e-Portfolios

I've been having fun learning new stuff and putting together a new project. That and a couple of other opportunities at work have been been keeping me busy. And that has meant less blogging time. But I've missed this place for me to reflect on my work, so I'm carving out time to be here.

I am frequently asked about e-portfolios for our students. Many of our students graduate from programs like graphic design and photography, where portfolios of their work are used to show potential employers what they can do. In the past, this would be done with a paper portfolio. But these days, students are looking for something that looks more technical. that separates them from their competitors, and has a wider reach. And all that means an e-portfolio! I've also had the person who facilitates the Interpreting program approach me. Those students need a place to show their skills. That might mean an e-portfolio, too!

So, I'm building a site to compare the various products available now. I'm using my own information: resume, video, photography, and text, so you will be able to see how different sites present the same information. Also, I will add links to scholarly articles on portfolios, especially as a tool for professional development, so you can learn about best practices in using e-portfolios.

I'm including some sites you might not automatically think of when you think "e-Portfolio", as well as some products that are marketed for just that purpose. Here are the products I'm including:

VisualCV
Blogger
Do You Buzz
WikiSpaces
FolioSpaces
Adobe PDF
SlideShare
Prezi
Google Sites
CarbonMade
DripBook
Big Black Bag
Desire2Learn

I'll let you know when the site is up -- hopefully by April 1. 

Interesting Video Sites

 YouTube has undoubtedly changed the world by giving us a place where post our own video. And they are making powerful leaps forward with their automated captioning efforts. But there is more than YouTube out there.

Of course, there can be  zillion videos available, but if you can't find them, you have nothing. Blinkx describes itself as "world’s largest and most advanced video search engine" and with 35 million hours of video tagged and available, it looks like that is an apt description. I am still waiting for the day when intelligent auto tagging will make it possible for particular scenes to be located without the need for time consuming human involvement. We aren't there yet. But this is an important and useful first step.

Critical Past makes footage of historical events and people available to professionals and non-professionals. It also gives you the opportunity to buy still photos taken from historical footage. Concerning rights, they say:

When you place an order, the video clips and images provided by CriticalPast.com are licensed to you, royalty-free, in perpetuity...  Unlike most stock footage providers, Critical Past LLC welcomes professionals, non-professionals, and enthusiasts worldwide to search our site and license our media.

If you know of other, similar resources, please comment on them.