Comments on: iWeb as an ePortfolio Management Platform? http://www.darcynorman.net/2006/02/25/iweb-as-an-eportfolio-management-platform/ apparently much happier in person Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:03:04 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Jon http://www.darcynorman.net/2006/02/25/iweb-as-an-eportfolio-management-platform/#comment-81467 Jon Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000 960406658#comment-81467 So, do the students need to know how to create a website from scratch? I have made a template of an e-portfolio and our Ed students download the template and put in their content. The content is what is important. That content contains their reflections and artifacts. However, all of the portfolios look the same. I could teach the students to modify the CSS, but I really don't think they need to know HTML. I think this is kind of how you feel. We need a drop dead simple, point and click, drag and drop, website creator with lots of customization options for the look of the site. iWeb and Sandvox are the closest things I have found that create a folder that the student can burn to a CD and take with them. So, do the students need to know how to create a website from scratch? I have made a template of an e-portfolio and our Ed students download the template and put in their content. The content is what is important. That content contains their reflections and artifacts. However, all of the portfolios look the same. I could teach the students to modify the CSS, but I really don’t think they need to know HTML. I think this is kind of how you feel. We need a drop dead simple, point and click, drag and drop, website creator with lots of customization options for the look of the site. iWeb and Sandvox are the closest things I have found that create a folder that the student can burn to a CD and take with them.

]]> By: Peter Kerr http://www.darcynorman.net/2006/02/25/iweb-as-an-eportfolio-management-platform/#comment-81468 Peter Kerr Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000 960406658#comment-81468 I would tend to agree. Politicians in the UK are very keen to engage with what they call the NEET group - Niether in Education Employment or Training. These people are highly disparate group and they epitomise why a one size fits all approach will never work as the needs of a single mother on benefits are totally different to a middle class kid on her gap year - yet both can desribed as NEET. As you quite rightly pointed out the best results are tied to the journey not the destination. I would tend to agree. Politicians in the UK are very keen to engage with what they call the NEET group – Niether in Education Employment or Training. These people are highly disparate group and they epitomise why a one size fits all approach will never work as the needs of a single mother on benefits are totally different to a middle class kid on her gap year – yet both can desribed as NEET. As you quite rightly pointed out the best results are tied to the journey not the destination.

]]> By: D'Arcy http://www.darcynorman.net/2006/02/25/iweb-as-an-eportfolio-management-platform/#comment-81469 D'Arcy Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000 960406658#comment-81469 Peter, my recent thinking on the topic is basically around the idea that the notion of an ePortfolio as a separate "product" is somewhat flawed. The most valuable part of an ePortfolio is the process of creation, not the end product. The most valuable process of creation is by contributing to the Read/Write Web in whatever way(s) you are willing/able. By extension, the most valuable ePortfolio would just be pulling relevant bits that you've already published. Could be blog posts, forum discussions, Flickr albums, podcasts, etc... More thinking to do, but that's sort of where I'm headed... Peter, my recent thinking on the topic is basically around the idea that the notion of an ePortfolio as a separate “product” is somewhat flawed. The most valuable part of an ePortfolio is the process of creation, not the end product. The most valuable process of creation is by contributing to the Read/Write Web in whatever way(s) you are willing/able. By extension, the most valuable ePortfolio would just be pulling relevant bits that you’ve already published. Could be blog posts, forum discussions, Flickr albums, podcasts, etc… More thinking to do, but that’s sort of where I’m headed…

]]> By: Peter Kerr http://www.darcynorman.net/2006/02/25/iweb-as-an-eportfolio-management-platform/#comment-81470 Peter Kerr Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000 960406658#comment-81470 I have recently done some consultancy work on eportfolio's and I'm really keen on discovering ways to genetate ePortfolio's that are sticky amongst secondary school users - 12-18 years old. Eportfolios are going to be mandatory in UK schools by the end of 2008 so we need to get it right. Any ideas you guys have would be well received. I have recently done some consultancy work on eportfolio’s and I’m really keen on discovering ways to genetate ePortfolio’s that are sticky amongst secondary school users – 12-18 years old. Eportfolios are going to be mandatory in UK schools by the end of 2008 so we need to get it right.
Any ideas you guys have would be well received.

