Staff INSET for e-Portfolios in FE is seriously lacking. This paper attempts to address some of the issues relating to a proper understanding of the use of e-Portfolios in teaching, learning and formative assessment.
How could Open Badges Transform ePortfolio Practices and Technologies! Serge Ravet
Looking at the history of ePortfolio practice and technologies over the last 10 years, one is entitled in asking: what has changed? Is the ePortfolio technology we have today that different from what we had 10 years ago? While there is certainly a wider spread of ePortfolios, have ePortfolios transformed practice or been assimilated by institutions?
Open Badges are the opportunity to reinvent ePortfolio technology and practice, and create the conditions for an effective shift of the locus of power from institutions to individuals and communities. Shall we be able to seize this opportunity?
1) The document discusses the proliferation of different e-portfolio systems that exist across schools, colleges, and learning platforms, which limits the portability of student work between institutions.
2) It then examines definitions and metaphors used for e-portfolios, as well as potential functions like showcasing, customization, feedback, and assessment.
3) Key challenges are identified around adoption of e-portfolios, including outdated views of their purpose and a lack of support for lifelong learning beyond formal education settings.
Presentation on my research into the status of VLEs in UK schools to the BETT Show 2008. Not attempting to provide examples of 'best practice' but rather to publicise the present variation and need for action.
Presentation for Centre of Legal Education Conference 2014:
https://www4.ntu.ac.uk/apps/events/3/home.aspx/event/149178/default/centre_for_legal_education_conference_2014
1. The document discusses electronic portfolios (e-portfolios), which allow individuals to digitally showcase their skills and achievements. There are several types of e-portfolios, including working, academic, presentation, and professional portfolios.
2. E-portfolios have several benefits over traditional paper portfolios, such as the ability to include varied media like videos and links. They can be used for purposes like applying to graduate school or seeking employment.
3. Whether used for education or career purposes, e-portfolios generally include components like biographies, educational/work backgrounds, honors, artifacts demonstrating skills, and contact information. Their use benefits both students and employers.
1. An electronic portfolio (e-portfolio) allows individuals to digitally collect and display their learning, skills, and achievements. It serves the same purpose as a traditional paper portfolio but allows for more varied content like videos and links.
2. There are several types of e-portfolios including working, academic, presentation, and professional. They vary based on their purpose and intended audience.
3. Effective e-portfolios generally include a biography, work history, competencies demonstrated through artifacts and reflections, and contact information. Artifacts can be many digital file types and should be accompanied by an explanation of their relevance.
How could Open Badges Transform ePortfolio Practices and Technologies! Serge Ravet
Looking at the history of ePortfolio practice and technologies over the last 10 years, one is entitled in asking: what has changed? Is the ePortfolio technology we have today that different from what we had 10 years ago? While there is certainly a wider spread of ePortfolios, have ePortfolios transformed practice or been assimilated by institutions?
Open Badges are the opportunity to reinvent ePortfolio technology and practice, and create the conditions for an effective shift of the locus of power from institutions to individuals and communities. Shall we be able to seize this opportunity?
1) The document discusses the proliferation of different e-portfolio systems that exist across schools, colleges, and learning platforms, which limits the portability of student work between institutions.
2) It then examines definitions and metaphors used for e-portfolios, as well as potential functions like showcasing, customization, feedback, and assessment.
3) Key challenges are identified around adoption of e-portfolios, including outdated views of their purpose and a lack of support for lifelong learning beyond formal education settings.
Presentation on my research into the status of VLEs in UK schools to the BETT Show 2008. Not attempting to provide examples of 'best practice' but rather to publicise the present variation and need for action.
Presentation for Centre of Legal Education Conference 2014:
https://www4.ntu.ac.uk/apps/events/3/home.aspx/event/149178/default/centre_for_legal_education_conference_2014
1. The document discusses electronic portfolios (e-portfolios), which allow individuals to digitally showcase their skills and achievements. There are several types of e-portfolios, including working, academic, presentation, and professional portfolios.
2. E-portfolios have several benefits over traditional paper portfolios, such as the ability to include varied media like videos and links. They can be used for purposes like applying to graduate school or seeking employment.
3. Whether used for education or career purposes, e-portfolios generally include components like biographies, educational/work backgrounds, honors, artifacts demonstrating skills, and contact information. Their use benefits both students and employers.
1. An electronic portfolio (e-portfolio) allows individuals to digitally collect and display their learning, skills, and achievements. It serves the same purpose as a traditional paper portfolio but allows for more varied content like videos and links.
2. There are several types of e-portfolios including working, academic, presentation, and professional. They vary based on their purpose and intended audience.
3. Effective e-portfolios generally include a biography, work history, competencies demonstrated through artifacts and reflections, and contact information. Artifacts can be many digital file types and should be accompanied by an explanation of their relevance.
Coding bootcamps love promoting stories. Rags-to-riches and redemption stories reinforce the mythology the technology industry tells about itself: anyone with the smarts and grit can succeed rising through the ranks to work at Facebook or Google. And success stories do happen. What is seldom mentioned is that these stories are exceptions.
Using Technology Resources to Support Learners with Complex and Profound Needsmagsmckay
This presentation created by Margaret McKay of the JISC RSC Scotland SW was delivered as part of the Scotland's Colleges Resources day for staff supporting learners with profound and complex needs.
Young people tend to acquire a range and variety of skills and competences through processes of non-formal and informal learning. These skills may be developed when they take on certain responsibilities within their own family, when they meet up with friends, or when they get involved in sport, music-making, through involvement in employment or indeed as a result of voluntary or community work...
The document summarizes an information kit on open educational resources (OERs). It discusses the history and development of the OER movement, from early initiatives like MIT's OpenCourseWare to the growth of open content repositories and search applications. While OERs provide efficiency and cost benefits, barriers to adoption include cultural issues around ownership and value of academic work. The document also critiques common conceptions of OERs, arguing they overlook learning from experienced practitioners and recontextualize the roles of teachers and learners. It concludes the OER scenario will challenge traditional institutional resource models as learning shifts with increased internet access and learner autonomy.
