Dr.
Helen BarrettNorthwest Council for Computers in Education
February 28, 2008
Dr.
Helen Barrett
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Digital Storytelling
Workshop
Link |
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
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Blogs |
Quickly, easily create a learning journal, documenting growth over time with entries that are date-stamped. WordPress allows additonal pages and sub-pages. Interactivity is maintained through RSS feeds and Comments that can be added. WordPress file limit 3 GB. WordPress blogs can be password-protected. Edublogger uses WordPress software. | Prescribed order (reverse-chronological) of entries. Does not allow organizing attached files into folders. Limited attachments in Blogger. | |
Wikis |
Free (for education) online system. Wikispaces allows 2 GB online storage (PBWiki limits 50 MB). All URLs are automatically converted to weblinks. Upload any type of a file, link from any page. Page can be edited by approved members.Discussion link on top of every page .Saves draft pages and keeps versions. Backup recent copies of the pages in HTML (or wikitext) & download archive to hard drive. Allows embedding media and building tables on pages. | Does not allow organizing files into folders. Archived version does not save navigation menu. No data management tool, to aggregate assessment data. | |
GoogleDocs |
docs.google.com | Documents, presentations or spreadsheets can be edited by any and all invited members. Maintains a record of all revisions, with identity of author. Interactivity is maintained through comments and co-authoring. Easily embed presentations into blog. Convert all documents to Microsoft Office or OpenOffice or PDF. |
Requires full time high speed Internet access. No attachments, only hyperlinks to docu/font> |
Google Pages |
pages.google.com | Flexibility and creativity in portfolio authoring. Helps students build technology skills. Automatically store pages online. 100 MB limit on uploaded attachments | No interactivity. |
Think.com |
www.think.com/ | Free - School accounts only - Principal has to sign AUP - Integrated with Thinkquest resources. Protected site, teacher can manage e-mail recipients and senders. Stickies to provide feedback on student web pages. Portfolios can only be accessed inside the system | Set up own system for managing the feedback on student work. More of a web page builder than a portfolio program. |
HTML Editor |
Flexibility and creativity in portfolio authoring. Helps students build technology skills. | Requires web server (unless publishing on CD). High learning curve, difficult to support all students. No interactivity. |
Here are two versions of a diagram developed by Jeremy Hiebert to conceptualize the ePortfolio within a Personal Learning Environment using Web 2.0 tools:
