Digital Writing Portfolio

I started having my students post the products of their writing efforts on self-created websites during the 2017-2018 school year, after learning how to create my own website at the LETA technology conference (hosted by LPSS). The rationale for having students do this is:

1. By publishing their writing, my hope is that students will take more ownership in what they create (thus encouraging them to put more effort into their work, which makes their final product a heck of a lot easier to grade than writing that is - more often than not - haphazardly thrown together at the last minute!).

2. Having a secure, permanent place for their pieces provides students with opportunities to revisit their work as they continue to grow as writers, learners, and thinkers.

3. Students can easily share their work and their progress with family members and loved ones, especially those who may live too far away to view first-hand the fruit of my students' efforts.

4. We live in a digital world; the more exposure students have to technology, the more comfortable and proficient they will be when attempting to accomplish a myriad of tasks that require digital literacy.

5. Creating a digital writing portfolio is WAY MORE FUN than having to keep paper copies of each step of the writing process for every writing assignment given!

HOW TO CREATE YOUR DIGITAL WRITING PORTFOLIO:

Getting Started

1. Go to the Google Sites home page.

2. Directly under the words "Start a new site," click the white box with the multicolor plus (+) sign above the word "Blank."

3. On the top left-hand side, click where it reads "Untitled Site" and type in your first initial followed by a period and then your last name. (Make sure you capitalize your first initial and the first letter of your last name.) While still there, put a space then a dash and then another space and then type "Digital Writing Portfolio." So your site should be titled as follows (with your information, of course):

C. Gary - Digital Writing Portfolio

4. When your last name and first name generate in the top left-hand corner of the actual website page, you may want to remove it (as having wording here can be a bit distracting).

5. Where you see "Your page title" at the top of your webpage, type in the same information (your first initial, period, your last name, space, dash, space, Digital Writing Portfolio).

6. Next, hover on your title page until you see a menu that reads "Change Image" (with a drop-down option) and "Header Type." Select "Change Image" and explore until you find an image that you like. (You can also choose an image of your own from your Google Drive. Just be sure not to use pictures of yourself here.)

7. Then, on the right-hand side of your screen, go to where it reads "THEMES" and explore until you have selected the theme that seems to pair well with the background you chose.

8. Finally, on the right-hand side of the webpage, click on "Insert" and then select "Text box." (You can also go onto your page in the white space below the title and double click. A round tool will open with different options. You can then click on "Text box" there.)

9. Copy your intro paragraph into this text box. (If we have not completed the intro paragraph yet, we will. So just know that this is where you will place that writing submission.)

10. Click on the "Publish" button. When the dialogue box pops up, type your last name and then your first name. (Do not put any spaces or any capital letters here.) If that domain does not already exist, the "PUBLISH" button will go from grey to purple. Click publish. (If that domain DOES already exist, add your middle initial after your first name. Domain still not available? Type your last name followed by your first name and then your FULL middle name.)

11. The website information below the line PLUS your name (however you were able to type it) is your link to your new website! (Please access this Google Form to provide Mrs. Gary with this link.)

12. When the dialogue box at the bottom pops up reading, "Your site has been published successfully," click on the word "VIEW" next to it. (If it disappears before you have a chance to click on it, go to the white arrow next to the purple "PUBLISH" button on the top right-hand side of your website. Once you click on the arrow, select "View published site."

13. You MUST bookmark BOTH sites!

    1. 1. • Go to your PUBLISHED website. Click on the STAR at the end of your browser and click on it. When the dialogue box pops up, name your bookmark "My Website."

          • Go to your WORKING WEBSITE. Click on the STAR at the end of your browser and click on it. When the dialogue box pops up, name your bookmark "Working Website."

*REMEMBER: You can update your website as often as you like. Make sure you click the "PUBLISH" button as you work so that it can save the changes on your Working Website to your Published Website. (Think of this as a sort of "REFRESH" button for your Digital Writing Portfolio.)

**IMPORTANT: When you start adding things from your Drive to your Digital Writing Portfolio, people viewing your website will not be able to see things that you add unless you do the following:

• • • • right-click on the item

      • click "Share"

      • under "Get link" click the blue text that reads "Change link to Lafayette Parish School System"

*On the drop-down menu above the "Done" button, make sure that the drop-down selection is "Viewer"

• • • • click "Done"

First Assignment

On the right-hand menu of your Working Website, click on "PAGES" and then go to the bottom and hover over the plus sign. Click on the button that reads "New page."

Title this new page "About Me." Then, post TEN THINGS that will help anyone who accesses your website get to know you better. Make sure you post images AND text explaining the images that you post! See a couple of examples below.

NOTE: You can either create a folder in your Google Drive where you save images from the Internet that you would like to use here (just be sure to open the Share settings on each one so others will be able to see them) OR you can double-click in the space under your header, select the red "Images" icon, and then select "Google Image Search" to find pictures you want to use. (This is how you would also access any pictures you saved to the folder in Google Drive that you create, should you choose to go that route.)