Developed by Lynne Groves, efolio Implementation & Instructional Strategies Consultant Last Revised: June, 2013 myefolio Primer Step-by-Step Help for the new efolio user Log In using your email address and password Use the Quick Tutorial to explore the myefolio build screen Learn how to add & upload content Configure pages & site navigation The following pages are designed to help you get started in your use of myefolio. You may pick & choose what you wish to do now and save other steps for later. It does not replace the in tool context-sensitive help notes and it is not designed to be a complete efolio reference manual. We encourage users to start with this so they get a sense of what they can do at a basic level. From that point forward, each person tells their story and records their experiences from learning, life and professional careers in their own way. Additional media-guided help is available at our YouTube channel. View the collection at http://www.youtube.com/user/efoliotutorials -- additional clips are in production to support recent and upcoming enhancements so check back in the future. Content in the Primer is shared with efolio* users for educational purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial- Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. Copyright 2009-2013. * includes products branded as efoliominnesota -- myefolio -- efoliopa -- efoliond -- MoodleRooms Joule-eFolio
what is an electronic portfolio? If you're a student, an electronic portfolio can help you organize and document your academic achievements, extracurricular activities and personal interests. You ll have a living record of your success that you can add to throughout your lifetime. It s an ideal tool to support college scholarship applications, admissions to graduate school, job applications and competitions while you are a student. It can be a dynamic supplement to your resume after you leave college. If you're an educator, an electronic portfolio can serve as an interactive vita. Easily include papers, articles, presentations, honors and awards. Target portions of your site for specific audiences so you can highlight different areas of your career. Document continuing education and facilitate teacher certification. Let others know about lectures you re giving or grants you ve been awarded. Electronic portfolios have been described as the next generation of résumés." With an efolio, you can create and manage a lifelong living showcase of your education, skills, career achievements, and personal experience. Your efolio site can really come alive with the inclusion of documents, images, audio, and video files to give audiences a dynamic look at what you have done and what you can do. It is designed to grow and evolve with you over time. If you're a professional, looking for a new job or wanting to change careers, an electronic portfolio is a great way to showcase your experience, talents, education, and qualifications. What position, field or organization interests you? What "evidence" shows that you re qualified? Pick out the most relevant information to include in your electronic portfolio. If you want your portfolio to serve multiple purposes for example, if you are pursuing both management and marketing positions you can create different usernames and passwords, to target parts of your site to the right people. Present an impression that tells potential employers you re worth pursuing and interviewing. Think about how you intend to use your electronic portfolio then, get started! Your site will "come alive" with media such as audio, images and video while surveys or links to other sites will engage your viewers. before you begin! Collect Collect the information for your electronic portfolio. Add new content to your site as you gather resources. Select Select content objects that are most pertinent to your goals. Content will be added to your site and later posted to the pages in your layout. Reflect Reflection is a deliberate attempt to examine and document your learning. When you reflect on your learning, think about your total learning experience. Add reflections to content for added depth that bridges learning and knowledge with your evidence and application. Build & Connect Build your site using the electronic portfolio tool. Determine how your content, pages and sites should be displayed. (Example: Connecting pages for education, employment, and volunteer activities may mirror your resume in a more interactive format. Multiple sites can connect your learning evidence for specific audiences.) Publish Publish your portfolio by making it public or inviting visitors. You can let others view all sites or only a select site within your account. (Example: Targeting is helpful if you have multiple skills and are open to a variety of employment options.) deciding what to include? Everyone s electronic portfolio is unique because experiences and goals are different. The scope of your electronic portfolio is limited only by your imagination. Consider including: Welcome: Summarize who you are and a bit about what visitors will find in your electronic portfolio. Give your audience a flavor for what you re all about and let them know what you value. Career or educational objective: Write a statement summarizing your objective. To be meaningful, your objective should be as specific as possible. Résumé or curriculum vita: Summarize your education, achievements, and work experience. Include detailed information on your skills. Assignments or work samples: This information is as diverse as your background. Upload articles, papers, projects, reports, and publications so your audience can see your work. You can even include computer graphics, audio and video. Surveys: Include a survey to ask your audience for their feedback/opinion of your work. Awards and honors: Scan certificates of awards, honors and scholarship letters. Additional education: List conferences, seminars, workshops and any other professional development. Add courses, degrees, certifications, and licenses. Volunteer and extracurricular activities: List your activities or illustrate them with a photo. Students, consider music, sports and plays. References: List three to five people who have agreed to talk about your strengths, abilities and experience. Be sure to include full contact information. Letters of recommendation and testimonials: Include praise you ve received from employers, customers, professors, and colleagues. Military records, awards, and badges: Include when applicable. Completion of Program-Specific Forms: Program faculty may require your completion of predeveloped forms to collect evidence and learning reflections for assessment purposes. As you work on your site, remember that your electronic portfolio will serve as a showcase for your very best work but is also valid in documenting your growth and change over time.
