I'm really looking forward to the day that I can proudly share my ePortfolio, that I built, with a purpose, whether it be for a job interview, sharing what meaningful connections I made in graduate school, or teaching others how to create one. I'm still trying to figure out how to best organize my ePortfolio so that it does have meaning to me. It'll take some time, and I'll learn as I go.
In the article, Reflection4Learning - Why Reflect?, James Zull said, “Even if we experience something that has happened to us before, it is hard to make meaning of it unless it engages our emotions.” He hit the nail on the head. If we aren't emotionally attached to something, can we really make meaningful connections? My goal is to be able to show emotion in the work that I do and I hope to convey this message through my ePortfolio.
What really spoke to me was the section about storytelling as a reflection. I tend to relate what I read and learn to the experiences I've had, which we all do, right? But when I read that telling stories about your experiences embeds them into your long term memory, I said, "YES!!! This is what I do!!!" Mattingly even gave it a fancy name, "Narrative Inquiry'. Reading this made me feel like it's okay to tell stories when I blog or participate in discussions. My voice will be heard and it will help me make more meaningful connections that I'll remember for a lifetime.
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