Posts Tagged ‘e-portfolio’


May 15th, 2009

Investigating e-portfolios: The learner’s perspective

 

E-portfolio (EP) learner preferences in an EP system:

Flexibility: EPs are about people, rather than technology. EP tools should be unobtrusive, supportive & flexible to accommodate the diverse learner needs & preferences who can benefit from the ability to integrate their choice of tools into the EP system (i.e. social networking websites for discussion or mobile devices for capturing evidence). The ability to customise is especially important if EPs are used for reflection and personal development. Flexible EPs encourage learners to explore different ways of understanding and recording the learning journey & to gain a better appreciation of their learning preferences.

Learning Goal Matrix: EPs are most effective when used along with a learning goal matrix and introduced to learners at the very beginning. The goals matrix, discussed and negotiated first with the class, establishes ownership of the portfolio building process and encourages learners to reflect on their learning throughout the development journey.  EP based tasks have more credibility for learners if learner progress against the goals matrix is assessed.

Teacher Engagement: Learners become empowered through the reflective cycle associated with EP based learning. However, learners require guidance and direction throughout the learning cycle and a system that promotes dialogue with teachers and provides prompt and personalised feedback is preferred. Teacher engagement enables learners to be more focused on attainment of learning goals by facilitating an understanding of areas for improvement.

Peer learning: Working partnership between learners, teachers and peers is important in the achievement of EP-based learning objectives. Peer-to-peer support in a school establishes a shared understanding of the value of EPs for all participants. Participative discussion within EPs during reflection helps identify difficulties that impact the achievement of learning goals. Reflection provides a record of skills development over time – a progressive track record of which can boost learners’ sense of self worth. 

Supporting e-portfolio learners: Flexible support options are critical to learners’ progress. Learners are more likely to respond positively if EP use is introduced through carefully scaffolded tasks.

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May 13th, 2009

e-portfolios – A celebration of an vibrant & reflective mind

‘The e-portfolio is the central and common point for the student learning experience… It is a reflection of the student as a person undergoing continuous personal development, not just a store of evidence.’ 

Geoff Rebbeck, e-Learning Coordinator, Thanet College

e-portfolios provide learners the opportunity to personalise even the most prescribed curriculum by customising the learning process based on preferences and needs.

One of the main benefits from using e-Portfolio in learning is the ability to share developing ideas and receive prompt feedback, thus increasing the learners’ ability to understand concepts that were initially unfamiliar. When effectively embedded into practice, the dialogic functions commonly found in e-portfolio systems support a learning community to enhance the performance of both, individuals and teams.

eportfolio1

A model of e-portfolio-based learning, adapted from Kolb (1984)

As learners experience critical moments in their learning, they can express their responses, collect and organise information and plan their next steps, potentially within an integrated digital environment. One of the more important skills fostered by e-portfolio is of reflection and forward planning – skills that have relevance across all subject disciplines.

E-portfolios facilitate the recording, organising and storage of narratives about self which develop over time to provide a record of the learning journey that each learner is engaged in. Learners gain knowledge about self and environment by exploring aspects of their learning and wider life experiences.

Last but not the least, e-portfolio use can generate many of the skills that learners need to effectively navigate their way through the complex demands of an information age. 

Note: Sourced from a report titled Effective Practice with e-Portfolios, published by JISC  

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May 12th, 2009

Electronic portfolios – a multimodal education tool

‘An e-portfolio is a purposeful aggregation of digital items – ideas, evidence, reflections, feedback etc, which “presents” a selected audience with evidence of a person’s learning and/or ability.’

Sutherland, S. and Powell, A. (2007)

The primary aim of an Electronic portfolio (EP) is to collect evidence for summative assessment, to demonstrate achievement, record progress and set targets – as in records of achievement and individual learning plans (ILPs) – or to nurture a continuing process of personal development and reflective learning. It is an important tool that can be used to support and document student learning as well as the development of educational, personal, and professional skills.  EPs support portfolio pedagogy by engaging individuals in deep reflection on their learning and provide evidence of professional and intellectual growth as well as documenting the complex processes involved in learning.

Portfolio creation and management is pedagogically a good practice for both teachers and students. Teachers, while doing their teacher training program need to build up work portfolio which some schools expect them to present at the time of interview so that it gives them an insight into the kind of teacher he/she is. Some teachers continue this practice along with helping their students develop theirs. Many educational programs (including IB and Reggio) have made it a mandatory tool of assessment and reflection. 

Although paper portfolios have long been in use as valuable sources of evidence that document an individual’s growth and learning processes, the emergence of Web 2.0 tools and the increasing accessibility of digital technology has prompted many educators and professionals to shift from paper to electronic portfolios.  EPs allows for multimodal artefacts, e.g. images, videos, audio files, or programming snippets, along with more traditional rich media files such as Word documents, PowerPoints, spreadsheets etc., to be collected, managed and presented to different audiences as evidence of learning and skills development over time.  EPs are much more dynamic, interactive and flexible than their physical counterparts.

An EP, like its paper equivalent, is produced at key points in a learning journey – (when demonstrating the outcomes of learning, the next stage of learning, etc).  EPs demonstrate what is important about the individual at a particular point in time – their achievements, reflections on learning and, potentially, a rich and rounded picture of their abilities, aspirations and ambitions.

Note: Some excerpts of this blog have been sourced from a report titled Effective Practice with e-Portfolios, published by JISC  

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