Start by Adding Content & Building Page Layouts Log in to your account using instructions provided by your organization When adding new content to your efolio, several object types are available. Overview The Content Types & Definitions (last page reference) will provide helpful notes within the context of this guide. Content datatypes are directly aligned to IMS Portfolio Specifications which informs the fields and linking behaviors unique to each form as you add content to your account. Data types currently include: Activity Affiliation Artifact Basic Contact Course Taken Course Taught Credential or Degree Employment Event Goal Google Drive HTML Skill URL Questionnaires Uploaded File Uploaded Image Uploaded LodeStar YouTube IMPORTANT NOTE: efolio employs an object-oriented interface where each content object posted to your account can be used in multiple locations (on pages & sites) within your portfolio. Utilization of storage space and the elimination of duplicate entries is the resulting efficiency of this approach as account owners build their content collection. Open New Content located in the Content Management panel. Click the New Content title bar. Click the twisty if a category (Personal, Education, Work, Web Content, Upload or General) needs to be expanded --- click the twisty again to collapse it. Click the section (i.e., education) that you prefer to display content types available Click the Content Type best matched to what you want to add. (Ex., Artifact) Click the Create icon to open the content data entry form or click the To-Do icon if you simply wish to post a reminder to be completed later. The Help panel notes will assist you in using each field of the content form.
Add a Course Taken Add a Contact A contact identifies details for yourself or a person who is relevant to your activities, affiliations, or education (associates, educators, employers, etc.) and may be later identified as a reference. Entries in this category will also build your portfolio network of peers (as used in learning cohorts). 2. Click on the Personal, Education or Work category label 3. Select Contact from the Personal, Education or Work category --- click the create action icon (It will make no difference if Contact is selected from any of the 3 categories each is the same!) 4. Complete information for the following fields: First Name = Last Name = Email = 5. Click the Save button 6. Your content is now in the My Content panel. Go ahead check it out! Course Taken identifies the activities/process of learning. This may include any course, workshop, or other offering that you have been enrolled in and potentially relates to an activity, artifact or experience you may identify elsewhere in your portfolio. 2. Click on the Education category label 3. Select Course Taken from the Education category --- click the create action icon 4. Complete information for the following fields: Course Title = Start Date = 5. Click the Save button 6. Your content is now in the My Content panel. Go ahead check it out!
Upload an Image Upload a File To add files to your site, there is a short process to go through to make them available for use in building your site. (Prepare files in PDF format when you can it is best for viewing on the Web.) 2. Click on the Upload category label 3. Select File from the Upload category --- click the upload action icon 4. Click the Browse button to locate the file you wish to upload (using your operating system you will find and select the file) 5. Provide a Title for your file. It should be short but very descriptive. Try and keep it between one to three words. (This is helpful when you wish to locate the specific file at a later time.) File extensions supported include Microsoft Office, PDF, CSS, HTML, MPEG, WAV, and several other formats. If your file is not compatible with efolio, a popup will alert you with "unknown file type". 6. Click the Save button 7. Your content is now in the My Content panel. Go ahead check it out! To add images to your site, there is a short process to go through that makes the images available for use when building your site. (Prepare images first by cropping, re-sizing or adjusting the color.) 2. Click on the Upload category label 3. Select Image from the Upload category --- click the upload action icon 4. Click the Browse button to locate the image you wish to upload (using your operating system you will find and select the file) Image file-naming extensions supported by efolio include JPEG/JPG, GIF, PNG. 5. Provide a Title for your file. It should be short but very descriptive. Try and keep it between one to three words. (This is helpful when you wish to locate the specific file at a later time.) 6. Provide an ALT tag using the description field. 7. Click the Save button 8. Your content is now in the My Content panel. Go ahead check it out! Note: There are some file types that are simply not supported for Web browsers but most common file types are supported by efolio. If you discover a file type that is essential to your use but not accepted by efolio s upload process, please contact the efolio support team to request assistance.
