Compose a portfolio of your work in the class. Before getting started think about these big picture aspects of portfolios: The portfolio serves two main purposes: 1) to allow continued revision of your projects, and 2) to promote reflection on what you have learned as a writer and thinker in the class. For the purpose of the portfolio composition, the reflections will matter the most--though they will be built upon solid, well-revised projects.
All of these reflections should shed light on your progression as a thinker and writer for the class. The audience for your portfolio will be someone potentially interested in arguing on the internet and/or in the educational concerns associated with the kinds of projects we have done in this class.
Portfolios work well at demonstrating learning, growth, effort, and the details of the final products of your work. Your reflections, then, can serve to educate your reader about your materials and your learning.
Begin by going to Add Content, and then choosing Portfolio.
Next, collect all of the materials associated with the class. Some of these will be on sites like YouTube and others will be on our class Web site. Here is a list to use as you collect:
- Twitter Report: draft and revision(s)
- Audio Essay: draft, script(s) and revision(s)
- App Argument: draft and revision(s)
- Podcast
- Memes, GIFs, and Instagram Stories
- Portfolio Video
- Web site comments: You can click on your name in the top-right of this Web site, and then click View Profile, then Activity to see all of the postings and comments that you have made.
- Any other materials related to the class--improv assignments, images of notebook sketches, marked up papers, additional drafts, extra projects, tweets, etc.
Use the composing tools in the posting box to create links to or embed all of your materials. I will go over the basics of composing in class.
Once you have collected everything, you can turn to developing the reflections about the materials.
I think it's helpful to guide readers of the portfolio with a kind of story that will help them make sense of the materials. You can have this in mind as you develop the various sections. Either before, during, or after, you will also want to work on an opening cover letter of a few paragraphs that synthesizes the main themes of the portfolio and prepares readers for what they are about to experience.
For the themes, you may want to identify an angle or a few key threads related to educational concerns. Topics you might consider include:
- Creativity
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Leadership
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Information
- Risk taking
- Adaptability
- Curiosity
- Reflection
- Motivation
You may also want to develop threads related to internet argument:
- Logic versus emotions
- Role of visual, sonic, and textual media
- Networks and social exchange
Once you have revised your projects, collected all of your materials, and drafted reflections and a cover letter, revisit the portfolio as a whole. Think of the portfolio itself as a key composition for the course. Check that you have one or two key threads that identify learning concerns and organize and help people move through the discussion in the portfolio. Print out or otherwise carefully comb through all of the prose and the links to polish everything up. Think about any additional materials that you might create or include to capture your learning, your composing process, and the strengths of your projects.
Continue working up until our final. The portfolio will be the final representation of your work in the class.
Here are some samples:
http://altscholarship.com/digcomp/node/101
http://altscholarship.com/diglit/node/168