Week Two

The interview process:

• be on time
• don't smoke in your car (good for me, I don't smoke)
• don't wear your trackie dacs
• consider working in schools that appear less than ideal (you never know where it might take you)
• at the end of the interview say 'thank you for listing me, I really appreciate the oppurtunity'. Sounds a little sucky to me.

So this week was all about publisher and ePortfolios. I agree with Woodward and Nanlohy who wrote the readings for this week about the benefits of ePortfolios ( if you want know what that is, it's all there, at the end of the page). I also see the benefits in a job application situation: it shows that you're up to date with technology, that you're organised, the list goes on. But here's my issue with the whole situation (what I'm about to say could offend, but if it's any consolation at least I acknowledge it): It's been my experience that people who are good with technology, generally, sometimes, (ok, I'm just going to say it) lack interpersonal skills. There! I said it. So this is what I'm thinking: You need strong interpersonal skills to be a teacher, thus people who are bad at technology, and don't have fancy ePortfolios: GREAT teachers. Huh? 

Publisher
We were meant to make a brochure for ideal travel destination. Just so you  know, I've been to Iguazu, and it is amazing, don't let my pamphlet put you off.
This is the first time I've ever used Publisher, I think the results speak for themselves. I had a bit of trouble with the images, the ones straight from google didn't blow up well (they went out of focus). I decided to copy my friend and get my images from the National Geographic which turned out a lot better. Despite the mayhem I can see the advantages of publisher for education, it'll give the students another a chance to present their ideas in a different format.

Weekly Reading:

Digital Portfolios: Fact or Fashion

By Helen Woodward and Phil Nanlohy, University of Western Sydney. Australia

I don't think this paper was asking the right question: is this digital technology related to portfolios worth investing time and resources on, or is it a waste of time? I don't think in this day and age anything related to computers is going to be a superficial 'fashion' accessory. Woodward and Nanlohy found evidence that suggested the e portfolio was a good investment for a number of reasons, which I'll go into later. But even if that wasn't the case, we live in a technologically based society. Digital trumps traditional anything: email vs the letter, text vs the phone call, typed vs handwritten. Yes, the latter of the pairs is more romantic, but let's be honest: not practical. We live in a fast-paced world, and the 'old way' just takes too long. The digital portfolio was always going to be better than the paper format for the simple fact that it is digital.
Despite this, Woodward and Nanlohy did find more substantial results proving the superiority of the            e-portfolio. The authors suggest that the e-portfolio streamlines the creators ideas, helping them to organise their own ideas, allowing them to go deeper into the material. The students weren't getting lost through lack of instruction because the program itself acted as guide, students were able to invest more time and energy in to creating their portfolios.