Jodieann’s ePortfolio

I love the simplicity of my ePortfolio site. The photo that is currently on my site is from year ago, its of my favorite flowers, peonies– a rare beauty. I made minimal changes to my ePortfolio because I like a minimalistic approach to themes and a did not really understand the nuances of WordPress on OpenLab. Surprisingly on my personal blog, I have not explored creating new tabs or other sections. I always feel the less is better. As my favorite color being black, I kept the background in black and then the peonies splashed across the screen in pinks and white. It looks beautiful.

I like writing about myself, strangely I think it gives you a chance to express who you are. It’s not often where you get to write about yourself and play around with creating your own website and a fun layout. I really enjoyed it. Also, I really enjoy stepping into the shoes of a designer, you get to see another aspect of creating a unique user experience. I believe there are OpenLab classes to learn how to maneuver around the site and create cool fun things and I’d like to do that. It’s important not only for class but also for job seekers if you want to showcase your academic portfolio– it can make a very big difference if you get the job or not.

My ePortfolio is not quite where I’d imagine it to be but in the coming weeks I will be sure to work on it, it will be a completely different site by the end of the term. Originally, I first used the ePortfolio site in ENG 2700 with Professor Patrick Corbett to create a blog where we wrote many reflection pieces on our transformation over the semester. For my portfolio site I also created a few new tabs Jodieann’s Fashion Tips and updated my career section. I will try to regularly contribute to the new tabs created.

ePortfolio #FAIL

The idea of having the opportunity to design my e-portfolio to my specifications was exciting. I knew what I was going for and I couldn’t wait to get started. I knew I wanted to start with a color scheme that was both simplistic and minimal but because of the themes,  I was limited to what I could do.

However, the work I had to put in, in order to make my vision come to life was beyond frustrating. Nothing was working for me at all and I felt myself going in circles with trying to put my page together. I thought my e-portfolio would be the best way to brand myself rather than having to resort to a social networking site but I struggled continuously. I definitely need help because I’ve realized I can’t do it alone. Hopefully,  with time and with much needed help, I can get my e-portfolio to where I want it to be and it can be something I am proud of.

Because I don’t participate in many social networking sites, I want to successfully display my e-portfolio that will be beneficial towards my future and maybe even my career goals. Moving forward,  I plan on doing this by:

  • Picking a theme that works for me; a theme that will allow me to structure my work in a way that is easy for viewers to navigate.
  • Using (good) images; I am not a photographer whatsoever but people associate a good photo which helps draw viewers attentiontherfore,  it would hurt to include some visuals in my e-portfolio.
  • Filling my e-portfolio with my best content/work
  • Keeping it up to date
  • Connecting via social media platforms