E-Portfolio thoughts

I have been feeling rather overwhelmed at the prospect of compiling an e-portfolio, but in the last few days, my H808 colleagues have added some balance to this perspective.

Perhaps what was concerning me was the technology of managing an e-portfolio, such as My Stuff on the OU website. And although this technology can be a lot to take in, as I look at the way I presently organise my professional learning, I have to admit it is a bit of a shambles ;-)

When I read something of professional or personal interest in the press, I often cut out the article, or store the URL. I wish I could say that I have an orderly way of storing this information, but I can't! When I read a new book of interest, I mark up the points that seem relevant and make notes in the book; when it seems important enough, I write a summary and action list. My professional activities are stored on our work server, but are filed by customer. When I make a public contribution; press article, blog, facebook, twitter etc, these are stored on the site/journal that published the item.

When I think back to my two previous years of Masters study, the process I used to collect my thoughts was essentially manual; hand drawn mind maps, printed out articles and journals, key themes on post-it notes, word documents summarising key quotes and themes......it makes me wonder how I ever got my act together!

My photographs, professional and personal, are stored in several different places. My hobbies are almost totally unreported, even though my choral performances are regularly broadcast publicly, and receive critical acclaim. I save the programmes and sometimes cut out newspaper reviews, but not in any systematic way. Isn't it a pity I don't keep track of this?

An e-portfolio approach to my life's documentation and learning would enable me to link various learning streams together, and better still, to be able to search and find information that has influenced my thinking. It would also be excellent to have a focus for summarising key learning points and for cataloguing my development as a professional, rounded human being.

I am not sure that I have ever aspired to be an E-Learning Professional. Rather I want to be an excellent learning professional, who helps people get the most out of their lives, not just their work. Having a good grasp of how E-Learning can contribute to that ambition is, in today's world, essential, as technology is a major enabler of learning, particularly for younger generations. For this to be a meaningful exercise, I am inclined to think it needs to be focused on me as a professional human being, not just on me as a professional educator.

So, here is my latest thinking on how to organise my e-portfolio. The organising concepts will be threefold; the professional skills that I feel are important to doing a good job today; the professional skills that I feel are important to my family, friends and hobbies; how my professional and personal skills must develop in future.

I am inclined to think that I should not spend too much time looking back to collect data for the e-portfolio, but if choose the right meta categories, and then begin to break them down into smaller organisational units, I can, if I choose, add historical information for posterity.

And the sooner I set up these organising themes, the more organised I can be about making H808 matter in my life, not just in order to gain a Masters Degree;-)