Digital well being is an important aspect of our work and study that often takes ‘a back seat’ in our overloaded lives. The aim of this paper is to reflect on what Digital Well being means to us and how ePortfolios can be used to achieve our life and work goals. How do we define digital well being? Why is it important? How can we refresh and use our ePortfolios to improve our job prospects, engagement or collaboration with others and work life balance? What can we change in our approach when challenges overwhelm or stymie our Digital well being?

1. Strategies to Improve Your
Digital Wellbeing Using
ePortfolios
An Introduction
29 October 2020
Presented by
Marie (Bernie) Fisher,
SFHEA, Assoc.Fellow HERDSA
Academic Development, Learning and Teaching Centre, ACU,
Signadou (Canberra) Campus

2. AIM
Explore the following:
 What is digital wellbeing?
 How does it relate to engaging with ePortfolios?
 Are there strategies that you will adopt to improve digital wellbeing with regards
to ePortfolios?

3. Digital Wellbeing
 Digital wellbeing practices can be described as the design, development and
implementation of solutions to challenges by using human and computer
engagement to support healthy, productive ways of working, thinking and
responding to extreme social change (Diefenbach, 2018).

4. How can ePortfolios encourage Digital Wellbeing?
Documentation of resilience using distraction and coping strategies;
Strategies manifest through reflection on interpersonal support, tasks, teaching concepts
online, keeping informed, limiting media engagement, work life balance.
Academics, technologists, teachers and professional staff can engage in meaningful work
by changing their perception, perspective and looking for ways to empower their
contributions and collaborations with others.

5. Engagement with technology
Goals should be simple, achievable and
challenging to keep your digital identity and
ePortfolio up to date;
Wellbeing activities should be built in when
engaging with ePortfolio activities eg
regular, short breaks, stretching,
Pomodoros, changing tasks;
Scaffold the activities, evidence, your story,
share the load, offer to review or provide
feedback in different ways;
Human – Computer or app interaction
should be managed carefully to allow
cognitive and physical rest and recovery –
avoid long hours using apps, desktop or
portable devices to rest eyes, brain, physical
‘load’.
Organisation and timing – critical for success
and wellbeing.

6. Theories that Inform, Support and
Guide Your Strategies for
ePortfolio Digital Wellbeing
 Constructivist approaches – encourage us to take
responsibility for our own learning, teaching and
collaboration by becoming more self-directed, build on
feedback and experience which should incorporate
wellbeing.
 Experiential Learning – Concrete experience, reflective
observation, abstract conceptualisation, active
experimentation. Scaffold activities into smaller chunks,
build in wellbeing activities – should lead to
transformative work practices and increased wellbeing.
 Transformative Learning – ePortfolios and digital
wellbeing strategies – show how you have adjusted and
reimagined learning, teaching, progress on tasks, and
research. Reflect on adjustment to changing demands in
your occupation or ways of working.

7. Research into
Digital
Wellbeing
Consider how people perceive their relationship
with technology
Is it getting in the way?
Is it helping us do more? At what cost to our
physical and mental wellbeing?
Do we need a balance?

8. Do we need strategies for ePortfolio digital wellbeing?
Why change?
Shifts in functionality mean you need
to learn new things quickly;
It feels dated content and structure
Navigating steep learning curves
through reflection
Expectations have changed in a short
amount of time;
Feelings of no time and being
overwhelmed can stymie progress
How can I change my
practice?
Update technologies
Update content regularly
Reflect regularly
Set time aside to update and review –
start with 15 minutes at the end of a
working week and build up to 50
minutes.
What will I do differently?
Identify colleagues with whom you
could give an receive feedback on
activities, job applications, empathy;
Goal setting leads to empowerment
and different pathways to explore
Specific example
Virtual collaboration

10. Strategies for ePortfolio Digital Wellbeing
(use for reflection on work, personal goals, career goals, employability when starting, working on or
completing an ePortfolio)
Task
List
Date Identify your
objective or
goal
Time allocated
- 25 min
sessions
Time on Tech -
record
ePortfolio tech
type
5 minute break
activity
Focus Questions Met Partially
Met
Work
left to
do
Comments Accommodate
Feedback & Review
Goals
Due date
1
Purpose &
Planning prior
to tech
engagement
Time the task,
scaffold and
break up into
sections
How long have
spent on this
task before a
break?
need access
to….Mahara,
LinkedIn,
WordPress?
What will I do?
Stretch, change
position, walk
up and down
stairs near
office, drink
water
How will these
questions guide my
task?
How do you feel now
that you have made
adjustments?
What needs to be
adjusted?
Discuss with colleagues
2
Week 1 - write
reflection
against key
work goals 5 x
5 mins on
Friday at the
end of the
Linked in
WordPress
Android apps,
Mahara
What was the
reflective task this
week? How did I
achieve it? What did I
learn? What do I
to do next?
3
Week 2 -
review
reflection from
week 1; add to
reflection
increase time

11. Challenges Vs Opportunities
Challenges
 Decide what needs to change eg tech use,
content curation, identity curation;
 How often do I update my digital identity,
eportfolio story, reflections?
 Alignment with personal, work and
collegial goals.
Opportunities – now & in the future
Refresh
Renew
Seek feedback
Use digital engagement with ePortfolios to
avert stress, anxiety, inability to complete
tasks and projects as it diverts attention and
focuses your thoughts.

12. Adjustment Strategies for ePortfolio
Wellbeing aligned to tasks
Writing or reviewing
 Write or review reflections starting in 5
minute timed sessions, increase until you
can reach a 25 minute pomodoro
following by a 5 minute rest & stretch.
Reflect, discuss, reimagine
 Reflect on these segmented sessions.
 Have they helped you to increase your
energy?
 Are you more productive?
 How does this manifest in your practice?
 Does structured digital engagement keep
you on task, reduce stress which can
stymie progress?

13. Conclusion
Organise
Take breaks
Stretch, change task, do something different,
build in exercise
Use theoretical models to guide, support and
inform reflection
Seek feedback, discuss issues with colleagues
Document how you will adjust tasks, keep your
story current, update your digital identity each
week.

14. References and Resources
 Chiu, Shui Kau & Lee, John, ‘Innovative experiential learning experience: Pedagogical adopting Kolb’s learning
cycle at higher education in Hong Kong’, Journal of Cogent Education, Vol. 6, 2019, Issue 1. Located at:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2331186X.2019.1644720
 https://www.skillshub.com/what-are-kolbs-learning-styles/
 Sherman, Glen L. ‘Transformative Learning and Well-Being for Emerging Adults in Higher Education, Journal of
Transformative Education, XX, (X), 6 July 2020, pp. 1-21. Located at: https://doi.org/10.1177/1541344620935623
 https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/feature/digital-wellbeing-statistics
 Diefenbach, S. (2018). The Potential and Challenges of Digital Well-Being Interventions: Positive Technology
Research and Design in Light of the Bitter-Sweet Ambivalence of Change, Frontiers in Psychology, Munich,
Germany. Located at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00331.
 Images – free to use except where noted within image.