Chapter 7: How do I share my ePortfolio with others

Life is about sharing and so then is an ePortfolio! The great thing about an ePortfolio is that you can share it with as many people from as many places as you wish. Imagine how that will enrich your ePortfolio experience.

In the paper days you could only share your work and experiences with people you knew and met. Now thanks to the internet and the electronic format of your ePortfolio the opportunities for sharing are endless!

You may not however wish to share everything in your ePortfolio with everyone. This is why you need to decide who should see what in your ePortfolio.

The table below shows you the different groups (or contacts) that you may like to share parts or all of your ePortfolio with.

The first step in sharing your ePortfolio is deciding who should (or shouldn't) see different parts of your ePortfolio. This may also depend on the purpose of your ePortfolio (see chapter 2).

Complete the Access Table below my listing the main contents or items in your ePortfolio in the left-hand column. Then decide on who your contacts are and add extra columns for each contact group or person. Now for each group of contacts or person put a tick next to the items that you would like them to be able to see and comment in your ePortfolio and a cross next to the items you do not wish them to see.

You can do this by either printing the table below or by downloading the Word version here.

Yes, you decide who can see what is in your ePortfolio. There may be some limitations as to how you do this depending on the tool you are using and/or the guidance of your tutor. To help you do this you need to think carefully about the access you give to your ePortfolio or parts of it. You should have done this by completing the access table above.

Below you can find an explanation of the 3 main types of access you can use:

Public

This means that anyone who knows your ePortfolio URL (web address) can visit and view and comment on your ePortfolio. If you decide you want to share your ePortfolio with anyone and everyone then you will select this level of access.

Restricted

This means that you decide who is allowed to visit and comment on your ePortfolio. Usually visitors will need to have a log-in and password to access your ePortfolio. This enables you to decide who sees you ePortfolio so if you don't want anyone and everyone to see your ePortfolio you would give this level of access to your chosen audience (friends, tutor, employer etc.).

Private

This means that only you can see and comment on your ePortfolio. Often an administrator will also have access but just for technical reasons.

If you make part or all of your ePortfolio private you won’t be able to share any of it with your chosen groups. However you might like to keep some parts of your ePortfolio private while they are under development (work in progress) and then change them to restricted or public when you feel they are complete.

These 3 levels of access (public, restricted and private) can be applied to:

1. The whole of your ePortfolio
2. Certain sections of your ePortfolio
3. Each item or piece of content in your ePortfolio

This will depend on which ePortfolio tool you are using. If in doubt ask your tutor.

Here are some guidelines to follow to start sharing your ePortfolio with others:

1. First of all you must decide who should see what in your ePortfolio You can do this by completing the Access table at the beginning of this chapter.

2. Then you need to give the right level of access to each section or item in your ePortfolio for the right contacts (friends, tutor …). This might take some time to do, so be patient!

3. You then need to invite these contacts to come and visit your ePortfolio. If they need a login or password to access your ePortfolio make sure you tell them what it is! Just to be sure they are seeing the right parts or items in your ePortfolio you could try logging into your ePortfolio yourself using these log in details just to check what they will actually see!

4. You can invite your contacts in different ways depending on the tool you are using.

• You can send the weblink or URL (www.myepoprtfolio.webaddress) in an email.
• If you are lucky your ePortfolio tool will also let you send invitations directly from your ePortfolio to your contacts. This makes life even easier! 
• You may prefer to put your ePortfolio (or parts of it) onto a CD or a USB key which you can then give to your contacts (friends, employer).
• You may have contacts that don't have access to a computer or internet. In this case you can print off the parts of your ePortfolio you want them to see and present them in a folder of your choice.

5. Whichever way you chose to share your ePortfolio remember that the most important thing about sharing your ePortfolio is getting comments, suggestions and thoughts from your contacts. This will not only enable you to improve your ePortfolio but it will also help you in your own learning and reflection on your achievements. So when you send out your invitations remember to include a message for your contacts:

• to tell them why you want them to visit your ePortfolio
• to invite them to add comments within your ePortfolio
• to ask them to provide you with feedback on what they have seen

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