Guide to Creating an e-portfolio

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Lizbeth Ford
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1 Guide to Creating an e-portfolio EPI Program Compiled April 2015 Updated March 31,2016 Cressa Zajac 1 P age

2 Table of Contents General Portfolio Information 3 Purchasing LiveText 4 Introduction 8 Educational Philosophy 9 FEAPs Field / Clinical Experience 11 Credentials 13 Submit for Review 14 How to View Feedback from a Review 15 How to Rename your portfolio 16 How to add a file attachment to a document 16 How to add an image to a document 18 Visitor Pass 19 Contact/Support Information 21 Critical Assignment for each FEAPs 22 Checklist with tutorial videos 23 Review Checklist 26 2 P age

3 General Portfolio Information One of the final and perhaps most important requirements in completing your Educator Preparation Program is completing an e-portfolio! This is such an important step because it shows mastery of the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPs), completion of all IRSC program components, completion of all FL DOE requirements for a Professional Educator Certificate, and is a valuable tool for you to use when applying for employment! The portfolio is divided into 5 sections. The information/assignments required for each section have already been completed in your course work. The portfolio is a way of organizing and presenting this information it is not intended to create more assignments. These are the 5 sections in your portfolio: 1. Introduction 2. Educational Philosophy 3. FEAPs Field/Clinical Experience 5. Credentials Your portfolio will be created using a program called LiveText. You can access LiveText through If you experience technical difficulties, you will need to contact LiveText tech support. If you experience difficulties understanding content, you will need to contact your course instructor or portfolio reviewer. This information can be found in the Contact/Support information section of this packet. 3 P age

Purchasing LiveText Students are responsible for purchasing LiveText and establishing their own account/password information. Here are the steps for purchasing LiveText from www.livetext.com : 1.

4 Purchasing LiveText Students are responsible for purchasing LiveText and establishing their own account/password information. Here are the steps for purchasing LiveText from : 1. Purchase standard student edition LiveText and register as an IRSC student (approximately $115.00). 2. Log into LiveText 3. Select the documents tab on the top (2 nd from the left) 4. Next click on the +New button. 4 P age

5 5. Now click on the IRSC PreProfPort Templates chevron and choose the IRSC 2013 EPI PreProfPort Template. 6. Select choose this template you will use the 2013 template regardless of what year it is! The date simply identifies the year it was created! FL: Indian River State College a. IRSC PreProf Port Templates i. Indian River State College: Pre-Professional Program Portfolio ii. IRSC 2013 BS Program PreProf Port Template iii. IRSC 2013 EPI PreProf Port Template LiveText b. Assessments c. Courses d. Lesson Plans e. Portfolios f. Projects g. Training Templates 5 P age

6 7. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and in the bottom right select the Create document option. 8. When the please provide a title option comes up, rename your portfolio <first name> <last name possessive> < semester you intend to graduate> <EPI Preprofessional Portfolio>. For instance if your name was Clark Kent and you planned to graduate in fall of 2013 you would rename it Clark Kent s Fall 2013 EPI Preprofessional Portfolio 9. This will create a new editable document in the Documents My Work tab with the name you just provided. 6 P age

7 10. Now open this document and follow the instructions inside. 11. Please note that if you require further technical help (not content help) not covered by this guide use the help feature in LiveText located in the upper right of the screen; Or go to 7 P age

8 Portfolio Introduction When you click on the tab on the left labeled Introduction this is what you will see: Introduction This is the opening page of your portfolio. Use it to make the professional first impression that you desire. 1. In the Introduction section include your name, certification area and anticipated date of program or degree completion, contact information (telephone and recommended), and pertinent autobiographical notes. Pertinent biographical notes means a short introduction to yourself why are you interested in teaching, what relevant experiences have you had, etc. 2. Also, provide a statement to orient and guide the reader's experience. Not everyone may be familiar with LiveText so something like Use the tabs to the left to navigate through my portfolio will be helpful. 3. Include a professional photograph (make sure the size is not too big or small). This means that you are the only person in the photo and the background is appropriate (plain, classroom, etc). Be sure that you are dressed professionally and appropriately. 4. Read the directions throughout the portfolio adding your information as determined and then delete the directions when you have completed a section. 5. Choose the font styles, sizes, and colors carefully and selectively use images to maintain a high level of professionalism. Make sure all font sizes and colors are standardized throughout your portfolio! Please remember that this is the first thing anyone will see when opening your portfolio. Make a good first impression! 8 P age

