COE Exchange

Overview

This guide is intended for students starting to develop their LiveText e-portfolio.  If you are interested in the faculty guide for  evaluation,  can be found in this article.  Collected here are the bare bones procedures for getting things done.  This is not meant to replace our training sessions but rather as an aid to recall procedures after you have had training.  You will need your own LiveText account in order to proceed.  If you do not have an account, contact me though our TLC staff email, call the TLC’s front desk (314-516-4800), or try to catch me in the TLC.

Important Dates for Fall Semester Final Evaluations:

To Be Announced

For a full schedule of LiveText and artifact training, refer to this article.

Getting Started

LiveText, of course, is a web-based application so it is highly recommended that you use a high-speed Internet connection (DSL/Cable/T1). Both Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (6.0 or greater), Mozilla’s Firefox (1.0 or greater) are fully supported. However, while Apple’s Safari (2.0 or greater) is supported, some document formatting capabilities are limited.

The Dashboard

To the upper right of your dashboard you’ll see details of your session: your name along with the current date and handy links to My Account, the Forum, and of course Help which has great PDF, Word, and animated demo tutorials.

If you are graduating this semester, your dashboard will look similar to the screen shot below.

Setup Your Portfolio

If you are graduating this semester …

Those that are graduating this semester will have an assignment listed under Active Assignments in the dashboard.  This is merely a template of a portfolio.  You are in no way obliged to use this, it is only offered to help you get started.  If you have already started or you are not planing on using this template, please proceed to the next section.

Lets begin then:

Dashboard → Active Assignments → For assignment details and template(s) click here

1. To view the rubric that will be used to evaluate your final work click View
2. To use the portfolio template click Use this template

Creating a new portfolio …

If you are not graduating this semester and/or you want to get started without using the assigned template you’ll need to go to the Documents tab and create a new portfolio.

1. Click New…
2. Select Choose a Folder … → University of Missouri – St Louis :  Portfolios
3. Choose a Template … → UMSL Teacher Certification Portfolio
4. Insert a Title (e.g. Selma Nottingshire’s portfolio)
5. Click Multiple Page for your Layout
6. Click Save as New Document

You’ll then see something similar to the screen shot below.  It is up to you to jazz it up.

1. Use the Table of Contents to navigate quickly to the various sections of your portfolio
2. Switch from View mode to Edit using this tool
3. Use Manage Sections to edit the entire portfolio

Editing Your Portfolio

1. Highlight and change any text in this text box by using the editing tools provided.
2. You can only upload one (1) image per section to be used as an Inserted Image within the document
3. However, you can use up to ten (10) attachments … useful for artifacts.

Adding Images

IMPORTANT: Remember you can only put (1) ONE picture per section in your portfolio, that will be displayed.
You can put 3 different pictures under each section
1. one in the standard section;
2. one in the Artifact section; and
3. one in the Reflective Essay section

Or you can create a Word/PDF document with all the pictures

1. Click on the Insert Image tab or Edit for Inserted Image
2. Select an image from the File Manager by using the radio buttons
   Or select Upload New Image… to add an image to the collection
3. Use the Insert Image dialog (above) to optionally add a caption, change its display size, and placement
4. Save & Finish
5. Your image will appear at the top of the section once you save your section and return to View mode

Adding Documents

1. Click on the File Attachments tab or Edit for File Attachments
   
2. Select document(s) from the File Manager by using the checkboxes to the left of the file
   Or select Upload New File… to add a file to your collection
3. Use the checkboxes to add and remove documents.  Remember you are limited to 10 file attachments per section
4. Save & Finish

Adding Hyperlinks

NOTE: In the above example, we’ve only added the URL (here www.webelements.com).  LiveText insists on specifying the protocol (here http://) on its own.  Be certain to remove this protocol declaration from any URL that you cut and paste into this field, otherwise your link will not work.

We recommend taking one extra step so that when your portfolio is being reviewed, the reviewer can follow your link, close the resulting page and return to your portfolio.