]]> By: Jon http://www.darcynorman.net/2006/02/25/iweb-as-an-eportfolio-management-platform/#comment-81471 Jon Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000 960406658#comment-81471 D'Arcy, I don't have an app that gets away from 1 and 2, but it does get away from 3. <a href="http://www.karelia.com/" title="Karelia Software">Sandvox</a> is very much like iWeb but doesn't require the .Mac. It still costs money and still requires a Mac, but otherwise it feels more intuitive and has more features I think. The unfortunate thing for Karelia is that they had been working on this app for a long time before Apple announced iWeb. Shades of Watson... D’Arcy,

I don’t have an app that gets away from 1 and 2, but it does get away from 3. Sandvox is very much like iWeb but doesn’t require the .Mac. It still costs money and still requires a Mac, but otherwise it feels more intuitive and has more features I think. The unfortunate thing for Karelia is that they had been working on this app for a long time before Apple announced iWeb. Shades of Watson…

]]> By: D'Arcy http://www.darcynorman.net/2006/02/25/iweb-as-an-eportfolio-management-platform/#comment-81472 D'Arcy Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000 960406658#comment-81472 Jon, thanks for the reminder about Sandvox. It's a pretty cool app, and would run on machines that can't handle iLife '06 - but like you said, still Mac-only. How times have changed. Wasn't that long ago that all the "cool" software was Windows-only, and us Mac users were being ridiculed for not having any software available... Jon, thanks for the reminder about Sandvox. It’s a pretty cool app, and would run on machines that can’t handle iLife ‘06 – but like you said, still Mac-only. How times have changed. Wasn’t that long ago that all the “cool” software was Windows-only, and us Mac users were being ridiculed for not having any software available…

]]> By: Ruben http://www.darcynorman.net/2006/02/25/iweb-as-an-eportfolio-management-platform/#comment-81473 Ruben Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000 960406658#comment-81473 D'Arcy, Another possibility in this category: RapidWeaver http://www.realmacsoftware.com/rapidweaver/index.php I'm currently studying the pros/cons of designing new templates for iWeb and RapidWeaver - I haven't made any decisions on this front yet, though. D’Arcy,

Another possibility in this category: RapidWeaver

http://www.realmacsoftware.com/rapidweaver/index.php

I’m currently studying the pros/cons of designing new templates for iWeb and RapidWeaver – I haven’t made any decisions on this front yet, though.

]]> By: Cole http://www.darcynorman.net/2006/02/25/iweb-as-an-eportfolio-management-platform/#comment-81474 Cole Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000 960406658#comment-81474 Number 3 is the silly one for my dollar. PSU gives faculty ,staff, and students an entire GB of webspace ... how many of our students should purchase another gig from Apple for $99? I say none of them. iWeb, like iLife in general, should provide an easy (one button easy) publishing option. Just my opinion. But at the end of the day, iWeb (or DreamWeaver, or GoLive, or whatever is the tool of the day) makes the author think about the technology, forces them to contribute from one machine, and can lock them into a longterm solution without any real way out. It has me wondering ... so you are a WordPress guy ... why not WP multiuser? You've used Drupal for a couple of big projects, why not that? I have a local install of MovableType on my powerbook and I can publish those files anywhere ... I guess what I am saying is why aren't we moving some of the best and easiest to use tools into these types of spaces? I'd rather move people to the notion of a publishing platform than teach them "someone else's toolset." Why force people to fight with tools when what we are after are results? Just my thoguhts ... Number 3 is the silly one for my dollar. PSU gives faculty ,staff, and students an entire GB of webspace … how many of our students should purchase another gig from Apple for $99? I say none of them. iWeb, like iLife in general, should provide an easy (one button easy) publishing option. Just my opinion. But at the end of the day, iWeb (or DreamWeaver, or GoLive, or whatever is the tool of the day) makes the author think about the technology, forces them to contribute from one machine, and can lock them into a longterm solution without any real way out.

