Professionalism
I think my eportfolio is professional-looking and appropriate in tone and presentation. The writing is mostly reflective, so sometimes it was challenging to be concise as I searched for specific language to describe the learning process. Since most of the tech tools or programs were new to me, the deliverables are at a beginning level. As I use these tools in the future with more practice, the products could be upgraded to show improvement as I progress through the MIST program to showcase my most professional work.
Navigation and Functionality
The site is easy to navigate. I like that the theme I chose has both tabs at the top and buttons on each class page, making navigation accessible from many points in the site. All tabs are included. All buttons are linked to the correct deliverable or page. One thing that I noticed that may be confusing is that the explanations for the buttons on IST 501 may be difficult to tell if it is for the button above or below. So, I will be rearranging that for next term and with subsequent terms. I also may try removing the buttons and just adding links instead to make everything look cleaner.
Visual Design
My images are clear. I think the text is easy to read. The header is symbolic of my skills as a beginner in the technology design field. There are no distracting visual elements. As far as the PARC rules, I grouped similar images together. In the graphic design/photo manipulation page, the project photos are grouped together. I tried to align buttons, text, images so that they presented an organized, balanced appearance. For contrast, It seems that the header and the white text is contrasting, as well as the images against the white background.
Content
I believe I included all deliverables for IST 501 and IST 524. My reflections were thoughtful and thorough with focus on the learning process as the deliverables were created. I tried to touch on areas of improvement and instances of strength. As I look through my portfolio, I can see my development as a technology learner and how the different tools apply to instructional design.
Universal Accessibility & Legalities
All of the photos and video are from my own photo library. I did not have success tagging them. In the future I will keep in mind that I need to add a page for images, even my own.
Other Comments
This class has been very rewarding for me personally. The coursework has been very challenging. Going in, I had much to learn about the type of technology application that would be required. From that standpoint, I am thankful that this class was offered as part of the MIST program. Otherwise, I don’t believe I would have been able to complete the projects that we will be expected to deliver in the upcoming courses. Now I have confidence that I will figure it out and be able to make a solution work. This seems like a very valuable life lesson for me as it would be for anybody in a similar situation.
To be truthful, at the beginning I had zero experience with most of the tech tools we used besides Moodle and Google apps. As I reflect back, I am very proud of my eportfolio projects because I struggled and toiled and created them myself. I am not seeking perfection and I know that for my design skills to be taken seriously, I will need to upgrade my deliverables to industry standard.
The value of this experience is not in creating perfection. The value for me is in the learning, the creating, the stretching of my brain and my skills. At times I thought I would drop out of this course and this program. Many times I asked myself, “Is this really worth doing?” At first, I didn’t really know.
Now that the end is here, the answer is “YES”! It is a worthy pursuit because through this class, I learned what it is like to struggle as a learner. As an elementary teacher at a public school where most of the students struggle to learn, this has been the most valuable insight into my job that I have learned in a very long time. I am grateful for this experience.
I think my eportfolio is professional-looking and appropriate in tone and presentation. The writing is mostly reflective, so sometimes it was challenging to be concise as I searched for specific language to describe the learning process. Since most of the tech tools or programs were new to me, the deliverables are at a beginning level. As I use these tools in the future with more practice, the products could be upgraded to show improvement as I progress through the MIST program to showcase my most professional work.
Navigation and Functionality
The site is easy to navigate. I like that the theme I chose has both tabs at the top and buttons on each class page, making navigation accessible from many points in the site. All tabs are included. All buttons are linked to the correct deliverable or page. One thing that I noticed that may be confusing is that the explanations for the buttons on IST 501 may be difficult to tell if it is for the button above or below. So, I will be rearranging that for next term and with subsequent terms. I also may try removing the buttons and just adding links instead to make everything look cleaner.
Visual Design
My images are clear. I think the text is easy to read. The header is symbolic of my skills as a beginner in the technology design field. There are no distracting visual elements. As far as the PARC rules, I grouped similar images together. In the graphic design/photo manipulation page, the project photos are grouped together. I tried to align buttons, text, images so that they presented an organized, balanced appearance. For contrast, It seems that the header and the white text is contrasting, as well as the images against the white background.
Content
I believe I included all deliverables for IST 501 and IST 524. My reflections were thoughtful and thorough with focus on the learning process as the deliverables were created. I tried to touch on areas of improvement and instances of strength. As I look through my portfolio, I can see my development as a technology learner and how the different tools apply to instructional design.
Universal Accessibility & Legalities
All of the photos and video are from my own photo library. I did not have success tagging them. In the future I will keep in mind that I need to add a page for images, even my own.
Other Comments
This class has been very rewarding for me personally. The coursework has been very challenging. Going in, I had much to learn about the type of technology application that would be required. From that standpoint, I am thankful that this class was offered as part of the MIST program. Otherwise, I don’t believe I would have been able to complete the projects that we will be expected to deliver in the upcoming courses. Now I have confidence that I will figure it out and be able to make a solution work. This seems like a very valuable life lesson for me as it would be for anybody in a similar situation.
To be truthful, at the beginning I had zero experience with most of the tech tools we used besides Moodle and Google apps. As I reflect back, I am very proud of my eportfolio projects because I struggled and toiled and created them myself. I am not seeking perfection and I know that for my design skills to be taken seriously, I will need to upgrade my deliverables to industry standard.
The value of this experience is not in creating perfection. The value for me is in the learning, the creating, the stretching of my brain and my skills. At times I thought I would drop out of this course and this program. Many times I asked myself, “Is this really worth doing?” At first, I didn’t really know.
Now that the end is here, the answer is “YES”! It is a worthy pursuit because through this class, I learned what it is like to struggle as a learner. As an elementary teacher at a public school where most of the students struggle to learn, this has been the most valuable insight into my job that I have learned in a very long time. I am grateful for this experience.