Personal portals allow individuals to construct an internet browser homepage (default page) with tools and links that are relevant and regularly used. Most are private pages for the individual logging on, Pageflakes and Netvibes have “public” options that allow individuals to share their portal pages.

Common Features:

• variety of widgets/flakes/nodes to imbed on the page
  
• ability to make more than one page
• ability to share with other users
• ability to make public

Tools:

• Google Homepage (http://www.google.com/ig)
• MyYahoo (http://my.yahoo.com/)
• Pageflakes (http://www.pageflakes.com/)
• Netvibes (http://www.netvibes.com/)

Resources

• iGoogle…Another Reason to Love Google
• Using Pageflakes as a Student Portal

How might you use Personal Portals in Scholarship?

• Construct specific portal pages for individual projects to keep track of your work, internet resources, etc.
• Use portals to share online references for public presentations.
• Use portals as starting points for presentations with a lot of online content.
• Sample Presentation Page
• Sample Presentation Page
  

How might you use Personal Portals in Teaching?

• Construct specific portal pages for course resource (consider making public for students to access as well)
• Sample Course Portal Page (w/blank hole for embedded Google Calendar)
  
• Have student construct so that they connect all the online resources for one course in one area
• Sample Course Topic Portal Page (Writing)
  
• Sample Course Topic Portal Page (Writing)
  
• Sample Assignment Prompt

How might your students use Personal Portals in their lives?

• More readily keeping tabs (and links) available for internet use
• Have access to the same internet “homepage” on public computers