I am still using the blogging platform Wordpress (it is the same platform Edublogs is built on) so it has been easy to transfer my content. The main reason for this move is to find a cheaper way to blog. I am past the quota allowed for a free account at Edublogs and it is costing me too much to be a Supporter.
With Paulo’s help I have decided to use http://www.webhostingpad.com paying $1.99 US per month for 3 years. It has all the other freebies that I wanted and an option to install Wordpress (so I didn’t have to download it and then upload to the site).
I am happy with my new site although it took me some time to find a nice template and suitable plugins. It wasn’t as easy as I had hoped but I am getting there :+) Please adjust your RSS feeds if you wish to continue following me.
Taking a side step for just a moment I thought I would share about my current inquiries and seek your help.
Inspired by Chrissy Hellyer’s switch to self hosting her blog at the end of last year, I began to inquire about switching from being an Edublogs supporter to self hosting my blog using Wordpress. Lets be honest, the biggest reason for this was to save some money and to continue to avoid the adverts that appear when you are not a supporter. :+)
So this is what I have found so far…
Edublogs:
As a Supporter I pay $3.33 USD per month = $4.50 NZD per month ($54 NZD a year at the current exchange rate). I also get the following perks mentioned in the picture to the right >>>
Now I am pretty happy with this. I haven’t a need for anything bigger than 5GB (as yet) and have just realised that I can change my domain name for free because I am a Supporter. Nice!
Self Hosting:
I see that Chrissy uses BlueHost. So starting from there I searched and found another that I liked called Fatcow (coming from a farming background and looking at it’s credentials, these guys appealed to me). I also see that just recently Chris Betcher has just gone to a self hosted option with GoDaddy.
I happened to put a tweet out to see if there were others that could help and WAHLAH! Along came Paulo Castalano at WebHostMatters! Well what a help he has been. He immediately tweeted back with some great suggestions. His latest option is at Justhost.com.
So what do you think? Is there a better deal I may have missed? Am I overlooking something and making a wrong move? My current paid subscription with Edublogs runs out at the end of March so I have a few months to decide (or should I move on this special promo now?)
I love the holidays! Amongst many things it has been a great time to gain perspective again and catch up on some readings while scanning the net for some gold nuggets. Read on to see what I found:
1)Nick Rate wrote a post back in December entitled “Portfolio Visualisation”. He had put together some graphs to help visualise his ideas on ePortfolios. I thought these graphs “hit the nail on the head” and would be great to use as discussion starters with my colleagues as we roll out ePortfolios this year.
I loved what he had to say about this graph:
Essentially it suggests that the younger the student, the more teacher directed the portfolio will be. Generally, the teacher will dictate/suggest learning to share in the eportfolio, direct reflections and self assessment and more than likely do significant uploading and formatting of content. As the student matures and takes control of their learning, their ability to independently select, upload, reflect and set new goals for learning becomes less guided and increasingly integral to the way they learn. The process is facilitated by the teacher who supports the learning through providing rich learning experiences, opportunities for reflection and by giving feedback.
His next graph identifies the changing nature of the ePortfolio. This is very important to understand as it gives the ePortfolio facilitator (e.g classroom teacher) a clear focus and helps teachers, students and parents to see why and how the ePortfolio will be used. It also demonstrates clearly that the purpose will change as the child gets older.
Nick states the following about his graph:
The portfolio for young students is essentially a vehicle for showcasing what the have done, finished examples of learning that show what they have done. As the student gets older the portfolio transforms into a much richer space that becomes part of and includes evidence of the process of learning such as goal setting, reflections, finished and unfinished work and feedback. As the student moves on to secondary and higher education the portfolio can also be used for accountability and assessment of achievement.
Excellent – thanks Nick!
2) iTunesU is a great source that I have not tapped into much. (NOTE: You must have downloaded it to your computer before you can view any content. Download here.)
I was pleased to spot a video by eTech Ohio entitled “ePortfolios”. This video was recorded on April 28th 2009 (the most recent I could find in iTunes U) and it showed an interview with Claire Kilbane from Otterbein College who in my view showed excellent pedagogy. She covers; what an ePortfolio is, how teachers can use an ePortfolio, how traditional portfolios have been used in education, the advantages of electronic portfolios and what research says about ePortfolios.
It is well worth the 8min 54sec watch and can be found by searching ‘ePortfolio’ within iTunesU.
3) Recently Dr Helen Barrettgave a presentation entitled “Balancing the 2 Faces of ePortfolios“. This slideshow deals with ePortfolio; purpose, process and product. She shares many helpful diagrams and asks some thoughtful questions.
