These instructions are designed to help get started creating a Learning Portfolio in WordPress.

Developing your portfolio is a cyclical process: first you set up your account, then you begin reading the tutorials and exploring WordPress blogs and capabilities, then you begin experimenting with your own site, developing your content. When you’re ready to show your stuff, publish and send your URL to people you want to share with. Then go back to learning, developing, publishing ….learning, developing, publishing!

WordPress’ rich features and easy accessibility make it a great tool for Learning Portfolios.

1. Get started by following the instructions on this page: http://learn.wordpress.com/get-started/
2. Take the time to step through the tutorials on the Get Started page, at least through #8: Get Flashy. Have fun with the process and explore some blogs as you discover features.
3. In case you haven’t realized it yet, you can limit who views your site by choosing between the options available through your site dashboard, choosing the settings/reading page.
4. The guidelines you’re following will help determine how much of your content is in pages and how much is in the posts on your home page.
5. An important part of your portfolio work will include making connections to work you’ve already completed. You can upload many kinds of files into your media library in WordPress. You can then link to those files from content in your pages. The Get Flashy tutorial tells you how to link to your files.
6. Another important part of your portfolio work will include selecting or creating appropriate images related to your content. You can upload images to your media library and insert them into your pages. One way to create image (.jpg) files from graphic diagrams and models is to build them in an  application (such as Google doc’s Drawing app, or PowerPoint) that allows you to save them in .jpg or other some other image format.
7. Here are instructions to get a graph from Excel Spreadsheet into “picture” format: While in Excel, select your graph, so that the entire graph is selected. When the entire border is “highlighted” the entire graph is selected. Choose the “copy” option to put the graph on the “clipboard,” then “paste” it into a graphic application, such as Microsoft Paint or Photoshop. Then, save your file with a .jpg, .png, or .gif format. This works if you copy the graph from a chart sheet OR from a work sheet.
8. If you want to include video files that you’ve created in your portfolio, a useful way to do this is to save them in YouTube and then link to them so you don’t have to pay for extra storage space in WordPress.
9. If you get stuck use the help packages with WordPress. They are extensive!

If you’ve tried hard to figure things out and feel frustrated, you’re welcome to email me with details. I’ll try to point you in the right direction!

Suzanne <skroeze@csumb.edu>