Tech Play 2 - ePortfolios

This week we worked on finding a resource for eportfolios.  Of the two tech play assignments, this was probably the hardest for me to complete.  Since my eportfolio is a work in progress, I looked at two different sources which each had their own advantages.  

The first website I tried was FolioSpaces.org.  After playing for a while and looking through the different options, I decided I did not like this source.  They do offer up to 2GB free storage space which is helpful if you planned on putting a lot of files on it.  One of the features I do like are the pages you can create on the one site.  I added a professional page, but you can add as many different pages as you would like.  You can also set up groups and friend lists.  I am not sure how well this would work for my students, but I could see using it for the campus faculty and even district wide to showcase some of our best products.  The best point for this site is that it is a free resource if you keep it under the 2GB of storage space.  Several of the other proprietary sites charged a fee either by the month or year.  I do not like the idea of paying for something that I can get free elsewhere. 

After playing (very minutely) with FolioSpaces, I decided to see what Google sites offered in the guise of an eportfolio.  I found that I really liked the product.  It was very easy to pick both a layout and background design that I liked.  I chose to set-up a teacher site and it automatically added the teaching philosophy and even the domains of pedagogy.  I will only need to add my information in to complete it.  Again, I have not added much beyond my name and email address.  I would use this though and only need time to decide which artifacts I feel should be on this page.  While I could make other pages, the sections of my eportfolio already give me enough information to add all that I need for teaching.  Great product, easy to use, works with my gmail account, and above all, FREE. 

For my students, I would want something everyone would be able to access.  I think the Google sites make a great eportfolio.  Again it offers different types of pages, and ease of selecting layouts and backgrounds.  The only drawback is that students must have a gmail account to sign on.  I know some districts locally, assign their students an account so teachers are able to interact with them regularly.  This may be something our district should look into.  Another product I use in my classes that works great and is already installed on their laptops is One Note.  I love this product as it is very easy to use.  The students are able to add their own work in pages under section titles.  This would allow them to add either projects or writing samples throughout the school year.  They can save it to their number or even another device and keep adding to it year after year.  Of course the only down side at this time is the availability of the program.  Not all computers have the upgraded version of Microsoft Office which has this tool. 

Overall, I felt that the concept of eportfolio's is a valid idea.  I know that as a teacher, I should keep up with my progress as I mature in my profession.  It is also nice to know I can add my resume and potential employers would have access to it.  They would be able to see different lessons I have created and even outside hobbies to show I am involved in my community.    

The link to my google eportfolio:
https://sites.google.com/site/mrsdodson27/