what they like about their writing, what they dislike and what they want to improve on. It makes it a little more personal. I think employers like to see this so that they can connect to the student on a deeper level than just reading their work. Yancey raises some important questions in her study of eportfolios and reflection. To me, the most important of these is when she asks “Do electronic portfolios enhance student learning?” (6). My answer would be yes because throughout my own research in this class, reflection has proven to be the best way to learn about yourself and your writing and then improve on it. It shows you how to see past your bad habits and think on a deeper than the surface of things.
I am excited to create my eportfolio for this class. I had to make one last semester for an English class but it was part of the Career Center Portfolios. I like that in this class, I get to add my own spin on it. I think this will help employers see passed my writing and discover who I really am. I think this piece has given me a lot to think about. I know there is a lot I have to reflect on in my work and I can use the questions Yancey poses to springboard ideas for my own reflection. For this class, I keep having to write about reflection. And I was starting to wonder why it came up so much. But then I remembered all the points I made in my projects about how reflection never stops. It’s an ongoing process in the writing world and it’s the only way to become better at what us EWMers do best!
Before reading, I thought I had a pretty secure grasp no the concept of an electronic portfolio. However, after reading, I realized that this exercise is so much more than just putting our print and other media pieces into one cohesive digital format. According to Yancey, “the electronic portfolio is itself an interactive environment where students can receive response to their exhibits…the designers of the electronic portfolio see in it both structure and invitation for advanced reflective thinking” (9). In creating an electronic portfolio, we as students and composers are not only analyzing relationships and connections between themes and structure, we are also reexamining and reflecting further upon the pieces we have already created and ensuring they are displayed at their fullest potential.
ReplyDeleteStructure is extremely important in creating an electronic portfolio. As we saw with the examples in class, it is important to have a cohesive arrangement of materials or else the whole thing ends up looking sloppy and disorganized. In structuring our entire portfolio, we firstly have to organize our pieces into certain categories and themes. This is directly related to reflection because it this categorization forces us to relook at our work and reflect on their intended messages. If the works we want to include did not fully reveal our intentions, revision has to be done. This revision is crucial to the development of a digital portfolio because all of the pieces are going to be displayed as one work, as opposed to singular works with different themes and messages. Yancey includes, “through creating, students construct their own map of learning, one congruent with the digital medium of an electronic portfolio” (10).
Through this reflection, we can reveal to ourselves our own process of learning and composing. Once we can understand how we go about writing, we can start to collect previous works and revise them to fit into our new structure. I agree with Eric F when he wrote “I think reflection plays its greatest role in the creation of an e-portfolio. That type of bigger picture thinking about the various works to be included in the portfolio is an essential part of conceptualizing the project as a whole.” Yancey also recognizes this change: “A key shift is the students create the concept maps that used to be given to them in textbooks and syllabi and by the faculty” (10).
Another thing that is unique about a digital portfolio is the ease in personalization. Though we can express our voice and style though a paper or blog post, creating an entire collection of works and formatting them to our own liking is a prime form of self-expression. I agree with gbyrne4 in that “[students] learn how to incorporate their work and personality onto digital text.” If anyone has any problem with expressing creativity throughout the semester, this is not one of those projects that is difficult in that aspect. Through the choosing of formats, colors, works included, and so much more, students can’t help but be motivated to reveal their style.
As for my own portfolio, I know recognize how much more reflection and conceptualizing I have to do before simply placing assignments on a website. I have to reflect on the relationships between and concepts of the pieces I intent on including. I also want to ensure that the format and other stylistic choices I make remain refreshing yet professional. Needless to say, this is going to be an extensive project but I am excited to get started and complete it to the best of my abilities.
