1) In what ways have you developed skills and/or changed your view of your the web and technology while building your ePortfolio?
Building my ePortfolio has been a great way for me to build my career "tool belt" so to say. Companies today want employees (especially recent college grads) to be proficient and competent in many areas and technology seems to be the most important, followed closely or perhaps tied with healthy communication skills. Many universities equip their students with multimedia know-how and I am glad to see that Saint Mary's is recognizing the need for tech skills by graduation. My opinion of the web has not changed, as I have tried to keep myself up-to-date in terms of the internet and new opportunities present with the ever-changing web.
2) How has working on the ePortfolio helped you to think about and demonstrate your strengths and skills and become a more self-directed technology learner?
The nature of the course was very independent and that independence allowed for us to explore the different applications that we were assigned to use in projects. The ePortfolio is a good example of the creative freedom that we were given as students. Google does an excellent job of laying everything out and ensuring that their products are very "user-friendly". Becoming acquainted with blogger is a good first step into the world of google sites. I believe that much of the internet is designed to be user-friendly, you just have to be open to learning! I have to admit, for so long I was intimidated by Youtube and the whole ordeal of making an account and uploading video - I learned through this course that it is incredibly easy and designed to be quick and painless.
3) What themes and patterns emerged from your ePortfolio?
My ePortfolio really turned out to be an interesting project for me to complete. Beyond becoming acquainted with the technology, creating the ePortfolio challenged me in a personal way. I was challenged to create the web 2.0 version of my professional myself. I put a great deal of thought into what the site should look and feel like to reflect who I am and what I am like. I chose a simple background with simple text. Though I am not by any means "simple" in reality, the clean format allowed me to express myself in my text and projects. The added dimension of voice in my screencast and webware tutorial helps my online audience to get to know me better.
4) What impact has making an ePortfolio made on you academically, professionally, and/or personally?
My ePortfolio is the web 2.0 professional version of myself. I anticipate that my ePortfolio will be viewed by individuals that I would consider "professional" connections. While my personal and professional identity really do not differ very much at all, I have reserved the social details of myself for a venue such as Facebook. I hope to use the ePortfolio to advance myself and my career. It is a good tool and while I do have an HTML website; www.nd.edu/~mmcdouga, the ePortfolio is easier to edit and change depending on the purpose I choose for it. It is a great tool that I hope will help me in my career opportunities.
