Microsoft Publisher and ePortfolios

ePortfolios

Teachers need Portfolios. But do we need ePortfolios? Is this another case of using technology for technology's sake, or does it add value to our learning and to our Portfolio? Like all use of technology, the use of technology should add to a teacher's portfolio, not just be a gimmick or an alternative mode of delivery. According to Woodward and Nanlohy, digital portfolios are valuable not only for the 'end product', but for the process that the teacher goes through when developing the portfolio. ePortfolios provide opportunities for layering and interactivity and also provide opportunities for learning about technology.

Since ICT is increasingly becoming embedded in primary schools, teachers need to be competent and effective technology users. Perhaps then, the greatest advantage of an ePortfolio is to showcase to prospective employers your ability to use technology. ePortfolios then, can be seen as a tool for both reflection and engagement.

I am currently working on creating my ePortfolio in Microsoft Powerpoint. Microsoft Publisher is another program that I considered using. In the end though, I opted for Powerpoint since I have more experience with this program. Luckily, in this week's workshop I gained some more experience with Publisher when we used the program to create a brochure.

This video outlines the basics on creating a Brochure using Microsoft Publisher:

Microsoft Publisher in the Classroom

In this week's workshop we used Microsoft Publisher to create a brochure for a country that we'd like to visit. The program was suprisingly easy to use (see tutorial video above). My (unfinished) attempt at a brochure looks something like this:

Microsoft Publisher could easily be utilised in the classroom. Obviously, creating brochures could be used as a method for students to research a country, but there are many other ways in which Publisher could be used. Some examples could be:

• Visual aids for oral presentations
• Presenting research projects
• Creating a class newspaper
• Exploring different text-types

In my first teaching placement, I saw Publisher used in a mathematics rich assessment task. Students were doing a series of maths lessons on 'four cube houses'. The unit culminated in students designing a brochure that advertised their 'estate'. This brochure presented all of their learning throughout the unit and was an example of a real and meaningful way to use technology in the classroom.