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As is so often the case, it is instructive to look at what other folks have done before developing your own portfolio. Everyone's tastes and preferences are a bit different, but there are some things that obviously work better than others. For starters, go to the Kalamazoo College Portfolio. You will see a table with several headings ("Portfolio Requirements," "Creating Your Own Electronic Portfolio," etc.) A review of their requirements is instructive; they have been at this for a while and obviously have a lot more structure developed than we do. The fourth heading from the top is "Awards & Sample Portfolio Web Sites" and includes two categories, one of which is "Outstanding Portfolios." Click on the hyperlink and you'll find a list of names. Each is hyperlinked, although the one for Jenny Sullivan no longer works. Work down the list, looking carefully at each one. Spend enough time browsing through each site to get an idea of what the student has done. What use does each make of photos, images, graphics, artwork, and animation? Do these things enhance the site or detract from your overall impression. What about overall layout? Organization? Fonts? Color? What sort of overall evaluation would you give each one? Why? I found that in several cases a single characteristic remained in my head after I had visited the site. Remember that just because something is "cool" or "doable" doesn't mean that it is appropriate for any and every situation. Remember also that first impressions are important and an initial "turn-off" can scuttle what might otherwise be a favorable experience. After you have reviewed the portfolios at Kalamazoo, go to http://www.plu.edu/~dmc/gallery/MDP/home.html. Here you will find six portfolios from undergraduates here at PLU. The one from the School of Business (Charlotte Gogstad) was the first of these that was developed here, and Charlotte's work is still somewhat of a landmark. (By the way, we recently learned that Charlotte has been accepted by the London Business School, one of the top 5 B-schools in the world. Perusal of her portfolio will reveal that she is a very capable person. See what you can learn from the content and organization of her portfolio. The 5 portfolios from students in the PLU School of Education are similarly instructive. They are Master's Degree students, but you can still learn what from their experience. (Note: The Digital Media Center in the Library has facilities to help do some of the fancy things in these portfolios. Students will not be expected to achieve this degree of technical sophistication (Web layout, formatting, use of sound and video) in this course. However, portfolios like Charlotte Gogstad's do provide a benchmark for content and the quality of the self assessments.) |
Copyright © 2008 Gerald M. Myers
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