1. The document discusses MOOCs (massive open online courses), describing what they are, where they came from, current initiatives, and their potential educational value.
2. It notes that while MOOCs aim to harness online social learning, there is no evidence they have achieved defined learning outcomes yet. MOOCs started as self-organized learning but may become more structured over time as established in educational systems.
3. Prominent MOOC providers like edX, Coursera, and FutureLearn are discussed. While MOOCs have potential to increase access to education, questions remain around pedagogy, sustainability, and accreditation.
Reinventing the ePortfolio with Open BadgesSerge Ravet
How Open Badges and the Open Badge Infrastructure (OBI) could be the foundations for a new type of ePortfolio, the Open Passport allowing the creation of 'holographic identities' based on the establishment of bottom-up trust networks.
E-learning Quality in European SMEs: An Analysis of the E-learning Experience...Morten Flate Paulsen
A 30-minute presentation at the conference: E-Learning Quality and Return on Investment for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Lisboa, Portugal, November 13, 2007.
Kenneth Edwards discusses the expectations placed on universities in the knowledge society and how universities are adapting to meet these expectations. He outlines four main conclusions from a study conducted by the Association of European Universities (AEU). First, there is a great deal of experimentation with new technologies but efforts are often underfunded and face hostility from professors and staff. Second, developing high quality online content is very expensive. Third, universities must be proactive to meet rising student expectations and potential competition. Fourth, education networks should be integrated with other university systems like administration. Edwards also stresses the importance of preparing students for changing careers and teaching them lifelong learning skills.
This document discusses trends in social media, personal technologies, and their impact on technology enhanced learning (TEL). It finds that social media usage is growing rapidly, led by Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. Younger users experiment frequently with new apps and platforms. Mobile access to social media is also rising quickly, led by smartphones, tablets, and personal cloud services. Within education, academics are increasingly using social media like YouTube, blogs and wikis to support teaching. Looking ahead, the document predicts that social media and personal technologies will profoundly transform educational delivery, with learning environments constructed online using freely available tools.
This white paper analyzes the rise of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and their implications for higher education. It finds that while MOOCs expand access to education on a large scale, they also face challenges regarding sustainability, pedagogy, completion rates and assessment. MOOCs could disrupt existing higher education models through new business models that leverage online learning. However, widespread adoption of MOOCs may be limited by a reliance on educated, tech-savvy early adopters. The paper concludes that higher education institutions should establish autonomous business units to explore online innovations and their potential impacts.
The document discusses some of the key challenges facing university CIOs in providing IT services and support to meet the evolving needs of today's digitally connected students. It outlines issues such as ensuring ubiquitous wireless access and access to specialized academic software. It also discusses the need to balance open collaboration with security as well as finding and retaining cybersecurity talent. The CIO aims to facilitate strengthening the learning experience for students in a cost-effective way through investments in tools that enhance teaching and support research activities while maintaining a safe and secure environment.
Presentation of Timothy Read, for EDEN's European Online and Distance Learning Week on 'European Vocational Skills Week 2020 – VET and digital tools' - Monday, November 9, 2020, 13:00-14:30 CET
More info:
https://www.eden-online.org/eden_conference/eodlw-2020-10/
Universities and Web 2.0: Institutional challengeseLearning Papers
Author: Juan Freire.
The irruption of the Web 2.0 internet in universities does not modify only learning models - organizative models are also challenged, creating important fears among the managers of the institutions. Teachers, researchers and students started some years ago to use social software tools, but in few cases these experiences have allowed any scaling from the individual to the institutional level.
Career day 2014 at Queens Vocational and Technical HSKristen T
I had the wonderful opportunity to give a talk on Career Day at Queens Vocational and Technical HS this past Friday (6/6/14), these are the slides that I used. I also posted some resources for the students here: http://www.protopage.com/ktreglia#Untitled/Career_Day_2014
Tutellus.io - Whitepaper - v3.25.
Education, The Pending Asset
Education has hardly improved in the
last thousand years, and most
importantly: no educational model
lets people earn money while they
study. On the contrary, they have to
invest in their own education hoping
to earn that money back in the long
term.
There are, as we see it, four main problems in education:
1. People cannot earn money studying, they have to spend more
instead.
2. Students often lack motivation, so they often stop studying.
3. Teachers can’t earn money depending on the value of the students
that they generate, and are not fairly retributed for their efforts.
4. There is a huge gap between employment and education, withmillions of jobs unfilled.
The document summarizes a roundtable discussion hosted by the BizMOOC project. It provides an agenda for the roundtable including presentations on the state of MOOCs, lifelong learning in the workplace, and business strategies for using MOOCs. Reflections from participants acknowledge challenges like cultural shifts needed in businesses to recognize lifelong learning, and the need to demonstrate cost savings to businesses from MOOC implementation. Next steps include disseminating outcomes to stakeholders and promoting an upcoming webinar on MOOC design.
This document discusses the use of e-portfolios to support lifelong learning beyond formal education. It provides an overview of a research project that looked at how e-portfolios are used globally to support career development, workforce development, and continuing professional development. The research investigated existing regional implementations and interviewed implementers to understand challenges for e-portfolio providers and owners from a lifelong learning perspective. The document also discusses several specific examples of e-portfolio implementations in different countries and sectors, and examines challenges for implementing e-portfolios to support lifelong learning on a national scale.
This document discusses the need for technology training in the telecommunications sector and proposes flexible training solutions. Rapid advances in telecom technologies require personnel to have up-to-date skills and knowledge. However, traditional classroom training can be costly and ineffective at scaling. The document proposes asynchronous online learning as a more flexible and cost-effective approach that allows staff to learn at their own pace and revisit materials. It emphasizes the importance of interactive online content that engages learners over simple presentations.
Широкая платформа для создания инфопродукта на любую финансовую тематику. От финансового отчета предприятия до презентации финансовой стратегии развития – шаблон Презентациуса на 24 слайда поможет реализовать любую идею.
