Professional Growth & Development
Dr. Letitia N. Walker 2014-15
December 2014
Reflection: JIT ePortfolio Week
The JIT ePortfolio presentation was designed to present viewers/users with best practices and tips to designing, developing, organizing and adhering to the ePortfolio protocol for the purposes of documenting the professional competencies of Georgia Virtual Learning instructors. Specific attention was paid to showing users how to create profiles, add artifacts, and share the ePortfolio with other colleagues and administrators. In addition, the presenters shared the characteristics of an effective portfolio emphasizing that the “Selective” option is the best to display artifacts the represent an instructor’s teaching style. The presenters also discussed monthly requirements as well as the location of helpful resources to aid in the development of the ePortfolio. A most useful tool or shortcut pointed out by the presenters was the “Magic Box” or Dashboard as the area in which everything can be completed. The most valuable part of the presentation was the exhibition of examples and links to sample ePortfolios. The examples presented gave users a clear idea of what an effective and well-designed ePortfolio looks like. From personal profile and professional growth examples to best practices, data analysis and differentiation examples, users were presented with a plethora of samples and take-aways to build upon in the development of individual ePortfolios. The guiding principle of the evening was for ePortfolio users to begin early and maintain a steady pace and incorporate a systematic approach to collecting/storing data with regular updates and peer-review/consultation to foster success.