In this module, you will make a resumé that highlights your professional history and skills. Because you are creating a web-based portfolio, you will be able to capitalize on the affordances of multimedia and online browsers and not just have a link to your paper resumé!
Your first Piece of Flair is due at the end of the module, so if you haven’t already started, now’s a good time to think about how you want to customize your portfolio.
Finally, you will complete a self-assessment about your progress and participation in the course so far — particularly as it pertains to the feedback you have been giving your peers. We will take you through the steps you need in order to do this self-assessment.
WHAT TO DO
Make sure you do each of the following activities to successfully complete this module.
📜 Review prior feedback
Reviewing and responding to feedback is an essential part of this course. Before you start on your new task, make sure you review your feedback from last week and the weeks before. Taking the time to make adjustments each week will lead to a better portfolio and keep up with the new modules. If you address a revision in your notebook, please reply to the comment we left with “Done”, or “I did this”, or “I have a question”, etc.
🔍 Before you write: See examples, and learn the criteria
This week you will create a webpage as your online version of your resume. This is intended to be web-friendly, in that it is typically shorter than your full resume, and makes use of links and perhaps images. You will also provide a link to your full resume as a PDF.
Look at some example work from semesters past: Caitlyn Tustin, Samantha Nelson, and Jessica Fleiss
As you look at the examples, please notice that each resumé page has the following properties:
- Concise – Your web resume, in most cases, should be shorter than your “full” or pdf resume.
- Organized – Is your resumé effectively organized and in a logical order?
- Acronyms – A resume can become confusing if you overuse acronyms and abbreviations for certifications that everyone might not understand.
- Availability and accessibility – There is a link to a longer resume. This could be a PDF or a GoogleDoc, etc.
- Privacy – Be careful to keep addresses and phone numbers of references off of the public internet. Consider what details about your contact info you wish to publish.
- Good Document and Web Design: There are a number of design criteria that apply to every page on your website. See your feedback notebook for details.
These same above points will be used to structure the feedback you receive in your Feedback notebook.
✍️ Create (as a webpage) your Resumé
Create a webpage on your portfolio called something informative, like “resumé” (you’re free to use any descriptive name you’d like). Make a resumé that outlines your relevant:
- educational experiences, including degrees earned
- work experiences
- skills
- accomplishments
- other things you think are important to include
Make a webpage, do not just embed a scribd document, google docs, prezi, google slides, or other. We are looking for more than an embedded document for your resumé. There are many affordance of the web (links, colors, design options) that aren’t available if you only embed a document. Please take advantage of those affordances by allowing your resumé to have its own page.
- A Work in Progress – You do not have to finalize your resume now, as the goal in this course is always to get something working first and to continue to refine it based on feedback.
- Make Sure it Is a Webpage – Put a webpage on your site, do not turn in a link to a google doc, PDF, Scribd or other format.
- Put in Your Website Menu or Navbar – Make sure others can find it, but making sure it’s available through your menu or navigation system of your website.
- Know the Rubric – The key points above summarize how we evaluation your work, but your Feedback Notebook has the full list of guidelines we will use. It’s a good idea to look at them as you develop your work.
💬 Give and Receive Feedback
NOTE: The direct link to the module 5 discussion in Teams is here.
- You can arrange your own zoom meeting with another student. You both can work out the details on how to meet online, and give each other feedback. The coffeehouse is an option for you to use.
- You can use our CAPPY Chatbot (an experimental AI bot) to get feedback. This is only an option for modules 4-7 currently, but we are looking to expand if there is positive interest from students to do so.
- You can use Teams as we did earlier in the semester
Regardless of the format you chose, please remember, that order to give good feedback to read (and use) the guidelines for feedback.
📅 Schedule your own meeting
You can meet with a classmate in the Capstone Coffeehouse. However, you schedule a meeting with someone else and figure out the meeting details together. The Sharetracker has email contact information for everyone in the course, feel free to reach out…
You can show your work via sharing your screen, or ask someone else to look on their browser if you give them a link in the chat. It can take as little as 5 minutes to get some productive feedback on your page.
💬 Using Cappy
To use Cappy, please do the following:
- Visit CAPPY, the Capstone Chatbot
- Login or Signup (it’s free)
- Replace XXX with the address of your page to be reviewed, and enter the one the following prompts depending on the module you are submitting:
- My module 4 essay : XXX”
- My module 5 resume : XXX”
- My module 6 showcase : XXX”
- My module 7 learning goals : XXX”
- Review the feedback the CAPPY is giving you, and consider making the revisions it suggests
- Feel free to ask it any followup questions or suggestions you would like, based upon what it is telling you
If you use CAPPY, please leave us some feedback letting us know how it did.
🎥 Using Teams
When posting your reflection, go to the correct teams channel:
Initial Post
- Make a post and address the prompts (“Designers – Discuss”) in the pinned post on the channel.
- Provide context – Type in your name and description of the post (e.g., Matthew Koehler’s website draft) to accompany your video.
- Provide a link – Give a link to the webpage you want others to review.
Leave feedback for two others
Then leave responses with feedback for two others in the same channel as follows:
- Prioritize providing feedback to those who do not have any feedback
- Watch their post
- View their webpage (click on the URL that should be posted with their video).
- In making your response, make sure to follow the prompts in the pinned post labeled “Reviewers – Discuss”
- Provide context – Type in your name and description of the post (e.g., Matthew Koehler’s response to Megan) to accompany your video.
💯 Self-assess your participation
📅 Your 1st Piece of Flair is due now
Your first piece of flair is due at the end of this Module. You can check out the full requirements for each of our pre-approved Pieces of Flair and following the instructions.
As with your regular work, there you can give and receive feedback using one of the approved methods (your own meeting with another student, or teams). If you use Teams, use the flair #1 channel.
