Developing a Professional Web Portfolio
Individual project, to be submitted September 7th
In this assignment you will create a space on the web that showcases and demonstrates in a rich, thoughtful way your professional life and achievements (both as a part of the MSU-Wipro Fellowship as well as in job). Most importantly, this assignment is written for an authentic audience, not just for for meeting the requirements of this course. We want you to look good in the eyes of your peers, your students, your (potential) employers, and your significant others. So please be thinking of this as your portfolio, not your instructors’. Also, think of your portfolio as something to be shared with others into the future, not one that is put away in some dusty file cabinet when this course is over.
Because we are focused on you and your audiences, we encourage you to feel free to be creative and diverse in the portfolios you create. This makes our job harder (and our expectations perhaps a bit ambiguous at times), but we really do want you to complete this assignment with a portfolio you are proud of. In addition we would like you to develop a deeper understanding of the power of the portfolio concept, and an expanded set of web publishing skills, combined with some deep reflection about the power of web publishing in the lives of others you teach. That is not to say, however, that there are not some common requirements and guidelines that will help structure the great diversity, creativity, and originality that will span the range of portfolios that are possible.
Please remember that the power of web-based portfolios comes from the sharing of good work via the Web over time with a community of learners. You will learn a lot this week because the students before you left their work up on the web for you to see. And related to this idea is our obsession with your doing authentic work for an authentic audience. Your portfolio should not be designed for the master’s requirement, but should be designed for your fellow teachers, parents, prospective employers, etc.
Here are some key steps towards developing your portfolio.
- Select a web publishing platform. We do not specify which software program or web service you should use to develop your portfolio. Students are free to use any software and/or web service they prefer.
- Register a domain name.
Your portfolio at the very minimum should include the following elements
- A brief bio along with a resume. The resume should be available both as a web version as well as a downloadable PDF document
- Showcase of work that you have done. Please do not make this a list. Annotate what you are showcasing to contextualize the information for the reader. Do include images, videos, examples of student work.
- Contact information
- For the purposes of this project, you should have a page on your portfolio that will allow us (the instructors) to easily access the assignments and activities you have completed for this program.
This assignment will accomplish three things:
- It provides an opportunity to introduce design issues. We will look at the aesthetics, functionality, and accessibility of web pages/sites.
- It provides an opportunity to compile your work into a portfolio.
- Your web page/site will serve as a starting point for the portfolio you will complete in the final year of the masters in educational technology program.
We will be providing examples of student portfolios in class.