Coding bootcamps love promoting stories. Rags-to-riches and redemption stories reinforce the mythology the technology industry tells about itself: anyone with the smarts and grit can succeed rising through the ranks to work at Facebook or Google. And success stories do happen. What is seldom mentioned is that these stories are exceptions.
Using Technology Resources to Support Learners with Complex and Profound Needsmagsmckay
This presentation created by Margaret McKay of the JISC RSC Scotland SW was delivered as part of the Scotland's Colleges Resources day for staff supporting learners with profound and complex needs.
Young people tend to acquire a range and variety of skills and competences through processes of non-formal and informal learning. These skills may be developed when they take on certain responsibilities within their own family, when they meet up with friends, or when they get involved in sport, music-making, through involvement in employment or indeed as a result of voluntary or community work...
The document summarizes an information kit on open educational resources (OERs). It discusses the history and development of the OER movement, from early initiatives like MIT's OpenCourseWare to the growth of open content repositories and search applications. While OERs provide efficiency and cost benefits, barriers to adoption include cultural issues around ownership and value of academic work. The document also critiques common conceptions of OERs, arguing they overlook learning from experienced practitioners and recontextualize the roles of teachers and learners. It concludes the OER scenario will challenge traditional institutional resource models as learning shifts with increased internet access and learner autonomy.
1. The document discusses MOOCs (massive open online courses), describing what they are, where they came from, current initiatives, and their potential educational value.
2. It notes that while MOOCs aim to harness online social learning, there is no evidence they have achieved defined learning outcomes yet. MOOCs started as self-organized learning but may become more structured over time as established in educational systems.
3. Prominent MOOC providers like edX, Coursera, and FutureLearn are discussed. While MOOCs have potential to increase access to education, questions remain around pedagogy, sustainability, and accreditation.
Reinventing the ePortfolio with Open BadgesSerge Ravet
How Open Badges and the Open Badge Infrastructure (OBI) could be the foundations for a new type of ePortfolio, the Open Passport allowing the creation of 'holographic identities' based on the establishment of bottom-up trust networks.
E-learning Quality in European SMEs: An Analysis of the E-learning Experience...Morten Flate Paulsen
A 30-minute presentation at the conference: E-Learning Quality and Return on Investment for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Lisboa, Portugal, November 13, 2007.
Kenneth Edwards discusses the expectations placed on universities in the knowledge society and how universities are adapting to meet these expectations. He outlines four main conclusions from a study conducted by the Association of European Universities (AEU). First, there is a great deal of experimentation with new technologies but efforts are often underfunded and face hostility from professors and staff. Second, developing high quality online content is very expensive. Third, universities must be proactive to meet rising student expectations and potential competition. Fourth, education networks should be integrated with other university systems like administration. Edwards also stresses the importance of preparing students for changing careers and teaching them lifelong learning skills.
This document discusses trends in social media, personal technologies, and their impact on technology enhanced learning (TEL). It finds that social media usage is growing rapidly, led by Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. Younger users experiment frequently with new apps and platforms. Mobile access to social media is also rising quickly, led by smartphones, tablets, and personal cloud services. Within education, academics are increasingly using social media like YouTube, blogs and wikis to support teaching. Looking ahead, the document predicts that social media and personal technologies will profoundly transform educational delivery, with learning environments constructed online using freely available tools.
This white paper analyzes the rise of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and their implications for higher education. It finds that while MOOCs expand access to education on a large scale, they also face challenges regarding sustainability, pedagogy, completion rates and assessment. MOOCs could disrupt existing higher education models through new business models that leverage online learning. However, widespread adoption of MOOCs may be limited by a reliance on educated, tech-savvy early adopters. The paper concludes that higher education institutions should establish autonomous business units to explore online innovations and their potential impacts.
The document discusses some of the key challenges facing university CIOs in providing IT services and support to meet the evolving needs of today's digitally connected students. It outlines issues such as ensuring ubiquitous wireless access and access to specialized academic software. It also discusses the need to balance open collaboration with security as well as finding and retaining cybersecurity talent. The CIO aims to facilitate strengthening the learning experience for students in a cost-effective way through investments in tools that enhance teaching and support research activities while maintaining a safe and secure environment.
Presentation of Timothy Read, for EDEN's European Online and Distance Learning Week on 'European Vocational Skills Week 2020 – VET and digital tools' - Monday, November 9, 2020, 13:00-14:30 CET
More info:
https://www.eden-online.org/eden_conference/eodlw-2020-10/
Universities and Web 2.0: Institutional challengeseLearning Papers
Author: Juan Freire.
The irruption of the Web 2.0 internet in universities does not modify only learning models - organizative models are also challenged, creating important fears among the managers of the institutions. Teachers, researchers and students started some years ago to use social software tools, but in few cases these experiences have allowed any scaling from the individual to the institutional level.
Career day 2014 at Queens Vocational and Technical HSKristen T
I had the wonderful opportunity to give a talk on Career Day at Queens Vocational and Technical HS this past Friday (6/6/14), these are the slides that I used. I also posted some resources for the students here: http://www.protopage.com/ktreglia#Untitled/Career_Day_2014
Tutellus.io - Whitepaper - v3.25.
Education, The Pending Asset
Education has hardly improved in the
last thousand years, and most
importantly: no educational model
lets people earn money while they
study. On the contrary, they have to
invest in their own education hoping
to earn that money back in the long
term.
There are, as we see it, four main problems in education:
1. People cannot earn money studying, they have to spend more
instead.
2. Students often lack motivation, so they often stop studying.
3. Teachers can’t earn money depending on the value of the students
that they generate, and are not fairly retributed for their efforts.
4. There is a huge gap between employment and education, withmillions of jobs unfilled.
The document summarizes a roundtable discussion hosted by the BizMOOC project. It provides an agenda for the roundtable including presentations on the state of MOOCs, lifelong learning in the workplace, and business strategies for using MOOCs. Reflections from participants acknowledge challenges like cultural shifts needed in businesses to recognize lifelong learning, and the need to demonstrate cost savings to businesses from MOOC implementation. Next steps include disseminating outcomes to stakeholders and promoting an upcoming webinar on MOOC design.
