Final Draft of my E-Portfolio

This is my final draft, enjoy :)

http://snizare.googlepages.com/

Extra Credit #5: Free Digital Material

I do not agree with the limitations proposed by the lawsuit against YouTube. I have really enjoyed what the online community has had to offer in terms of “free” digital material. I think that it is lawful for a person to post up short clips of copyrighted material because it helps spread information. For example, by putting up songs online, a band can hope to expand their audience. Whereas normally a consumer would be turned off by the fact that they need to pay $15 just to listen to a band for the first time, free online content makes it possible to listen to new bands without a large cost. Similarly, I think that free video material can also enjoy similar benefits. Short clips posted from major movie productions could incite viewers to buy the movie or investigate more about what the product is about. This could actually work to increase their audience and help them increase profits as well. It can also serve as a basis for inspiration: a movie producer may gain a valuable insight from a short clip posted on YouTube that they would normally not have access to due to copyright issues. I think that this is far more valuable than the monetary loss that would be felt by producers. The spread of information has enormous potential benefits to society as a whole. However, the only cost of free digital material is monetary: certain companies won’t necessarily be making as much money because viewers can access their content for free. This may lead in a lesser value placed on intellectual property because producers would be less inclined to create a feature film that costs them a lot of money. This could be a big downside, however, because it could create a snowball effect and eventually producers may not feel like they are being subsidized enough to create a film or clip, and we may loose out on digital content in the future.

Extra Credit #2: Social Networking and Education

I think that if social networks are used as an extension, not replacement, of the class room they have the potential for an enormous benefit in terms of education quality. It’s obvious that social networks have the potential to make long distances separating people seemingly insignificant when all one has to do to interact with other people is log onto the web.
Yes, I will concede that there are certain issues to be concerned about: such as online identity misconceptions as well as the online community as a way of replacing the classroom. I do think that there are a certain number of emotionally challenged individuals who seek to create an online identity that is much different from their real personality, however, this is no reason to shun social networks and ban them from the educational community. Also, I think that the online community should not act as a replacement for real life situations, because although audio and video are helping to make it seem more realistic and interactive, it still is missing real life elements that are crucial to certain learning experiences. An example can be seen with Drivers ED. Although many adolescents choose to familiarize themselves with the rules of the road via an online course, the bulk of learning stems from getting hands on experience behind the wheel which I think is necessary to learning to drive a car. Most kids are not able to complete their written permit test and safely drive a car in traffic situations immediately thereafter.
That said, I definitely think that social networks do have a potential to add to the quality of education. Much about education is in meeting new people that have new perspectives that add to your own. It’s all about finding that one particular insight that’s necessary to make that one particular idea “click” in your mind. It used to be the case that a student is limited to learning in the class room. However, with the advent of social networks, it could be possible for a student to interact with a variety of different peers from around the world and gain valuable insight.
I also do think that the idea of online communities that work to inform parents of what their kids are up to is a great idea. If children were to update their blogs with homework assignments and projects, their parents could actually get to see first hand what their kids are learning about and how they are progressing as a student. Also, students could have blogs that could be viewed by educational institutions themselves. This could have multiple benefits: one particular institution could have a collection of blogs with statistics, samples of work, etc, in order to show potential students what the learning environment and expectations are at that particular school. Another potential benefit is that students could embark on research projects that would other wise be impossible. For example, if an economics student in the US is trying to learn more about how the micro-credit market is impacting the Mexican economy, there is very little amounts of resources that are available in the US. It’s necessary to travel to Mexico in order to gain first hand experience and interview people that are directly affected. However, if there existed a social network specific to international economic issues, then a student could conduct online interviews and surveys. This would make the project/research proposal much more feasible. Furthermore, the thought of online social networking as a way to build up online communicating skills is a great idea especially with the advent of online businesses. It’s going to become an increasingly necessary and important skill to be able to communicate with others over the World Wide Web. People who are not used to virtual etiquette, syntax, style, etc, will have a hard time adapting when they need to make an online sales pitch. They may be unsure if sarcasm or other emotions can effectively be communicated through the Web.

