We live in a society with very public platforms for the distribution and preservation of our personal image online. Social media affords us the opportunity to be front and center in our very own curated editorial spread. The way we interact with our families, our work persona and the various discourse communities we are associated with, all contribute different aspects of our personalities. However, we may question whether we should project our real personality online.

With ePortfolios, students can give employers and undergraduate/graduate schools a fuller, richer picture of themselves. They can include their essays from their courses; they can include course syllabi to explain the course content; they can add pictures and sounds to enlarge their audience’s picture beyond the written word. An ePortfolio can essentially be used as a learning tool for self-presentation. One may ask, why have an ePortfolio and there are a number of reasons which may include:

1. Group work
2. Project Outcomes
3. Reflections
4. Personal Development
5. Work Experience
6. Skill acquisition

Therefore, I propose that my project serves as a guide to effectively produce a successful or good-looking ePortfolio by presenting oneself accurately and whole-heartedly both on a LinkedIn profile.

My project will address the following:

1. How to properly present yourself online with detailed instructions and reasoning for the method of procedure.
2. Students gaining valuable computer skills while developing and editing their ePortfolios
3. ePortfolios exhibiting wider dimensions of learning than just the traditional methods (paper-pencil reports)
4. Students can add digital audio, video, and graphics to document evidence of learning
5. ePortfolios can provide an assessment based on evidence of growth over time and effort rather than test scores

The goal of the project is to inform others on the advantages of using an ePortfolio and LinkedIn profile whether they choose to participate in the platform or not. This project is also for myself in understanding how useful having an ePortfolio and LinkedIn can be influential to my future. I hope to:

1. learn to evaluate my own performance over time
2. increase critical thinking skills by developing evaluative criteria and using it to select work to include
3. improve or demonstrate mastery of specific academic skills

Deliverables:

I hope to deliver in my project an e-book/e-magazine that provides a “E-Portfolio/LinkedIn for Beginners” for students such as myself who have little to know experience with working with them and how to effectively present oneself on their personal profiles and the steps taken to produce a functional profile to curate content.

Guidelines:

In order for this project to be a success:

1. Student will use  their LinkedIn account to the best of their knowledge without prior knowledge of utilizing the platform successfully
2. Frequently post/update content to see if it’ll generate “connections”  that will be able to view the student’s profiles
3. Update any information in hopes that the profile will become better and cleaner over time; presenting oneself professionally rather than personally
4. Ask people who know the user well if there are similarities/differences in student’s presentation in reality compared to online

Projected Timeline:  

• Week of the 15th – document and share all content student has to date
• After initial steps are taken next step will be to begin editing profile to make it better as to begin developing an e-magazine
• Use the profile to capture the essence and purpose of the profile in the e-magazine that an audience can use to decide whether having a LinkedIn account is a suitable for them

Sources so far include:

Bret Eynon, Laura M. Gambino, Judit Torok. “What Difference Can ePortfolio Make? A Field Report from the Connect to Learning Project.” 2014. Print.

Knight, William E. The Relationship Between Electronic Portfolio Participation and Student Success. Bowling Green, Ohio, n.d. Print.

Nelson, Sharleen. 3 Keys for a Successful E-Portfolio Implementation. Oregon: The Journal, 2011. Print.

Is Your Social Media Presence an Accurate Portrayal of Who You Are?

The Social Media Effect: Are You Really Who You Portray Online

The Presentation of Self in the Age Social Media

Self-presentation and belonging on Facebook

Understanding Digital Literacies: A Practical Introduction- Jones & Hafner

Producing New and Digital Media: Your Guide to Savvy Use of the Web- Cohen & Kenny