Introduction to ePortfolio

My academic journey has definitely been a rollercoaster ride throughout the years. I've gone from being a high of being overly excited about school to an all-time low of slacking off and letting my grades suffer. I've never been consistent throughout my school years and while some years are painful to remember due to less-than-stellar grades and a lack of achievements, I have never been ashamed of my past and am still willing to share my story with anyone willing to listen. Everyone has experienced the highs and lows of school and probably have a mountain of stories to tell about them, no matter how embarrassing they might be.

I've been all over the spectrum when it comes to grades-from A pluses to a pathetic F-and yet here I am, at 19 years old, still standing on my own two feet with my whole life ahead of me. I want people to see how I've changed and developed throughout my years to being the college-bound student that I am today. Grades can be superficial; just by looking at my high school transcipt, I'm sure most people would assume that I would have totally blown off college and given up on school completely. But I would like people to see that even after my lowest of lows in school, I perservered and never gave up hope of achieving my goals or believing that I couldn't overcome past failures. My school years began when I was in kindergarten and I'm sure I've got many more to go in college. I will treat my highs just as I treat my lows in this ePortfolio-as points my life that signify who I was at the time and where I was headed in life. This isn't meant to be a shameful story, but rather a strengthening and even enlightening story for those who usually don't hear me say a whole lot. Hopefully, this story speaks for itself.

Online Honors Institute Infomercial

Having taken a film class in high school before and actually being required to produce my own film, it's already pretty easy for me to lay out an idea in my mind of what an ideal infomercial for the Honors program should look like. The first thing that I would take into account is my audience, which would be prospective or current Foothill students. So I would have to direct my film to these students and make it interesting for them. I think the best way that this can be done is by showing other students talking about the program, such as the Slippery Rock College did. Students would want to see other students talking about the program, rather than adults like the faculty, who they may not really relate to. I noticed that with the films made in high school, the more successful and popular ones that students enjoyed were the ones that featured students the most. This wouldn't mean that I wouldn't interview some faculty of the honors program, it's just that I wouldn't make them my main focus, but rather the students that benefit so much from the program.

I'd probably start off the film by showing video of the Foothill Campus, the Honors Institute office, and in the classroom of different honors classes. I don't think I'd have a narrator, as that can give a less-personal feel to the film. The students interviewed would be asked what their majors are, how long they have been at Foothill, where they want to transfer, etc. I'd also want to make clear some facts about the Honors Program and clear any myths or worries that some students might have about the program. I basically would like the students to describe the program and what it is doing for them. After watching the infomercial, the goal should be that students should be well-informed of everything about the Honors Program, as well as getting a good idea of how other students feel about the program.

Pre-Planning My ePortfolio

I definitely think that I am going to focus on my academics for my ePortfolio because it is really the only area of my life that I can really reflect on. I don't want to go overboard with my exact platform for my ePortfolio, so I do think that I will keep it simple and maybe go for a blog. The digital stories I viewed online did look really fun to make, however, I just don't think that I would have the time to make one. As for my evidence that I will show, that is a bit trickier for me but I have kept some old essays that I wrote over the past couple of years that I am proud of, so those could be a part of it. My evaluators will most likely either be a friend (if I can persuade one to do this) or a family member and a teacher. I know for sure that someone like my mom will have no problem evaluating my ePortfolio for me and teacher-wise, I will most likely go to a teacher who I have a class with this quarter. Specifically, though, I haven't made up my mind although I do have the following choices: Dr. Barkley, Ms. Huerta, etc.

A video enhancement to my ePortfolio would be ideal, but again, if time becomes an issue than I will resort to doing audio instead. During week 9, I should focus directly on my topic and start to gather the evidence that I will use. During week 10, I will get my platform set up (blog), as well as recording either my video or audio portions; basically just finish my rough draft of my ePortfolio. Week 11 will probably be spent looking for evaluators to look at my ePortfolio, specifically teachers. Lastly, Week 12 will consist of just fixing anything that has been brought to my attention and just cleaning up my ePortfolio. I would want to use my work (such as the essays) to show my evolution as a writer, student, and thinker and how I have developed into the student that I am today.