Extra Credit #3: Benefits of Technology with regards to Education

I think that it is going to be very difficult to quantify the benefits of utilizing advanced technology in the classroom. As was stated by the moderator, we can surely say that there is improvement in certain areas (such as proficiency with an IPod), but it is hard to determine what kind of net benefit we as a society will notice. There are definitely some areas of education, which can lead to an improvement that society will notice. For example, if everybody learns to about the physics of driving, the road will be a much safer place and there would be fewer accidents. This could potentially be quantified in terms of the number of lives saved, however, it’s very difficult to create an accurate experiment with control groups etc. Even if we could create a base unit, such as money itself, as a means of measuring success (Example: students who use technology make $15 thousand dollars more in their annual salary as compared to students who don’t), it is still tough to quantify the benefits because of the different ways students choose to use technology. For example, some students may utilize the Internet as a research database such that they can sift through loads of information much quicker than they would if they were limited to a library. In this sense we can consider the Internet to be a form of a cognitive enhancement, it allows humans to process and access information more efficiently, more specifically it is a kind of collaborative intelligence (bits and pieces of information uploaded by individuals that creates a consortium of information). I can personally say that this particular technology has made my life much easier and more productive when it comes to scholarly research. Tools such as Google Scholar have made academic searches on the web possible, and as a result I don’t need to manually sift through a bunch of hard-copy textbooks. Instead, search engines make this process much quicker. I would not have been able to access the same kinds of information, let alone in a similar time frame, if I had been limited to strictly libraries. Thus: to me technology has added a lot to the quality of education. However, the Internet doesn’t necessarily guarantee success for a student. They could choose to utilize the Internet as a means to plagiarizing, in which case there would be very little educational benefit. Also, it has been suggested that the advent of the television and the internet has induced a learning disorder, ADD/ADHD, among many young children. I personally think that this is true because commercials and TV shows are designed to communicate a lot of information in a very short period of time in order to hold viewer's attention. A lot of children expect to have their attention captivated by very fast paced, flashy, interesting images displayed on a screen. When they come into the classroom where it takes time to read an entire novel and then learn about its significance, their minds are unable to adapt to the different learning pace. In this sense, technology would also act as a learning inhibitor and make existing institutions less efficient than they are today. It definitely appears that different students can utilize different technologies in a variety of different ways, and it makes it very difficult to make a generalization such as, “technology does add a lot to the quality of most education”. I think that the ways in which a student views technology is kind of subjective: it could be a potentially useful tool under the right circumstances.

Extra Credit #4: How various college classes overlap

The various college classes that I am taking definitely have a lot of overlap. In my opinion, this makes studying much more interesting because as a student I am encouraged to apply what I have learned to other fields of academia. It can be said that classes within the same major can be considered similar. Such as English 1a and English 34: when writing my e-portfolio, I need to be mindful of the diction I am using, which creates a distinguishing tone. This is important because I need to be mindful of my tone when addressing different types of audience. There are also other important writing elements such as concision and clarity that are also important when writing an E-Portfolio. This may be expected, because both classes deal with the English language. However, English 34 isn’t really an English class in my opinion, but more of a technological class that is dealing with a very particular aspect of the online community and social networking. It has a lot to do with the modern world. In class, I would say that we have not devoted a lot of time to learning about the English language, which definitely isn’t a bad thing, but have rather focused our interests to a much different aspect of communication. Across subjects, we can still find a similar pattern especially when discussing English. This is in part because the spoken and written language is critical to any profession, regardless of whether it’s discussion centers around History, science, philosophy, or mathematics. Knowing how to write and talk is something that has proven to be valuable in all of my classes. With regards to another set of subjects, such as math and economics, there is also a very clear relationship. The fact that there are prerequisites for upper division Economics classes is indicative that a clear understanding of mathematics is essential to interpreting highfalutin economic issues that utilize complex formulas. I use basic mathematic formula’s when solving science and economic problems. I also tend to use economic reasoning a lot when arguing about certain topics that may relate to History, philosophy, and science (bioethics). By doing so I feel that I can strengthen my argument because it brings in another rational perspective and may lead to an insight. Aside from specific mechanics such as I have mentioned, all courses definitely teach me to be more diligent when managing my time and resources, more introspective when analyzing issues or themes, and to persevere from start to finish no matter what kind of an assignment or project it is. This is probably in part because all courses at Foothill are similar in the sense that they all have written homework assignments, tests, and some kind of class room element in which students are expected to participate. All of these skills seem like they will be useful later on in life, and I am definitely glad that they are being consistently reinforced in every subject area.

Rough Draft of my E-Portfolio

This is the link to my e-portfolio. It's a rough draft that shows the basic layout and the kinds of artifacts I will be posting. I used Google pages because it is free, very quick and easy to use, and I do not feel that the application is in any way limiting!

http://snizare.googlepages.com/home

Any comments would be much appreciated.

