Running Head: REFLECTION ON MY PDQP 1

Reflection On My PDQP

National University

Richard Regal

May 4, 2019
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Abstract

The following is a reflection of my one-month journey towards creating my PDQP for TED 690.

As I have worked on this project, I have learned a lot of different things regarding technology, my

teaching practices, self-reflection, and being the best version of myself. I made several changes

throughout the process that improved my PDQP through reflection of the portfolios of my peers. I

believe that the PDQP will influence my teaching practices in the future and that I will be a better

educator for it.

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The Journey: Things that Worked, Timelines, Content, and Frustrations

As the month draws to a close, the PDQP begins to take on its final shape. Each week of

the project presented new challenges and opportunities for growth and improvement. All in all,

the PQDP assignment has elevated my professional portfolio to a place I didn’t ever think was

possible and has provided me an opportunity to reflect on my practices and a chance to continue

to do that for years to come.

At first, I wasn’t sure about how the PDQP would benefit me. I understood that it would

ultimately be a portfolio that I could use as a resume for future employers or supervisors, but

beyond that I wasn’t sure it would have much worth for me in a professional or personal sense.

Following the first week of working on it, I realized that was not the case. I began to see that the

PDQP would allow me to save artifacts like student examples, important documents, or teaching

examples that I hadn’t considered highlighting or saving before starting the PDQP. This portfolio

offers a unique and intuitive way to view these things, which isn’t only beneficial for others but

will allow me to review my work or my student’s work years after the fact. I ask my students all

the time to reflect on their work and their learning, so why not do it myself? I believe that with the

PDQP I will be able to do that in a way I have never done before. It will allow me to see progress,

highlight strengths and weaknesses, and improve.

As part of creating the PDQP, we created a five-year timeline of goals we have for

ourselves. I always had a plan for the next five years in my mind, but never committed it to paper,

so to speak. Now, I have a clearer picture of what I expect to accomplish over the next five years,
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and I can use my PDQP to go back and review that. Normally that plan would end up in a file

somewhere on my computer, never to be seen again, but now as I update and review my PDQP it

will always be visible, keeping me on track. Of course, I could always add to or change it.

The creation of the PDQP was tough at times, and finding artifacts that fit was difficult

sometimes, but overall the frustrations were worth it. I am happy with my PDQP and am looking

forward to improving it as time goes on and I find new artifacts and look to change the design of

my site.

Changes to the PDQP

As I worked through my PDQP, I found myself making only a handful of tweaks. I like

minimalist design when it comes to websites, so I adopted that for my site. I like a website that

gets to the point and doesn’t mess around with design. However, my philosophy evolved

throughout these past four weeks, especially after our week three meeting as a class. Seeing the

PDQPs of my peers was inspirational; they made use of artifacts, colors, pictures, and more to

make their websites and portfolios look top notch. I’m not the best website designer in the world,

but I hope to take some cues from my peers as my PDQP moves forward. I am also looking to my

peers and their choices for artifacts. It has given me some good ideas about what kind of things I

should be looking to save or add to my PDQP later. Overall, I want my PDQP to be a tool that

will help in my future goals for professional development and keeping it current with new

artifacts will do that.

Achievements and Lessons Learned

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The entire PDQP feels like an achievement to me! I feel that I have designed my best

website ever, although I have only created a handful and mostly for educational purposes. This

website and portfolio though feel like it will end up being much more useful and has already

provided more learning opportunities than any other project like it. I have learned what it takes to

create a layout for a website that is easy to use and have also learned how to locate and use

artifacts that will enhance my PDQP now and in the future. I have also learned that a good,

colorful, and creative design can make or break the PDQP and taking the time to make it look

good will pay off.

Implications on Future Teaching Practices

I believe that the PDQP will have an impact on my future teaching practices in two ways.

First, it will make me consider the types of artifacts I want to include as part of my PDQP and I

might feel inspired to create a unique lesson or project for my students that will showcase their

skills and my abilities as an educator. Second, the PDQP will be a place that I can reflect on what

I have accomplished and what I hope to accomplish in the future. I think reflection is key to

growth and it will afford me a chance to reflect that a lot of other programs or techniques

wouldn’t. For that reason, I believe that the PDQP is an invaluable tool.

Advice for the PDQP Process

My best advice for any new students embarking on their own journey to create their PDQP

would be to focus on the artifacts that best fit their domains and make sure the design of your site

matches your personality and style. I believe the artifacts are what determines the quality of a

PDQP so taking the time to find the right artifacts is crucial. Also, the design of the PDQP will

separate the good ones from the great ones. Even if someone isn’t the best at working with
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computers or creating websites, taking the time to learn how to make a website more intuitive and

decorative will pay dividends in the end. Overall, this entire course was beneficial for me, but

most of all, my peers played a large role in my own success, even if their help was completely

indirect. I would recommend to new students that they review their peers’ PDQPs and take notes

on how they can improve their own.