Why so many e-Portfolios?

Why so many differentE-Portfolios ?
Or a voyage of discovery into e-Portfolios and Lifelong LearningRay TolleyMaximise ICT Ltd

Before looking at the number of e-Portfolios available to us, we should first look at the number of VLEs or Learning Platforms available to schools and colleges. And then reflect upon how many different implementations of e-Portfolios might be generated by each individual school’s VLE.

FirstClass
How many differentVLEs do you recognise ?

The first problem for those who want to use an e-Portfolio as a Lifelong learning tool is that in most cases where the e-Portfolio is embedded within the VLE it is not easily ‘portable’ between institutions.
Some may say that ‘interoperability’ will solve the problems of ‘portability’, however, we need to be careful about what can actually be ported from one system to another – very little in my view.

Some 18 months ago, whilst investigating the impact of VLEs in schools, we asked the following question and the resultant graph on the next slide reveals a worrying state of affairs.
However, the responses for ‘setting up and testing’ are also of concern in that, when asked further, none of the respondents could actually describe the potential functions of their e-Portfolio apart from ‘showcasing’.

Do you have an e-Portfolio system up-and-running?

Based upon the previous concerns, the following slides summarise some of my research and findings as presented to Becta last year.

An investigation into
the use of e-Portfolios in schools
particularly in Key Stage 4
by R J Tolley
30/04/2008

Becta’s Mandate
‘By spring 2008 the DCSF expects your learners
to have access to a personal
online learning space.’
‘….with the potential to support an e-portfolio (provided by their local authority)’
….to support assessment for learning, personalisation….
Learner engagement…. e-portfolios…. Tools and services - providing communication tools such asemail, messaging, discussion forums and blogs.

Definitions from JISC
‘Definitions of an e-portfolio tend to include the following elements:

A collection of digital resources;
That provide evidence of an individual’s progress and achievements;
Drawn from both formal and informal learning activities;
That are personally managed and owned by the learner;
That can be used for review, reflection and personal development planning;
That can be selectively accessed by other interested parties e.g. teachers, peers, assessors, awarding bodies, prospective employers.’

Helen Beetham (2005) http://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/eportfolio_ped.dochttp://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/eportfolio_ped.doc

From Dr Helen Barrett
Mirror Map Sonnet
Theoretical Act Story Journey
Laboratory Test Showcase
Celebration of Learning Across the Lifespan
Comparison with Financial Portfolios
Campfires around which we tell our stories
My digital clone My work companion My butler
My dashboard My planner Toothbrush
My IPR manager Caterpillar Confessional
Kaleidoscope Window(s) Tail-end-Charlie
Gatekeeper Constant Companion Festival
http://electronicportfolios.org/metaphors

From Evangeline Stefanakis
To see how portfolios can be a Window into the Learner’s Mind, it takes time to examine the student’s work and accompanying reflections. It may be helpful to first review the work, then the reflections, and then go back to the work to see what students did (visible in the work sample), along with how they did it and what they learned (in the reflection).
‘Multiple Intelligences and Portfolios’

Problem-Identification
Problem-Solving
Communicating Solutions
Multiple Intelligences
and Assessment
Ethical-Spiritual
Idea from ‘Multiple Intelligences & Portfolios’ by Evangeline Stefanakis

contexts
needs
expectations
pleasure
feelings
physical
desires
social
intellectual
fun
interests
aspirational
cognitive
rational
aesthetics
The Joy of e-Learning
Idea from a dissertation by Eva de Lera, University of Cataluña

19th Century thinking for 21st Century technology?
Schools and Further Education

Old perceptions of what media an e-Portfolio might contain,
Lack of confidence and experience of new technologies,
Lack of imagination re Helen Barrett’s metaphors,
Lack of encouragement by examination boards and assessors,
Lack of understanding of how people want to represent themselves.

Higher Education

Use of the e-Portfolio for content delivery only,
Traditional didactic styles often decades old,
Failure to invest in imaginative resources,
Limited to internal use eg for PDP,
Lack of understanding of how e-portfolios can be used for Lifelong, Lifewide Learning.

Old university styles

Industry and Commerce

Few workers have their own computer workspaces whilst at work,
Larger industries train for own skills-developments only,
SMEs do not have the resources for staff-development,
Personnel are often more mobile,
Lack any interest in how e-portfolios can be used for Lifelong, Lifewide Learning.

Industry not equipped

‘Confessions of a Teacher’
The parents were all amazed at their child’s e-portfolio. The children ran their conferences.
They showed their parents their e-portfolios and I was there to make comments about the feedback that I had posted on their goals.
It was great to see some parents who were very unsure about e-portfolio take delight in the fact that the children were leading the show.
Confessions of a Teacher at http://lissylea.blogspot.com/2009/06/arrrgh.html

Home Access
A government drive to make computers and the internet more accessible to low-income families has been so successful that funding is extended to allow more families to benefit from the scheme. Since the launch in February 2009, over 7,500 applicants have benefited in the pilot areas.
Home Access will ensure every learner has an equal chance to tap into the benefits of the internet to enhance their learning.
The £300 million Home Access programme aims to deliver equal learning opportunities to the 35 per cent of families that currently have no access to the internet at home.

10 Prime Directives
It is portable: It cannot be located in any one institution or embedded within a proprietary VLE.
It is personal: It is ‘owned’ by the user and is customisable to the user’s age, stage and style.
It is generic: It is not modelled on any particular curriculum delivery system nor content.
It is Web2.0: It should be compliant with all generic formats within the application.
It is MIS-free: It is not ‘hard-wired’ to any institution’s MIS infrastructure.
It is ‘lite’: It is not a permanent repository of all of a user’s files, rather a ‘transit camp’.
It is lifelong: Ownership must be maintainable as a continuity, ‘5-95’.
It is lifewide: It is capable of being used by all ages and abilities through a wide range of assistive templates.
It is accessible: It must recognise common standards of accessibility in terms of both outputs and inputs.
It is credible: Summative Assessment linked to a secure repository ie the awarding body or a central MIAP/Minerva archive.

But who would use the e-Portfolio?

The Pupil
The Teacher
The Form-tutor
The teacher (personal)
Member of SLMT
Governors
Parents
The New School
Mentors
Collaborators/peers
Careers Counsellors
Private tutors
W/E Placements
OCR Assessors
UCAS
FE/HE interviews
Potential Employers
Tribunal panel members

e-Portfolios and Functionality
Showcasing – via permissions;
Customisation – menus, pages, fonts, graphics;
Gatekeeper – a ‘filter’ on what to present;
Mentoring – ‘academic God-parents’;
Collaboration – safely with peers;
Favourites – my shortcuts/URLs;
Personal Organisation – an electronic ‘Planner’;
Planning –both formal and informal;
Feedback – from ‘friends’ and teachers;
Reflection – a place for quiet contemplation;
Monitoring – a personal log of grades, comments;
Assessment – what I do and how I do it.

e-Folio - Lifelong and Lifewide
Sophie at 7 years old

Sophie could have chosen the Diploma route

Sophie as a young professional

Well, if my mother-in-law can do it …..?

Link

e-Folio – selected demonstration sites