Digital+Portfolios

 =Electronic Portfolios= I have written a [|blogpost] on this topic.

= = =**The Exam Portfolio**=

Organizing the portfolio
When I started out the project of making my digital exam portfolio I had to decide on how to present it. I wanted my portfolio, through its presentation, to be an image of the hypertextuality of the digital text. I wanted it to be a metatext in its own right, commenting on the various topics treated in the portfolio through the way it presented itself to the reader.

I immediately ruled out a webbed word document. I didn't think that would show the true potential of a digitally presented portfolio. Then there was the choice of creating a new blog, or using one of the already existing ones, to display the index page of the portfolio. That could have been an option, but knowing that many of the links would be to that very same blog, I wanted yet another alternative, and I ended up creating a glog for that purpose.

I chose the glog for more than one reason. Firstly, the glog, being a virtual poster, would serve well as a starting point, an index so to speak. Whereas a blogpost might get lost among other posts, the glog would stand out in terms its layout. It would be like the cover of a CD, revealing some of the content, hinting at what is yet to come, but still hiding the true message.

Secondly, glogster is one of the digital tools I elaborate on in my portfolio. I approach the topic both in a blogpost, through a glogged poem, and a wiki about glogging in the classroom. On that note, using a glog as my index was the appropriate thing to do.

Thirdly, I wanted a creative way of presenting the work I had done. I did not want to just write about the variety of digital tools and technicalities, I wanted to present my work in a way that **showed** that I mastered them.Hence the idea of the digital merry-go-round, taking the reader on a ride through my digital universe, creating a glog presenting that very theme. I got to play around with the modalities, trying to chisel out an inviting 'entrance'. I didn't want a straightforward presentation, but one where the reader would have to pay attention, follow the track, in order to not get lost in cyberspace.

Having chosen to use a glog as the index page also created some difficulties and anxieties. The glog is not the appropriate digital tool for writing a long, introductory text, which might just be what I was expected to do. Instead, my metatext would be digitalized, hyperstructured,having to be divided into sections, spread out on the web, showing up in the blog, the wiki, the glog, wherever appropriate in order to guide the reader along my digital experience. I stand by this choice, knowing that this is the true nature of digital texts.

Collection,Selection and Reflection.
A portfolio is supposed to be a documentation of a variety of genres, work methods and use of digital tools.Digital portfolios should also present an array of media specific attributes such as multimediality, interactivity, and hypertextuality. ( Otnes, 2001)

I have tried to assemble a collection of the work I have done throughout the semester according to the guidelines above.The selected glogs, blogs, wikis, presentations and documents should exemplify the wide range of activities I have taken part in. The fact that I have been particularly interested in teaching literature through digital means is also reflected in the selected pieces of work.

Due to the process oriented traits of the digital portfolio I have chosen to comment blog posts rather than editing them. Through additions and reflections to the original texts, the portfolio demonstrates a development over time rather than just a snapshot of my work.

Most digital portfolios are transparent, and so is mine. I have ventured out on the social web and not limited the access to my work. I find it more fruitful writing for a potentially larger audience. It is frightening at times, putting yourself out there, but it has been necessary for me to do it, trying out all that I expect my students to do.

My portfolio contains texts in both English and Norwegian. That is not optimal, I know, but the reasons are many. Firstly, my fellow students and I did not have a common language to communicate in. The German majors shouldn't be forced to write in English, and German was not an option for me. Secondly, I felt that our classes this semester really overlapped, and literature, digital competence and assessment were truly integrated parts in all three subjects, but they had different requirements when language was concerned. Lastly, I wanted to communicate with the world. I wanted to write for all and not just a limited group of people.For that purpose, English was the obvious choice. Hopefully, the mix in languages isn't too confusing. I will, in my future work with the blog and wiki, stick to English.

All my work should reflect a didactical approach. My interest in the various digital tools tested out and written about is triggered by a genuine wish to excel in the classroom, to improve my teaching through finding the best methods possible for teaching English to my high school students. I hope this, as well as my digital competence, shines through in this exam portfolio of mine.


 * To get back to my index page, the glog, press [|here]**