Digication vacation.

As August approaches, it's time for me to start to get my head (back) in the game. Cue High School Musical reference:

At the close of the 2011-2012 school year, I was required to submit a digital portfolio for review. We were given the freedom to use whatever method of creating it that felt comfortable -- you could make a PowerPoint, a Flipchart (via ActivInspire), a Prezi, even a Microsoft Word document. I decided to create and submit a Digication e-portfolio. In grad school, we were required to create a Digication site in order to apply for the Patricia Lion Krongard Award, given every year to an outstanding graduate from MICA's MAT program. While I did not win (but hey! I was a finalist!), I did create a very professional-looking digital portfolio that I could share with prospective principals when I was interviewing, in addition to a hard-copy, physical portfolio in a binder. You can check out that first Digication e-portfolio here.

So what is Digication? It is:

• A user-friendly portfolio-building website aimed at students and educators

• Free to those who have an NAEA membership!

If you're interested in starting one and you have an NAEA membership, go to arteducators.org/community, click on "create an e-portfolio". I'm not tech-savvy whatsoever, and I found that using this platform was self-explanatory and simple to use. Sometimes the text-formatting is a little clunky and your design options are limited, but other than that, I've found that it's an easy, attractive, uniform way to present your work as a teaching artist.

While I completed my current Digication enough so that it could be submitted to my principal / assistant principal for review, it's not as thorough or filled out as I would like. Ultimately, I'd like for it to double as my school's art website (the art department doesn't have a link on my school's website). Time to put an end to my Digication vacation!