This document discusses the use of e-portfolios to support lifelong learning beyond formal education. It provides an overview of a research project that looked at how e-portfolios are used globally to support career development, workforce development, and continuing professional development. The research investigated existing regional implementations and interviewed implementers to understand challenges for e-portfolio providers and owners from a lifelong learning perspective. The document also discusses several specific examples of e-portfolio implementations in different countries and sectors, and examines challenges for implementing e-portfolios to support lifelong learning on a national scale.
This document discusses the need for technology training in the telecommunications sector and proposes flexible training solutions. Rapid advances in telecom technologies require personnel to have up-to-date skills and knowledge. However, traditional classroom training can be costly and ineffective at scaling. The document proposes asynchronous online learning as a more flexible and cost-effective approach that allows staff to learn at their own pace and revisit materials. It emphasizes the importance of interactive online content that engages learners over simple presentations.
Широкая платформа для создания инфопродукта на любую финансовую тематику. От финансового отчета предприятия до презентации финансовой стратегии развития – шаблон Презентациуса на 24 слайда поможет реализовать любую идею.
The document provides information to homeowners affected by the 2007 California wildfires on legal issues related to underinsurance claims. It discusses determining if a homeowner is underinsured, strategies for negotiating claims, documenting the scope of loss, obtaining independent estimates, and pursuing legal remedies if an insurance company refuses to fully cover costs. Key steps include calculating total losses, reviewing coverage limits, consulting an attorney, and filing a complaint with the Department of Insurance if necessary.
Canada has a federal parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarchy. Power is divided between the central federal government and regional provincial governments. Citizens participate through democratic elections and vote for members of parliament. The prime minister is the leader of the party that wins the most seats in the House of Commons and works closely with parliament. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, while the governor general represents the monarch.
In order to build and maintain customer loyalty, it is necessary to also build a strong reputation. A strong reputation is valuable because it provides you with market differentiation and a competitive advantage. This paper discusses the importance of company reputation in the energy industry and how you can utilize reputation ratings to build and maintain your brand equity.
India ranks 134th out of 182 countries on the Human Development Index, with over 170 million rural and 49.6 million urban people living in severe poverty. The Ashraya program was introduced in 2003 in Kerala to help destitute families access basic necessities and opportunities to become self-reliant. A study of 70 Ashraya beneficiary families in Ernakulam District found that 75% lived in rural areas, with 48% classified as Below Poverty Line and only 30% self-employed. The program aims to provide awareness, ensure participation in local governance, and conduct regular evaluations.
Naace Strategic Conference 2009 - Bill Tagg Bursary - Ray TolleyNaace Naace
The document discusses the current state of virtual learning environments (VLEs) in schools in the UK. It notes that there is a wide variety in adoption and use of VLEs across schools, with many not using the systems they have installed effectively. It recommends that the government and regulatory bodies provide clearer guidance and support to help standardize best practices for VLE implementation and staff training. It also calls for more research on emerging technologies and their potential to further enhance teaching and learning.
The document discusses e-portfolios and their potential use. It notes that currently there is confusion around what e-portfolios are used for and that existing systems are often limited. It then outlines 11 groups of "forgotten armies" who could benefit from e-portfolios, including older adults, rural communities, prisoners, and the unemployed. Finally, it argues that e-portfolios should be portable, privately owned by learners, easy to use, and allow sharing of work in different formats in order to help all people engage in learning.
The document discusses the use and benefits of electronic portfolios (e-portfolios) in classrooms. It notes that e-portfolios can function as both an assessment tool for students and a way for them to showcase their work in a format that could serve as a resume. The document also explains that e-portfolios allow the inclusion of multimedia elements like videos and podcasts that provide insights beyond traditional papers and projects. Finally, the author expresses their goals of both creating effective e-portfolios for their own use in art and teaching and helping their future students utilize the tool to demonstrate their learning in relevant ways.
An e-Portfolio is a digital collection of work and artifacts that demonstrates a person's skills, qualifications, and experiences over time. It can be used for various purposes, such as tracking one's own work, preparing for a job search, or showing learning in a class. There are three main types of e-Portfolios: showcase, learning, and assessment. An e-Portfolio typically includes items like a resume, work samples, education history, and references. While the specific contents may vary, e-Portfolios generally highlight an individual's strengths and showcase their best work.
Key-note presentation of the TACCLE project results and ICT in education to the AquaTnet conference in Vilamoura (PT) - September 8th 2011
By Jens Vermeersch
Presentation of Simon Paul Atkinson for EDEN's Education in time of pandemic webinar series on 'How to engage and support students online' - 27 April 2020, 17:00 CEST
More info:
https://www.eden-online.org/how-to-engage-and-support-students-online/
The document discusses the rise of electronic portfolios (e-portfolios) with the growth of technologies like social media, apps, and web 2.0 tools. E-portfolios allow for the archiving, storing, and reflecting of information in a digital collection. They can be used for various purposes in education and employment, including as a working portfolio, showcase portfolio, assessment portfolio, learning/formative portfolio, assessment/summative portfolio, and employment/marketing portfolio. As educators, e-portfolios can enhance student learning outcomes by allowing them to archive their digital work and growth over time in a personalized manner. They also give students and job seekers ownership and a way to represent their experiences and skills to audiences.
This document nominates a proprietary Collaborative Learning Space (CLS) social media integrated online learning platform for a Social Media in Education award. The CLS incorporates social media features like user profiles, messaging, groups and multimedia content. It aims to deliver an enriched student learning experience through participatory learning. Challenges in implementing the platform like stable internet access and plagiarism were overcome with IT support, offline checks and anti-plagiarism software. The platform facilitates online learning communities, is easily scalable and serves as a model for social media integrated education.
