ePortfolio

Portfolio vs. ePortfolio~

What do you picture when you hear the word portfolio? If you’re reminded of a five pound, grotesque, three ring binder spewing with an abundance of semi-categorized artifacts, then one could assume you haven’t been introduced to the modern day eportfolio.  I was that person, until a few months ago.  Now, I’m shocked I didn’t hear about an eportfolio sooner.  A digital portfolio has the same idea as the original, hard copy form, but with many more capabilities. Now, with a digital portfolio you can capture photos, include video, digital media, and other documents.  Using the digital format you can show-off your skills that you wouldn’t be able to do with the regular, hard copy binder.  Plus, you can add graphics and other design to your eportfolio to capture the attention of your audience.  With the eportfolio you’re allowed to show what you can truly do!

The only thing left to decide, which platform is the best choice for me?   

Reviewing Choices~

I’m a huge fan of any product related to Google, so before exploring the options for holding my portfolio I assumed I’d use Google Sites.  However, I wanted to keep an open mind to trying something new.  

I’m glad we had the opportunity to explore the different choices because Wiki is one that I’d heard of, but had little knowledge about it and absolutely zero experience with it.   I didn’t even realize there are so many hosts for Wiki.  That’s one part that I found confusing.  I checked out Wikispace, which is a 30 day free trial and $10 per month after the trial, but I didn’t want to start my portfolio and then be required to pay later or forced to move because I didn’t want to be charged.  From my research, it doesn’t sound easy to create, edit, and link content to a Wiki.   With too many options concerning Wiki hosts and because I didn’t feel confident enough to build it, I decided to table the Wiki idea for now.   

Foliotek was another option I explored.  It, too was a new tool that I’d never heard of.  I created a free account to get a feel for the site, but I didn’t like the different plans for purchasing.  You aren’t given a lot of product with the basic, free account. A few negatives included the limited file space (50 MB), restricted to only one project, and you don’t get the “eportfolios” feature. Considering that is the main reason for reviewing this platform, I crossed Foliotek off my list.   

As I said earlier, I just knew I’d love Google Sites and it would be my final choice, but...I was wrong.  I loved the easy navigation with Sites, it’s very user-friendly, and I can easily upload documents and other files I already have on my Drive, but I found the layout too simple.  After reviewing the other sites and seeing the capabilities of end products with those platforms, I wasn’t convinced Sites could offer the same.   

Finally, I found Pathbrite.  I had heard of it before, but didn’t know a lot about it.  Pathbrite has many affordances. Pathbrite has many of the same capabilities that other sites are charging users, like extra storage space, video, graphics, and no restrictions on projects.  It will showcase my work using the simplest tools.  You can use any device to access the site. Pathbrite offers a more professional look too.  Also, I want to investigate Blackboard and Moodle to integrate into my current classroom.  Using Pathbrite, I can pull evidence of integrating those tools into my portfolio to secure my strengths of following the TPACK model when teaching.   

If I were integrating ePortfolios with my second graders, I don’t think Pathbrite would be the best tool for them.  It wouldn't be easy enough for them to navigate.  However, I would definitely recommend using it in middle school and with high school students.  Plus, high school students could easily use it to collect artifacts to share with future college applications.  I would probably try Google Sites with my students because they’re more familiar with the other tools in Google and would probably feel more comfortable navigating it.

Since my previous post with the link to my ePortfolio, I decided to change to Google Sites.   After spending more time with Pathbrite, I didn't like its navigation or the choices for adding my own style. Therefore, I returned to Google Sites to create my ePortfolio.  Here's the link to it: https://sites.google.com/vanalstyneisd.org/dhilleportfolio/home  

Devin Hill's ePortfolio
https://pathbrite.com/devinh/iZaa