Add YouTube Clip Add a Hyperlink URL You can add a hyperlink to an email address, an outside web page, or another page from within your personal efolio site. Once the content object is created, you might choose to add hyperlinks to images, files, or content text. URL's add interactivity and can guide viewers through your site. 2. Click on the Web Content category label 3. Select URL from the Web Content category --- click the Create action icon 4. Complete information for the following fields: URL Label = efolio Help & Support URL Type = HTTP (usually this is what you ll want) URL= efolio.custhelp.com Note: Do not enter or include http:// in the URL field because you have chosen the correct URL Type in the previous field. 5. Click the Save button 6. Your content is now in the My Content panel. Go ahead check it out! Add a YouTube video clip by using efolio s special content type that processes the YouTube embed code. Once posted to a page of your site, viewers can play and view the clip directly. 2. Click on the Web Content category label 3. Select YouTube from the Web Content category --- click the Create action icon 4. Complete information for the following fields: Title = Description = (text you wish to add to provide context as to why you have included the clip) Embed Code = (script copied from video clip in the Share settings at http://youtube.com) 5. Click the Save button 6. Your content is now in the My Content panel. Go ahead check it out! Other content objects including the Web Content (such as HTML and Google Docs), while not included in the Primer, are certainly available for your use. If you already have evidence from your work that would benefit from other content object types, go ahead and try them out!
Preview Page Drag Content to a Page The "drag and drop" features of efolio make it easy for users to move and organize information. The basic sequence involved in drag-and-drop is: 1. On the right side, determine the page that you would like to place information on. Click the appropriate page label and select "build" from the action icons that appear. 2. On the left side click My Content to find the appropriate content in the list. 3. Once you locate your content, click and hold down the button on the mouse or other pointing device, to "grab" the object, 4. "Drag" the object/cursor/pointing device to the desired location (left sidebar, page body or right sidebar) 5. "Drop" the object by releasing the button. There is no "save" action as the workspace is automatically updated once the drop is complete. Pages Unique to a Selected Site Page-Controlled Site Navigation You ll want to see what your pages and site will look like in the Browser view --- that is how your site visitors will see it. Previewing the site allows you to test your navigation, view the placement of objects and learn what additional properties you may wish to adjust in content settings. 1. Click the Preview button to see how your live site will display. this is located in the top yellow bar 2. The page displays in a new Window or Tab 3. Close the Window or Tab to return to your site building controls. Note that context sensitive Help is displayed in the lower right-hand panel of your screen. That can assist you as you use the functions provided. Continue adding content to any page of your efolio site.
Combine Content as an Artifact Use an Artifact to describe a work sample, project, assignment, or other item. It is helpful to first "upload" your file or image, & then complete the "Artifact" entry. 1. Open the New Content panel 2. Select Artifact from the Education category --- click the create action icon. Note that the Content accordion is open by default. 3. Complete information for the following fields: Artifact Title = Sample of my Work This field is required but you will want to build out the remaining entries with text or content. Other sections are explained in detail on the following page if you want to refer to it. - Optional: Select a type that best describes this documentation - Brief Text can be used to provide a quick overview of the Artifact, enter a sentence or two that highlights its key points. - Full Text is a detailed description. Discuss how you started with this artifact and why it was important for you. Describe your specific tasks or actions and any other relevant information. - You may want to associate a file as "related content" to the Artifact by dragging it to that space. If so a. Close the Content section (accordion) by clicking the Content label b. Click to open the Related Content section (accordion) by clicking the Related Content label c. Drag a content item from the My Content panel into the linkbuilder content placeholder (more than one item can be added to the space). 4. Click the Save 5. As with other content, the Artifact will now be in your My Content panel and can be posted to the page of your choice. Learn more with additional details about the Artifact screen (form) on the next page.
