Week 2 - MS Publisher

This week we created a brochure using MS Publisher. I found this program very intuitive, despite the fact that the menus differ from traditional Word menus. I think students would find this program very useful in lots of different contexts such as creating brochures, newsletters, postcards etc. I also think that the finished results look very professional which will appeal to students.

The ability to use this program to create web content is of particular interest. I have some limited experience of using DreamWeaver and from what I have seen so far MS Publisher would be a much easier program to use with students in the classroom. I would definitely see the creation of an ongoing e-Portfolio as a valuable task for students which would help develop a whole range of different skills relating to design; navigation; selecting, writing and editing content, etc.

I was also interested to read in 'Digital Portfolios: Fact or Fashion' that the research done on the benefits of ePortfolios highlighted that they helped graduate teachers organise their ideas in a way that greatly assisted them in the interview process. As we head towards the end of the Graduate Diploma and begin applying for jobs I am sure we are all looking for ways to improve our chances of securing a position for next year. It seems that ePortfolios can in fact provide us with that edge in interviews as well as being a useful learning and assessment tool in the classroom.