Who Owns the ePortfolio explained on point how I approached coming into this program. As I have mentioned before, I was ready to jump through the hoops to give my professors what they wanted, receive my A's, and move on. Little did I know what program I had started. HA! I have been so far outside of my comfort zone the last few weeks, but I can honestly say I have already had some life-changing moments. The things I am learning are carrying over into my relationships outside of class, my work as a trainer and educator, and in my personal growth. I am starting to get it.
This quote in the article reminded me of how Dr. H says this in almost every meeting:
"Educators need to realize that we if expect to maintain any level of credibility and respect with our students we can only ask our students to do things we are willing to do ourselves."
Everything that we are doing in his class, I can go and find on his site. Most times, multiple examples, discussions, and/or explanations. Seeing so much work and effort makes it approachable. I know and trust that he can guide us because he has done it himself. I find that this is something missing in most educational settings. It is hard for educators to relate to those that are giving them guidelines. The administration passes down what they think will work in the classroom without ever having had the experience themselves or without consulting with educators. They immediately lose credibility and respect.
The Web We Need to Give Students opened my eyes to the way we use digital technology in schools. It discussed how we always speak of the negative. We warn students of the dangers, hire social media firms to monitor students, and teach about digital citizenship but "rarely do schools allow students to demonstrate the good work that they do publicly". That says a lot! Flipping that model and teaching our students how they can be in control and own their own space online is what we need. Providing the opportunity for them to show the good that they can do in the online setting and allowing them the freedom to show it. Again, this article discussed how decisions are made without ever speaking with students. Why are we not consulting with them about their online presence before deciding what is best?
Ownership of the ePortfolio is critical to the creator's development and growth. It seems as though we are hindering ownership in most cases in educational settings. This is a change that we must make to ensure growth for all.
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