Digication E-Portfolios

Conn B., Kevin M., Nicole P., Joe O.

Please keep in mind that these are only general guidelines; always defer to your professor's specifications for a given assignment. If you have any questions about the content represented here, please contact the Writing Centers so that we can address them for you.

Do you know Digication offers users a Quick Start Guide? You may want to check it out before delving into this more detailed guide.

Chapters

Chapter 1: Getting Started
Chapter 2: Working with Modules
Chapter 3: Making a Banner
Chapter 4: Custom CSS
Chapter 5: Previewing, Publishing, and Privacy
Chapter 6: Further Resources

Chapter 2: Modules

Understanding Modules and Tools

Once you have set up the skeleton of your portfolio by creating all your sections and pages, the next step is to insert your content through adding modules. Modules represent different components of the content you want to share. For example, there are modules for adding text and modules for adding various media (images, video, and audio). Because Digication and online portfolios allow for the implementation of hyperlinks and multimedia, you may want to consider how adding these elements may be used to appropriately support your content.

Upon clicking on a newly created section, you will have with the option to "Choose a Template (Pre-Built Modules)" or to "Add a Module."

The template option simply adds several modules to the screen with which you can work and may present some confusion. If you are just beginning, choose the option "Add a Module" so that you can add content at your own pace. The following sections detail the functionalities for each module.

Rich Text Module

This module can be added to insert a body of text into a page of your portfolio. You can either type new text inside the box (and adjust font and other settings as if you were in a Word document), or you can insert previously written text. To transfer text from a Word document into the module, you will need to use the "Paste from Word" button.

You can also copy/paste from other programs such as Mac's Pages or from other websites; however, the formatting and font may not transfer properly. In order to monitor this, frequently save your changes, and click on "View Text" to preview what your viewer will see on the screen. The way the text appears in the edit screen is not always consistent with its final view in "View Text." To adjust spacing and tabs, one must use the "Indent" and "Align" buttons, as using the tab on your computer keyboard will not show up on the "View Text" draft. Other handy tools in this module include:

Insert Table

Pressing this button will open a window that asks for several criteria for the creation of your table. While it may seem intimidating, you only need to fill in two of the boxes: “cols,” short for columns, and rows. This will specify the width and height of your table, in terms of number of cells. Once you click “Insert” you will be able to edit the table’s contents as you would in Word or Excel. The cells will automatically resize in order to fit your text, though there is a horizontal limit.

If you decide you need to insert or delete rows or columns, you must use the series of buttons to the right of the “Insert Table” button. Once you have created the table, the “insert/delete” buttons are the only way to modify the number of rows and columns.

If you find your table isn’t quite the right size, even though it has the correct number of rows and columns, you can adjust the width and height by clicking on the “Insert Table” button. Make sure your cursor is inside one of the cells of the table, and click “Insert Table” again. You will need to adjust the “Height” and “Width” fields. You can easily adjust the height field by adding line breaks as needed.

Width is more difficult. This field is measured in pixels, and is somewhat hard to adjust. If you enter a value that Digication cannot use (either too large for the page, or too small for all the text you have entered), Digication will not tell you, but will fail to change the size of the table. The following chart may help you choose an appropriate width for your table:

535	The full width of the page, approximately 70 characters, per row
400	Approximately 48 characters
300	Approximately 35 characters
200	Approximately 23 characters
100	Approximately 10 characters

It is important to note that the number of characters you can fit in a row is dependent on the size of the font and the number of columns. These numbers were achieved using 12 point Verdana in a single column.

Digication will optimize cell spacing, cell padding, and border for you. These settings are best left alone, as they can be hard to manage.

Insert File

This feature allows you to turn any file from your computer into a downloadable attachment for your viewer. You can upload Word documents, PDF files, audio files, etc. The file you upload will appear as a link in the body of your text.

Insert Media

This button allows you to upload media that will visually appear in the body of your text and not as a downloadable link. The insert media function is best for inserting images or videos, as audio files do not properly display once you hit the "View Text" button. Audio files can be inserted with the Image/Video/Audio module detailed below.

Image/Video/Audio Module

From Your Computer

This option allows you to take your portfolio beyond text. If you have images, audio files or video relevant to your e-portfolio, you can add them here. After creating the module, switch to the “Edit” tab, and click “Replace this Media.” This will bring up a file browser, which you can use to locate the file you want to upload. The files can be no more than 20MB, and any file larger than 500 pixels wide will be resized. This means almost all images, audio files (MP3s) up to 20 minutes, and video files as long as 10 minutes can be uploaded.

However, Digication’s video support is relatively new, and users may have difficulty playing videos from Digication. Additionally, given the limit on file size, uploading your video to YouTube or Vimeo is likely a more prudent choice (see From the Web, below). Similarly, if you are looking to upload a large image or one where the details are important, try using Flickr or Photobucket, again via the “From the Web” tab.

From the Web

Digication gives you the option to embed media from sites around the Internet--possibly sites you already use. While each site works a little differently, selecting the site you want to use from the drop-down menu will show you how to add the media. If you have never uploaded a video to YouTube before, Google’s tutorial for the process should be helpful.

Gallery Module

If you have multiple pieces of media, you might consider using the Gallery module. The Gallery module functions just like the media module, but it allows you to showcase many different objects that a user can click through at their leisure. You can also add captions to the media and delete individual elements of the gallery.

For a WRD portfolio, this tool is ideal for showing a series of revisions on a particular portion of a paper. Although the gallery function does not allow you to upload Word documents, you can convert these documents into image files. First, you will need to save your Word document as a PDF file (if you are using a PC, try CutePDF writer to “print” your PDF to file). Then, visit an online document conversion site (we recommend http://convert.neevia.com/pdfconvert/) to convert your PDF file to a JPEG file. (Multiple page documents will be converted into separate image files for each page). Once the file is converted, you will need to save it to your computer, and then upload it to the gallery module. Similarly, this method can be used to convert PowerPoint slides to JPEG files. For MAC Keynote slides, you can directly export these files as a JPEG file.

Contact Module

When you insert this module, viewers can send you an email without having to post your email address. If you are using Digication to display your work experience for potential employers, this tool is ideal for receiving further inquiries.

Chapter 3: Making a Banner