9 Educational Philosophy When you click on the tab on the left labeled Educational Philosophy this is what you will see: Educational Philosophy Here you will describe your teaching philosophy/praxis keeping the FEAPS in mind. 1. Include a paragraph or two on your direct teaching philosophy. As a professional in the field your philosophy needs to include aspects of some of the educational theories or theorists who inspire your philosophy to show your knowledge of the field. As education professionals we should draw our praxis from theory and research in the field. You may use quotes here but you need to directly address any quotes you use and explain their significance to your philosophy. Simply inserting a quote without referencing it is not acceptable. Make sure the reader can easily identify your educational philosophy and doesn t have to hunt for it. It should be located in the first paragraph. Avoid generalized statements which don t directly connect to your clearly defined philosophy: e.g., don t write something like I really want to help kids. YOU MUST mention a theory or theorist! 2. The Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPs) have two major sections: (1) "Quality of Instruction" which includes FEAPS 1,2,3 & 4; and (2) "Continuous Improvement, Responsibility and Ethics" which includes FEAPs 5 & 6. Include a few paragraphs (2-3) on Quality of Instruction- include at least 2 of the following: (1) How you apply concepts from human development and learning theories to your teaching; (2) How you To maintain a student-centered learning environment that is safe, organized, equitable, flexible, inclusive, and collaborative; (3) How you use a comprehensive knowledge of your subject to deliver engaging lessons; and/or (4) The role of assessment in your classroom. Keep in mind the C.A.s you are using as examples of FEAP mastery while discussing these. The C.A.s can be used to frame your discussion. Include a few paragraphs (1-2) on Continuous Improvement, Responsibility and Ethicsinclude the following: (1) How you strive to continuously improve yourself as a professional teacher; and (2) How you incorporate Professional Responsibility and Ethical Conduct in your teaching. Once again keep your C.A.s in mind to frame this discussion. IMPORTANT: Remember this is a professional portfolio. Please keep all writing in academic voice and proofread. Sloppy or informal writing will not be accepted. Once again- proofread! Delete the directions when done. 9 P age

10 FEAPs 1-6 When you click on the tab on the left labeled FEAP # this is what you will see: FEAP #: (Name of FEAP) edit title Read the directions below, adding your information as determined, then delete the directions below (including this line but not the one above it). Directions for Completing FEAP Sections Always keep in mind that the purpose of your portfolio is to demonstrate the level of professional competencies you have attained, to what extent you have changed and grown as a professional, and how you have grown through particular learning/development experiences. 1. Select and attach one (1) Critical Assignment from a course or clinical experience that supports this Florida Educator Accomplished Practice. This must be an assignment that was graded and successfully completed in one of your classes. 2. Give a very brief description (1-2 sentences) of the artifact you attached. What is it? What specific class did it come from? Example: This artifact is a classroom management plan that I created in EDG4410 Classroom Management and Communication. Attach your critical assignment here: ***Please be sure to only use the assignments that have been pre-approved for each FEAP. These can be found in this packet or on a handout from your instructor. *** 10 P age