Additional Details about Completing an Artifact Object The artifact content data entry form is examined in this guide. While each object will call for unique fields, most are quite common and found in each of the content types. Required fields are displayed in Bold text here, the Artifact Title field is required. Content will usually include Brief Text and/or Full Text --- the choice of field selection is best determined by your intent for displaying the text within a page. If posted to a page sidebar, entries in the Brief Text field will display by default. If posted to the body of a page, entries in the Full Text field will display. A mouse click in either the Brief Text or the Full Text field will activate the appearance of a formatting toolbar. Additional content can be added to the object by clicking the [twisty] for Related Content, Reflection, or Feedback these are common fields in most content forms. Related Content a place for you to include other content objects by dragging items from My Content to the linkbuilder space. (Note: Linkbuilder content spaces will be color shaded with a DRAG CONTENT HERE notation.) Multiple items can be added. Reflection a place for adding one or multiple comments at selected time intervals. By default, reflections are private but you will learn how to control the properties so visitors to your site can access your comments. Feedback a place where you will manage feedback from online responses and control what is displayed on your live site pages. Reminder: Saved content items are in the My Content panel.
Manage or Modify Page Structure Page properties include both required and optional settings that define your site navigation. 1. ADD A NEW PAGE Begin in your owner site and find Home in the right panel. To build pages that branch from your home page, select "Home. A pop-up menu with common icons will show up. You should select the green Add icon. Enter a Title name (will show on your page outline and live site) and a URL Shortcut name. Typically users will leave the Page Status set to "Enabled" and leave the location and format set to the default settings. Click OK. 2. CHANGE PAGE NAME The name displays as the title of the page when the page displays in a web browser. It should be short but very descriptive. Try and keep it between one to three words. Additionally, a "short" name is applied the page. The short name (called a URL Shortcut) will be added to the URL to access the page. Short, memorable and easy to type text make excellent shortcuts. Cannot contain spaces, periods, commas, and other types of punctuation. (Note the shortcut names that you should avoid as posted in the Help in the side panel.) 3. RE-ORDER PAGES New pages, as added, will display at the bottom of your page outline. To re-arrange the page outline, drag and drop to anywhere on the list. Pages can be moved up or down on the list or moved into a sub-page position under other pages. 4. DELETE A PAGE Pages can be removed from the site outline by clicking the page in the site outline. Select the red Delete icon when clicked, a confirmation message appears before the page (and any existing sub-pages) are removed from the outline. 5. PAGE STATUS Apart from controlling the name for a page, pages can be set to the status of enabled, disabled, or hidden. Enabled: part of the navigation structure; can be clicked into Disabled: not able to view on the public site (but can build it) Hidden: page can be accessed by link (URL) using address with the URL shortcut; is not listed in navigation Other page properties exist and are often introduced as you advance in your work with efolio. Typical page modifications can be modeled after the tasks below! TASK: Change Home page name to Welcome Step 1: Click on the Home page title Step 2: Select Properties from the pop-out tools Step 3: Change Title field from Home to Welcome Step 4: Change URL Shortcut field from home to welcome Step 5: Click the OK button TASK: Move Activities page between Courses Taken & Photo Gallery Step 1: Click and hold left mouse button on the Activities page title Step 2: Drag it to the location (notice insertion line) Step 3: Release the mouse button & the page has been re-sequenced TASK: Set the Courses Taken page sub-level to the Education page Step 1: Click and hold left mouse button on the Courses Taken title Step 2: Drag it to rest on the location (notice selection border) Step 3: Release the mouse button & the page has been re-positioned Sample page layout is referenced in the step-by-step notes. TASK: Add a new page named Activities Step 1: Click on the Home page title Step 2: Select Add from the pop-out tool action icons Step 3: Complete Title and URL Shortcut form fields -- refer to the field sensitive right-panel Help notes for assistance Step 4: Click the OK button TASK: Delete the page named Activities Step 1: Click on the Activities page title pick the right page! Step 2: Select Delete from the pop-out tools Step 3: Read Question message in screen display be sure! There s no Undo for page deletion Step 4: Click Yes to complete page deletion action Step 5: Refresh the screen view What about multiple sites? Users can define more than one site within their efolio account. The same objects (content) that are used on a page in one of your sites can be used on another page in a different site. A site is a framework of pages that showcase you and your accomplishments from your perspective. Think of starting with one site that is all about you as a student or professional. Following that scenario, it would be your default (or first) efolio site. It showcases learning and activities related to your experience through the objects you choose to post on available pages. Some of the content used in your default site might also be good to include in a career-seeking site or when applying for funding (grants, scholarships, etc.). You might add an electronic copy of your resume or CV as a private site where you also share professional references that could be later provided as a URL to a potential employer or used for other purposes.
