RCPS Technology

At some point in time, most of us have learned the hard way about the importance of backing up our work. So we burn CDs, use our thumb/flash drives, attach files to our email accounts, and use other similar methods to make sure that we have our important files accessible to us in more than one place.

On our Rockingham Hotlist site, we host the links to Portaportal sites created by many, many RCPS teachers. A quick scan of any of the Portaportal sites indicates that a lot of time goes into the development of each one. Teachers carefully review websites and place them into categories for use by students, parents, and anyone else interested.

What if the developer of Portaportal decided that he no longer wanted to support the site and pulled the plug? With no warning. When he works on his servers and takes Portaportal down each time, I hold my breath till it comes back up, worrying about the hours and hours and hours of lost work by teachers if he suspended the site.

Solution? It’s easy to back up a web page such as one created at Portaportal. Here’s how:

1. Go to your Portaportal page.
2. From the menu, choose File -> Save As.
3. In the save window, select where you want to place the file, then click Save.

Depending on your browser and other options, graphics from the page may or may not be there. No big deal. The important thing, however, is that by saving the page, your LINKS are archived in this file. If you have a Portaportal site, do this as a routine after you add links to your page.

By the way, if you don’t already have one, Portaportal sites are easy to create. Go to http://www.portaportal.com and click the tutorial link found on that page for an overview of the steps. Even without the tutorial, it’s easy enough to navigate on your own. Portaportal is free, an added bonus. It’s a great way to organize good websites for your classroom. And if you create one for personal use, it’s a terrific way to always have your “favorites” with you, no matter what computer, no matter what location.

And, as always, remember to back up your page!

Posted by Stephanie Failes, RCPS Technology Instructional Specialist