11 Clinical / Field Experience When you click on the tab on the left labeled Clinical/Field Experience this is what you will see: Complete this chart, based on your Early Field, Structured Field, Practicum, and Student Teaching experiences. Remember to delete these directions and unused rows when you have completed the chart. INDIAN RIVER STATE COLLEGE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PROGRAM: (type your program name here - certification area) CLINICAL EXPERIENCE COURSES EARLY FIELD (Guided) COURSE NUMBER COURSE Name FIELD EXPERIENCE HOURS GUIDED (NO FACULTY OBSERVATION REQUIRED) GRADE LEVEL & SETTING Include all that apply delete others School Semester EDF 3214 Human Development & Learning 15 E M S ELL GE SC R I Tutoring Lab ( Supervised ) E M S ELL GE SC R I STRUCTURED FIELD EXPERIENCES/PRACTICUM (Observations Required) E M S ELL GE SC R I INTERNSHIP (Observations Required) Student Teaching E M S ELL GE SC R I Seminar E= Elementary School M-Middle School S-Senior High School ELL+English Language Learners GE= General Ed SC=Self-Contained R=Resource I-Inclusion Guided: Students are provided assignments that evidence their experience in the field. Supervised: Students work under supervision of CE Coordinator & Faculty. Observations Required: Students received observations & feedback from Cooperating Teacher and/or College Supervisor 11 P age

12 1. Type program name and certification area in the blue box 2. Complete each section: Column 1 Course Number Example: EDF3214 Column 2 Course Name Example: Human Development and Learning Column 3 - Field Experience Hours Example: 15 Column 4 - Leave all codes that apply to grade level and setting Delete all codes that do not apply See bottom of chart for code Column 5 Enter name of school and date Example: East Cupcake Elementary Fall Delete unused rows if unable to delete, minimize by deleting the grade level codes and settings. This will automatically minimize the row. 4. Delete directions 12 P age

13 Credentials When you click on the tab on the left labeled Credentials this is what you will see: Resume: Read the directions below, adding your information as determined and then delete the directions when you have completed this section. Construct a professional resume in this section or attach your professional resume using the File Attachment edit button at the bottom of the Section Editor. Reference Documents Read the directions below adding your information as determined and then delete the directions when you have completed this section. Compose a brief description of the items included in the Reference Documents section. These include 3 letters or recommendation, an IRSC unofficial transcript, and a copy of your FTCE results. Select the edit button under File Attachment at the bottom of the Section Editor to attach the following documents: 1. 3 Letters of Recommendation - Two letters should be professional references and one may be a personal reference. 2. IRSC Unofficial Transcript Select the link to access your unofficial transcript. Copy your transcript and paste the information into a word processing program. Name and save the document before attaching it to this section. 3. Official FTCE Results - Scan copies of your official Florida Teacher Certification Exam Test Score Report(s). Make certain the report includes the following results: General Knowledge Professional Education Subject Area(s) 13 P age

14 Submit for Review Submitting your portfolio sections does not mean they are complete. They will be reviewed and you may be asked to make revisions. Review comments are not meant to be critical, but constructive. It is often necessary to have someone else read your work to find typographical or grammatical errors. Revisions should be submitted as quickly as possible. Do not hesitate to ask if you do not understand a review comment. Here is the process for submitting for review: 1. Click on the send this document for review tab along the top. 2. You will see this box: Search for Reviewers. Type in individual names or usernames, such as "John Doe" or "janesmith". Look in: My Institutions All Users Click on My Institutions 3. Type in (Teacher Education Coordinator s name) and the name will appear click on it 4. Click the red box on the bottom submit for review 5. If your submission is not on a scheduled due date (submitted early, late, or is a revision), please the teacher education coordinator with a brief message portfolio submitted/resubmitted so that it can be reviewed promptly. 14 P age

15 How to View Feedback from a Review Log into your account. Click the Reviews tab. Click the sent tab under the Reviews tab. If there is a plus sign in front of the title of the document that you are concerned with, click the plus sign. If there is a plus sign in front of the title of the document that you are concerned with, click the plus sign. Click the title of the document on the line that corresponds to the submission for which you would like to view the feedback. If a blue or green check mark does not appear in front of the title of the document, then a review is unavailable for this submission of the document. Click the title of each page which has been listed in blue on the Page List on the left side of the screen to go to the different pages within the document. Scroll down through each page to view any comments that were inserted by the reviewer. 15 P age

