Generic Tools or Customized System?

I've been busy dropping my portfolio content into the files the graphic artist has provided for me. As I was working on the Narrative, I started to talk about the tools I used to develop my portfolio and the reasons I had chosen them over others. That's when I realized I should have included that information in this blog - and months ago! I'm rectifying the situation now.

I started my Electronic Portfolio in LiveText - the customized system our university has adopted for the undergraduates. I had already read Joanne Carney's work on the dilemmas of electronic portfolios and could speak about the tradeoffs I was making in choosing LiveText over the generic tools approach. For me, the overwhelming reason for using LiveText was to become familiar with the university's tool of choice. I made serious efforts on my portfolio, but eventually abandoned the LiveText tool because it was "buggy" on the Macintosh.

Once I discarded the notion that I was going to use the university tool, the decision on what to use was easy. I was going to take the generic tools approach. Here's my thinking within the framework of Carney's dilemmas.

Multiple purpose dilemma - In my specific situation, the tool was neutral for this dilemma. LiveText allows users to create multiple views of a portfolio. As a relatively proficient designer, I can accomplish this with the generic tools, too. Carney writes about people trying to use their portfolios for multiple purposes. The portfolio I'm doing now is only for assessment. My next revision efforts will be to turn my portfolio-as-comp into an interview portfolio.

Personal revelation - For this dilemma, I would give LiveText a slight edge over the generic tools approach. I have decided to burn CDs of my portfolio rather than post it on the Internet in its entirety. 2c and I have talked about this decision. He sees little to no value in an unposted portfolio. I tried to convince him that a portfolio author might not be willing to create a truly reflective portfolio if s/he knew it would be posted online. I know mine would look very different if it was going online. He made the point that an Instructional Designer should have a professional portfolio. I agree. It's just a different portfolio than the reflective portfolio I'm creating now. I'll create an online version of my portfolio eventually.

Cognitive overload dilemma - Advantage LiveText. I wanted to use Cascading Style Sheets for my portfolio, but didn't know how to do it. Enter the web designer. That's how I minimized this dilemma. I would not have been able to concentrate on the content of my portfolio if I had simultaneously tried to learn a new technology. As it was, the metacognitive aspects of the reflection and architecture kept my brain cycles busy enough. I can easily imagine a portfolio author becoming overwhelmed trying to learn the ins and outs of the software while they're building their portfolio.

Self-expression dilemma - Advantage generic tools! LiveText portfolios all look pretty much the same. Users have the choice of about 6 different colors. With the generic tools approach, you're only limited by your skill - or your designer's skill. I thought it was very important to make the portfolio look and behave exactly as I wanted. With the generic tools approach, this has been accomplished. Reviewers can look at every aspect of the portfolio and ask why I did it the way I did. With LiveText, I would have been stuck with one of their templates and that's just not appropriate for an IT student.

Dead-end dilemma - This is a big deal with tools such as LiveText. At the end of the subscription period, the portfolio author has to decide whether or not to renew the subscription. If one buys into the idea of portfolios as lifelong learning, the LiveText system ultimately becomes quite expensive. I'm opting for generic tools, CDs burned on my laptop, and endless opportunities to revise my portfolio for different audiences.

Data aggregation - Not a consideration for my portfolio.

To sum things up, I'm using Dreamweaver for the editing, Photoshop for editing screen captures, photos from a digital camera, the Adobe suite to generate PDF files, and other things as they become necessary.