Extra Credit #1: Mission / Purpose of the Honors Institute

I think that the answer to this question is circumstantial depending on which institution we are referring to specifically. If the question is directed towards the idea of an Honors Institute in general, then I think that the purpose is to provide a prestigious environment in which diligent, motivated students can separate themselves from the general student body and foster a more conducive intellectual environment. In and of itself, the Honors Institution is a distinct program that is practically separate from the educational institution to which it is loosely attached. Students that wish to become a part of such an institution are attempting to pursue a more rigorous path to intellectual enlightenment and in doing so they simultaneously distinguish themselves from the rest of their peers by creating their own environment. Honors Institutions, because of their advanced nature relative to the institution to which they are attached, are always intended to act as a catalyst for maturation and success in the future. However, if the question is directed towards Foothill (or other Community Colleges, for that matter) the purpose is more geared towards transferring to a prestigious university like UCLA. This is because by definition community college is designed to educate local students and aid them in their journey to a four year institution. Although they are a great tool for learning (possibly more valuable than Ivy League Schools), and despite their numerous other advantages (small classes, cheaper tuition, closer to home, etc), community colleges were designed for the purpose of transferring. That said, the Honors Institution at Foothill, as an extension of the existing educational institution (which is already geared towards completing General Education and transferring to another institution) is a more refined, efficient, and reliable way of obtaining the same result (admission into UCLA). The Honors classes are rigorous for the purpose of being recognized by Berkeley and LA, not so much as they are designed to cater to the Foothill student population. Graduating the Honors Program involves taking a variety of different classes while at the same time maintaining a respectable grade point average. If the purpose of Honors Institutions was purely for learning, then we would not be assigning numerical values (GPA’s) to particular levels of cognitive function (GPA’s are not a good way to gauge how much a student has learned, they really just measure how well they have pleased their teachers (which is not necessarily an indicator of how diligent they were)). A better approach might be to have a teacher evaluate students work through constructive comments and focus on individual improvement (subjective and relates to the individual) rather than on GPA (intended to be objective and a universal measure).

Introducing your E-Portfolio

This E-portfolio is intended to be viewed by close friends and family, and of course my English 34 professor. Because the audience is mostly non-academic, I do not have to be as concerned with impressing my audience through highfalutin diction and complex syntax. My tone will be proud of my personal accomplishments and encourage a friendly invitation to viewers to learn more about them. I think that I will be immediately sharing this E-portfolio to friends and long-distance relatives who have never had a chance to witness my athletic abilities. It is in this sense that the portfolio will mainly be appreciated by my peers because they are being exposed to something new, not me. However, in the future, I may view my portfolio as a means of self-reflection; an old timer’s glance into the past when he/she was young and fit. For this reason, I want to be sure that the medium and manner in which I choose to express my talents is not contemporary and emotional, but rather timeless and neutral. This way I can view my accomplishments more objectively in the future (without having to sift through contemporary terms and unusual connotations).

“This E-Portfolio is designed specifically for the purpose of showcasing Andreas Santucci’s athletic and academic achievements. A little background about myself before I become a diver: I was training to become a gymnast while simultaneously studying; this put a lot of pressure on me to efficiently manage my time, which also meant maturing and learning responsibilities. From second to ninth grade, I trained every weekday for several hours, leaving just enough time in the evenings for homework and dinner. Along my journey to becoming an Olympic Gymnast I unfortunately sustained an injury during freshman year of high school to my right foot; a result of repeated impacts and long term stress. My dreams of becoming an Olympian were seemingly extinguished. Fortunately, I discovered a new sport, similar to gymnastics in the sense that it involved breath-taking acrobatic maneuvers, in which I could excel and satisfy my drive for success: diving. Other than a few weeks of being trained by my gymnastics coach, I hadn’t been exposed to the techniques of this new sport. However, I picked it up very quickly and it soon became clear that I was excelling in yet another field. I became a part of the Los Altos High School Varsity boy’s diving team in my freshman year, and remained a part of it throughout the duration of High School. I have thoroughly enjoyed every dive!"

Infomercial for the Honors Program

I think that my Infomercial would have similar characteristics to that of the SJSU (MTV approach), the Columbia College (Documentary Approach), as well as the JMU (Myth-buster approach). Individually, I thought each of the video’s were a little bit bland but if you combined all of the idea’s together into one it would make for a mildly entertaining video. The myth-buster’s approach is crucial because I think that a lot of students have preconceived notions about what is required of an Honors student. Informing the general Foothill population about what goes on in Honors classes, the amount of work involved, the benefits of such a program (on campus and in the future), etc would help clear up a lot of confusion. We could debunk these myths either by showing the audience documentation that supports this view (such as the quite short list of required honors classes that must be completed by the time you graduate) or interviews, which leads me to my next point. By incorporating the documentary approach, we could ask individual Honors students what their concerns were when they joined the Honors program, and also ask if those concerns ever materialized. We could also ask a series of various other questions that may be frequently recurring in potential honors students minds. This would give first hand experience of what it’s like to be in the Honors program. Professors would also be a good source, especially professors who teach honors classes in conjunction with normal classes. These professors could give valuable insight as to how they treat their various classes differently. Another good interview source would be the Foothill counselors, who might be able to testify that the Honors program ensures success. While we are doing these interviews and busting myths about the program, it would be nice to add in short clips of various songs to give the infomercial an upbeat feel. This would help break up the monotony and make it more interesting to watch and listen to.