Jasmine Miller explores the topic of electronic portfolios in a draft paper. Electronic portfolios, also known as e-portfolios, allow individuals to collect and organize artifacts and showcase their skills online. E-portfolios are used for professional development, educational programming, and showcasing accomplishments. Successful e-portfolios have an online platform to organize clear and visually appealing artifacts like documents, projects, and reflections that demonstrate learning experiences and skills. As a graduate student, Miller plans to create her own e-portfolio to showcase her learning experiences and professional development in university athletics administration.
Collaborative learning enhances critical thinking by anuradha 1995AliAqsamAbbasi
The document discusses the founders of industrial arts in the US, focusing on Lois Coffey Mossman and Frederick Gordon Bonser. It argues that while Bonser has received more attention, Mossman made equally important contributions as a founder. It provides brief biographies of both individuals, noting they worked together at Teachers College, Columbia University and influenced the "social-industrial theory" of industrial arts. The document aims to more accurately portray their collaborative contributions to the field.
The document discusses the use of e-portfolios in elementary classrooms. E-portfolios can increase student engagement, foster collaboration, and provide alternative ways to assess student learning. They allow students to capture and store their work and help explain their understanding. The adoption of e-portfolios follows an S-curve and takes time as it is an emerging technology. Strategies like workshops and examples can help more teachers adopt e-portfolios.
E Portfolios Storyboard Presentation Update Week 9Charlotte Vaughn
The document discusses the use of e-portfolios in elementary classrooms. It describes how e-portfolios can increase student engagement, foster collaboration, and provide alternative ways to assess student learning. It then outlines Rogers' innovation adoption model and discusses how e-portfolios have progressed through the different stages of adoption, from needs identification to commercialization. Key strategies are provided to help more teachers adopt the use of e-portfolios.
E Portfolios Storyboard Presentation Update Week 9Charlotte Vaughn
The document discusses the use of e-portfolios in elementary classrooms. E-portfolios can increase student engagement, foster collaboration, and provide alternative ways to assess student learning. They allow students to capture and store their work and help explain their understanding. The adoption of e-portfolios follows an S-curve and requires strategies like workshops and examples to help teachers at different stages of adoption implement the technology. Change agents like literacy coaches can help drive adoption by addressing needs, sharing information, and providing support.
This document discusses eLearning and electronic resources. It begins by defining eLearning as learning delivered through digital devices like computers and mobile phones connected to the internet. The history of eLearning is then outlined, noting how factors like the rise of the internet, development of multimedia, affordable digital devices, and learning management systems facilitated its growth. Various types of electronic resources are also defined, including e-books, e-journals, databases, websites and more. Concerns with eLearning like difficulty learning practical skills online and isolation are addressed. Overall the document provides a high-level overview of the definition, history and types of eLearning and electronic resources.
THE WEB-BASED EDUCATION JOURNEY: A CONSTANT LIFELINEcscpconf
E-learning has revolutionized our realm in more than just a listable number of ways. But it took
a paradigm shift when it entered the threshold of the varsity system. With the prevailing spoonfeeding
era, are the students really ¬industry ready? We answer that by confirming a fact: webbased
learning has become the oxygen of freshers in the IT Industry instead of the traditional
learning done through graduation. Furthermore, are university enforced e-learning assessment
systems a true representation of a student's proficiency? This paper is a peep into what webbased
e-learning systems are to a student of today's world, by giving an overview of universitylevel
e-learning in India deploying an example from SRM University's organizational
framework. It assesses a key e-learning trend, the implementation of which bridges the gap
between universities and the industry. It is proposed to provide constructive feedback to the elearning
community and shine some light on areas of scope for future developments.
This document discusses electronic portfolios and how the author plans to use one. It begins by explaining that an e-portfolio is a tool used to organize information for a specific audience online. It then discusses how e-portfolios are commonly used for seeking employment or showcasing work and abilities. The most important element of an e-portfolio, according to the author, is that it is user-friendly and easily navigable. The author intends to create an e-portfolio to market themselves to potential employers as they begin seeking teaching positions in the coming months.
This document discusses eLearning and provides information on several topics related to eLearning including:
1) Establishing an eLearning unit within an organization that is staffed with requisite skills to support eLearning initiatives.
2) Developing an eLearning content strategy that organizes materials and ensures quality.
3) The importance of reusing content between different eLearning formats and systems to reduce costs and effort of having to continually translate and maintain content in multiple proprietary formats.
Learning Management Systems - extracting Value from their e-VolutionAlan Arnold
A presentation on day 2 of the "e-Evolution: Adventures in e-Research and e-Learning" forum University of Melbourne, 29-30 Sep. 2009
http://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/academic_dev/eseminars09.html
The document discusses key influences on teaching and learning, including classroom strategies, tools used, attitudes towards online learning platforms, and parental involvement. It addresses how teachers have traditionally been in control of learning but that things are changing to give students more control over their learning. A variety of tools and platforms that students use for learning both in and out of the classroom are also mentioned.
Introducing the concept of an e-Portfolio. These slides are intended to assist discussion as to our attitude to e-Portfolios rather than a technical discussion of details or individual versions.
Slides from my presentation to teachers and ICT managers. This unit describes something of the benefits of having e-Portfolio templates developed for your own Institution and thus setting the style or ethos you want.
The document discusses the author's approach to innovation over 50 years. It provides an example of innovating e-portfolios by developing an externally hosted portfolio application called eFolio that is portable, can transition with the user between schools and institutions, and can remain with the user for life. The author found existing e-portfolio solutions limited and developed eFolio by combining features like remote access, customization for different ages, and longevity of use into a single solution.
The use of an e-Portfolio is not restricted to that of the owner, but a wide rnage of users. This is an attempt to try and define some of the typical user-interactions that occur when using an e-Portfolio.
1) Traditional classrooms have mostly involved teachers being in control of learning, with a one-size-fits-all approach to content delivery, behavior standards, and pacing.
2) A more effective approach allows students more autonomy in deciding their own paths to achieving learning objectives, using different tools, methods and starting points tailored to their individual skills and styles.
3) An ideal classroom would see all students actively engaged in different individual or group activities that are purposeful and allow flexibility in approaches, resources and staff support.