16 How to Rename you Portfolio If you need to change the name of your portfolio, please follow these steps: 1. Click the documents tab. 2. Click the title of the document to open it. 3. Click the Document Properties button. 4. Edit the title of the document in the field labeled Title. 5. Click the green save button to save your changes. How do I add a file attachment to a section on a page within a LiveText document? Note: There is a limit of ten attachments per Text & Image section. Create additional Text & Image sections to add more than ten attachments to the document. A: Follow these steps: 1. Click the Documents tab. 2. Click the title of the LiveText document to which you want to attach a file. 3. Click the title of the page under the Table of Contents where you want to attach a file. 4. Click the Edit button of the Text & Image section where you want to add the attachment. Note: There is a limit of ten attachments per Text & Image section. Create additional Text & Image sections to add more than ten attachments to the document. 5. Click the File Attachments tab located underneath the section title. 6. Go to the Uncategorized label dropdown menu and choose the label where the file is located in the File Manager. By default, users should see files in the Uncategorized label. 7. Select the checkbox associated with the file(s). 16 P age

17 8. Once the file(s) is selected, it automatically attaches to the document. 9. If you have not uploaded your file to the File Manager, you can click the Upload New File...button on top of the area. 10. Click the Browse...button. 11. Select the file you want to upload from the pop up window. 12. Click the Upload File button. 13. Wait until you see the Completed message. 14. Click the Save Changes button to go back to the Text & Image Editor or click the Save & Finish button to go back to the Document View page. 17 P age

18 How do I add an image to a section on a page within a LiveText document? A: Follow these steps: 1. Click the Documents tab. 2. Click the title of the LiveText document to which you want to add an image. 3. Click the title of the page under the Table of Contents where you want to add an image. 4. Click the Edit button of the Text & Image section where you want to add the image. 5. Click the Insert Image tab located underneath the section title. 6. Go to the Uncategorized label dropdown menu and choose the label where the file is located in the File Manager. By default, users should see files in the Uncategorized label. 7. Select the radio button associated with the image file(s). 8. Once the file(s) is selected, it automatically displays at the top of the page. 9. If you have not uploaded your image to the File Manager, you can click the Upload New Image...button on top of the area. 10. Click the Browse...button. 11. Select the image file you want to upload from the pop up window. 12. Click the Upload File button. 13. Wait until you see the Completed message. 14. You can optionally type a caption for the image, specify the display size, and select a placement for the image in the document. 15. To replace with a new image, simply follow the same procedures above and the old image will be replaced. 16. When finished adding or replacing the image, click the Save Changes button to go back to the Text & Image Editor or click the Save & Finish button to go back to the Document View page. 18 P age

19 How to Create a Visitor Pass A visitor s pass may be used to display one or more LiveText documents within a LiveText account to a non-livetext member. To create a visitor's pass, follow these steps: 1. Log into your LiveText account at with your username and password. 2. Click the Tools tab, then click Visitor s Pass 3. Click the New... button. 4. Enter a title for your new visitor's pass in the title textbox. 5. Click the "Save" button. You have just created a visitor's pass. 6. Now you need to share a LiveText document with the visitor's pass you just created so that your visitor can view the document. To do that, first click the "LiveText Docs" tab. 7. Click the title of the document that you want to share with the visitor. 8. Click the "Share this document" button. 9. In the textbox labeled Search Viewer, enter the title of your visitor s pass that you entered in step 4 above. 10. If the system recognizes what you ve typed, a menu containing one or more entries should appear immediately below the textbox. In the menu, click the name of the visitor s pass with ( visitor ) following it. 11. Click the Add to Share button. This is the final step needed to share the document with the visitor s pass. An 8 character code is randomly generated at the time that you create a visitor's pass. Every visitor's pass has a title that you assign it and a randomly generated 8 character code. In order to use the visitor s pass, you must provide this 8 character code to the visitor. To locate this code, follow these steps: 1. Log into your LiveText account at with your username and password. 2. Click the Tools tab, then click Visitor s Pass 3. In the column labeled "Visitor's Pass", you will find the 8 character visitor's pass code. Make sure that you are looking at same line containing the title that you assigned to the visitor's pass. To use a visitor s pass, the visitor must follow these steps: 1. Go to 2. At the top of the screen, click the Visitor Pass button. 19 P age