Reference: efolio Content Types & Definitions Activity Affiliation Artifact Basic Contact Course Taken Course Taught Credential or Degree Employment Event Goal Google Drive HTML Skill URL YouTube Special Content Type Tasks Questionnaires (Forms) Upload Tasks Identifies what you have completed, are doing, or are preparing to do as related to an affiliation or other portfolio objects. Identifies a specific relationship you currently have, have experienced, or plan to establish with a group, organization, or entity. It may be relevant to activities, artifacts, education, employment, events or skills that you include in your portfolio. Identifies an event, experience or created work that you value and is often included when it shows evidence of competency or learning. Posting may include links to the created work or identify significant details and expanded reflection. Users often use this content type to provide context and meaning. Useful when adding an item not addressed by other content types (i.e., titles, pull quotes, extra details). Identifies details for yourself or a person who is relevant to your activities, affiliations, or education (i.e., associates, educators, employers, etc.) and may be later identified as a reference. Entries in this category will also build your portfolio network of peers (i.e., as used in learning cohorts). Identifies the activities/process of learning. This may include any course, workshop, or other offering that you have been enrolled in and potentially relates to an activity, artifact or experience you may identify elsewhere in your portfolio. Identifies the activities/process of educating or instructing. This may include any course, workshop, or other offering that you have taught and potentially relates to an activity, artifact or experience you may identify elsewhere in your portfolio. Identifies documentary evidence (i.e., diploma, certificate, degree or other recognition of achievement) that a qualification has been awarded. Identifies the work or occupation for which one is usually paid including details about the employer or place of employment. It relates to work or activities performed in carrying out assignments or requests made by one s employer. Examples may include volunteer services, apprenticeships, internships, or practicum experience. Identifies a date-specific occurrence of social or personal importance. As such it may include a wide range of events (i.e., conferences, travel, or cultural and sporting events). Identifies objectives you have accomplished or are intending to complete by expressing specific personal, educational, or professional targets. Provides a way for you to post a link to a Google document with shared permissions (such as view only, add comments, or full editing) that can be accessed directly from the link posted in your efolio. Allows you to populate the item with well-formed HTML script or to embed code (i.e., IFRAME) for technology applications such as blogs, wikis, video, podcasting or other forms of online interaction. Identifies capacity to do something well; technique, ability; usually acquired or learned. Identifies a string that describes the location and access method to provide a link to a web page, ftp site, audio stream or other Internet resource. Provides a way for you to directly post YouTube s newest embed code for your published or selected media clip. The results allow the media to playback from a page of your efolio (embedded in the page). Identifies question sets available for use during or after participation in an academic or professional activity. Questionnaires usually address outcomes that may relate to required knowledge, attitudes or skills. Within the portfolio context, attained proficiencies (previously documented in content, selected artifacts or written reflection) are often included as linked evidence to support your responses to specific questions. (Advice: Academic or certification value is optimal when elements are integrated as directed by your college advisor, program of study, instructors or counselors.) In addition to posting items by using the formats provided in each of the previously-listed content types, you can upload files or images. (The format selected should open well in a Web browser.) Finding the Content Types in Your efolio Space Categories Content types are found by expanding efolio s New Content panel in groupings labeled as Personal, Education, Work, Web Content, Upload, and General. Once added or uploaded (& saved), your content objects are ready for use in pages check your My Content panel. Content is grouped by type and can be used in multiple places with unique display properties no need to create objects more than once! Terms and definitions are informed by IMS eportfolio Specifications but represent the creative planning by and intellectual property of the development advisory team and Avenet Web Solutions as applied in myefolio.