An attempt to pull together some of the different influences on Teachning and Learning. Starting from the point of the heavy investment in schools. The fundamental question raised is that of whether teachers have been trained enough to meet the modern challenges that face Education.
The document discusses e-portfolios and their implementation. It notes that a 19th century mindset is being applied to 21st century technology. By 2008, learners in the UK were expected to have online learning spaces to support e-portfolios. However, various voices advising on implementation, such as vendors, universities, and training bodies, lacked a unified understanding and prioritized different needs, creating non-interoperable systems. The document advocates for e-portfolios that are learner-owned and draw from formal and informal learning to showcase selected work and skills to different audiences.
The document lists 12 characteristics of an e-portfolio system that would provide good value and be acceptable to various users: showcasing, customization, gatekeeper, mentoring, collaboration, favorites, personal organization, planning, feedback, reflection, monitoring, and assessment. It then asks who the different audiences of an e-portfolio system could be and lists potential audiences like pupils, teachers, parents, schools, mentors, employers, and educational boards.
The document summarizes key findings from a survey on work-based learners' use of ICT and e-learning. It finds that while e-portfolios could potentially help record skills and impact learning, they are not being used to their full potential. Learners have low confidence in technologies for teaching and learning. Groups like those with disabilities and workplace learners are less likely to complete online assessments, where e-portfolios could benefit them. Overall, e-portfolios and technologies are not being fully utilized despite their learning potential.
This presentation was provided by Racquel Jemison, Ph.D., Christina MacLaughlin, Ph.D., and Paulomi Majumder. Ph.D., all of the American Chemical Society, for the second session of NISO's 2024 Training Series "DEIA in the Scholarly Landscape." Session Two: 'Expanding Pathways to Publishing Careers,' was held June 13, 2024.
This presentation was provided by Rebecca Benner, Ph.D., of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, for the second session of NISO's 2024 Training Series "DEIA in the Scholarly Landscape." Session Two: 'Expanding Pathways to Publishing Careers,' was held June 13, 2024.
Leveraging Generative AI to Drive Nonprofit InnovationTechSoup
In this webinar, participants learned how to utilize Generative AI to streamline operations and elevate member engagement. Amazon Web Service experts provided a customer specific use cases and dived into low/no-code tools that are quick and easy to deploy through Amazon Web Service (AWS.)
1. e-Portfolios - A Bridge Too Far?
An article first written for the FE Journal addressing the issues of
introducing e-Portfolios in Further Education Colleges
by
R J Tolley
September 2009
Photo from Flickr by Ratterrell
2. e-Portfolios – a bridge too far?
Never has there been a time when FE colleges have had so many different things
thrown at them all within the last three years. If we were to run a collaborative
exercise in listing just the headings to all our grievances it would probably fill a
couple of pages. On top of all these pressures we are now asked to try and understand
the place of e-Portfolios in teaching, learning and assessment.
For some years now, Higher Education institutions have been beavering away at
inventing worthwhile-sounding research topics related to e-Portfolios and publishing
a stream of self indoctrinating theses. At the same time the DCSF and Becta have
been encouraging BSF, VLEs, the ICT Mark, Home Access and e-Portfolios within
mainstream education. If these two scenarios were not enough, the whole area of ICT
including Web 2.0 technologies and ‘cloud computing’, the demands for Open Source
Software and anything that’s ‘free’ all compound to put the ordinary FE lecturer into
something of a spin.
But what of FE? Included within the above list of concerns, no doubt, are references
to the 14-19 Diplomas, Apprenticeships, Community Services, Returners to Work,
Lifelong Learning and the general upskilling of the whole labour market. And now we
also have a massive increase in the numbers of those Redundees who urgently need to
represent themselves to a dwindling marketplace.
FE is therefore in a crisis situation – and the purpose of this paper is to convince
readers that the e-Portfolio can assist in resolving all of these pressures. But who will
tell them? Who is capable of explaining that for a minimal investment the e-Portfolio
can reduce labour costs, enhance teaching and learning, make workloads easier, assist
in establishing better pupil-teacher relationships, improve retention rates, enhance
formative assessment to a new level of mutual support, reduce paperwork, simplify
the challenges of coursework assessment and validation, collate and document audit
trails etc at the same time as being cost effective? Quite simply, the e-Portfolio is seen
by the author as the salvation of FE for all, staff, students and external stakeholders
alike. At a recent and most impressive multi-national EIfEL conference in Maastricht
I was almost overwhelmed by the predominance of Industry and University
representatives – was I in the wrong meeting? or, Was there something that I didn’t
know? What was it that gave them the right to hijack my perception of the e-Portfolio
concept? These ungracious and somewhat bemused murmurings lasted several days
until finally the explanation dawned upon me:
Industry? The Problem of e-Portfolios and industry is quite simple. Many industries
may not have a generally available learning platform for all of their workers
particularly at a time when issues like PDP and worker re-location need urgent
attention. Where workers do have access to their company’s network it is probably a
purpose-designed system with limited usability for anything other than work
purposes. It is therefore a natural solution to establish a separate subject-specific e-
Portfolio as a common learning platform (with all the links to content that one would
R J Tolley e-portfolios – a bridge too far? Page 2 of 9
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3. expect of an LP) available to everyone. Specific to their company's needs and tailored
to provide primarily what may be considered good for their workers, an ‘institutional
e-portfolio’ of this type can be a logical and well designed product. However, by my
definition this is not an e-Portfolio.
Another serious concern is that many employers have very little understanding of how
a new entrant’s e-Portfolio can demonstrate not only Accreditation of Prior
Experience and Learning (APEL) but through the use of rich media can reveal
otherwise hidden qualities of the owner’s character.