20 3. In the textbox, enter the visitor pass code. The visitor pass code is an 8 character code. 4. Click the Visitor Pass Entry button. 5. Click the title of a document to open that document. 20 P age

21 Contact / Support Information Your portfolio will be reviewed by the School of Education Teacher Education Coordinator. A tutorial video on using LiveText is available through: LiveText Support Services: Contact Us LiveText ( ) support@livetext.com Hours of Operation Monday - Friday 7:00am to 9:00pm (CT) Saturday - Sunday 12:00pm to 9:00pm (CT) 21 P age

22 Critical Assignments for each FEAP FEAP Course Critical Assignment 1 Instructional Design and Lesson EDG3343 Instructional Strategies Lesson Plan Planning 2 The Learning Environment EDG4410 Classroom Management Classroom Management Plan 3 Instructional Delivery and EDG3949 EPI Practicum Field Experience Lesson Plan and Facilitation Observation Form 4 Assessment EDG3343 Instructional Strategies Learning Unit 5 Continuous Professional Improvement 6. Professional Responsibility and Ethical Conduct EDF3214 Human Development and Learning EDG4410 Classroom Management Field Experience Journal Case Study 22 P age

23 Checklist for Completing the LiveText Pre-Professional Portfolio Indian River State College School of Education Educator Preparation Institute Students Overall tips: LATE WORK WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Throughout the entire portfolio, be sure your font style, color, and size is professional and consistent. Compose your writing in Microsoft Word (or similar word processing program) and save your work. When you have completed a section, copy and paste your writing into LiveText. This will take advantage of the spelling and grammar check features, and will ensure your work is saved in two places. All writing should be in academic voice and APA style. Remember to take your certification tests early enough to be included in the portfolio. PROOFREAD! Although spelling and grammar checkers help, they are never a replacement for quality proofreading. The green arrows under each number are links to the tutorial video. Hold ctrl and click on the arrow to get to the video. This check boxes on this checklist are clickable. Check off each completed item as you complete it. ❶ Task Information and Tips Complete Purchase the Student Membership, Cost = $98 Standard Edition from LiveText.com ❷ Create editable document from IRSC Template using proper naming convention: <First Name> <Last Name possessive> <Semester you intend to graduate> <Pre-Professional Portfolio> Example of a properly named document: Jane Doe s Spring 2014 Pre-Professional Portfolio Complete the Introduction This is your professional first impression. a) Biographical information Name, certification, anticipated date of degree completion, pertinent autobiographical notes ❸ b) Orientation statement Guide reader s experience c) Professional photograph Similar to a yearbook style photo Do not edit the FEAPS explanation at the bottom Delete the directions Send for Review by the due date ❹ Complete the Educational Philosophy Describe your teaching philosophy, keeping 23 P age

24 the FEAPs in mind. a) 1-2 paragraphs on direct teaching MUST include theories and theorists; philosophy Avoid statements such as I really want to help kids. b) 2-3 paragraphs on Quality of Instruction FEAPS 1, 2, 3, 4 Keep the critical assignments you are using as examples of FEAP mastery in mind; they should frame your discussion c) 1-2 paragraphs on Continuous Improvement, Responsibility, and Ethics FEAPS 5, 6 Keep the critical assignments you are using as examples of FEAP mastery in mind; they should frame your discussion Delete the directions Send for Review by the due date ❺ Task Information and Tips Complete Upload 2 Critical Assignments (CA) for each FEAP. These should be graded assignments Complete the 6 FEAPs from a course or clinical experience that demonstrates you are competent in each FEAP. 1) Write a brief description and upload CA for a) FEAP 1 Instructional Design and Lesson FEAP 1. Planning 2) Delete the directions, but DO NOT delete the standards at the bottom. b) FEAP 2 The Learning Environment 1) Write a brief description and upload CA for FEAP 2. 2) Delete the directions, but DO NOT delete the standards at the bottom. 1) Write a brief description and upload CA for c) FEAP 3 Instructional Delivery and FEAP 3. Facilitation 2) Delete the directions, but DO NOT delete the standards at the bottom. d) FEAP 4 Assessment 1) Write a brief description and upload CA for FEAP 4. 2) Delete the directions, but DO NOT delete the standards at the bottom. 1) Write a brief description and upload CA for e) FEAP 5 Continuous Professional FEAP 5. Improvement 2) Delete the directions, but DO NOT delete the standards at the bottom. f) FEAP 6 Professional Responsibility and 1) Write a brief description and upload CA for 24 P age