Pre-Planning the ePortfolio

The ePortfolio that I will be creating for this class will be my first, and as such I am making it generalized (but I guess it will be catered towards athletic and academic achievements). My portfolio will be catered towards friends and peers who want to get to know a little bit more about me and what I have accomplished. This ePortfolio could also be a premature version of a portfolio that is designed for college admissions programs or private diving clubs who may require an admissions process. I will be presenting my portfolio via a website, which seems to be almost universally accessible. This will be the easiest I think because I will be able to design a simple layout that can accommodate the various aspects of my portfolio. My idea is to have a home page that describes a little bit about my background and maybe a few pictures so that the audience can put a face to it all. The webpage would contain tabs at the top, which would direct the audience to pages specific to certain subjects (one might link to a sports page, one would link to an academic page). These new pages would then be broken down further (sports: gymnastics and diving. Academic: Foothill, High School, etc). This would provide a simple and easy to navigate page for the audience.

The evidence I will be using will depend on which subject I am discussing. For athletics, such as diving, I am planning on compiling a quick video (note-also my video enhancement) showing a few of my dives from a one meter springboard. I could then post this video on you tube and link it to my website. This would be a good artifact, because video is one of the most compelling ways to convince an audience of your abilities. For school, I will definitely be incorporating transcripts themselves, to show my grades, as well as some of my most prized scholarly works (such as essays and projects). This would allow my audience to evaluate my work for themselves by reading it first hand, as well as seeing what my teachers thought about my work via transcripts.

Potential evaluators will obviously be Professor Lankford, possibly a college or diving team if I am trying to gain acceptance to a club. Other evaluators might be my peers, my family, and certain employers). I will evaluate my work by posting updates of evidence such that I can track my progress over time. For example, by comparing diving videos from two different seasons, I can visually see and interpret how much progress I have made in the past year. With academic records, I can compare GPA’s and the quality of work contained in essays etc.

For the timeline: I think I can put together a video and gather transcripts during week 9. I can then begin to design a website during week 10. Week eleven I will be compiling my evidence together onto the webpage as well as making finishing aesthetic touches.

Foothill Honors Program strengths and weaknesses

I think that there are several strengths and several weaknesses to the Foothill Honors program. I will start with the strengths: the Honors program is widely recognized and offers many excellent opportunities to students who are members. This can come in the form of a more certain college application process, professors who are more dedicated to the subject material, and other educational opportunities that may entail attending meetings and meeting new people. Also, the honors students are very dedicated to their coursework, and as such taking honors classes is much more intriguing because of the increased level of participation. Now for the downsides: I don’t think that the institution is very well organized. I always see last minute emails and frantic hurrying around for college applications to be reformatted and submitted. I know that this is not always Foothill’s fault, but it seems ridiculous to me when an email gets sent out at 11 am telling honors students last minute that an UCLA representative will be dropping by from 11 30 am until 12 30 pm, and that this is the only chance for them to ask questions. Another issue with the honors program: unclear guidelines. The honors program was laid out to me briefly for 5 minutes before I was accepted, and since my admission I haven’t learned much more about what I need to do to graduate. I hear that the requirements to graduate the program, as well as the requirements for transfer applicants to UC’s, has changed within the past year, and I would like to be informed and stay up to date on this kind of information since it will be pertinent to me this coming fall! I wish there was a website with up-to-date information pertaining to a variety of subjects that Honors students may be interested in (if there is a website, I’ve never heard of it!)

Steve Jobs Graduation Speech

I thought that Steve Jobs’s speech was definitely an interesting read. I think that his first part about connecting the dots directly applies to most every ambitious student. Personally, I do not always know where I am headed or why I am going there, but sometimes I just follow my gut intuition because that’s what feels good and right. I think that it’s very hard for adolescents to stray off the “beaten path” and to instead pave their own. Being individualistic and pursuing your own interests is definitely something that is easier said than done. Due to our ever changing society, there is no set “plug-and-chug” formula for financial and personal success, and this I believe is something that bothers a lot of younger students. They may feel lost because they haven’t discovered their purpose yet. Steve Jobs hits it right on the head of the nail when he says, “you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something.” Steve Jobs admits that he dropped in on courses that he legitimately thought would have no practical impact on his life, and yet years later these courses allowed him to make a major technological innovation that has had a significant affect on computers. With this in mind, I think it’s important to be outgoing; do not limit yourself to what you are comfortable with!

non-procrastination weaknesses

I think that some of my other weaknesses would largely be related to stress. I get really stressed out when working on any kind of project because I always take everything so seriously. I always have to apply myself until I am spread too thin. There are rarely projects that I can simply “half-ass” in order to complete them up to satisfaction of the teacher. Rather, most projects I end up spending most of my time perfecting the product until I finally feel comfortable presenting it. Although this could be a potentially good trait, I think that it’s limiting in the sense that I could be accomplishing other tasks instead of perfecting the one that I’ve been working on already.
Another learning related issue would have to be my organization. I am fairly organized throughout the quarter, but when grades come out I have been known to dump my school work in the corner of a closet. For the past few years I have regretted this, and I think that a possible solution would be to upload some of my most favorite scholarly projects onto an eportfollio so that they can be saved timelessly, without damage to the original copy (ripped / missing pages etc). I think that this would be a great way to reflect on my past achievements.

