creating a professional portfolio
Choosing the platform
When creating an ePortfolio one of the first things you need to do is establish the platform that you are going to use to present your ePortfolio? Traditionally students have used Powerpoint but now there are many alternative online solutions. The list that is provided here is only a small representation of what is available but it will give you a starting point.
Websites and Blogs as ePortfolios
The following programs allow you to create a free website or blog that has all the functionality that you would need.
Webs
This a website builder. You can choose from a range of templates that make your site look very professional. The main downside to this program is that you will have advertising on your site until you pay to become a premium member. If you are looking for an easy-to-use program to get you started or to act as a storage place for all of your resources then this is a good place to start.
Weebly
Weebly is an easy to use website builder (this website has been created in Weebly). You have unlimited pages for free but some functionality requires a premium account. You don;t need to know HTML Code. Everything is 'drag and drop'. A very easy to use builder.
Wix
This is another website builder. It doesn't have a limit on pages and there are no ads. This is a popular platform with students and you can create some really dynamic professional looking pages. You can choose a template or design your own.
WordPress
Wordpress is a blog but you can also make it look like a website. It all depends on what you want to feature and the kinds of resources you want to embed. The best things to do is go to their site and have a look at a range of examples.
Edublogs
As the name suggests this is a blog site but it has been used successfully to create a professional eportfolio. See an example here.
Pathbrite
Pathbrite is a brand new portfolio development site. It is very simple to use and can create basic portfolio in a number of hours. If you are looking for somehting simple yet effective then this is worth a look.
Creating digital stories
A powerful way to present your teaching philosophy or to tell the reader about you is to create a digital story using images, video, words and music. There are many ways you can do this - you are only restricted by your imagination. Luckily today there are some great Web 2.0 tools that help you make great presentations that are simple to use.
The following list is designed to get you started. It is not definitive and will change regularly as new tools become available. For a more comprehensive list visit here.
Voicethread
Voicethread is a collaborative, multimedia slideshow that holds images, documents, and videos and allows users to navigate slides and create their own stories.
Animoto
Animoto lets you create 30 second videos for free. These videos can combine images, songs, and text.
Smilebox
Smilebox provides hundreds of customizable designs for students and teachers to create their own stories that can comprise photos, videos, words and music.
Storybird
Storybird allows students and teachers to create short art inspired stories to read, share or print out.
Slidestory
Slidestory is a free digital storytelling tool that you can use to combine narration and pictures to create awesome presentations and stories.
When creating an ePortfolio one of the first things you need to do is establish the platform that you are going to use to present your ePortfolio? Traditionally students have used Powerpoint but now there are many alternative online solutions. The list that is provided here is only a small representation of what is available but it will give you a starting point.
Websites and Blogs as ePortfolios
The following programs allow you to create a free website or blog that has all the functionality that you would need.
Webs
This a website builder. You can choose from a range of templates that make your site look very professional. The main downside to this program is that you will have advertising on your site until you pay to become a premium member. If you are looking for an easy-to-use program to get you started or to act as a storage place for all of your resources then this is a good place to start.
Weebly
Weebly is an easy to use website builder (this website has been created in Weebly). You have unlimited pages for free but some functionality requires a premium account. You don;t need to know HTML Code. Everything is 'drag and drop'. A very easy to use builder.
Wix
This is another website builder. It doesn't have a limit on pages and there are no ads. This is a popular platform with students and you can create some really dynamic professional looking pages. You can choose a template or design your own.
WordPress
Wordpress is a blog but you can also make it look like a website. It all depends on what you want to feature and the kinds of resources you want to embed. The best things to do is go to their site and have a look at a range of examples.
Edublogs
As the name suggests this is a blog site but it has been used successfully to create a professional eportfolio. See an example here.
Pathbrite
Pathbrite is a brand new portfolio development site. It is very simple to use and can create basic portfolio in a number of hours. If you are looking for somehting simple yet effective then this is worth a look.
Creating digital stories
A powerful way to present your teaching philosophy or to tell the reader about you is to create a digital story using images, video, words and music. There are many ways you can do this - you are only restricted by your imagination. Luckily today there are some great Web 2.0 tools that help you make great presentations that are simple to use.
The following list is designed to get you started. It is not definitive and will change regularly as new tools become available. For a more comprehensive list visit here.
Voicethread
Voicethread is a collaborative, multimedia slideshow that holds images, documents, and videos and allows users to navigate slides and create their own stories.
Animoto
Animoto lets you create 30 second videos for free. These videos can combine images, songs, and text.
Smilebox
Smilebox provides hundreds of customizable designs for students and teachers to create their own stories that can comprise photos, videos, words and music.
Storybird
Storybird allows students and teachers to create short art inspired stories to read, share or print out.
Slidestory
Slidestory is a free digital storytelling tool that you can use to combine narration and pictures to create awesome presentations and stories.