Evaluation of Website 7

http://thibo.ovh.org/

The owner of this website is indicated to be an organization by the domain name (.org) of the web address (http://thibo.ovh.org/), but no further information can be found to verify that with further exploration of the website.

This website is an example of E-portfolio. It is divided into three categories: Class Work; Personal Activities; and Other Information. And each category is subdivided into several sections. On the homepage, there is a brief self introduction of the owner, his/her major, personal information, learning purpose, etc. Files, pictures, can be attached. Viewers can give comments, or leave a message.

I think this is a quite simple example, which is easy to apply in my teaching practice with the help of E-portfolio software, or even simply Blogger.

Anyway, E-portfolios are more designed for the learners to record their learning process, and for the teachers to assess the achievement of the learners with it. It is more important that the learners can use it to facilitate themselves in the process, to retrieve their footsteps, and to reflect, to improve. I wish with its help, my students can enjoy their learning experience, can improve more, and can achieve more.

Evaluation of Website 6

http://elgg.org/

The owner of this website is of an organization, as indicated by the domain name (.org) in the web address (http://elgg.org/). However when the users explore the website for details, they will find that it is designed for commercial purpose. The owner ELGG is a group whose information cannot be found much on the website. This cannot make the users rely highly on the quality of its products.

Like Website 5, this website is also an E-portfolio builder, providing sources about E-portfolio software. The software provided by Elgg is said to be flexible, open to the incorporation of tools to the interest of the users, so the E-portfolio can be individualized. Specific information about the downloading, installing, and managing is highlighted on the homepage, and easily followed, which further shows that this website is designed mainly to sell products. To show the high quality of their product, the website posts the support of some academic institutions.

Besides selling their product, they also try to bring the users up to date by publishing news in related fields, and set up a discussion board to talk about possible problems the users may encounter so that they can find some solution. While the users searching for information concerning E-portfolios, they have to be aware of the strong commercial inclination behind the scene.

Evaluation of Website 5

http://www.digication.com/home/

The domain name (.com) of the web address (http://www.digication.com/home/) shows that it is a commercial website, possibly sponsored by and do advertising for some organization or company.

This is a website for E-portfolio builder. For potential users like me, this website is a practical help. We may have wonderful ideas about E-portfolio, and we wish to put them into practice for our students, but it is impossible for us to realize that without the aid of E-portfolio builders This website is designed to help us with that.

Its purpose is to make the carrying out of E-portfolio easier for the users. It introduces the definition of E-portfolio, what we can do with E-portfolios, the advantages of Digication E-portfolio. etc. Follow it step by step, the users can build up their own E-portfolios easily.

This website is reliable for it provides the address of the Digication Company. Though the users have to buy their product after they find it good and useful, they can freely sign up to try it out at any time. The disadvantage is there are not many links to other websites, which limited its sources. However, this is reasonable when the commercial purpose of the website is taken into consideration.

Evaluating Website 4

http://eportfolio.edutools.info/static.jsp?pj=16&page=HOME

• The question mark (?) in the web address implies that this website may call information from the server or a database, which is verified when the user explore the website per se. More information is given about the links given on the website: ePAC International, Financial Profiles, Boston Research & Communications, and http://www.mnsat.mnscu.edu/programs/compareportfolio/ index.html. People who are more interested in any specific topic can search for more information.

• The original website, Edu Tools, is about education tools, including E-portfolio. EduTools is owned and operated by the WCET – the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications. The license under which the website is operated, and the cosponsor list are to be found at the bottom of the website.

• The website provides independent reviews and side-by-side comparison, and open for consulting. It is subdivided into several sectors, one of which is E-portfolio. This sector introduces the new launched project about the new functions of E-portfolio in education, the latest developments, the product reviews, and the published research results.

• This website is also easy to navigate, since the hyperlinks are all clearly marked. Though it is partially designed for commercial use, it still provides some interesting tips about my topic, and also widens my vision by bringing in more information of the latest developed uses of E-portfolio.

Evaluation of Website 3

https://eduforge.org/docman/view.php/176/1111/ePortfolio%20Project%20Research%20Report.pdf

The owner of this website is indicated to be an organization again like the previous two websites, with the domain name (.org). More detailed information about the webpage per se can be found by further exploring: the author (name, workplace), time of publishing, the license under which the users are viewing the page, the related project, and a list of reference through which one can search for more about the topic. All of these can help to credit to the information given.

The document, entitled A Review Of The Literature OnPortfolios And Electronic Portfolios, is a document of the eCDF ePortfolio Project, composed by Philippa Butler, from Massey University College of Education Palmerston North, New Zealand, published in October, 2006. The project is to develop an electronic portfolio application for the New Zealand tertiary sector of the university; it provides a context for the development of the electronic portfolio application and guidelines for its use, a review of the literature on electronic portfolios and more traditional paper-based portfolios has been conducted.

