Response to Ember's Idea

Hello all-
I think we are supposed to blog about another person's idea for his/her portfolio, so I decided to go with Ember's. I like how you are taking the common idea of a map and putting a spin on it. Out of your two ideas (the skiier and the mission), I liked the idea of the downhill skiier on his way to summer vaction. That idea contributes to our understanding of writing--there are a series of steps one must take in writing in order to create the ideal piece of writing, which is exemplified in your idea of the skiier having to make stops along the down-hill slope, eventually reaching their ultimate goal of summer vacation.

Another idea could simply be that you map out the course of an academic school year or maybe just a semester. You could have the beginning of school relate to the beginning of a paper, both of which can seem daunting and frustrating. You can have the first test relate to the first draft of a paper, fall break relate to a breakthrough in the paper, and so on. I don't know if that would really work, but it's a thought.

I really do like the idea of you putting yourself in the student's shoes because if your portfolio is ever used as a means for students to learn about writing, then they may be able to connect with your overall message of writing as a journey through their personal experiences.

So, those are my thoughts. Good luck!