paul graham procrastination

http://paulgraham.com/procrastination.html
I really liked this article because it introduced the idea that a procrastinator could actually accomplish something more important when trying to put off tasks. The example of the absent minded professor clarified this concept. I had never before thought I would come across an efficient procrastinator. Arguably, these individuals are putting off trivial tasks that cannot be ultimately avoided; when they can be objectively completed they will take more time than they might have taken if they were completed earlier. However, this is the opportunity cost of pursuing much grander tasks that are also arguably more important. Because, as the author cites, large tasks often involve a time block as well as the right mood, these tasks have finite time frames in which they can be completed. With this in mind, I think that it’s much more important to accomplish the large tasks when the body is feeling capable, and to save the trivial stuff for later when you feel like procrastinating by doing something less important. Also, I’ve never thought about the concept that when you interrupt somebody from a large task, they lose not just the time spent running the errand, but also the time they could have spent working on their project (so the effects are seen 2x).
After reading the article I think I would organize type A, B, and C procrastinator’s differently. Type C procrastinators, those who do things that are more important, are the most efficient. Meanwhile, type A is the second best, because at least those people are relaxing instead of working on trivial tasks. Group B is the worst, because those people waste their time doing tasks that are unimportant, and they could either be relaxing or accomplishing something worth their while!

cal poly procrastination

CalPoly Paper
I think this essay had a lot of valid points. To begin with, I found myself possessing two of the characteristics that are correlated with procrastination. This helps me isolate my problem area’s and focus on them next time I am faced with a task (my characteristics that make me victim to procrastination are my stubbornness and coping with pressures). I also identified why I often procrastinate. I singled out the reason: time-consuming. I am never fearful that the project will be too difficult, that I am not smart enough to complete it, or that other’s will laugh at my mistakes. My only reason for procrastination is thinking in my head that the project is going to take a lot of time, and as a result I begin to feel overwhelmed. This is usually the point which I decide that procrastinating would ease stress levels and I could have more enjoyment pursuing something else. I think another small problem with me is that when doing large projects, I do attempt to perfect my work. This means that I am often dissatisfied with the “finished” product, which eventually goes through a series of extensive revisions before being submitted. This means a lot of extra time spent on a product that is only marginally better than its predacessor. This may not be worth it, and I may want to reconsider the amount of time spent revising.
On a side note, I tried out the exercise involving listing the reasons why I am procrastinating a particular project, and was almost immediately overwhelmed by all of the reasons I had! I never knew I had so many excuses to put off a project until I wrote them down and made myself conscious of them. I think this is again a great way to realize that my reasons for procrastinating are trivial and can always be overcome with a little bit of determination and perseverance.
http://www.sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/procrastination.html

structured procrastination

I think that this article was very interesting. It seems to make sense as well, which kind of scares me! Basically, I read the article and learned that by objectively completing tasks that are lower on the priority list, a procrastinator can put off the monumental tasks until they are replaced by even greater tasks. At this point, the once monumental tasks have now moved lower down on the priority list, and as a result procrastinators won’t feel so bad about accomplishing these objectives. Although it seems kind of confusing, I think this idea has a lot of good potential in a procrastinator’s life. I know that I procrastinate at times, and have noticed myself taking care of lesser tasks as a way to distract myself from what’s really important. By consciously pursuing a similar way of procrastinating bigger tasks, I do think it’s possible to make my life more efficient. As somebody who is always stressed out by large projects, I will definitely be trying this out within the next few weeks to see if it makes me more efficient or at least less stress full!
http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/light.php

The Journey

In my life, I am currently on a journey towards completing my education. This journey is, although a life long process, a big part of an adolescent’s life. I have received the call, I know exactly what it is I would like to achieve. I would like to educate myself in a variety of fields such that I am prepared for life’s challenges. The allies are my friends and family who support me through my quest, even when I’m feeling unmotivated. The aspect I would like to draw my focus towards is the ogre’s that make my journey challenging. I think that my enemies would be the bureaucratic institutions to which I am applying, because they make the application process so much more tedious and difficult to complete without being stressed out. Also, ogres also come in the form of difficult classes that pile up assignment after assignment with no legitimate purpose or goal in sight. They could also be teachers or employers that add additional stress when I am already at my limit. Another big ogre is Time, because it is always acting as a pressure to speed up my studies. Furthermore, although friends and family can be allies that support me in times of need, they can also be ogres because they have expectations of me as a student and as a result this places additional stress upon my life. These factors definitely make simple tasks much more strenuous as well difficult to overcome. I am definitely immersed in the road of trials right now, because currently I am enduring the “hardships” of various classes as well as beginning applications. These are the challenges, ogres, which I must overcome before continuing on my path to a higher education. In the process of facing these ogres, I rely more heavily upon my allies and myself. This “Road of Trials” began in High School and will continue to pose challenges to my journey up to the point of College graduation

