Online Portfolios
Pros and Cons of Different Software,
Services and Strategies
Based on my Online Portfolio
Adventure, Fall 2004
My evaluation study of online
software, services, or strategies
• Electronic Portfolio Org
(http://electronicportfolios.org/myportfolio/versions.html)
• Under On-line Publications
• To date, recreating my new
portfolio using 17 different
software packages,
services, or strategies
My advice
• When learning new tools,
use familiar tasks
• When learning new tasks,
use familiar tools
What is the State of the Art of
e-Portfolio Development?
• Publishing environments:
– Optical media (CD-R, DVD-R)
– WWW
• Authoring environments:
– Common Tools
– Customized Systems
Common Desktop Tools
with hyperlinks
• Office - Word, Excel, Powerpoint
• Hypermedia authoring tools - HyperStudio
• Adobe Acrobat
• HTML Editors - Front Page, Dreamweaver,
Netscape/Mozilla Composer
• Multimedia Authoring
Macromedia Director & Flash, Ezedia
Online Portfolio Tools
• HTML editors plus web server space
– Netscape/Mozilla Composer, Geocities
• Blogging tools - include entry categories
– Movable Type, WordPress, BlogWave Studio
• Online Content Management Systems
(CMS)
– Userland Manila, Blackboard CMS
• Open Source Software - Plone (Zope),
PHP/MySQL
Online Portfolio Tools
• Customized Commercial Systems
- Higher Ed
– General Hi-Ed: nuVentive’s iWebfolio, ePortaro
– Teacher Ed: LiveText, TaskStream, FolioTek,
McGraw-Hill’s FolioLive, Chalk & Wire
• Customized ePortfolio Tools developed
in-house
– Maricopa CC, PLP (Vermont Institutes),
MNSCU/AveNet, Alverno DDP, Johns Hopkins, IUPUI
Epsilen, UWashington,,
• Open Source ePortfolio
- OSPI (rSmart/UMN), others in development
Online Portfolio Tool
Characteristics
• Custom-designed Electronic Portfolio Systems(A) system includes database to align artifacts to standards
• Free Server Space
• Open Source Software
• Commercial Software - primary market: Higher Ed,
Teacher Ed, PK-12, Any
• Content Management System (CMS)
• Web Log Software or Online Journals - “Blogs”
• License agreement with - individual or institution
• Hosting - Hosted: resides on a centralized server; Server:
software installed or data stored on own server space
• Cost & Storage space available
Conclusions
• Too early to judge
• Scales applied to each system
- “Trade-offs” - “Balance”
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–
–
–
–
–
–
Creativity
Ease of Use
Cost/Storage & ROI
Features
Flexibility/Customization Allowed
Integration with Assessment System
Transfer & technology skill development
•
“They each
exhibit trade-offs
between the
flexibility inherent
in an HTMLbased tool with
the relative easeof-use but lack of
creativity in a
system built on a
data-base.”
The Process
Portfolio Processes
Traditional
• Collecting
• Selecting
• Reflecting
• Directing
+ Technology
• Archiving
• Linking/Thinking
• Storytelling
• Collaborating
• Celebrating • Publishing
Digital Tools for
Reflection
Blogs and Wikis
What is a blog?
• Abbreviation for “web log” which is an
online journal organized in reverse
chronological order…the most recent
entry on top
• Emerging into the mainstream in the
last 18 months
• Very popular with adolescent girls
• Free, open source and commercial
tools available
Blogs* in Education
*Web logs=online journals
• WebBlog (http://www.weblogg-ed.com/)
What is a “wiki”
• Hawaiian term for “quick”
• A tool for collaborative writing
• Anyone who reads a wiki page
can click the EDIT button and
add or edit text
• Another “older” technology that
is emerging into common use.
Planning Questions
Planning Worksheet
Handout
• Page 1
What is the purpose of the
portfolio?
qShow growth over time
qDocument ongoing learning and professional
development
qAssessment – achievement of standards or goals
qEmployment (Marketing)
qOther:_______________________________
Who are the various audiences
for the portfolio?
q
q
q
q
q
Student
Parent
College
Faculty
Potential employer
What kind of technology does the
primary audience have access to?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
VCR
Floppy Diskette
Hard Disk Drive
LAN Server
CD-R/W
WWW Server
DVD Player
What hardware and software do you
have / how often do you have access?
• Computers (how many)
– RAM
– Storage space
– Connections (USB, firewire)
– CD or DVD recorders
• Digital cameras
• Video cameras
How often will students
have access to technology?
• Daily
• Two or three days a week
• Every week
How can you leverage the
technologies students own?
• Accessibility from home computers
• Connectivity with cell phones & PDAs
(digital images, reflections)
• What about video storage or streaming?
• Other technologies?