1. In the Link dialog, click on the Target tab
2. For the Target dropdown field, select New Window (_blank)
3. Leave Target Frame Name as _blank
4. Finally select OK

You’re hyperlink will now open in a new window that when closed will not also close your portfolio.

Adding Hyperlinks to Existing Artifacts

You can add hyperlinks to artifacts that you’ve already attached to your section to enhance readibility of your portfolio.

1. While in the Edit view, click on the File Attachment(s) tab
2. Right click over one of your attached documents to bring up its context menu
3. Select Copy Link Location (Firefox) or Copy Shortcut (Internet Explorer) to copy the URL to your clipboard
4. Return to the Section Editor, highlight the text you want to serve for the link
5. Click on the Hyperlink tool
6. Right click in the URL field, select Paste
7. Proceed as you would with any other hyperlink (see above)

Common Portfolio Tasks

Send For Review

At anytime during the semester, you are able to submit portions of your portfolio to instructors for review:

1. Open the target document
2. Click the Send for Review button
3. Begin typing your instructors last name, suggestions should appear within moments
4. Select the appropriate instructor, they will be immediately added under Selected Reviewer(s)
5. Repeat for each instructor you’d like to review your work
6. Finally, click Submit for Review

Sharing

Sharing a section from your portfolio allows other LiveText users to view and/or edit your work (e.g. classmates).  You decide.  Remember users that you add to the editors list will be able to change your work.

1. Open the target document
2. Click Share
3. Begin typing the last name of the individual you’d like to share your work with in the appropriate text field (Viewer or Editor)
4. Select the appropriate LiveText user; their name will appear just below the text field
5. Finally, click Add to Share

Use the Advanced sharing options… to modify user access, add sharing right in bulk, and manage visitors.  It is here as well that you can use can click on Advanced Access Options… to switch to either Private (Only creator can see or modify) or Public (Anyone can see. Only editors can modify).

Revising Reviewed Documents

1. Click on the Reviews tab to get a listing of documents you’ve submitted for review
2. Documents that have finished reviews will have the Review Completed
3. Select the document you’d like to view
4. Use the highlighted sections in the Table of Contents to navigate through comments
5. Click on Revise in the top left corner, this will take you to the original document to begin revisions
6. When finished click Send for Review (see above)

Final Submission

If you are in your final semester, eventually the time will come to do your final submission:

1. Open your portfolio from the Documents tab
2. Of course, review your portfolio to be certain it is in the best shape possible
3. Click Submit Assignment
4. In the Choose an Assignment for Submission dialog, select the radio button for your portfolio assignment (there likely will only be one)
5. Confirm submission by returning to the Dashboard tab to see that your Active Assignments section now shows the status of Awaiting Assessment

Return to the Dashboard to monitor the status of your portfolio review.

Creating Visitor Passes

LiveText attempts to make it as easy as possible for non-LiveText users (i.e. potential employers) to view your portfolio by using the Visitor Pass tool:

1. Tools → Visitor Passes
2. New…
3. Provide the visitor’s name and optionally a description, then Save
4. Once you save the newly created pass shows up and it is now accompanied by a alphanumeric code
5. DO NOT FORGET: Use the Share tool (see above section) to give the visitor View permissions for your portfolio
6. Finally, send this code  and LiveText URL (http://college.livetext.com) to non-LiveText users who you want to see your work

You can return to this tool to monitor when visitors have viewed your portfolio by selecting Visits for each visitor.

Printing your Portfolio

1. Open the document you want to print under the Documents tab
2. Click Print
3. Click on the titles of pages or sections to prevent them from printing
4. Use the Hide non-printable toggle to the upper right to hide artifacts, etc
5. Finally, click Print (in the upper right of the page)

Exporting your Portfolio

Say that you’d like to share your work with someone that doesn’t have (or cares to need) an Internet connection.  LiveText provides an Export tool so that you can burn your portfolio to a CD-ROM to send along with your resumé:

1. Open the document you want to export under the Documents tab
2. Click Export
3. A pop-up dialog will appear, select a location (e.g. Desktop), then Save
   