Digital Story Telling

I would like to preface by saying that I do not think I was successful in finding the correct website as per class criterion. However, I did do some research as to what digital story telling is, and I could see how it definitely relates to e-Portfolio’s. Basically, creators of these portfolio’s could use them to document their progress as they move closer towards their goal or objective. It’s an idea that I have been fond of since the beginning (and probably before, but simply unaware) of this class. I think that it’s important to catalogue and document all your personal experiences, because memory itself is not sufficient in recalling all the beautiful experiences life has to offer. With the aid of technology, it is possible to put an idea or experience into a digital medium. This could come in the form of a text, audio clip, video segment, or graphic representation. If I was a student, I could post up major various assignments that I have completed during my stay at various educational institutions (each assignment would be comprehensive and contain rough drafts and a final copy). If I was an athlete, I could document my progress towards a regional qualifier, posting video’s and results from various meets. The possibilities are endless, because it is all dependant on the content that the user is inputting. The basic aspect is simple though, digital storytelling is a way for people to create cultural artifacts in a new and unique way that also has an eminent purpose within our life time. This can come in the form of self reflection and documentation for others.

Google Docs/Apps

I think the applications offered by Google sound promising. Before watching the video, I will admit that I was biased towards Google because I have used their programs in the past and they are all extremely easy to use, very organized, and have lots of potential. After watching the video, I definitely can say that I would have used Google Docs in the past had it been available. It would make editing drafts of documents much much easier. I think that this application would be useful in a lot of scholarly applications, as well as publishing companies. Basically, any field that involves an update of written text could benefit from Google Docs because it would aid in the organization and syndication of material. As a whole, I think utilizing a variety of the Google Apps would make the organization of an e-portfolio a lot easier. However, my personal interpretation of these programs is that they themselves are not a medium for creating an e-portfolio, but they are rather just a means to organizing various documents and information into one source. I would consider them to be excellent organizational tools, and they are definitely worth considering when creating an e-portfolio or embarking on any kind of project worth documenting for that matter. I definitely do not undervalue the service that Google is providing, but would it be too much to ask for them to compile all of these applications into one program called Google e-portfolio? It may be different using this set of tools in practice, but when I first looked at Dr. Barrett’s diagram of how one could use the variety of applications it looked to be extremely crowded and visually distracting/confusing. There wasn’t a linear process; there were no common “steps to success” or “plug and chug” formula.

Learning E-Portfolio's

Let’s hypothesize that I am planning on documenting my progress towards passing the BAR examination to become a lawyer. My audience would be potential employers who may be viewing this portfolio as an extension of my written application. Another potential audience may be family and friends who want to track your achievements see what your status is. Don’t forget about yourself! In my opinion, because it’s a personal goal, the creator of the e-portfolio needs to be satisfied about the way they document their progress. It’d be cool for the individual, after becoming a lawyer, were to revisit their e-portfolio and reminisce about the struggles and joys involved in reaching their goal. The purpose of this portfolio would be to use specific documentation to show progress towards one’s goal. I would mention any course that I have taken at academic institutions that pertain to the field. I would also include transcripts from college where I have decided my major and delved into graduate studies that reflect my interest. Any major projects that I have completed during my stay at these institutions would also complement this part of the portfolio; it would be another way for the audience to interact with my work directly. This would come in the medium of its original product, or it could also vary. For example, if I presented a speech in person and wanted to include this in an e-portfolio there are several ways to do so. I could write a written text that is a summation or reiteration of my words. I could also include a video recording of the event itself. I could also include an audio clip or sound byte. The medium through which I present these “artifacts” would be dependant on the specific audience and purpose that I had for the portfolio. If I were to include several artifacts over the course of a few years, this may be an indicator of growth.
Another way to document growth in a field is to simply explicate to your audience the ways in which you personally have grown as a result of your studies. This could be creative: a simplistic/ humorous cartoon or graphic representation of a linear progression throughout one’s education. You could portray yourself as a character and exaggerate flawed reasoning and growth, ending with a product that is admirable. Another way to do it could be to create a short film where the creator of the portfolio narrated. It could be a documentary, revisiting the specific places where revelations or major academic achievements were made (such as inside the room where you conceived the idea of X, or the setting in which you graduated High School, etc). I think this would be a great way to evaluate and reflect on one’s progress.
Others could reflect on your progress by having the ability to evaluate, encourage, as well as critique your progress through means of comments that could come in various forms. A list may include: email, commenting directly on their page like a blog, or some kind of virtual communication (skype, or visual/audio communication).
Updating the page with insights into the field as well as relevant research projects would be a great way to share your excitement about the subject. You could present videos intermittently that briefly describe some of the latest news in your field, with a personal perspective that you don’t normally get when watching corporate news. This would be a way to document your own personal views in relation to the direction the field is traveling as a whole.

