ePortfolio Tools & Resources
There are many options for developing an ePortfolio on the Internet, all have different features and ease of use. Please read the benefits and drawbacks associated with the different options and choose the option that best fits your need:
D2L ePortfolio
Benefits
D2L is institutionally supported for students.
Tutorials and documentation on how to use that tool can be found in the elearn website and the Brightspace documentation site. Students are generally familiar with D2L.
Drawbacks
Downloaded eportfolios do not transfer easily to other eportfolio sites. There are less formatting options and templates than other tools.
Sway
Use Sway to create a digital ePortfolio presentation. Sway is one of the Microsoft Office 365 Suite of apps and UCalgary students have free access to Sway using their Office 365 email accounts. Click here to get started with Sway.
Benefits
Institutionally supported for students.
Easy to use and share.
Accessibility options/Device-responsive.
Drawbacks
Downloaded e-portfolios do not transfer easily to other e-portfolio sites. Export formats available are Word and PDF. There are less formatting options and templates than other tools.
WordPress.com
Students can create an account at wordpress.com, which is a free web-based service. Click here to get started with WordPress.
Benefits
Robust with different file formats and templates.
Easy to use.
Accessibility options/Device-responsive.
Students can export the site. Separate from UCalgary so students can keep their account later.
Drawbacks
Not institutionally supported.
External server (location may be unknown).
Possible privacy concerns. Free products sometimes offer limited features.
UCalgaryBlogs
Students can create an account at http://ucalgaryblogs.ca/wp-signup.php. UCalgaryBlogs is a community based WordPress Installation which is a free web-based service.
Benefits
Robust with different file formats and templates.
Easy to use.
Accessibility options/Device-responsive.
Students can export the site.
On-campus server Not linked to UCalgary IT Account, Students can keep their account as long as the service is active.
Drawbacks
Not institutionally supported.
There may be times when the server goes down and response might not be immediate.
No policies regarding content storage and backup.
Possible privacy/security concerns. Free products sometimes offer limited features.
Google Sites
Google Sites is free web-based tool that requires students to create a google account. Click here to get started with Sites.
Benefits
Robust with different file formats and templates.
Easy to use.
Accessibility options/Device-responsive.
Students can export the site. Separate from UCalgary so students can keep their account later.
Drawbacks
Not institutionally supported.
External server (location may be unknown).
Possible privacy concerns. Integrated with other tools offered by google.
Other options
There are many other options available to students with similar benefits to WordPress and Google Sites. Here are some options:
Weebly
Need to have an account or request a free one.
wix.com
Need to have an account or request a free one.
Storage, Sharing Options and Privacy Settings
Best Practices
If you choose to use tools that are not institutionally supported, your content will be hosted externally. Consider exporting your site to your local storage and backup your information. You may need to consider the best way to share your content by setting the appropriate privacy options. Please read the documentation regarding that when using WordPress and Google Sites.
