Employing%20e-Portfolios%20in%20Instructional%20and%20Co-Curricular%20Settings

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Employing e-Portfolios in Instructional and
Co-Curricular Settings

• Jennifer Matthews, Senior Consultant
• Blackboard Inc

April 13, 2005
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About the Presenter

• Jennifer Matthews
• Senior Consultant, Blackboard Training
• Member of Blackboard Inc. team for three years
• Account Manager for Blackboards Client Relations
  Team
• Eight years experience teaching in Virginia
  public schools
• Technology Resource Teacher integrating
  technology with standards of learning

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Topics for Discussion

• Blackboards new e-Portfolio feature can serve a
  wide variety of faculty and student needs. This
  presentation
• Demonstrates the e-Portfolio functionality.
• Offers examples of common and uncommon
  e-Portfolio uses.
• Shares best practices for launching an
  e-Portfolio pilot at your institution.

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Electronic Portfolios
Electronic portfolios enable students and faculty
to assemble, present, and share information
online for documenting academic growth, career
evaluation, and course preparation.
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e-Portfolios in the Instructional Setting

• Traditional
• Student achievement and progress
• Course requirements
• Graduation requirements
• Showcase of experiences
• Collection of work or research
• Non-traditional
• Course Overview and Staff Information
• Tutorials
• Guided activities

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e-Portfolios in the Co-Curricular Setting

• Employment opportunities
• Tenure
• Recertification
• Tutorials

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e-Portfolio Building in Blackboard

• Access through the Blackboard Content System
  tab
• Tool on the Navigation Menu called Portfolios
• Portfolio tool may be made available to
  groups of users at your institution using
  Blackboard Community System Institution Roles
• User is the owner of the Portfolio

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Portfolios Tool

• Portfolio Creation Portfolio Wizard
• My Portfolios Area to create, modify, and
  share Portfolios
• Received Portfolios Area to view and comment
  on Portfolios shared with you by another user
  on the system

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Using the Portfolio Wizard

• Portfolios may be developed in minutes by using
  the Portfolio Wizard. The Portfolio Wizard walks
  the user through a series of prompts, such as
  upload files, external links, and templates to
  create a fully functioning e-Portfolio.

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Contents of a Portfolio
Each numbered item serves as a link on the
navigation menu of the Portfolio, which when
clicked display as pages. These pages can be
reordered.
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Add Content
Link to content stored in the Blackboard Content
System
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Add Item Using a Template
Templates can be created and uploaded by the
Blackboard System Administrator for use by
Portfolio users. Using templates, institutions or
departments can develop their own look and feel
or identity, as Portfolios can be shared with
Blackboard users on the system or with others who
are external of the system such as a prospective
employer.
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Add Item
The Visual Text Box Editor can be used to enter
text, attach files stored in the Blackboard
Content System such as graphics, and modify or
enhance HTML. Items are an effective way of
grouping content links and giving context to work.
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Add External Link
Links to external URLs can be included in the
Portfolio. Avoid linking to Web sites with
advertisements or other pop-ups associated with
pages.
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Portfolio Management

• When the Portfolio is complete, users may wish to
  manage certain aspects of the Portfolio such as
  adding additional content, sharing the Portfolio,
  and downloading the Portfolio for future use.

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Share Portfolio
The owner of a Portfolio may share it with
individual users on the Blackboard system, groups
of users on the system, or individuals who are
external to the system.
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Comments

• Portfolios can be annotated with comments to
  provide feedback.
• The owner of the Portfolio may decide if
  comments should be private or shared.
• Shared comments allow all users with whom a
  Portfolio has been shared to view the comments.
• Private comments may only be viewed by the owner
  and the intended recipient of the Portfolio.
• The status of comments may be changed at
  anytime, which may be appropriate as a
  Portfolio moves through a review phase to a
  published phase.

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Check Links
Periodically checking links in a Portfolio is a
good practice. The owner of a Portfolio may use
the Portfolio Link Checker tool to identify
broken links and repair them, if possible.
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Download Portfolios
Any Portfolio and its contents may be downloaded
as a compressed ZIP file. This file contains HTML
pages and content items that comprise the
Portfolio. This ZIP package can then be archived
on a local drive or emailed to another person.
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Student or User Best Practices

• Create a folder on the Blackboard Content
  System called Portfolio Contents. In this
  folder store files to be used when using
  Add Content or Add Item during Portfolio
  creation.
• Consider the intended audience to determine the
  look and contents of the Portfolio.
• A good Web practice is to consider using four or
  less colors for the design, allowing for
  variation without causing distraction to the
  viewer.

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Student or User Best Practices

• If a Portfolio will include a link to a file to
  which the owner does not have control (i.e. a
  file stored in the Institution Content area),
  consider copying the file into a controlled
  location.
• Use the Copy feature to create variations on
  Portfolios.
• Prior to leaving an institution, use the
  Download Portfolio feature to download a ZIP
  package of Portfolio materials.

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Instructor Best Practices

• Establish criteria when assigning students or
  faculty the task of creating an e-Portfolio.
• Develop a rubric or written standard of measure
  that students or faculty may use to ensure
  that their e- Portfolios meet criteria.
• Example of rubric courtesy of the University of
  Wisconsin-Stouts School of Education
  http//www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/ePortfoliorubri
  c.html
• Example of rubric courtesy of Pearson Prentice
  Hall http//www.phschool.com/professional_developm
  ent/assessment/rub_electronic_Portfolio.html

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Institution Best Practices

• Develop a policy for students, faculty, or staff
  who may leave the institution which includes
  users downloading their Portfolio from the
  Blackboard system.
• Develop templates that can be used during the
  Portfolio creation process. Clearly label
  templates so that users understand which
  templates may be applicable to their
  purposes. Templates can be created by department
  representatives and then added to the
  Blackboard system by the Blackboard System
  Administrator.
• Define an Institution Role on the Blackboard
  Community System to pilot the use of
  Portfolios.

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e-Portfolio Resources
ePortConsortium http//www.eportconsortium.org A
merican Association of Higher Education
http//webcenter1.aahe.org/electronicPortfolios
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Blackboard Training Services

• Visit http//education.blackboard.comfor more
  information about . . .
• Onsite Training Workshops
• Online Training Courses
• Regional Training Events
• Building Blocks Training
• Technical Training Coming Soon!
• If you have any questions, please email
  educationalservices_at_blackboard.com
• Thank you for choosing Blackboard!