Here are the basic steps for using GoogleDocs to construct an interactive electronic portfolio. Note that GoogleDocs is primarily a word processor, so the first page in the portfolio should be the "navigation page" with links to the rest of the portfolio.
NOTE: The best use of the GoogleDocs Document tool is to create artifacts for a portfolio.
Purpose. Decide on the purpose for the portfolio. What are you trying to show with this portfolio? Are there outcomes, goals, or standards that are being demonstrated with this portfolio? In this example, we will use an electronic portfolio to provide formative feedback on student work.
Identify how you are going to organize the portfolio. Will it be around the outcomes, goals or standards that you identified in this first step?
Set up a "parent" page that will serve as the opening page/Introduction to the portfolio
Set up a template for students, if appropriate.
Collection/Selection. What artifacts will you include in your portfolio?
Create a digital archive of work. Offline, this archive would be on a hard drive, flash drive, iPod or local area network server; online, these files can be stored anywhere on the Internet, as long as each document has a unique URL.
Use a simple table to list the artifacts, and assign (classify) each one to the outcome/goal/standard that the artifact will demonstrate. See Dr. Barrett’s GoogleDocs portfolio for an example using a table on a page (Artifacts).
Once these categories are identified, set up other pages for each major category you have identified, and link those sub-pages to the main page.
Add the artifacts (through hyperlinks) to the appropriate page in the portfolio.
Reflection. Reflection is the heart and soul of a portfolio. Reflection provides the rationale for why these artifacts represent achievement of a particular outcome, goal or standard.
Write a brief reflection on each artifact (what is the context in which this artifact was developed? Why was it included in the portfolio?).
You might also write a reflection on each grouping of artifacts (by outcome/goal/standard).
The Introduction page should contain an overview of the portfolio. It serves as a “letter to the reader” and provides an explanation of the overall goals of the portfolio.
Connection/Interaction/Dialogue. This stage provides an opportunity for interaction and feedback on the work posted in the portfolio. This is where the power of Web 2.0 interactive tools becomes apparent.
Teachers and peers can use the feedback features of the software, such as comments, to provide feedback on the work posted in the ePortfolio.
Use the Collaborate function in GoogleDocs
Teachers often provide exemplars for different levels of achievement, and provides a rubric for evaluation.
The portfolio developer should be given the option of updating the work, based on the feedback and the rubric.
Presentation/Publishing. The portfolio developer decides what parts of the portfolio are to be made public.
NOTE: The best use of the GoogleDocs Document tool is to create artifacts for a portfolio.
Use the Collaborate function in GoogleDocs