How to select open-software to create an electronic portfolio system
As part of this study an extensive contextual analysis was undertaken . 35 open source software applications were either dedicated ePortfolio systems or Content Management Systems or Web logs systems. The Content Management and Weblog systems were included as a back-up strategy in case a suitable ePortfolio system could not be found. The contextual analysis also revealed that a common approach to creating an ePortfolio system is to modify a Content Management system or Weblog to act as an ePortfolio. This can be achieved through the use of customised themes and plug-ins. A theme is a skin that can be modified to include pages such as an about me section. A plug-in is a software application that allows for customised applications to be included into a Content Management system or Weblog. To be considered successful each piece of software had to meet a number of criteria.