Universities? For e-Portfolios in the universities, almost the opposite situation has
come at the right time to resolve a near crisis frustrating many academics. A decade or
more of disorganised effort into uploading a century's presentations, generations of
discussion documents and cohorts of previous coursework and examination questions
onto an ever-expanding network has ended up with a grotesque mass of documents
'splattered all over the universe' as one friend reflected, accessible by almost everyone
in the institution. Perhaps we might even discover, hidden away in some folder on
some long-forgotten file-server, a manuscript belonging to Pasteur or even
Monteverdi. The chance to start again, without some of the over-protective security
policies, to assemble a fresh curriculum archive, to select just those documents which
are immediately needed is an opportunity not to miss. And this, I would suggest, is a
possible explanation for all the content laden Learning Platforms which many
universities inappropriately call an e-Portfolio. Perhaps, on the other hand, it is the
investigative spirit of academia that has allowed some to drift off into by-pass
meadow, each in their own little corner, attempting to re-invent the wheel.
The QCDA? The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency has the
responsibility of validating and authorising all examination boards in England, their
standards and the issuing of certification to students. It appears that the old QCA was
planning to use some form of e-Portfolio to enable colleges to submit students’
assessable elements of examinable coursework. Already some courses, including
DiDA, encourage students to put together some form of ‘portfolio’ for electronic
assessment. However, at this stage there is no requirement for any particular format
and thus some schools and colleges are compiling a CD of files, others, PowerPoints
with html links to documents and others technically sophisticated web-pages. For the
QCDA to formalise this and hijack students’ private e-Portfolios would, in my
opinion, be totally disruptive.
Colleges, however, are in an altogether different situation. The vast majority of
colleges have some form of intranet or learning platform and those which have
managed to adapt their platform for remote access now have some sort of VLE with
well-connected MIS facilities. Such VLEs are becoming increasingly refined and
'curriculum loaded' as more and more departments come on line and teaching and
learning strategies are beginning to embrace the on-line world.
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4. Whether using one of the many vendors or having built their own, most colleges’
VLEs are thus able to provide their students with an on-line work-space and equally
are thus capable of supporting an e-Portfolio. Both teachers and students are rapidly
adapting to the whole concept of VLEs and most coursework is progressing relatively
seamlessly by all accounts within their VLE.
Assuming, therefore, that a college has a functioning learning platform or VLE, that
all official MIS data is being processed by appropriate agencies, that teachers have
appropriate access to that MIS data, that on-line profiling tools, formative and
summative assessments are running, that curriculum outlines, access to all support
materials, a range of rich media resources are available, and that students have access
to the VLE to check up on their latest personal information, attendance credits etc,
what then is the function of the e-Portfolio?
Recent research has shown that the majority of colleges are 'thinking about it'. Some
colleges may have e-Portfolio software installed and managed by the college. There
is some advice and speculation as to what an e-Portfolio might or might not do for a
college, and more importantly what it can do for the learner.
And this is where I must return to the title, that of ‘a bridge too far’. I want to ensure
that no department within a college gives up on e-Portfolios and assumes that some
other department will do the work. As much as I want to see the use and
configuration of the tool ‘owned’ and managed by the student, I still see it as the
responsibility of all staff, as a team, to press on in the same direction of e-Portfolio
understanding and adoption. Below I list some of the functions and benefits of the e-
Portfolio to both students and staff:
‘Showcasing’ is invariably the first term that comes to mind when describing an e-
Portfolio – for providing a window through which one may view some part of a
student's world. However, it should be clearly understood that it is the student that is
in charge of opening and closing that window – or any number of different windows -
selecting to whom he or she chooses to reveal any information and, of course, being
in control of disclosing exactly what is seen through the windows. Although often
described as the perfect tool for adults presenting their CV on line, there is no reason
why the 5-year old cannot celebrate any form of artefact, an audio recording of a
poem, a video of a dance or sports event, a still photograph of a collage or a scanned
image of a handwritten exercise etc as a ‘celebration’ of his/her attainment with
parents, friends or peers – it is here where pride of ownership and motivation begins.
Portability is the criterion upon which most e-Portfolios fail. The versatility of the e-
Portfolio depends upon the student being able to move from one institution to another,
or even to another state or country, and still able to access all the personal and private
notes and resources contained within their e-Portfolio. Unless the e-Portfolio is a
‘free-standing’ resource, independent of any institution, much of this document makes
little sense.
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5. File-storage needs understanding. The e-Portfolio is not the place to archive every
minor mental arithmetic test, incomplete essay, one’s whole life-story and that of
every relative, friend and colleague. After all, this e-Portfolio is seen as a ‘5-95’
application and is thus in need of regular management. An appropriate place for that
total archive of every item that ‘might just be useful’ would be off-line and stored on
the college’s file-server, on a PC at home, on some DVDs or even in a bank vault!
The e-Portfolio should be seen as a ‘transit-camp’ whereby materials relevant to
present needs, work-in-progress, or jobs-to-do, can be stored for access whenever and
wherever needed. Furthermore, media-rich files may better be stored on any of the
popular Web2.0 repositories accessed through hyperlinks from the e-Portfolio.
Digital Competence needs to be recognised. The e-Portfolio must be simple to
operate whatever the age or stage of the student. If the one e-Portfolio is to be owned
for a lifetime it should be capable of being adopted by the youngest and least able
within our community and similarly be of sound practical use for those with specific
access problems, the elderly and infirm or disabled. Writing as one who is also SEN
qualified, I believe that at this time far too many students are let down by our systems
and that a good e-Portfolio would be an absolute God-send to them.
Personalisation or the use of a Personalised Learning Environment, is an immature
science at the moment and is often better contained within the VLE if available.
Personalisation is about recognising the digital identity of the user and providing the
appropriate tools in context of the work in progress. Certainly, I identify such tools as
diagnostic profiling, subject-based assessment tools which recognise what previous
tests or topics have been covered, Web.3 or ‘semantic’ tools and predictive
curriculum ‘route-mapping’ and suggested employment paths are all part of a new era
in personalised learning. I do not see that the sophisticated links required to MIS data
and the powerful tools within a PLE should be incorporated within an otherwise
‘light’ e-Portfolio system.
Customisation is perhaps the biggest motivator of all. The benefits of being able to
change the working environment to suit the needs of the worker are well documented.
