Why am I writing this personal entry? Well, it is not an attempt to gain any sympathy. It attempts to show what is possible if a clear intention and goal serve the learner's needs. In May of 2022 just near the end of another fantastic school year, I do not remember what happened. But, I was unable to finish the school year and was unable to teach the following year. Why? On May 21st, 2022, I fell down a flight of 16 stairs (luckily carpeted) from the 2nd to 1st story of our home. I was found at the bottom of the stairs. I was found foaming at the mouth. This would lead to a 2-month hospital stay which included an induced coma because my seizures would not stop, several rounds of lumbar punctures, and relearning basic physical movements like something as simple as being able to roll in the hospital bed. Simply put, when I was admitted to the hospital, I was diagnosed as being “critically ill.” Please take a moment and read those words: critically ill. They are not terms...
An ePortfolio is a chance for a student to make the argument that they have mastered all the objectives in a course. In the climax of Oliver Stone’s film JFK, Jim Garrison sums up his entire case by providing pieces of evidence in the hope of finding Clay Shaw guilty of conspiracy to assassinate President Kennedy. Although the accuracy of many of the facts in the movie have been brought into question, there is no doubt that the entire closing argument sequence of the film is a masterclass in editing and screenwriting. Stone uses multiple film stocks to create the sense of cinema verite alongside of stocks that denote a subjective perspective. If you have never seen it or haven’t seen the section in a while, seek it out. I could probably teach an entire semester course on it. The ultimate goal of the ePortfolio in my class is to take the place of a traditional paper and pencil final exam. The portfolio has a home...