Last week I had a Google Hangout meeting with my EDLD 5303 classmates Ann, Brent, and Cindy (insert group secret handshake here, as soon as we get one) where we spent about 2 hours giving each other feedback on our developing eportfolios. I commented at the end of our conversation that it had been encouraging to see how the four of us had very different ways of moving toward the same goal, and all of them worked. That feeling was solidified this week in looking at examples of portfolios provided on Dr. Harapnuik's website for our class to review (Harapnuik, n.d.).
A sentiment I keep coming across in my continuing exploration of educational technology is that, as Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, and Cummings describe in Choice, Ownership and Voice through Authentic Learning, "The best technology...ultimately disappears" (2018, p. 64). We just use it. This is as true of website design as of anything else. It's most useful when it just flows around us as we go after the information and experience we seek.
Fittingly, in reviewing the portfolio examples Dr. Harapnuik provides, I found that the sites I liked the most were the least complex. That 's not to say that they weren't compelling. For example, Rebecca Recco, from the EDLD 5320 list of portfolios, had a site that was simple and straightforward, but visually striking, with blog posts and photos scrolling by in layers (Rocco, n.d.). The layers were simple, though--very clean, easy on the reader. Meanwhile the content was very engaging--thoughtful, reflective, and personal. Because I wasn't distracted by the layout or the presentation, or by trying to navigate an unclear site structure, I was able to focus on the content.
"It seems that perfection is attained not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to remove." (Saint-Exupéry, 1939). That quote popped up at one point when I was using the Canva app to process some photos--apparently whenever you download a completed file, you are treated to some kind of randomly selected quote on the nature of design. I really liked this one. I bet it's even better in French.
Looking through all of these examples and honing in on my design philosophy really helped me make the necessary choices when it came to designing my portfolio. It looks nothing like it did when I turned it in at the end of EDLD 5302. It probably looks nothing like it will look when all is said and done. I had some real difficulties as I tried to make platforms like Wordpress do what I had in mind for my site, and after a lot of tears and heartache and maybe a little colorful language, I decided to keep the part of my portfolio that had been working well since day 1--the blog, powered by Blogger--and build the rest around that for the time being. The result is a site that is not completely where I want it to be yet, but it is functional and easy to navigate, and I think it's a good place to build from as the portfolio grows and its purpose both in the DLL program and beyond takes shape. Seeing all of the examples of different paths to the same goal reaffirmed that decision for me.
It was interesting (and maybe a little disheartening?) to see the number of broken links in our list of examples--sites that are no longer active (or that haven't been posted to in a while. I'm hoping this is not a harbinger of things to come as we develop our portfolios and finish our coursework. I mean, I have a shiny new domain and everything just waiting to get unpacked and put on display--don't want that to go to waste.
REFERENCES
Harapnuik, D. (n.d.). Examples of ePortfolios [blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=5979
Harapnuik, D., Thibodeaux, T., & Cummings, C. (2018). Choice, ownership and voice through authentic learning. Available from http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=7291
Rocco, R. (n.d.) RECCOTech [blog]. Retrieved from http://www.departure.tech/
Saint-Exupéry, A. (1939).Wind, sand, and stars (L. Galantière, Trans.). New York, NY: Reynal & Hitchcock.
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