Recently, there is a rise in colleges teaching their students to create blogfolios. Professors are increasingly encouraging their students to create websites that demonstrate their potential as students and future employees. However, there are still many who are hesitant about the idea of incorporating blogfolios into the curriculum.
Since the idea of blogfolios is relatively new, it is understandable that professors are hesitant in their use. Many times, these websites that students have created are “static” pages that state the obvious. However, these websites have the potential to be “dynamic” and continously change as the user updates the content. In addition, these blogfolios do not necessarily have to be black and white and only display their intellectual achievements. It can also demonstrate the creativeness, the diligence of constantly updating, and the effort of the users through its pages. The user can change the site based on the targeted audience. For example, if the user is trying to use their website as a means to attain a job, the user may change it so that it focuses more on the work experiences rather than academic aspects. On the other hand, if the user is attempting to use the blogfolio as an additional resource when applying to school, he or she may focus more on academic achievements than work experiences. When Geoffrey Middlebrook argued that ePortfolios have the potential to be much more dynamic, he meant that it is a tool users can use to reveal themselves to their audience. It is a way to portray their disciplinary or professional identity, engage in their ideas and opinions, develop a means of voicing their opinions, and an audience who may share similar interests. The e-Portfolio is a living being that is malleable, adaptable to the users.
In high school, we were briefly taught how to manage a website that our peers would visit and leave comments. It was mainly used to upload our resumes and for reading assignments, similar to a class I am taking in college called, Writing for Your Profession. However, back in high school, we did not think much of these websites as they were only part of our assignments. All I needed to do was do the assigned reading, post up my answers, and leave a few arbitrary comments on my fellow peers’ sites. However, as I took the course in college, I learned how powerful a tool these ePortfolios could be. Many times, resumes or CVs are restricted to bullet points and a few lines. However, through these blogfolios, I can reach out to a broader audience. I can expand beyond a few bullet points. I can include pictures of my interests. There was so much room for ideas to show the audience of my interests. In return, I can learn from others who visit my site and leave comments, which can then lead into a full on discussions with multiple people, which not only portrays the enthusiasm, but also how involved I am with a certain topic.