In Yancey’s piece, Reflection and Electronic Portfolios, she briefly compares the evolution from print portfolios to electronic or digital portfolios, also known as eportfolios. She explains the difference mostly in the reflections, stating that, “In print portfolios, these texts are often a reflective essay or a reflective letter…” and “As portfolios have gone electronic, reflective texts have taken myriad forms-from concept maps to written texts to streaming video.” (5) I think this factor is important to understand because although the refection serves the same purpose, they are presented in different mediums. I think the electronic version is important as our world keeps getting advanced with technology, and the reflections through digital mediums relate more to the present time. She also points out that “…the electronic portfolio is itself an interactive environment where students can receive response to their exhibits.” (9) This helps define some aspects of the movement to eportfolios in that when students have digital portfolios online, it allows for a much wider audience, the World Wide Web, to see and give feedback on the portfolio. It also allows for people to interact based on similar interests and gives the student constructive criticism. I think a digital portfolio allows for more opportunity for a student to be more creative and create it the way they want with technology. They can for example create a website and provide links for what they think is important and pictures and words they find pertinent. Yancey presents a good point when she states, “…[the eportfolio] increasing academic achievement by strengthening learning and assessment; aiding career development by assisting students to become prepared for employment; and encouraging student expression by providing a site where personal representations are welcome.“ (12) Students, by creating eportfolios rather than print portfolios, are benefiting themselves in their work and learning because the opportunities and possibilities are so much greater. Think of how much more you could do with a program online then with paper and pencil. Also, employment and career opportunities that involve portfolios will become more and more evident online and less with print because our generation is basically evolving into the digital age. There is much statistics that also show then students who do eportfolios as opposed to print portfolios, they score higher. One of Yancey’s points I came across that I found interesting is when she states, “Portfolio structures are not innocent. Through arrangement, they signal what is valuable.” (14) I think this just goes back to how you can do so much more online. Like you can incorporate a ton of different forms of media such as videos, links, text, images, etc., and by arranging them appropriately, they can serve to create a great digital portfolio. “…moving research from a national focus to an international articulation; transforming accountability driven by testing into richer conversations around inquiry into learning; and opening a detached hierarchical academy to arrangement across the multiple knowledge spaces of the digital world.” (193)This helps to define exactly what an eportfolio is. Digital portfolios are extended past national to the international world, and allow for in depth conversations and feedback from a variety of others. It is absolutely appropriate to switch to digital portfolios so we do not get left behind in these advances in technology and the digital revolution that is occurring.
ReplyDeleteIt’s very evident that refection plays a vital row in the creation of electronic portfolios. She presents three points right away: “…through reflection, students make knowledge by articulating connections among portfolio exhibits, learning, and self; reflective activities introduce students to new kinds of self-assessment…that they carry into life outside of and beyond educational settings…” (5) Students are able to connect with others digitally and allow them to think about their own portfolios and what they may have learned about themselves as composers through the process. Skills with reflections are also important to possible careers. Statistics show that students who practice reflection are directly related to the student’s success. I think the overall purpose of reflection is to think about who you are as a composer and to discover your theory of composing and your unique writing process.
ReplyDeleteI think this piece was really helpful to read as I’m brainstorming for my portfolio. It points out that the audience is pretty much anyone who can see it, which is anyone with access to the internet. It shows how much greater the opportunity is in creating a digital portfolio. I’m excited to see what ideas flow as I’m creating this and to reflect afterwards to think about the things I’ve learned and the skills I’ve gained.
I didn’t think about this, but what Grace says makes sense. The digital portfolio can actually be looked at as a form of a student’s reflection. Think about it; the purpose of this digital portfolio is to revise all of our previous projects based on what we have learned and gained through the semester. It’s basically a reflection for this class. I also think it’s important that Amanda pointed out that the digital portfolio is important because it can serve as a type of resume for future careers. It’s hard to imagine that one day a future employer to a career I want to pursue could be looking at this. It’s nerve racking but exciting!