The document provides a detailed literature review concerning the application of e-portfolio in higher education institutions, which is similar to my purpose of researching this topic. This review is quite helpful for me to get an idea about the tried uses of e-portfolio, and saves me a lot of trouble to find the related papers myself.

Evaluation of Website 2

http://www.eportconsortium.org/

• The owner is indicated to be an organization by the domain name of the web address (.org), and contact details to the coordinator, system administrator, etc. can be found on the website, which credit the reliability of the website to the users.

• With more exploring, the users will find this is a website designed by an international association of people interested in E-portfolio, both to exchange ideas and to do business.

• Compared with the website 1, this website is more authoritative, but not as wide-ranging, since it is operating in the hands of experts in this field, especially from more than 700 higher education schools or institutions of 58 countries. At the same time, it is not free like website 1, for the user has to register to become a member.

• The publishing is updated, with people assigned to do the posting frequently, experts with an eye on the latest development of the said field and bring what they have found to the public.

• It is well-designed and pleasing to the eye, highlighting the most important information: introduction to the owners of the website, resources of information, frequently asked questions for people who come here with specific problems to solve, and the information about the on-going projects in this field for those who wish to carry out their ideas.

• In all, this is a valid website for us to keep up with the new development and see what new we can do with E-portfolio.

Evaluation of Website 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

• The domain name (.org) of the web address (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page) shows that the owner is a “not-for-profit organization” (http://www.southalabama.edu/univlib/sauer/evaluat.html#junk), which not only indicates the ownership, but also its reliability. The items concerning the License, Privacy Policy, ect. at the bottom of any related page of this website add reliability to it.

• More information can be found by searching through the website itself. The owner, the Wikimedia Foundation Inc., is a US registered nonprofit organization. The Wikimedia is a free online enclopedia, composed by volunteers from all over the world, and open to the editing of anyone. While this may lead to the doubt about the authority of the pages published here, but they definitely serve the function of a starting point for our search for information.

• The purpose of this website is to inform, to give reference, to provide primary coverage of whatever one may wish to know in whatever field. If the users cannot find what they are searching for, they are encouraged to write up something about the topic when they get some information from elsewhere so as to benefit more people.

• The design of the website is quite simple, convenient, and pleasing. Simple template, soothing colors, neat font of words and many languages for your choice, all of these make it easy for the users to locate the information they want and go to the related links.

• The documents published here are being renewed constantly. When new terms pop out in the busy world or on internet, they are quite likely to become items on this website directly.

• When I tried to search for information concerning my weborgraphy topic "E-portfolio" in Google, and this website came into my view. When I clicked it open, it introduces to me not only the basic ideas about E-portfolio, but a lot more websites of the topic.

Types of ePortfolio

There are three main types: developmental, reflective and representational.

A developmental ePortfolio, or ePortfolios or digital portfolios, are a record of things that the owner has done over a period of time, and may be directly tied to learner outcomes or rubrics.

A reflective ePortfolio includes personal reflection on the content and what it means for the owner's development.

A representational ePortfolio shows the owner's achievements in relation to particular work or developmental goals and is, therefore, selective.

The three main types may be mixed to achieve different learning, personal or work-related outcomes with the ePortfolio owner usually being the person who determines access levels.

How to deal with digital distractions in classroom

• As we looked over their shoulders from our back-row seats," says Mollie Cooney, "we found instead they were on Facebook, Dave Matthews Band Web sites, instant messaging friends, and e-mailing fellow classmates."

This is exactly what we are worried about when we try to teach English in Language Lab, providing one computer hooked on line (not wireless though) for every student. Though they are first and second year students in university, they still steal the chance to play with the computer any time they can under the guarding eyes of the teacher. Not only for the undergraduate students, even for teacher-students like us, the temptation of internet can be too much to resist sometimes. I remember that last semester some classmates concentrated too much on their own laptops in our class, rather than what the lecturers were talking about.

• "Anyone who engages in rude, thoughtless, selfish behavior, such as use of a cellphone for instant messages, games, etc., will have his or her cell phone confiscated until the next class session and will be excused from the class. The cell phone will be returned after the student apologizes to the class at the next class session."

• "If your cellular phone is heard by the class you are responsible for completing one of two options: 1. Before the end of the class period you will sing a verse and chorus of any song of your choice or, 2. You will lead the next class period through a 10-minute discussion on a topic to be determined by the end of the class. (To the extent that there are multiple individuals in violation, duets will be accepted)."

For these two warnings, I like the latter one better, since it is both easier to be accepted by the students, and more beneficial to all the class. I once tried to “menace” the students that I would deduct points from their final score if they are using computer doing anything irrelevant to what they are supposed to do in my class. I feel bad myself for drawing more attention to the marks instead of enjoying the process of learning with my students.