25 ❻ Ethical Conduct FEAP 6. 2) Delete the directions, but DO NOT delete the standards at the bottom. Complete Field Experience Fill in the chart to document all of your field experience. a) Edit the your program name in the blue Be sure it is in all capital letters, as the rest of section the title. b) Enter your Early Field (guided) experience Delete code letters for grade level and settings that DO NOT apply to this experience. c) Enter your Tutoring Lab (supervised) Delete code letters for grade level and settings experience that DO NOT apply to this experience. d) Enter your Structured Field Experiences / Delete code letters for grade level and settings Practicum (Observations Required) e) Enter your Internship (Observations Required) that DO NOT apply to this experience. Delete code letters for grade level and settings that DO NOT apply to this experience. Delete the directions at the top and the extra rows in the table. DO NOT delete the explanation of codes and field experience descriptions. ❼ Complete Credentials Upload professional documents that demonstrate proficiency in the education field a) Resume Construct a professional resume and attach it In this section. b) Letters of Recommendation (3) Write a brief description and upload 3 Letters of Recommendation in PDF format 1 st professional reference 2 nd professional reference Personal reference c) IRSC Unofficial Transcript Write a brief description and upload a PDF file of your unofficial transcript d) FTCE Results Write a brief description and upload a PDF file of your FTCE results, including General Knowledge, Professional Education, and Subject Area(s). Remember to be sure to take your tests early enough to be able to upload the results. 25 P age

26 ❽ Submit Completed, Revised Portfolio Delete the directions. BE SURE TO TURN THIS IN ON TIME. Missing this deadline may cause your graduation to be postponed. Review Checklist First Submission: Introduction: name, certification area, degree completion date, contact info, autobiographical info, statement to orient, professional photo, standardized font and colors, delete directions Educational Philosophy: 1-2 paragraphs on direct teaching philosophy (mention theory or theorist), 2-3 paragraphs on quality of instruction (human development, environment, subject knowledge, assessment), 1-2 paragraphs continuous improvement and ethics; delete directions Second Submission: FEAPS 1 with 1 critical assignment attached FEAPS 2 with 1 critical assignment attached FEAPS 3 with 1 critical assignment attached FEAPS 4 with 1 critical assignment attached FEAPS 5 with 1 critical assignment attached FEAPS 6 with 1 critical assignment attached Be sure that you identify what each artifact is and in which class it was created Use only approved critical assignments Delete directions Third Submission: Field and Clinical Placement Chart Students should: Type program name and certification area into the title box labeled Program Fill in field experience and internship boxes with course #, name, and hours Delete the unused grade levels Fill in SCHOOL and semester and year in the last column many forget the SCHOOL and only do the date Delete unused rows and directions 26 P age

27 Reference Documents IRSC unofficial transcript 3 letters of recommendation 2 professional and 1 may be a personal reference FTCE results scan the official copy of FTCE score report make certain they include passing results for GK, PE, and Subject area Professional resume Include a brief narrative telling what the items included in this section are and then attach Delete directions 27 P age

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Faculty User Guide Created by Grand Valley State University College of Education

Faculty User Guide Created by Grand Valley State University College of Education 1 Faculty User Guide 2019 Created by Grand Valley State University College of Education Section Pages LiveText Overview 2 LiveText Syllabi Statement (updated 2019) 3 NOTES on Percentages, Grades, and Assessment