Readers of TheIndependentEducator.blogspot.com will have noticed that I'm a fan of digital portfolios created by students at HighTechHigh.org. I selected Ben Staley's DP as an example of the following:
- clear organization
- ample examples of work
- virtually every link leads to a page (his blog could have more posts)
- Clear and engaging graphics (the home page has some movement and photos that change)
- "nice template" (unlike the "blank slate" websites that I usually design)
Here are the instructions that Ben sent me.
The Adobe Master Collection is a series of programs used to manipulate photos and videos. I edited pictures and made others and implemented them into my DP. In the edit section of Google sites for any of the standard templates, you can replace images and settings. I recommend your students research using something like YouTube. The basic idea is find something you want to replace. Use something like Photoshop or Illustrator (programs included in the Adobe Master Collection) to manipulate, create or enhance an image. Then find that section of the page in the template settings and replace or add the image you created. As a general rule of thumb for any graphic creations, I recommend a limited color palette. To much color can distract from information and gives the onlooker a sense of messiness. I learned most of what I know about Google sites from online tutorials, so that's what I recommend you do.
http://tinyurl.com/portfolio530
Here is Ben's feedback:
- clear organization
- ample examples of work
- virtually every link leads to a page (his blog could have more posts)
- Clear and engaging graphics (the home page has some movement and photos that change)- "nice template" (unlike the "blank slate" websites that I usually design)
Here are the instructions that Ben sent me.
Hello,
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| Ben's Project about San Diego |
Thanks,
I am grateful to Ben for his time and I request the following action from the reader: Can you take two minutes and please visit his site? Go ahead and contact him with your thoughts about his DP. His email is ben.staley@gmail.com.
Dr. Abraham S. Fischler has observed that "When people asked me about the quality of the training at Nova University, I told them to look at the work of the graduates. You can judge a program by what the graduates do with their degrees."
In the same way, you can judge High Tech High by the quality of the work of their students. Yes, you can visit the campus. You can see their videos at youtube.com/HTHVideo. You can read the descriptions of th school. But the basic way to evaluate a school is to look at the work of the students. And I like what I see in Ben Staley's digital portfolio.
In the same way, you can judge High Tech High by the quality of the work of their students. Yes, you can visit the campus. You can see their videos at youtube.com/HTHVideo. You can read the descriptions of th school. But the basic way to evaluate a school is to look at the work of the students. And I like what I see in Ben Staley's digital portfolio.
See an example of some of the videos on HTHVideo
If you find another portfolio that appeals to you, send your nomination to me. I'll post the suggestions from readers here. I have my other favorites, but Ben's DP has garnered clear envy from virtually every student whom I have shown the DP. "How did he make that website?" is the most frequent question. That's why I asked Ben to share his tips.
http://tinyurl.com/portfolio530
Here is Ben's feedback:
Hello,
Everything looks good to me. I am happy to help with your project and I hope my work can help others. But keep in mind that the DPs are actively used by teachers in their curriculum. This can sometimes leave room for inconsistency and can make things a little confusing. This is why I created a blog, which I use as a place for work that does not have a clear home. In the future I should probably have a better solution to the problem but for now thats all I got. If you need anything else please let me know.
