Miles Kirshner

Kelan Koning

English 115

03 December 2020

Eportfolio Reflection

Coming into this current semester and English class was different. It was my first semester in college yet it didn’t feel like it was. I did not know what to expect from a virtual English class considering the last class I had was a transition from in-person to virtual. However, I found out that the class itself was not overwhelming and was easy to follow. Right off the bat, we started with Claudia Rankine’s Citizen which is not a book that I had anticipated to be reading as my first college book experience. The themes and lessons I learned during our Progression 1 was not something that I had particularly understood nor believed in beforehand. Looking back, I see the value in understanding all aspects of reality no matter your beliefs. I thought that the way it was conducted and explained was as helpful as helpful can be in a virtual setting. The videos and readings provided were thought-provoking and somewhat contradictory to what I hold true. I think the biggest shame throughout this entire year is the fact that there can be no discourse about the topics we discuss because the virtual setting does not help with making things easy. I feel that it is difficult to talk to somebody that you don’t know and have never met before about controversial and sometimes difficult topics. I myself, extremely enjoy debates and discussions on many different topics, and doing so over zoom is extremely difficult. The hardest part of the course was probably the first progression as it was the progression that I had the hardest time grasping and quantifying. The last two were very much more personalized which I find much easier for me to write about. When writing and revising my second progression I got lazy and failed to include comprehensive sources that I could include in my paper. Part of this I felt was due to the fact that it was hard to understand what kind of sources to include but after understanding my mistake I was able to fix it in the following progression. I think the best part of my writing progressions this semester was how with each paper, I understood the requirements and rubrics even better. While writing both progression 2 and 3 I wrote about something that I hold close and personal. Johnny Cash is one of my favorite artists and somebody I have deep respect and admiration for. My family is something I am extremely proud of and accredit with most of my success. I enjoy using my personal stories to offer insight into how I frame the world and the philosophies I live by. I would say the type of music that I listen to (as seen in my 2nd progression can also offer some context). At the beginning of the course I felt lost and confused as a writer and unsure of what it was I should be writing and including in my paper. But, as the semester progressed I began to gain more insight and ability to write down my ideas and craft a quality paper. I attribute this to confidence in my writing ability and the support offered in class and SI sessions. I think that with each exercise we did I began to see the reason and method for them to help with crafting your final paper. Each exercise played an important role in brainstorming and writing down ideas and further developing them. I would say the only aspect of my papers that I could connect to our readings was from our progression 3 paper when I talked about how my father was crucial for my development.

Creating my personal eportfolio was a new concept. I had never really thought about doing it and had not given it much thought. However, the meaning and value behind its creation have resonated with me. I have learned about myself and the way I write throughout the process. I have determined that what my eportfolio has taught me is that I value simplicity and thoughtfulness in the topics I choose. The design of my website is the way I want it to be: simple. I always strive to make sure that the things I do can be easily broken down so that they are understood without effort. I chose unique photos of mine that I took to headline the pages but then left the backgrounds black. I chose black because it is a simple color and one that contrasts well with white text so that it isn't overwhelming when you navigate the site. I like things being symmetrical and following a pattern because that itself is inherently simple. Placing the images next to the text to provide complimentary context and bring attention was crucial to making my site simple but not boring. I deliberately chose images that remind me of fun and enjoyable times. I see that it symbolizes thoughtfulness at the top of each main page of my site. I chose images that spoke to me and really well captured the scene that I was trying to convey. For my goals and outcomes page, I chose an image with a quote that motivates me to achieve my goals and desired outcomes. I chose to incorporate all three of my papers because I feel that any work I do should be shown to culminate my semester. I am proud of all the work that I do and I feel that I should include all of my main works. I think the strongest aspect of my essay is my goals and outcomes. I think that my goals and outcomes page is the page that really shows you what my work and personality is all about. It is a good context to show that in my papers and exercise, I value thoughtfulness and simplicity. Creating this eportfolio was very similar to writing an essay. This is partly because it requires revision, input, and thought. A portfolio needs to be coherent and easy to follow, much like an essay. If you write an essay that goes all over the place and is not coherent; you will lose people’s attention. There needs to be a deliberate flow that includes the context of the writer and the proper transitions to the work provided within the portfolio. My portfolio constitutes what I believe best exists in a community. I think that the works that I have chosen all contribute a theme that can be used to create a strong community. Whether you take in account the social justice in Claudia Rankine’s Citizen, the awareness and knowledge in Johnny Cash’s Custer, or the lessons taught by my father and coach. These are all things necessary to create a united and strong community that makes the world a better place. Jane Brody talks about the importance of parental teachings that can develop an environment and community that prevents children from accepting bad influences (Brody). This applies to a community as well. It is important to have these values and goals in mind in order to create a community that lasts and makes every member better as an individual.

Works Cited

Brody, Jane E. “What Twins Can Teach Us About Nature vs. Nurture.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 20 Aug. 2018,www.nytimes.com/2018/08/20/well/family/what-twins-can-teach-us-about-nature-vs-nurture.html.