"Your Place to Succeed!"

Our Candidates Are Reflective Practitioners, Advocators of Diversity, Effective Facilitators, Critical Thinkers, Proficient Technology Users, And Competent Evaluators!

What is LiveText?  LiveText is a web-based subscription that allows users to create and submit projects and assignments on-line.  It allows the creation and long-term storage of electronic portfolios, projects, lesson plans and documents.  Collaboration between faculty and Candidates within LiveText allows faculty to assess Candidate work anywhere, anytime giving valuable feedback.  As a prospective teacher, it can be a valuable tool in marketing your educational career.  One of the most productive features of LiveText is the ability to collect and aggregate data for program evaluation and improvement.

Who is required to use LiveText?  As a prospective teacher, you are required to develop a LiveText Electronic Portfolio that will demonstrate your growth in professional competencies and that will provide you with opportunities to self-assess and reflect upon your own work.  All Education Majors/Minors Degree-Seeking, Certification or Licensure Only are required to purchase the Livetext.com Internet Access Code from the ECSU Bookstore in order to begin the required Electronic Portfolio, which is a major part of the Teacher Education Exit Interview. 

If I already have a 4-year degree and am currently employed as a lateral entry teacher with the school system, but coming back to school for Certification, do I have to create a LiveText Electronic Portfolio?  If you already have a 4-years degree and are currently employed as a lateral entry teacher in a school system, but coming back to ECSU for Certification in Teacher Education, you are exempt from the LiveText Electronic Portfolio requirement.  A letter from your Superintendent/Principal must be submitted to the ECSU Department of Education, in order to be exempt from this requirement.

Where do I purchase Livetext?  The Livetext membership can be purchased at the ECSU Bookstore or it can be purchased online.  http://college.livetext.com/purchasing/membership_student.html

The Standard LiveText Student Membership is $89.  It offers you full access to LiveText Solutions for the entire time you are registered and enrolled in an educational institution, plus an additional year after graduation. After your initial membership expires, you may renew it on a yearly basis.  You will need to use a credit card to purchase your Livetext license online.  This one-time cost will provide you with access to Livetext for your full 4 year educational career here at ECSU and your first full year of teaching.

The LiveText Student Membership with unitedstreaming™ is $120.  It offers you not only full access to LiveText Solutions but also complete and unlimited access to Discovery Education's unitedstreaming™ video library for the entire time you are registered and enrolled in an educational institution, plus an additional year after graduation. After your initial membership expires, you may renew it on a yearly basis. With this upgraded LiveText membership, you will have access to the largest educational digital video clip library that is currently available only to k-12 educators. Standard Student Membership holders may upgrade to the unitedstreaming™ membership at any time for $20.00.

Once you have obtained your Livetext CD/Access Code, contact Claudia Twiford at 252-335-3136 to activate your account and secure the ECSU School of Education Portfolio Template.

When do I start my LiveText Electronic Portfolio?  As a part of the EDUC 203 Intro to Computer Instructional Technology and EDUC 201 Foundations in Education, you will be introduced to the LiveText Electronic Portfolio requirements.  You can purchase LiveText at anytime during your educational career, but it is strongly suggested that once you have passed Praxis I and are accepted into the Teacher Education Program, you should begin your LiveText Portfolio.  Contact Claudia Twiford at 335-3136 to activate your account and learn skills in preparing your portfolio. 

How do I activate my account?  Once you have purchased the Livetext activation code, follow these directions:

1. Go to http://college.livetext.com
2. Click on Register Account 
3. Complete the registration form.
   • Be sure to use the key code that was on your LiveText CD (It is case sensitive!)
   • Select Elizabeth City State University.
   • Choose a user name and password that you will remember as I do not have access to these.  Write it down!
4. Click Next
5. Once you have completed your registration you may log in to LiveText.

 How do I get the ECSU Portfolio Template?

1. Login to livetext.com
2. If you are an ECSU Teacher Candidate, click on create - document - portfolio.  Choose the template entitled MY ECSU PORTFOLIO 4.  If you are a Music Major, select MY ECSU PORTFOLIO - MUSIC.  Customize the portfolio with your name (Ex. Michelle Pennington's Electronic Portfolio).  Click OK or Save.
3. If you are a Dare County - COA Teacher Candidate or Halifax CC Teacher Candidate, then click on Library on the left hand menu bar.  In the Search Box type: MY ECSU PORTFOLIO 4.  Click on MY ECSU PORTFOLIO 4.  Once the portfolio opens, click on Copy at the top. Enter  your Title: (Ex. Michelle Pennington’s Electronic Portfolio)
4. Click OK or Save.

How do I edit/add evidence (text, images, word document attachments) and reflections to my portfolio?

