Throughout this course in the Master of Education in applied digital technology program, I have experimented with various features to add a personal touch to my page and enhance the breadth of knowledge I can convey to my readers efficiently.

Prior to this course, I primarily completed my work on Google Docs and subsequently integrated it into my website. At first, I tried Wix and that didn't work out and I subsequently stumbled upon Webador and that is what I currently use know. There was very little thought put into it if we are being honest.

Since my last check-in post a lot has changed on my ePortfolio. I reviewed my feedback from the associate instructor and took links off of my site that were not active yet. I was trying to be proactive and have upcoming course tabs already on my navigation bar and pages. I get where this could be confusing to some that are not in the course and are just visiting my site. They will think things are not put together or properly working if they try to click on a class I haven't completed. Next there was a picture that was blurry that she mentioned I should change. Although that picture was meant to be blurry, a picture of people moving being sped up. I took the advice and changed the picture, because if it threw her off then it might through my other readers off. I also added a link in my navigation bar about the changes I had made and a few other links. She said that it was a minimal navigation bar that needed to be added to. I was ok with changing it, but I am not sure that I will keep it this way. I like more of a basic one, and after all this is supposed to be my ePortfolio not someone else's. She also suggested that I chose a lighter page color and font style since it is hard to read. I personally like the black background and white writing and think that it makes things easier to see. As you can see, I did not take this advice and left it the way it was. I was using pictures that were free off of my site and was not citing them. This was pointed out and I went back and fixed that. Although later on I continued to play around with AI tools from some free sites that I had found, and some other classmates had recommended. I ended up changing out all of my pictures throughout my entire portfolio using AI and some others, but I did make sure to go back and give credit where credit was due by citing all sources. This was something I had not thought of before and realize where I went wrong.

I also found a neat little add on recently for my blog posts when I was working on my contributing to my learning & community post.  Instead of just posting a picture of having to post several I found a way to do a picture slideshow on my blog. I thought this was a great idea and addition to my page, and I am looking forward to more ways I can use this tool. I have had the opportunity to do blog posts and I am looking forward to revisiting them later to see if my view has changed from where it is now. One post in particular that I will revisit is my blog Do our students really own their ePortfolio?  Another post I will make sure I revisit is the The power of "yet".  Being able to revisit posts I have made in the past will give me a time to self-reflect and see how much I have grown and learned over time.

Some other things I have done with my portfolio is that I fixed capitalization suggestions for titles that were left in my feedback. I ended up changing my entire navigation bar based on suggestions and ended up absolutely hating my portfolio and realized I wouldn't be happy if I left it that way. I in turn had to redo the entire thing including links since I had changed it again. A big-time killer, but I definitely learned to embrace my voice and stick with something I feel strong about. The further along into the class I get the more I am showing my true voice and to me not changing things on my portfolio that make it my portfolio is part of that. If I change everything it is no longer my portfolio, and then what is the point of this class if I truly don't have COVA over my own portfolio?

The foremost advantage of dedicating time to carefully crafting my ePortfolio is that it will act as a resource for fellow educators, aiding them in grasping the principles underlying my plan as I apply my blended learning with technology innovation in my classroom and across the campus. My ePortfolio will be enriched with valuable insights into my innovation plan, and digital story encapsulating a year's work in a manner that allows educators to gain a thorough understanding. It will stand as a central reference point as we collectively advance this innovation in our classrooms, ensuring we remain aligned with the core purpose and COVA principles that underpin the rotational blended learning units. It makes it easier to showcase my learning manifesto and literature review.

Refining my ePortfolio throughout this course has given me a genuine sense of choice, ownership, and voice over my work. Every element of this site reflects my personal touch, starting with my home and about me page. It is tailored to meet both my needs and those of my audience. This degree of autonomy in my educational journey was unprecedented for me, yet it enabled me to grasp the advantages of the CSLE + COVA model through direct experience. Without doing and experiencing it myself I would not be able to truly understand it to effectively introduce and teach it in my classroom. 

The most influential aspect of this course for me, and my innovation plan, was re-reading of "Choice, Ownership, and Voice through Authentic Learning Opportunities" by Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, & Cummings (2018). This work establishes the groundwork for creating a meaningful learning environment by integrating choice, ownership, and voice within authentic learning opportunities. Taking this course alongside CSLE 5313 made it an invaluable resource for my assignments and reflections in both courses. In my CSLE course I was able to revisit my original growth mindset plan and update and revisit my growth mindset. Looking back on the first post I made, and the new one shows me how much I have already grown in my thinking in such a short amount of time. Another thing I enjoyed in my CSLE course was being able to contemplate and reflect on my learning philosophy. I was able to actually sit back and look at who I am as a learner myself, and it was very insightful.

I can't wait to see where the rest of this journey takes me.