Keep It Simple Silly!

The key to simplifying ePortfolios? A good scanner and a document camera! I have been working with a flatbed scanner that takes forever to scan and upload documents. What you need is a good scanner that can scan multiple, two-sided documents at once. I even found out yesterday that these new scanners can be programmed to recognize a field on the paper, such as "student name", and will then send your scans to the appropriate student folder automatically. Talk about a time saver! You now have the ability to literally save every piece of work a student turns in.

Another important tool is a document camera. Document cameras can be used to take photos or videos of student work, or the students themselves, and even record lessons to send to students for later reference. The files can then be uploaded to an eportfolio.

Notes from the CUE conference

I am just about to begin Day 2 of the 2010 CUE Conference in Palm Springs, California. Here are some great, FREE resources that have been shared so far!

• WebRangers - National Park Service's Online Junior Ranger program

• Prezi - Presentation tool similar to Glogster, but geared towards adults! Easy to use, share and publish to the web.

• MixBook - A great way for students to make digital storybooks. 

I will update this post with more ideas later this weekend.

New Jersey Middle School customizes learning using ePortfolios and more!

As I mentioned below, when you become the owner of each child's Google Site, not only can you access the ePortfolios more easily, but you can also choose to receive emails each time a child updates. Here is an interesting article about ePortfolios from the New York Times.