When you submit a piece of flair, please fill out the corresponding columns in the sharetracker which are on the far righthand side (you may have to scroll right quite a bit).
✔️ Update the ShareTracker
At the end of each module, you will update the ShareTracker to submit your work for this module, and let us know about any revisions to previous work. You know what to do by now.
The Sharetracker is linked here, and available through the menubar at the top of this website.
NOTE: When you complete your first piece of flair (due now), also make sure you:
- Update the columns for “Flair #1” in the ShareTracker (Scroll to the far right)
That’s it, you’re done with the ShareTracker for this Module.
Optional: Deep Dives and Questions
❓ What is the bonuses and bummers policy?
When you contribute Teams feedback at the end of a module, you are usually expected to provide feedback to two of your classmates.
Our Bonuses and Bummers policy describes exceptions to this expectation as follows:
- Bonus – If you’re the first person to submit your work for an assignment on Teams, you do not have to provide any feedback to anyone.
- Bonus – If you’re the second person to submit your work for an assignment on Teams, you only have to provide feedback to one person (the person who submitted first).
- Bummer – If you’re the last person to submit your work for a task or Piece of Flair, you probably won’t receive any Teams feedback from anyone.
❓ How do I attribute images?
The great thing about the Internet is that it’s really easy to find attractive pictures for your portfolio. The tricky thing about the Internet, though, is that:
- it’s not always easy to tell if you’re allowed to use the attractive pictures that you find, and
- it’s not always clear how you’re supposed to cite images that aren’t your own.
Overview Video
We’ve made a short video to give you an overview of some of the issues regarding the use of images on your website and some common solutions that work for most students.
Can I use a specific image?
Are you confused about whether or not you can use a specific image? Consult the flowchart below to help you determine what you can or can’t use: Click on the image to bring up a larger version or click here for the article that originally accompanied the flowchart.
Common Attribution Methods
We try to avoid being too prescriptive here in the Capstone Portfolio Course; as professionals, it’s critical that you learn the issues yourselves and develop your own strategies related to image attribution and intellectual property. However, the following strategies have worked well in the past:
- Attribute each image directly below the picture like Cody Bernard
- Attribute the images at the bottom of individual pages like Bethany Blackwood
- Have a sidebar that explains your attributions like Jessica Leadbetter
- Have a single page to show all image attributions from your entire portfolio like Lisa Harrison Piane, Andrew Greger or Michele Meshover
Additional Resources
There are also a few other resources that might be helpful as you find images for your portfolio:
- Creative Commons is a licensing scheme that gives everyone permission to use media as long as they give credit to the original creator. The Creative Commons website has some advice on how to best write image credits.
- Lifehacker has a helpful article that provides important advice on making sure that you’re using images legally.
- Lesson 6 of the Web Design for Professional Portfolios series has information on copyright and accessibility.
❓ Why make a resumé?
It is likely that you are all in slightly different places when it comes to your job: Some of you may be trying to transition from a long-term subbing job to a full-time, permanent position. Some of you may be currently employed but have plans for switching schools or states. Others of you may have been in your current job for years and have no intention of leaving.
Regardless of your situation, there is something to be gained from adding a resumé to your portfolio. If you’re looking for a job, your portfolio can be a powerful tool for showing potential employers your professional accomplishments (and your tech skills!). Even if you aren’t looking for a new position, though, dedicating part of your portfolio to your professional skills is still a valuable addition. It can remind students, parents, colleagues, and others of your qualifications and experience; it can also help you fit into a larger professional community that will support your continued growth in your job.
❓ Should I include personal information on my portfolio?
The Internet, like any technology, has both tremendous advantages and important drawbacks. On one hand, you can connect with just about anyone! On the other hand… well, just about anyone can connect with you. It’s important to think carefully and decide how you’re going to handle including personal information on your portfolio. That decision is largely a personal one, and we can’t tell you exactly what to do. However, here are a few things we would like you to keep in mind:
Addresses and phone numbers
We strongly discourage you from including personal addresses or phone numbers on your portfolio, whether they belong to you, to colleagues, or to references that you have listed on your resumé page. Even if you don’t expect your portfolio to go viral, it is out there for anyone on the Internet to find… and you wouldn’t want just anyone to knock on your door or give you a call. When you’re thinking about this, make sure to keep in mind the downloadable resumé that many of you will include — just because it’s not in an obvious place doesn’t mean that you aren’t essentially giving away where you live and how to reach you.
This might take some rethinking of how you approach a resumé. You will likely have an “online version,” a “safe downloadable version,” and a “detailed version” that you can give to trusted people in face-to-face settings. You may also need to replace contact information for your resumé with a phrase like “references available upon request.”
Student information
As careful as you should be with your information, you need to be even more careful with information associated with your students! Check with your school or district to see what kind of policies they have about displaying pictures of students or work that they’ve completed in your school.
We don’t want to discourage you from showing us what goes on in your classroom — that is a fantastic addition to any portfolio! However, please exercise a great deal of caution whenever dealing with information related to your students.
❓ Where can I get help in designing my resumé?
The Web – There are a lot of people out there offering a lot of resumé advice: We can’t possibly cover all of it here, so do your best to find a reliable source (such as Lifehacker) and learn from them.
MSU Career Services Network – This MSU website has everything from quick tips and tricks to sample resumés to other pieces of advice (including why you should keep a portfolio!). If you’re looking to add some Spartan savvy to your professional presence, this is a good place to check.
Professional presentation – This video in the Web Design for Professional Portfolios series will give you some overall advice on how to make sure that your capstone portfolio looks professional to visitors.
❓ Have a question not answered here?
If you have a question that isn’t answered here, check our our FAQ, or contact us
