1.2 Tools
The digital tools described below will enable you to extend your learning opportunities and reach out to other learners and resources available on the web. Don’t try to be in all spaces at once, instead start with a limited amount and see what works best for you.
Progressively you will become more familiar with how best to utilise the suggested technologies. If you are an experienced online learner and familiar with other digital tools and social media platforms, please feel free to use them for your learning and share with others so that we can all learn together. Groups might want to set up their own collaborative learning spaces too. Use what works best for you and your group and let us know if you need any help.
Portfolio (needed if working towards badges or credits):
The digital portfolio will be the place where you will capture your reflections and learning as you progress in the course. If you don’t have a portfolio at the moment, consider using WordPress.com or another platform you are familiar with. Blogger, Tumblr, or Google docs might be alternative solutions. Click here for more ideas.
A portfolio will also help you to collect the evidence of your achievements whilst you are learning. We encourage you to comment on posts contributed by other participants. Remember to add the course hashtag to your titles and connect your portfolio to your Twitter account (see social media settings in your dashboard) so that when posting something relevant, this can be shared more widely with other participants.
To find out more about the use of portfolios for learning and professional development, please access Stephen Downes' introduction "A few words on ePortfolios" More detailed information can be found at JISC infoNet. Guidelines to set-up a portfolio can be found here.
Google Drive iPad Portfolio from EdTechTeacher on Vimeo.
Google drive (recommended):
This might be useful for completing specific learning tasks, particularly when working with others. Consider also to use it as a portfolio for your learning.
Twitter (recommended):
We will be using Twitter as an additional channel to communicate, curate and collaborate. Please create a Twitter account if you don't have one already and start checking the hashtag for your course.
Google + hangout (recommended):
Create a/Use your Google + account so that you can organise and participate in Google + hangouts for synchronous meetings with other learners.