My Practical E-Portfolios

The possibilities of E-Portfolio’s are limitless.
Documenting academic achievements: I envision creating an e-portfolio (or section) that is dedicated to my academic achievements. Once this directory is opened, it would be possible to view all of my academic progress beginning with Elementary School. Because there is not much to be said about the earlier stages of my academic career, this section would be brief. As I narration progresses to higher levels of academic institutions, I would be able to include more comprehensive information, such as grades and awards given in junior high school. In High School and College, I would include transcripts, diplomas, and other various awards. I could take the hard-copy’s that I have at home, scan them in, and post an image of them on my portfolio. For High School and College, I would also include my class schedule and any special interest groups or committees that I was involved in. I think in this field the best way to credential one’s self is to scan in official documents from institutions. I can’t think of how video or audio would help in this field.
Specific Skill Sets: I envision multiple e-portfolio’s representing different skills that an individual has. For example, I am used to be a gymnast for many years. Now I am an acrobatic diver. Within a portfolio dedicated to the subject, I would include the following: Written word about why I got involved with the sport and why I continue to pursue it. Video’s of competitions, meets, etc that would demonstrate to viewers my abilities. These video’s could either be presented in the form of a link or a direct feed to the website. This would be a great way for the creator of the portfolio to establish and credential their words. Also, scanning in any documents or awards that pertain to athletic achievements would be beneficial (High School and Collegiate awards). For trophies and medals, I’m thinking it would be best to select several that are most prized, and photograph them up-close to show whom they are made out to and what the event was for. If this were presented in combination with an event roster/results from that day, I would think of it to be very authentic. All of these would make it seem aspects would help make the viewer feel as though they viewed your achievements in the making and witnessed them first hand!
Teaching others: I envision a portfolio that would teach others about my joy for car mechanics. I am still learning now, but perhaps one day when I have a garage and proper tools of my own, I will immerse myself with extensive automotive projects. Within this portfolio, I could have a directory that would have a list of the various cars I have worked on. Each of these “cars” (whether a generic picture, description, or picture of the one I owned) would be a hyperlink to a separate part of the e-portfolio. This car-specific page would be further broken down into various sections. For example, one page may be a tutorial or explanation for how to remove suspension components in order to repair a sub frame. The explanation would include written text, pictures of the various steps involved, and most importantly video’s of any complicated procedures in case words can’t do them justice). Another page would be dedicated to maintenance, such as oil changes, brake pad replacement etc. People viewing the blog could post comments or questions about any of the procedures or tools involved etc. The directory would ideally be expansive, including several different cars each with different information. I think this would be a really cool way for mechanics or automotive enthusiasts to compile their personal work in a way that is presentable to others, professional, and makes learning a possibility as well because it’s so detailed.

Search for Sample Portfolio's

I did a search for sample E-Portfolio's in a variety of fields. Some of the best one's I found came from both doctors and lawyers. After looking through several, I could definitely find patterns in strengths and weaknesses. The first important thing when looking at an E-Portfolio to me is how the information is presented. On some websites, I was unable to focus my attention onto any particular part of the page. Instead my eyes were constantly shifting around from one tiny blurb of text to another. I was dissuaded from investigating their resume any further! On the good portfolio’s, I noticed that each portion of the web page was dedicated to its own topic: One link that led to educational experience, another went to internship experience, another went to diploma’s/certificates. This made browsing the site very simple, because as a user I was able to choose very quickly what I wanted to view. There was no other clutter on the screen to distract my focus from the subject at hand. Scholarly documents and other various works of art are often presented in the form of a picture or virtual link, guiding browsers to another web page entirely. Not only do the documents contain informative content, but they are organized within the e-portfolio in a way that is very professional. Another strength I found in some portfolios was the way in which they presented their credentials. One example I found had a resume that was broken down into educational achievements (which institutions they graduated from as well as what awards they received while there) as well as their skills summary (which includes what tools they are proficient at: M.S. Word, Photoshop, Excel, etc). This seems to give the impression that the creator is thoroughly experienced in these fields. Another positive attribute I found in some portfolios was the way in which the user’s presented their diplomas. One common trend I like was when the creator’s would scan in their diplomas received from various institutions and include them within their portfolio in the form of a picture. This seems to give further proof that the individual is indeed credentialed. Another thing I liked about some portfolio’s was how the students would list out either their current class schedule, showing how rigorous it may be, or all of their completed courses, showing what they know. All of these aspects help give a better impression of what the student has done and what they are capable of.