Yancey opens with saying that, “print and electronic portfolios historically have featured reflection as their center pieces”(5). To her, “reflection typically meant both the processes in which students have engaged and one or more reflective texts” (5). She goes on to say that reflection enhances their learning. “In addition, the electronic portfolio is itself an interactive environment where the students can receive response to their exhibits” (9). Students learn about their creative process by doing this reflection. Since an online portfolio is interactive, students can get feedback to gain further insight in their work. Reflection is taking a look back at what you have done and talking about it. I agree with Yancey when she says that reflection is the “center pieces” of the portfolio. Since reflection is the center of the portfolio, it is the skeletal framework for the masterpiece of the whole portfolio. I have begun the creative thinking process of my portfolio. The other day in class we looked at examples of the electronic portfolios, and I got a better sense of what to do. After reading this article, I got a sense of how to approach the portfolio. The reflection is a major part. I plan to write half of my reflection before I edit the pieces. I want a sort of pre and post division of reflection. I have decided to do a wix for choice of medium for my project. I am not an avid blogger, and after seeing the amount you can do with wix, this will be my medium.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Amanda Saxton when she says, “In my opinion, I feel that an electronic portfolio is a reflection in disguise.” Essentially the entire thing is a liter reflection as us as composers and what our product looks like.
I am behind Kayla when she quotes Yancey in saying, “Other than that, students learn a lot from eportfolios like ‘increasing academic achievement by strengthening learning and assessment, aiding career development for employment, and encouraging student expression by providing a site where personal representations are welcome’” (12). The electronic portfolio not only strengthens our learning and enables us to learn more about ourselves as composers. Also it aids in “career development” because like Ms. Taczak said in class, this electronic portfolio will be up on line for other to see. So it could be used when we apply for jobs or just the practice from doing the portfolio could aid us in the future at jobs.
After reading Yancey’s piece, answering the questions posed, reflecting on it, and reading my piers’ post, I feel that it has given me new insight and a bit of food for thought to prepare for work for my electronic portfolio. The reflection aspect is an important part of the project especially since we are editing and revising some of our old works so it will be really fulfilling to write the reflection. I am looking forward to this project and using the reflection tool!
Yancey says that an electronic portfolio is a reflective text. More specifically, the most recent form that reflective texts have taken. Reflection helps students to make connections between their ideas and to consider their composing process after the fact. By engaging in reflection in an electronic medium, the scope by which a students may express these connections is enlarged.
ReplyDeleteYancey also says "reflective activities introduce students to new kinds of self-assessment" (Yancey, 5). Reflection helps assessment because in discussing our processes and reviewing our own compositions, we may become more aware of our writing style. Not only this, but others may view our work and recognize areas of This process of allowing others to comment on our work is much more efficient in the digital media. "Students formally reflect at mid-experience and at the end of the experience, and that reiteration reveals how students value time and a planned reiterative process" (Yancey, 14). Students have a plan in their mind going into a project, whether they realize it or not. Looking back at a project from different points of the process is an excellent way to access ones work. If we were able to look back on a project as we are doing it in a digital medium, then our ongoing record of our work could reveal to us qualities in our composition that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. Considering that most students in the reading said that time is a factor in education, this allows us to take what would regularly be a long, drawn out process, and allow it to be done quicker so we can apply the information and learn from it.
Amanda said "Reflection is a constant process". I completely agree with this and understand her explaining of how the permanence of an electronic portfolio helps to maintain a record of our reflection and continue to access and improve upon our work over time. Not only this, but the people who bear witness to our electronic portfolio, such as employers, teachers, and coworkers, may comment on our work and become a part of our reflective history. In hand, a portfolio is typically one thing and it remains on us and it alone holds all the comments and assesments that we have allowed others to make. But a digital portfolio is available for anyone of any level of professionalism to view and comment upon. Nobody has to call and ask to see our portfolio because it exists in a dimension of media where it can be viewed and articulated any place and any time of day.
Before this reading, I saw reflection as just an expressive, written process. After seeing all the concept maps and diagrams, I had a clearer idea towards the connections made during reflection. Not only this, but all the different ways that these connections can be illustrated through a digital medium. Because of this, I've realized that within my digital portfolio, I can make my assessments more illustrated than I might have otherwise done. I feel that by doing this I will make a more in depth assesment of my own work in comparison to simply writing a reflection. I can take full advantage of the medium I am working in.
