EMDA 299 Pilot

Digital Portfolio Class for the Innovation and Leadership Program

In Fall of 2015, as a student in Dr. Suter's Digital Portfolio class (EMDA 299), you will participate in an ePortfolio Explorations pilot.

Each student will use WordPress to create an ePortfolio site, customize it, add content, and give the SOU ePortfolio Explorations Task Force feedback on the process. In return the Center for Instructional Support will provide individualized training, consultation and support to help create and maintain WordPress portfolios for the Innovation and Leadership Program.

Students will be able to customize their ePortfolios for multiple uses, including use as an online resume. The ePortfolio will be available to you for a year after you graduate.

What is an ePortfolio?

What can you do with an ePortfolio?

Showcase your work to different audiences, for different purposes:

• Your instructor — to provide evidence of what you have learned, get feedback, and show your progress over time.
• A potential employer — to demonstrate your skills, knowledge and abilities by showcasing work you've completed (both in school and out).
• Graduate school application — to show the quality of your previous academic work.
• Your family and friends — to share work that you are proud of.
• You — to reflect all that you have accomplished, and celebrate your work!

ePortfolio Assignments

1. ePortfolio Assignment #1: Create Your Site

Let's Get Our ePortfolio Set Up!

Click on link above above to get instructions to:

• Set up your WordPress.com account.
• Create your site with the Illustratr portfolio theme. (Note, later in the term you can change your theme, as long as it supports the portfolio content type. See "Design Hints" below.)
• Customize site name and tagline.
• Find some images.

See below for tutorials on how to:

• Set up your ePortfolio Project using Illustratr theme.
• Change your tagline, modify your "About" page, and create a menu.

2. ePortfolio Assignment #2: What's your image?

Twice as many people will look at your posts and pages on your ePortfolio if each has an image. Make sure that the graphics and images you use are labeled for noncommercial use, with usage rights "Free to use, share or modify." For more, see Finding Images.

A great resource on managing images is Image Positioning, Spacing and Alignment in WordPress: Common Problems and Fixes.

One of the challenges of the use of images in WordPress is to manage their size. Take a look at this resource for help: Resizing Photos.

Changing the order of projects on your ePortfolio home page

Remember that WordPress is chronological — the last thing published is the first thing listed. To change the order of featured images on your ePortfolio home page, manually change the publishing date: on the editing screen for that project page, edit publish date and time, remembering to click on "Update" when you are done. Control the order by setting the dates in reverse order. For example, if you want your Projects to appear with the visual narrative first, the infographic second, and the personal learning network third, you would edit the publishing dates as follows:

• Visual Narrative (change publish date to 11-28-15)
• Infographic (change publish date to 11-26-15)
• Personal Learning Network (change publish date to 11-24-15)

3. ePortfolio Assignment #3: Quantitative Literacy/Data Visualization — Use an Infographic to Tell a Story

What is an infographic?

Infographics are visual combinations of narrative and data that can be useful tools for improving thinking and communication skills. In fact, infographics are a powerful modern form of storytelling; just as maps, charts, and graphs have helped us understand complex information throughout history, infographics are particularly suited for 21st century life where massive amounts of information must be organized and made more clear and concise for popular consumption (Askanase, 2011 and Kayur, 2013). An infographic combines storytelling, data, and graphic design to in order to "present complex information quickly and clearly" (Wikipedia, 2014).

What can you do with an infographic?

1. The basic idea -> Information is Beautiful.
2. What the Center for Instructional Support has done with infographics:
   • CIS Mission
   • Growing Online Enrollments project
3. Take a look at some infographic samples:
   • Top 10 Best Infographics of 2013
   • What you can learn from the Top 50 Infographics of 2014
   • Piktochart Example — My Anytime University Resource Aide, with video
4. What NOT to do:
   • Imagine a Pie Chart Stomping on an Infographic Forever
   • All That Glitters Is Not Gold

How do you go about creating an infographic?

1. Register for a free account at https://magic.piktochart.com/users/sign_up. Free features include creating sharing public charts and infographics on the web and saving to an image format. With the free account, you can keep your creations unpublished if you'd like them to be viewable only by you. For this assignment, the free version is all you need. Pro features for Educators allow additional themes, high resolution downloads, and the ability to make your creations private.
2. The Teaching and Learning with Infographics Moodle course provides more resources and information. To self-enroll:
   • Log in to Moodle.
   • Search courses for Infographics.
   • Select Teaching & Learning with Infographics.
   • Click on Enroll me.

In addition to some great examples and articles, the introduction, "What is an Infographic?" gives a great overview.

How do you make an infographic?

1. Follow the steps in the Piktochart 101 tutorial to make a simple infographic for practice.
2. Create the and publish the infographic you want to use for your ePortfolio Assignment #3, using data or information of your choice.
3. On your infographic project page, put a link to your infographic, and a thumbnail of the infographic.

4. ePortfolio Assignment #4: Blog About the Process

1. Create a blog on your portfolio site.
2. Design your personal learning network using social media.
3. Post reflections about the process of designing, trying and refining your personal learning network.