Dr. Helen Barrett's FAQ's

One of the FAQ's that I found to be particularly informing of e-portfolio's was question 6: what do I put in an e-portfolio. The doctor responds that the content of a portfolio is largely dependant on its target audience:

"Barton & Collins (1997) have identified four types of evidence that can be placed in an educational portfolio: – Artifacts: documents produced during normal academic work– Reproductions: documents of student work outside the classroom– Attestations: documentation generated about student’s academic progress– Productions: documents prepared just for the portfolios. These productions include: – Goal Statements: Student’s personal interpretations of each specific purpose for the portfolios – Reflective Statements: Students write as they review and organize the evidence in their portfolios – Captions: Statement attached to each piece of portfolio evidence, articulating what it is, why it is evidence, and of what it is evidence. "

This gave me a much clearer idea of what I was to put inside of my portfolio. The way Doctor Barrett introduced the various subjects, (artifacts, reproductions, attestations, productions, and goal statements) made it much more simplistic in thinking of an outline for my project. I'm still having a hard time distinguishing between artifacts and reproductions (From my understanding, they are both reflections of academic accomplishments. The difference being that the former was initially created for an academic institution, and the latter pertains to personal accomplishments outside the realm of such institutions). They seem to be very much intertwined, but that is possibly because I haven't started thinking about these terms with regards to my own personal work.
Knowing this outline, I feel like I am more knowledgeable about both the format and content of an e-portfolio. To start creating mine, I would look for my most prized academic achievements both inside and outside the class room. Then, I would look for forms and documents that back up these claims of excellence, such as transcripts or teacher recommendations. Barrett’s last comment on “Captions” clued me in; this part of the portfolio is meant to back up your evidence. Knowing this, I think that I’ve changed my mind slightly about what an e-portfolio is. At first I thought it was a way for an individual to express their personality and accomplishments in an easy to distribute, easily replicated format. However, now I think of an e-portfolio as a concise and neat way to organize one’s achievements in a way that is recognizable and veritable by others outside your field of interest.
In the next few sections the content will vary based on the intended audience; the creator of the portfolio addresses to viewers their goals and purpose in the future.

Fantasy Museum

The museum would take place within a gymnasium, specifically on the vaulting apparatus. Picture viewing a vault runway from a spring board, at ground level, looking down approximately one hundred feet to where a gymnast stands ready to sprint. In the background, “Sing Sing Sing” by Benny Goodman is playing an intense drum beat, adding to the drama of the situation. A gymnast hurdles down the runway at 15 miles an hour. The runway platform itself is actually composed of sheet music, representing my interest in music and composition, and with each step I take the song progresses. As I proceed closer to the board, the music intensifies. When the gymnast jumps onto the spring board, the music cuts out… Silence! as the audience’s perspective shifts to view the gymnast vaulting over the apparatus. Upon “sticking” the landing, the gymnast stands up to salute the judges. However, upon standing the camera does an about face, and turns to the gymnasts front side, only to reveal that the aesthetic of the gymnast now standing up has changed to that of a prestigious scholar. I think of this scholar as motivated and ready to succeed in the endeavors of college pursuits. I like this particular model because I think it showcases my different talents and the ways in which I structured my lifestyle throughout my educational career. I would always fill my day with music and sports such as gymnastics. These events would give me pleasure and a reason to push myself to the limits. With all of the leftover momentum I had from training at the gym, I could apply that energy to my scholarly pursuits and succeeded in that aspect as well.

Blog Search on Google

I searched www.blogsearch.google.com for quite a while without finding anything interesting or relevant to my interests. I tried to find blogs pertaining to a variety of niche sports and activities, but had no luck. Finally, I searched the word “blog” into Google’s blog-search engine and finally found something worth reading! The site I stumbled across was http://www.tsa.gov/blog/; which contained frequent updates that would inform the public about security changes and new airport regulations. For example, I learned that the Transportation of Security Administration is installing benches before and after security checkpoints, so that airline travelers have a chance to recoup their belongings and feel less stressed out when gathering their belongings. Such a site would be very beneficial to a frequent airline traveler who wants to stay in tune with security updates (such as lists of items, growing bigger everyday, of items not allowed on board planes) that could make packing and planning much more efficient. The blog contains sections dedicated to hot topics: shoes, liquids, lighters, batteries, etc. If a traveler wants to find out any informational updates pertaining to one of the above subjects, they can click on the links and immediately come up with all relevant blog posts. There is even a separate section where blog posts are made pertaining to specific airport updates around the country. I think this particular website is a great idea and is laid out very nicely.
Another corporate blog I found was Google’s. It contained almost daily updates of anything and everything the company is involved in. I see this as beneficial to a Google consumer in the sense that it gives them a better idea of the direction Goggle is heading. Google enthusiasts can also get excited about upcoming events and technologies sponsored by Google. On the other hand, it’s a great opportunity for Google to pick and choose what web users will be reading when they browse the internet. It’s kind of like a way for Google to create their own news, and as a result determine their public image.
Other searches of famous sports teams yielded blogs from avid fans and enthusiasts of the sport. Some web pages had detailed updates on the team: ranging from upcoming game information, team roster statistics and pans, management changes, etc. This blog seemed like it could also be very informative and interesting for enthusiasts; a way to follow up on their favorite teams.