4. Open the downloaded ZIP file, select Extract all files
5. Burn the resulting files to a CD-R

FAQ

Q: I have not yet purchased Livetext, nor do I know anything about it. Where do I need to start?
A: You will need to purchase a Livetext membership either at the UMSL bookstore ($110 with tax) or online ($98). To familiarize yourself with Livetext, which is recommended before coming to an information session, please go to the Livetext home page at www.livetext.com and also read … well, this article : )

Q: Where do the training workshops take place?
A: The training sessions take place at the TLC on UMSL’s south campus.  If you are not familiar how to get there, use our directions to Marillac and through Marillac at tlc.umsl.edu.

Q: Where do I find the information about the workshops?
A: The information can be found on the College of Education Exchange: coe.umsl.edu/exchange.  Search for the term, ‘livetext’  You’ll find the most up-to-date schedules, guides, and other helpful documents.

Q: Do I need to register for the workshops?
A: Students and Faculty need to register by emailing the TLC office at tlcstaff@umsl.edu or by calling at (314) 516-4800.

Q: How long is the membership valid for a student/faculty?
A: Student memberships will for 5 years after activation. Faculty memberships will last for the duration of their employment.

Q: What is the price and length of a renewed student’s membership for Livetext?
A: Student subscriptions can be renewed for $38.00 per year by calling the Livetext accounting department at (866) 548-3839 x707.

Q: Which Livetext workshops do I need to attend?
A: All of the sessions throughout the semester are of the same level of difficulty, so it is your choice on which one to attend. These sessions focus on getting used to the layout of the website, and how to do basic operations. The Q&A session, the last session offered for the semester, is to answer any last minute questions pertaining to your portfolio. The Artifacts workshops focus on the required content for your portfolio.

Q: Will there be any more Artifact Workshops?
A: There are 2 scheduled workshops to focus on artifacts. If you cannot make those, please contact Stephanie D. Koscielski at koscielskis@umsl.edu or call her at
(314) 516-6741 to inquire about addition workshops.

Q: How does a new faculty member get a Livetext membership? Does the faculty members have to pay for it?
A: A new faculty member will need to contact Olena Zhadko in the TLC office by emailing her at tlcstaff@umsl.edu or by calling (314) 516-4800. Faculty members currently can receive a membership free of charge, courtesy of the TLC.

Q: After my instructor comments on my portfolio, where do I find their comments?
A: To access the comments made on the portfolio, log in and click on the Review tab at the top of the page. Click on your portfolio from the list of documents. On the right hand side, in the Table of Contents, the pages that have comments to review will be highlighted in blue. Simply click on that page to view the comment.

Q: Are videos in on Discovery Education streaming downloadable? Or are they meant just for streaming?
A: Discovery Education streaming videos have both kinds of videos available, although most can only be streamed. When you are viewing a video, a play button next to the name means that it is only for streaming, and a mini floppy disk button (universal for save) means that the video can be downloaded.

Q: How do I export my Livetext portfolio to view it offline?
A: See the Exporting your Portfolio in this article.

Q: How do I insert videos from the Discovery Education streaming site?
A: Any page that you would like to contain a video directly from Discovery Education has to have a Resources section. To add this section, go to the standard’s page and ensure that it does not have Resources section already. If it does not, select ‘Manage Sections’ from the top. On the next screen, select Create Section, then Resources. Verify the title of this section and press OK. Now click on the Resources line. Click on the ‘Add Discovery Education streaming’ tab, then Go. This will take you to the Discovery Education website, where you can search for videos. Once you find a video that you would like to insert into your portfolio, click on the ‘add [video title] to my Livetext Document’ that is located right below the streaming video box. This will take you back to your portfolio, where you can edit the description of the particular video before you attach it. Once you are finished, click on the Save button at the bottom, then Save & Finish on the next page. Remember that a Resources section has to be added to all the pages that you would like to attach videos in. For example, if you would like videos to go with Standards 1,2, and 3, you will have to add a Resources section to each Standards’ page.

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