ePortfolios
"This was a new experience and I felt overwhelmed before class time even started. it wasn't until a few weeks into the course, that e-Portfolios felt more natural and not overwhelming. I realized it wasn't a checklist or an exam with a short due date. Instead, a place to showcase our interests in this class, and our evidence from what we learned. This was another great experience from this class, I procrastinated more than I would have liked but for my first time with e-Portfolios, I feel good with how it turned out." –GB
Details and expectations
Expectations for e-Portfolios are fairly minimal as I want to allow this to be a space where YOU get to be the one in control of your interest and creativity. I have heard from many students that they feel overwhelmed at the beginning of the course because they can't even conceive of what an e-Portfolio really is. If this is you (actually, even if it's not), I STRONGLY encourage you to look at examples that I have posted below. None of these are examples that must be followed, but they give you an idea of what can be done. This can spark ideas of things you like or don't like.
IMPORTANT NOTE 1: JUST GET SOMETHING DONE
Also, please go back and reread the quote that is at the top of this page. It is from a student who completed my course and I think they speak to an important piece of this entire thing. The e-Portfolio is something you are working on all semester, not something that has to be done quickly. So slap something together. It doesn't have to be the most amazing thing you've ever created on day one. You, and your portfolio, will evolve throughout the course. Just get SOMETHING up...then you can work.
IMPORTANT NOTE 2: IN-TEXT CITATIONS REQUIRED
No, this is not an english class where you will be graded on punctuation, grammar, and MLA formatting specifically. However, with all scientific and academic writing, it is important to practice professional writing.
I have started to see a trend in my students submissions that is a worrying one. When you are writing an essay of any kind where you are using other people's material: data, facts, figures, opinions, etc...You MUST cite your sources. This does not mean simply putting a list of your sources at the bottom. This means in-text citations. If you don't know what these are, then you need to learn. Ignorance is not an excuse. When you are referencing work by other people, you are frequently referencing something that took them YEARS to collect and put together. This is not something to just take and slap into your website without doing it credit. Science is HARD and it is a sign of respect that you properly cite the hard work you are discussing.
IMPORTANT NOTE 3: WIKIPEDIA IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE SOURCE
Yes, of course you can go read wikipedia. It's a great site for quickly getting the gist of a large concept. However, wikipedia and other sites like it, are like eating vegetable-shaped gummy candies. Yes, they look like vegetables, but I think we can all agree that they do not provide the same support to your health that real vegetables would (does that metaphor work or is it just weird?!).
IMPORTANT NOTE 4: MY FEEDBACK
I work really hard to provide feedback on your e-Portfolios throughout the course. Often, because I have a family who I actually like spending time with, this means that I am up late trying to provide it...and I'm a person who loves my sleep. It is quite disheartening, and depending on how little sleep I've gotten sometimes just angering, when I look at the exact same e-Portfolio weeks later and literally nothing I've suggested has been changed. I realize that this is a completely biased request, but PLEASE do everything you can to be respectful of the time and energy that I am putting in to help you.