1. Inside your portfolio click on the word edit located on the colored bar.  Do not change the title, but do position your cursor and start typing your introduction.  The other information I have added can be deleted.
2. To put in your photo or an image, click on image - edit.
3. Click on Browse - Change to the drive where your photo is located. Click on the photo, click open.
4. Click on attach - when the file is visible, click on finish. 
5. Click on down arrow for Display Size.  The image should never been over 600.  Select medium size, unless it is an animated gif file from the Internet, then keep original size. 
6. Placement Choice should be to left of text or right of text if you want the text to wrap around the picture and save space.  Above or below text if you are attaching a certificate.
7. To add an attachment, click on Edit Attachment.
8. Click on Browse.
9. Find the file to be uploaded, click on it and click open.
10. Click Attach and Finish.
11. Click Save at the bottom.
12. Click Finish.

***Copying pictures from the web and pasting them in does not work properly.  The pictures/animations must reside on the LiveText Server.  Be Careful with this.

How do I edit a page and add more sections for Evidence Reflection and Standards:

1. Within your portfolio, click on Edit Page at the top.
2. Click on Create New Section.  Choose Text and Image.
3. Click on Edit under actions to change the name of the new section of Evidence Reflection (Like the others).  Use the arrows to move them up/down all around.
4. Create a new section for Standards.  Choose Standards.  No need to edit this one.  Use the arrows to move them up/down.

Click Finish when completed.  You can add as many as you need.

How do I share my portfolio with my Advisor?  To share a portfolio for review/evaluation, the person must be a member of Livetext.  All of our ECSU Advisors have Livetext Accounts. 

Special Note:  All Candidates are to share their portfolio with the Livetext Coordinator, Claudia Twiford, as a viewer, editor and reviewer.

1. At the top of your portfolio, click on Share.
2. Click on Shared (Viewers can see, Editors can modify.)
3. Under Reviewers, click on Lookup Names (in blue).  Scroll down near the bottom.  In the Look Up Member Names, type the person’s first and last name.  Click on All of Livetext.  Click on Lookup names.
4. You will now see the person’s name near the bottom.  Click in the box to choose one.  Click add checked.
5. You will notice that the professor checked is now a viewer and reviewer.  Click Finish.
6. Your professor can now review your work, make comments at the top, so that you can edit your work properly.

How do I share my portfolio with a visitor or prospective employer?  Visitors may view your portfolio, but cannot edit or evaluate/review.

1. Move back to your Livetext Home Page “My Desk” where you have a menu bar on the left-hand side.
2. Click on Visitors to create a visitor number.
3. Click on Create New at the top right.
4. Give the visitor pass a name. (Ex. Guest)
5. Click Create.
6. A Visitor’s Pass number will be generated.  (Write this number/letter code down.) You can edit this name or visitor pass by clicking edit on the far right.
7. You now must give the Visitor, Visiting Rights to access your portfolio by following the instructions.
8. On the main menu bar, click on portfolio and click on your portfolio.  Click on Share at the top of the page.
9. Click on Shared (Viewers can see.  Editors can modify.)
10. Click on the down arrow by Visitors.  Click on the name of the visitor you created earlier and click add.  Click Finish.

Now you can share this password with a prospective employer or friend to login as a visitor at the Livetext.com site.

Who will assess my portfolio?  Your Advisor, Cooperating Teacher, University Student Teaching Supervisor, and the Faculty will review your work throughout your educational career and make comments/suggestions. 

When will my portfolio be assessed?  There are two checkpoints for assessing your portfolio.  The first assessment is Checkpoint 1 prior to student teaching.  The final assessment is Checkpoint 2 prior to graduation.  Below is a .pdf file of the Checkpoints 1 and 2.

Check Point 1 Assessment Before Student Teaching

Check Point 2 Assessment After Student Teaching

Once my portfolio is assessed, how do I view the comments/assessment? 

1. On the main menu, click on Review.
2. On the far right, you will see the names of faculty/advisors that you have given reviewers rights.  Click on View.  This will allow you to see their comments about your work.  When corrections have been made, you will click Send so that the Reviewer can assess your work again.  This is a great collaboration tool!
3. To view the Checkpoint 1 and 2 assessment, open your portfolio and click on View Assessment at the top right.

Once my portfolio is completed, how do I export my LiveText Portfolio to a CD?  Below are the instructions for exporting your portfolio in a .pdf file.

Livetext Instructions on How to Export.pdf

***An Example of a Candidate's Portfolio ~ Heather Ashley ~ You may visit her portfolio by logging in as a Visitor with this code ~ 554718BC

LiveText First Step Grant Partnerships Assistance for our Livetext First Step Grant Partners at College of the Albemarle - Elizabeth City, College of the Albemarle - Dare and Halifax Community College - Halifax County will be provided by: Altovise Martin - College of the Albemarle - Elizabeth City Claudia Twiford - College of the Albemarle - Dare County Claudia Twiford - Halifax Community College - Halifax County   If you are a Halifax Community College and College of the Albemarle - Elizabeth City and Dare County student, Click Here for more information! Created 5/27/2005 Revised 4/11/2008 For More Information Contact: Claudia C. Twiford cctwiford@mail.ecsu.edu