ePortfolios

1. ePortfolios EDT 608 Unit 2

2. E-Portfolio Format Overview • There are many ways to create materials for ePortfolios • Your choices will need to take into account your available resources

3. Word Processing • This is probably the easiest format to use. • We recommend MS Word because it is usually installed on most computers including both PCs and Macintoshes. • The initial information, such as meeting minutes or lesson plans, can be easily edited and transferred to other documents. • With some guidance and practice, such as you will receive in this course. pictures and graphs can be added to supplement the text.

4. Power Point • This presentation system is also available for both PC’s and Mac’s. • Many of our EDT instructors call it “glorified Word” because most of the things you learned or already know for MS Word can be readily transferred and used in Power Point. • This software allows you to integrate the various multimedia formats into one program where you can display them all. • This includes text, sound, graphics, and video. • Any artifact can be captured and displayed by a variety of formats to show its various features while describing/displaying it thoroughly.

5. Excel • As MS Word and Power Point, Excel is also available on both PC’s and Mac’s and all three form a software program called Microsoft Office which is installed on all National computers and can probably be found on most computers at school sites. • Excel is ideal for artifacts where statistics and related charts need to be displayed or lists of students and materials are required. • It can also be used to display grading systems and compile statistics in general.

6. Photographs • Photographs taken with digital cameras are easy to capture and to move into a computer program such as Word or Power Point. • Once in the computer, they can be manipulated to change the photograph by enlarging, reducing, cropping specific segments, and even darkening and lightening.

7. Scanning • In those cases where it is important to place an official document such as a certificate, a formal signed letter, or certificate, etc. into the e-portfolio, scanning it into the computer allows it to be placed wherever it is needed such as in a Power Point presentation.

8. Video • Video is ideal for documenting an event such as training session, a classroom project, or a presentation in which the interaction between people and the display and integration of a variety of media is essential to understanding the event. • It is relatively easy to use a video camera to capture the event but moving the video segment into electronic form within the computer for display in a Power Point presentation, for example, may require assistance from the EDT staff or other technology professional. • The essential thing is to capture the event, save the video tape, and ask for assistance in moving it into your e-portfolio.

9. Audio • There may be instances where capturing the sound of an event may be useful evidence for your artifact. • When this is the case, record it with any available recorder and, if you have not yet completed EDT 608, ask for assistance in moving it into the computer for integration into your e-portfolio.

10. Charts, Graphs, and Tables • The display of collected statistics in the form of charts, graphs, and/or tables may be of assistance in explaining data related to an artifact. • MS Word, Excel, and Power Point all have the capability of turning statistics entered into a spreadsheet into a variety of very presentable, colorful charts such as a pie, column, bar etc. that can be instantly changed from one shape to the another via a few mouse clicks.

11. The E-Portfolio Storage Media • The final form of your e-portfolio will be a combination of a CD and an Internet file that will reside on National University’s server or on a server provided by a company contracted by National. • Electronic Artifacts, in the forms/formats outlined above will be collected for each required e-portfolio course and combined into a final CD upon completion of all courses. • In addition to the final CD provided to the student, upon completion of all e-portfolio requirements, the combined collected electronic artifacts will be placed into your on-line e-portfolio that will reside on the National or a National contracted web site. • You may access it from the Internet at any time and grant access to others. • Complete confidentially regarding access to your e-portfolio will be maintained and access to its contents will be controlled by you.

12. Introduction • The purpose of an Electronic Portfolio (e-portfolio) is to capture evidence, in electronic form, of the various documents required to fulfill the requirements of a given course and in-turn, the composite requirements of the applicable certification program. • These documents are called artifacts and may be captured in the following forms: text, spreadsheets, graphics, photographs, audio and video. • From a computer software perspective, these formats usually translate to word processing software such as Microsoft Word, presentation software such as Microsoft Power Point, spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel, scanning software such as that which comes with various scanners, and video cameras available in a number of formats. Most of the above software is installed on computers in National’s Computer Labs as well as those at most school sites and can easily be used to prepare documents for placement into the e-portfolio. • Videos made with video cameras are easy to capture but more difficult to place into the e-portfolio and will require the assistance of National’s Educational Technology staff.

13. Getting Started • The first step in preparing to develop your e-portfolio is to ask yourself which electronic formats you are currently proficient in using to capture evidence of the artifacts for the various courses. • For example, you are probably proficient in using a word processor that could be used to capture the information of an artifact that represents a meeting that you attended or a lesson plan that you developed. • Power Point presentations that include graphics, pictures, and scanned documents, etc. will be mastered in this course. • The e-portfolio will be specifically addressed and you will shown how to prepare electronic documents in MS Word, Excel, and Power Point.

14. Final Comments and Guidance • This Electronic Portfolio Preparation and Guidance paper is provided to simplify the e-portfolio requirements for students in the Teacher Education, Special Education, and Educational Administration programs. • The most important thing to remember is to capture, in some electronic form/media, artifact evidence of the prescribed course requirement. • Once you have it in electronic form, your professor, supported by EDT staff when necessary, will assist you in moving it into e-portfolio storage such as a CD and/or server.