Competencies
Student Portfolio
Competencies
• Collect evidence of learning
• Select specific evidence the demonstrates a
particular outcome, goal or standard
• Reflect metacognitively on learning
represented in evidence, making a case that
the artifacts constitute evidence of
achievement
• Make connections in their learning
• Set goals for future learning
Faculty Portfolio
Competencies
• Model all of student competencies PLUS:
• Implement classroom-based assessment
FOR learning strategies
• Provide specific and detailed feedback to
learners about their learning
• Support student reflection through modeling
and research-based practices
• Create an environment that facilitates
students' deep learning
Technology skills
• File Management Skills (i.e., naming files,
organizing in folders, able to move and copy
files, search and find files on a network folder,
a hard drive or a CD-ROM)
• Converting artifacts into digital format (i.e.,
scanning images, recording audio, digitizing
video, depending on technological
background or teacher or student)
Online Tools
Handout of Technology
Decisions
• Page 2
Storage for Digital Archive or
Working Portfolio
q LAN-based Server
q WWW-accessible Server
o Space Allocation ____ MB
o In-house
o Out-sourced
Formats for Digital Artifacts
qText (.txt, .htm)
qMS Office (.doc, .ppt, .xls)*
qGraphics/Images (.gif, .jpg)
qSound (.aiff, .wav, ra, .mp3)
qVideo (.mov, .avi, .wmv)
qAcrobat (.pdf)
qInspiration (.ins)*
qeZedia (.zoi)**
Common Tools
qMS Office*
qDatabase (Filemaker Pro, Access)
qNoteTaker*
qInspiration* or Kidspiration*
qeZedia**
qiPhoto*
qiMovie
qWeb Page Editor
qKidPix*AppleWorks*
IT Online Customized System
In-house development
Open Source Portfolio Tools
Commercial System
•
•
•
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TaskStream
LiveText
Chalk & Wire
ePortaro
FolioTek
McGraw-Hill Folio Live
iWebFolio by nuventive
Common tools used for
constructing portfolios
•
•
•
•
Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
Web page Editor and Web Browser
E-Mail Program, including attaching files
A simple graphics editor to scan and/or resize
images
• A simple digital video editing program to add
digital stories to portfolio
Formats for Publishing
Presentation Portfolio
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•
•
•
•
CD-ROM
DVD
Videotape
WWW
Secure WWW Server hosted:
– In-house
– Commercial Server
Archiving
• Format *
– Acrobat PDF
– HTML/XML
* Archival formats
approved by the
Library of Congress:
ASCII Text (web
pages) and Acrobat
(PDF)
• Medium
– CD-ROM
– DVD
– WWW server
Pros and Cons of Tools
Explored
Fall 2004
HTML Editors
• Mozilla
Composer
• Dreamweaver
• Front Page
• Pros:
– Creativity
• Cons:
– lack of support
– Security/Password
– Requires higher skill
level
– Cost
– Require Server
Open Source Tools
• Mozilla
Composer
• Plone CMS
• Open Source
Portfolio (OSPI)
• WordPress
(blog)
• Pros:
– free
• Cons:
– lack of support
– Security
– Lack of creativity
(OSPI)
– Require server
Free Web Site Builder with
Free Web Space
• Geocities
www.geocities.com
• Tripod
tripod.lycos.com
• Pros
– Free
– Some design tools
• Cons
– Lack of support
– Ad supported
– Security/password
Commercial (Teacher Ed)
(all hosted)
•
•
•
•
•
TaskStream
LiveText
Chalk & Wire
FolioTek
FolioLive
• Pros
–
–
–
–
Security/Password
Support
Database backend
Tie artifacts to outcomes/
goals or standards
• Cons
– Cost
– Lack of Creativity
Commercial (Higher Ed)
• Blackboard
• Nuventive’s
iWebFolio
• ePortaro
• Pros
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–
–
–
Security/Password
Support
Database backend
Tie artifacts to outcomes/
goals or standards
• Cons
– Cost
– Lack of Creativity
Content Management
Systems
• Manila
• Plone
• Blackboard
• Pros
– Intuitive Interface
– Control over publishing
content
– Security-Password
• Cons
– Cost (except Plone)
– Server required
Blog Software
• Movable
Type
• WordPress
• Pros
– Intuitive Interface
– Focus on reflection
– Popular tool
• Cons
– Server required
– Chronological order
Home-Grown Customized
Systems
• Maricopa CC’s
MyEport
• Vermont Institute’s
PLP
• MNSCU (AveNet)
eFolio Minnesota
• Snoqualmie SD
(MGT)
• Pros
– Created for portfolio
purpose
– Tie artifacts to
outcomes/ goals or
standards
• Cons
– Cost (varies)
– Lack of creativity
Helen C. Barrett, Ph.D.
Research
Director
The REFLECT
Initiative
A research project to
assess the impact of
electronic portfolios
on student learning,
motivation and
engagement in
high schools