3 - eportfolios Using Publisher

WEEK 3 Creating ePortfolios

(figure 1 - Using Microsoft Publisher to create an ePortfolio)

Eportfolios are a great electronic way for teachers in particular to organise, assess, interpret and evaluate information or data. A teacher may have quite old but relevant information such as old school reports or results and old lesson plans which can easily be scanned and uploaded on to the site. These portfolios allow users to upload information into one area and organise it under specific headings like a wiki or a blog. Teachers can then reflect and self assess themselves and their development over time.

In some schools teachers give students a portfolio on a cd or usb showing their time from Grade Prep to year 6 featuring old photos, special work they completed and any student achievements.

During our tutorial we used Microsoft Publisher to create an ePortfolio for ourselves. We selected a template in Publisher that we preferred and used trial and error to learn how to use the program by entering required headings and images. After entering our own headings, as a group we discussed which headings would be most appropriate to include in our portfolios to digitally promote ourselves as future teachers or for the future to keep a record of our teaching experiences. My ePortfolio headings included;

• My philosophies


• My resume


• Referees


• Photographs


• Practicum & Fieldwork


• Sample Lesson Plans

I certainly will be using this program to alter my existing curriculum vitae by transferring all the information into Publisher and creating an ePortfolio. I will also scan my degree and add a page for achievements. This is a fantastic and easy way of showing how you have developed over time and how you have collected, organised, showed evidence of and evaluated your life experiences. Unlike a hard copy which may contain many pages to get through, specific areas of your portfolio may be viewed with a simple click of a button on the relevant page.

I have seen many examples of teachers eportfolios on http://www.teachertube.com/ (accessed March 16 2009) and believe they are an excellent avenue for displaying how we have developed as a teacher, from our years of practicum to time in our own classrooms. Many important documents and images can easily be scanned and uploaded such as photos of our classrooms, student work, any behaviour managment ideas that worked well, and any awards received. The eportfolio can be easily updated too once category/subject pages have been created.

Uploading our portfolios onto a usb or cd, is an excellent idea when going for a job interview as employers can see we are using the latest technology and can access our information from a visually attractive file with ease. In some cases, an employer may even lose the hard copy or spill coffee on it so at least there is a backup.

My homework is to practise using Microsoft Publisher I may even purchase 'Publisher for Dummies!'