ePortfolio Resources | Distance Education

Portfolio icon Anyone with an SOU computing account can create a Google website! The information provided here describes how to create and build a website using Google's "classic" sites. You can also use "New" Google sites or the campus Word Press platform to create a site.

Two notes regarding "New" Google sites:

Some functions will not work in Internet Explorer (Edge), including accessing New Sites for the first time. We recommend using Firefox or Chrome for best results.
Rather than embed an entire file in a web page, learn here how to create a link to a file in your Google drive. See these instructions to create a link to a file or website.

Special Note About These Resources

Please note that Google changes our interface from time to time. Your options may look a bit different from what is shown in the videos posted here, but the guides linked in each of these sections are as current as we can keep them.

Thanks for your patience!

Creating Your ePortfolio

Welcome to your ePortfolio adventure! This video explains how to create your ePortfolio. You might also find this guide helpful.

NOTE #1: Select the Classic Sites format as you prepare to create your eportfolio. The instructions in this guide were designed for the classic format.

NOTE #2: If your instructor has designed a template for your use, be sure to select it from the template library — the SOU red and black template shown in this video is simply for illustration. If you do select the wrong template, delete the site and start over.

Edit a Page

Insert an Image

Insert a YouTube Video

Embed a File

Embedding a file is an elegant alternative to attaching a file to a web page. Rather than having to click to open the file, embedding it means that the contents will be shown right on the page itself. This technique also allows you to display a video that you've uploaded to your Google drive as well as the pdf file described in the video posted below. For more information on embedding video files, see this guide.

After you embed your file, be sure to remove any text that might have been provided in the template as a guide to developing your page.

Link to a File in Your Google Drive

Display Another Web Site

If you would like to showcase a different web site in your ePortfolio, these instructions will explain how....

Open a page in Edit view. (Add a new page, if necessary). Click on Insert, then select More gadgets....
Scroll down and select Include gadget (iframe).
Confirm that you want to add an iframe by clicking on Select.
In the Add a gadget to your page dialogue box, paste the URL to your other web site in the URL to content field. In the Display options area, change the width to 100 per cent. You may need to update the height settings, as well, but leave that set to 800 until you know more. Set the other display options as shown, then click on OK. Save your page to see how it looks. To make adjustments, open the page in Edit view, then click on the gadget to select it. Click on the settings icon to bring up the Add a gadget page again and adjust the settings.

Add a Page

Customize Your Site

Replace Cover Image

Just a quick note about replacing a cover image that may be embedded in your program template. For best results, we recommend maintaining a 2.5:1 ratio of any image you use to replace a cover image. We also recommend inserting the new image next to the existing image, then deleting the original image — for some themes, it's easy to lose track of where the image resides, so leaving it in place while you drop the new image in makes inserting a new image easier.

Remember, if you make a change and it doesn't turn out the way you expected, just Cancel instead of saving your changes, then start over. Be sure to proceed with caution any time you customize your site.

Delete a Site