According to Yancey, a portfolio (in general) is centered on the aspect of reflection. An electronic portfolio takes this aspect of reflection and “widens” its possibilities beyond print. Yancey places a heavy hand in reflection and emphasizes the fact that an e-portfolio is beneficial in more than the obvious way of advancing one’s career, self-assessment being one of those benefits. Yancey states that a student who learns and fully embraces a portfolio will, “[learn] new kinds of self assessment, that they can carry into life outside and beyond educational settings.” [Yancey, 5] The second aspect that Yancey focuses on is the structure of an e-portfolio. Yancey states that, “the advance learner understands not only how knowledge is constructed, but also how to construct it himself or herself.” [Yancey, 10] Structure is the basic core to an e-portfolio that allows a student to easier relate and construct a solid reflection of themselves and their work. The portfolio is as much about showing your work, as showing who you are as a person. By allowing oneself to self-reflect while creating the portfolio, one can make themselves appear unique and truly show who they are.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to my own portfolio, I learned that a portfolio is not simply a piece that can land you a job, but more of a reflective piece on how I can improve myself in regards to composition. By laying out all my elements of a portfolio and seeing how each piece interconnects, I can further develop my skills in composition. Personally, I thought the aspects that made a portfolio were the pieces of work that reflected me as a composer. After reading Yancey, I’m going to open a separate facet of criticism when creating my portfolio. I’ll see how my work develops over time and see what I can do to make more of my future compositions better than my previous.
I agree with Amanda and how she says that a portfolio can be seen as a “reflection in disguise.” A lot of what a portfolio is about is refining yourself and your work to seem unique and appealing. Each person has a certain aspect about themselves and their personality. Yancey wants us as composers to push ourselves to self-reflect and show what makes us unique. Our journey in life is to discover our purpose in the world. By creating a portfolio and self-reflecting, one can be that much closer to discovering who they are and what they want to do with their lives.
According to Yancey, an electronic portfolio is a collection of works which “structures invite, foster, and support reflection”. It is a “shell” which houses several of a student’s works, allowing them to be public to others providing valuable feedback to the composer. “The electronic portfolio is itself an interactive environment where students can receive response to their exhibits”. Also, “The shell provides guidance with prompts such as, “Does one of your papers demonstrate especially compelling support about the claim?”…Students then can work in a context of both structure and guiding questions”. According to Yancey the designers of each portfolio use it as a means of structure for their work and an outlet for advanced reflective thinking. It was discovered that creating an electronic portfolio created a “matrix” of thinking, which is a form of advanced reflective thinking. “Matrix thinking” is when” students combine the elements of a matrix and use the resulting conceptual construct as a lens through which to revisit work initially created in a different context for a different reason”. Electronic portfolios allow for reflection of the students work so that they may learn from their experiences, and use it as a base for things they will research in the future.
ReplyDeleteIn creating an electronic portfolio, students learn three dimensions associated with reflection. They practice self assessment, an understanding of how knowledge is created, and pick up and identity as a lifelong learner (Yancey). In self assessment they are able to look back on and reflect on what they have done. They can see what they have done well, and things that they need to improve on for the future. Once they have looked back on what they have done they can use it as a learning tool for future projects or areas of study. This helps them understand the creation of knowledge. By having their work open to the public, they can collect feedback and learn more from what they had already created on their own. “ The advanced learner incorporates feedback and past performance in constructing further performance and learning plans”. According to Yancey, “The advanced learner understands not only how knowledge is constructed but also how to construct it for himself or herself”. In addition to understanding knowledge, the student also learns by constructing their own map of learning. The students “literally link their way to connectedness and meaning”. The maps “suggest an awareness of how artifacts connect to self as well as to the needs of valued social audiences”. Through creating electronic portfolios, students learn their required material better, and practice things such as writing, critical thinking, and team work which are critical for academic development, according to Yancey.