It has me wondering … so you are a WordPress guy … why not WP multiuser? You’ve used Drupal for a couple of big projects, why not that? I have a local install of MovableType on my powerbook and I can publish those files anywhere … I guess what I am saying is why aren’t we moving some of the best and easiest to use tools into these types of spaces? I’d rather move people to the notion of a publishing platform than teach them “someone else’s toolset.”

Why force people to fight with tools when what we are after are results? Just my thoguhts …

]]> By: D'Arcy http://www.darcynorman.net/2006/02/25/iweb-as-an-eportfolio-management-platform/#comment-81475 D'Arcy Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000 960406658#comment-81475 Cole, the ePort project is currently using an instance of Drupal to provide the communication/collaboration/reflection framework. But, that's tied to that instance of the application - hard for the student to take the content with them. Hard to copy their contributions onto a USB jumpdrive to take to a job interview. Hard to burn on CD. Hard to take with them to their next school or to their (hopefully waiting) job. I'm just thinking of tools that make the content truly belong to the student, and which will not require technical skillz to operate. These students will not be running local copies of MovableType, nor their own web hosting with WordPress... Heck - I'm even starting to think Google Pages might work, except it doesn't have the built-in media management stuff (these students won't be using Photoshop to resize/optimize images...) The publishing stuff - we give every student web space with FTP and WebDAV access - but most won't be able to use FTP or WebDAV on their own, so if the apps don't speak it natively, they're basically locked out. My initial reaction of "well, they should learn FTP/WebDAV" won't fly. It'd be easy for me to go ahead and modify Drupal to help them do something kinda along the lines of a self-published ePortfolio - but in the end, the "product" wouldn't be portable, and therefore wouldn't "belong" to the students... Or, am I just overthinking this? Cole, the ePort project is currently using an instance of Drupal to provide the communication/collaboration/reflection framework. But, that’s tied to that instance of the application – hard for the student to take the content with them. Hard to copy their contributions onto a USB jumpdrive to take to a job interview. Hard to burn on CD. Hard to take with them to their next school or to their (hopefully waiting) job. I’m just thinking of tools that make the content truly belong to the student, and which will not require technical skillz to operate. These students will not be running local copies of MovableType, nor their own web hosting with WordPress…

Heck – I’m even starting to think Google Pages might work, except it doesn’t have the built-in media management stuff (these students won’t be using Photoshop to resize/optimize images…)

The publishing stuff – we give every student web space with FTP and WebDAV access – but most won’t be able to use FTP or WebDAV on their own, so if the apps don’t speak it natively, they’re basically locked out. My initial reaction of “well, they should learn FTP/WebDAV” won’t fly.

It’d be easy for me to go ahead and modify Drupal to help them do something kinda along the lines of a self-published ePortfolio – but in the end, the “product” wouldn’t be portable, and therefore wouldn’t “belong” to the students…

Or, am I just overthinking this?

]]> By: Warrick http://www.darcynorman.net/2006/02/25/iweb-as-an-eportfolio-management-platform/#comment-81476 Warrick Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000 960406658#comment-81476 I enjoyed this post a lot; I've been thinking about portfolios for teachers and students, as you suggested more for the journey than any final production. I was thinking we'd build something ourselves, but the idea of using existing tools is appealing. I was playing around with Google pages, it's simple and Google will give 100MB, though you've got to have a google account and I wouldn't want to insist that all the students in the school open up an account. Maybe it's back to 'Contribute'? I enjoyed this post a lot; I’ve been thinking about portfolios for teachers and students, as you suggested more for the journey than any final production. I was thinking we’d build something ourselves, but the idea of using existing tools is appealing. I was playing around with Google pages, it’s simple and Google will give 100MB, though you’ve got to have a google account and I wouldn’t want to insist that all the students in the school open up an account. Maybe it’s back to ‘Contribute’?

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