Putting it all together
The ePortfolio is a chance to take stock and demonstrate what you learned in the course. You will present evidence of your skills, “connect the dots” of various aspects of the course, and relate media literacy to your life.
Learning goal – after successfully completing this project you will be able to organize and present an online portfolio with evidence of your media skills.
Client – Yourself and the instructors<
Audience – Primary: prospective employers, graduate schools,
Secondary: professors, parents, fellow students
Expect to spend some time; this is essentially your final exam. Resist the temptation to think of it as filling in blanks or checking off boxes.
Your ePortfolio is a way to communicate a message about your media knowledge and skills. The target audience goes beyond the professor, it is someone who might offer you an internship, job, or admission to grad school. Keep that in mind when writing reflections, choosing additional media, or preparing your presentation.
You may have an audience, but the ePortfolio is definitely about you. A couple of ways to make it uniquely yours are by customizing the way it looks and adding samples of your media work from beyond the course.
When changing the visual appearance of the ePortfolio, remember the design conventions you learned earlier in the semester. Consider where you want the viewer’s attention to focus. If you add a background image, consider a small pattern that will tile smoothly and not distract. Also consider the content of the media you include (banners, background images, embedded videos…). Don’t simply pick random things you like. They should have something to do with the message of the ePortfolio. Again, remember your audience.
Finally, the presentation is important. As you work on this project, consider what you might want to say. Direct it to the same audience as the ePortfolio and make sure you practice at least a couple of times. When you are asked to give feedback to others after their presentations, you will be responding as if you were an employer or grad school admissions person.
Deliverables
- New ePortfolio from template
- Finished ePortfolio
- Presentation
- Presentation feedback
Content requirements
- Home page with basic info, photo, context
- A course reflection (500-700 words)
- Three project pages with
- embedded media,
- a short reflection (150-250 words),
- and an image of an editing screen.
- Critique – from one of the exams
- Visual Identity – elements shown and described
- Resume – with visual identity applied
Presentation
- Give a 3-4 minute “pitch” based on your ePortfolio
- Audience – Speak as if you are applying for a specific position at a specific place
- Name an actual business, agency, school, etc.
- Name a specific job (or internship, degree program, etc.)
- Connect what you show to the position you seek
- Highlight parts of the ePortfolio – include things such as …
- Your two favorite pages, A project you are proud of
- A major upgrade you made, A challenge you overcame
- (the reflection prompts should be helpful)
- Dress – at least business casual
- Delivery – Make eye contact. Speak expressively and clearly.
- Make minimal use of notes.PRACTICE at least once ahead of time!
- Feedback – you will be randomly assigned to give feedback to two other students
- Pick out one thing you particularly liked
- Ask a question – How? Why? What?
Upgrade options
- Customize the look of your ePortfolio
- Add your own header slide
- Add your own thumbnail
- Change the background color
- New content options
- Additional project – a media project you created outside of class
- Additional critique – something new or created for another context.
- Enhance your reflections with web links, images, and videos.
Credits: Pexels.com photo by Monoar Rahman