Reflection in electronic portfolios is the main accomplishment. Reflecting on their past works and learning form them is the main purpose of the portfolio. The values in reflection in the portfolio are “leading students to engage more deeply in learning, to mention the values in their reflections, and to relate the values to their understanding of their learning”.
Im my own reflection, I am excited to see the comments I receive from my peers. I see it as an opportunity to look back on what ive done and showcase my works. After all, I put a lot of time and hard work into each project, and being able to share them with others gives me a sense of encouragement and accomplishment.
According to Yancey, An electronic portfolio serves many purposes for the student involved in information technologies through reflection. Yancey defines an electronic portfolio as an “interactive environment where students can receive response to their exhibits…And invitation for reflective thinking.” An electronic portfolio bases itself on media and technology, not just print work. The structure of a digital portfolio is created by the student and invariably contains dimensions of reflection which are designed to further develop a student’s capabilities. Thus the fundamental aim of the creation of a digital portfolio is not only for technical development but also personal development. Yancey highlights how this structure affects that student by saying, “In this single structure, three dimensions associated with reflection- self assessment, understanding of how knowledge is created, and identity as a lifelong learner- is crafted into a single development schema.” In other words, the process of reflection that comes with creating an electronic portfolio teaches students many different capabilities and practices that can further their learning beyond simple projects. The advanced learner knows how to construct knowledge for his or herself by understanding their performance as a learner by using feedback from past performances and learning plans. Yancey also includes several statistical reasoning that support the claim that a student will engage a digital portfolio differently than a regular one, in fact, Yancey claims, students enjoy it more.
ReplyDeleteYancey’s work showed the plethora of available ways to compose through a digital/ electronic portfolio. It serves as a ne evaluation for my own work and will determine how I learn and maintain my own theory. I believe most importantly she teaches that reflection will be the most important thing I do as a composer and is instrumental in thinking outside of the box when creating my portfolio. Our portfolios are a great way to introduce ourselves to the field of EWM and express ourselves through a depth and breadth of knowledge.
After reading Yancey’s piece I have come to the conclusion that an electronic portfolio, while being different from a print portfolio, manages to still have the same purpose- only instead it is accessible by a much larger audience. Since electronic portfolios are more accessible, as Amanda Saxton pointed out, “…an interactive environment where students can receive response to their exhibits” (pg.9). This characteristic is crucial in understanding why learning through reflection is so effective through digital portfolios. Like a print portfolio, the composer is able to go back and look at their previous work and learn from it so that they can improve their writing in the future. However, a digital portfolio allows the composer to go back and make improvements as soon as another person accesses it and points out some type of fault. The fact that so many people can access these portfolios at any time and the composer is able to make adjustments when they wish contributes exponentially to the effectiveness of learning through these portfolios.
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of these portfolios is to display one’s work and then to reflect upon the contents of the portfolio. In doing this, the composer is able to showcase their work to an audience while simultaneously learning something about themselves as a composer. One of the major points that Yancey touches upon again and again throughout this piece is that reflection is the key to learning because it enhances the composer’s ability to really pinpoint what exactly they are learning while developing a voice and style as a composer. “…through engaging in reflective activities, students develop the stance and practices of a reflective practitioner who can synthesize multiple sources of evidence and make contingent and ethical sense of them” (pg.1). While reflecting the composer really needs to stop and think about what they knew to begin with, what they have learned, what they want to say, and how they want to say it. Because the composer must think these things through before they start composing it really enhances there ability to grasp what they have learned.
In creating my own portfolio I have to go back and look at the different assignments I have composed over the semester and really think about what I want my portfolio to say about me. When I look at the first few assignments that I created it really makes me realize how much I have really learned over such a short period of time. Now when I approach the different assignments that are thrust upon us, the first thoughts I have are about the different theorist and how they would handle such an assignment. Before when I approached any assignment I just wanted to get the job done but did not fully understand how to go about understanding the point of the assignment. After reading Yancey’s article on electronic portfolios I am going to make sure that all the assignments I include in my digital portfolio have some sort of reflection so that my audience understands its purpose and why it is important to the portfolio in its entirety.