How pages look, the colour schemes, fonts and images used all go towards a
statement of ‘this is ME’. When a student of whatever age accesses their e-Portfolio
and the front page of the e-Portfolio creates a sense of ‘Wow! This is me!’ there is an
engendered feeling of involvement or ownership. Possibly in this technological world
of providing systems that work, and particularly in Secondary schools and FE
colleges, we have forgotten something of the wonder and excitement that we, as
teachers, should be laying before our charges.
Progression: The e-Portfolio should be capable of being adopted at any point
throughout a person’s life and should be capable of matching their immediate style
and needs. Ideally it should be introduced as soon as the youngest student in a college
wants to celebrate an activity or artefact, to share it with others or just keep it in the
interim for posterity. However, as the student matures, the representational ‘self’ or
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6. ego will demand that the portfolio matures with age. New menu items will be
required, images, fonts and colour schemes all change Key Stage by Key Stage. The
whole e-Portfolio interface will no-doubt change many times as novice progresses
through academia, work and on to retirement. New technologies must also be capable
of being seamlessly ‘bolted on’ as Web2.0 moves on to Web3.0.
Plurality – or the recognition that a student has more to life than ‘college’ is an
integral part of the e-Portfolio culture. We all have multiple personas and the e-
Portfolio should be capable of handling this. The e-Portfolio it not just a tool for the
college’s use. Students of all ages have a variety of learning environments, formal
schooling, extra-curricular studies, informal learning, external clubs, organisations
and home-tuition etc. All these have some part to play in the totality of a student’s
learning and should be accommodated within the pages of the e-Portfolio. This is
particularly significant when one considers the working life of a young student. Of the
waking hours of a learner some 18 % might be involved in timetabled class activities.
But what of the other 82%? This is where the e-Portfolio can prove its worth.
Collaboration is a fundamental tool within the e-Portfolio which can only enhance
and enable several of the other functions listed below. Within the controlled
environment of the e-Portfolio it is logical to provide simple ‘permissions’ for
selected students or ‘friends’ to view items of each other’s current coursework
assignments or ideas, and comment constructively. Even without any blogging tools
it is possible to run simple surveys or feedback forms so that students can collate
ideas and further respond where appropriate in perfect e-safety. As and when
appropriate, colleges could, if they wish, allow proprietary blogging tools and forums
which reflect the style and ethos of the college. However, as with any new tool, it is
necessary to teach new users how it can be used, identifying the benefits and dangers
and above all, providing examples of good practice. Leaving students to ‘discover’
how to do things might have some valuable learning outcomes but invariably leads to
a lot of time-wasting – unless assessing the functionality of a tool is part of the
curriculum!
Mentoring is not well developed in colleges in the UK. However I have seen moving
examples of good practice from the USA. Basically ‘mentors’ in the college context
should be understood as academic ‘godparents’ promising to watch over the young
student, giving testimony as to their relationship with the student and how they intend
to encourage both academic and social endeavour. Termly or half-termly comments
posted on the e-Portfolio by the mentor as a ‘neutral’ and respected mediator provide
an illuminating addition to the support that both teachers and other educationists can
provide. In FE/HE some good examples exist of mentoring using alumni in both
formal and informal contexts. However, as far as I can see these sessions could have
been very much enhanced by using the collaborative features of an e-Portfolio.
Counselling, by either the student’s teacher, FE counsellor or pastoral tutor, is the
more official aspect of accessing the e-Portfolio in order to provide informal
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7. counselling and advice from a professional point of view. Again, it is up to the
student to provide as much or as little access as is felt appropriate. However, either
by face-to-face or virtual conversation, both the counsellor and the student can
document formative comments and strategies etc.
Mapping, which may or may not be an outcome of counselling, is the student’s
opportunity to plan the future direction of their life. From an early age learners can be
taught to consider matters of career choice, possibly through imaginative scenarios or
creating a wish-list. This can lead on to amusing flow diagrams, mind-maps or
concept maps. Again, the nature of an e-Portfolio lends itself to linking to a range of
illustrational media some of which may be personal and highly informative. The
bottom line is that mapping can be a powerful tool for the visualisation and
enhancement of thinking skills – both personally and collaboratively.
A scrapbook is perhaps not an immediate aspect of the e-Portfolio that comes to mind
and yet is an essential component of the thinking person’s toolkit. To have a logical
place or folder in which to drop all those fragments of ideas or flashes of inspiration
which could be developed later is sensible. But, to have that scrapbook immediately
available, on line anywhere, anytime and possibly shareable is presently beyond the
common practice of most people. The e-Portfolio is the logical solution for 21st
century thinking.
Keeping a Diary, again, is not everyone’s best habit – particularly amongst men. It is
an art-form that needs reviving – and the e-Portfolio is the natural tool to revitalise a
dying craft. At one time writing a diary was an essential exercise of any educated
person and only posterity can truly bear witness to the importance of some of the
great classical diaries or personal histories recorded throughout the centuries. The
keeping of a modern electronic journal whether for private or public display can now
be a multi-media exercise much enhanced through the capabilities of personalisation
and accessibility that the e-Portfolio affords.
Reflection, although one of the most fundamental aspects of any teaching
environment, can be best performed after the above activities have been achieved.
Although teachers are advised to allow students sufficient time at the end of a lesson
to discuss in plenary what they have learnt, reflection can be so much deeper. Mature
reflection can be a significantly more personal and deep-seated, even gut-wrenching
and soul-searching activity – but how do we enable students to experience this level
of thinking, of rationalisation and internalisation? Quite simply, the e-Portfolio is that
natural ‘quiet place’, a confessional and ‘trysting place’ often marginalised in the
hurly-burley of today’s society.
Planning is an essential component of any student’s portfolio and should be a habitual
point of visiting. There are two aspects of ‘Planning’. Firstly there is the semi-formal
calendar of events personal to the individual student. Possibly provided initially as
the college diary it can then be edited to match the individual’s activities and social
calendar. Secondly, as an obvious outcome of reflection (above) and perhaps
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8. transferred from the ‘scrapbook’, the e-Portfolio provides an indispensable repository
of ‘to-do’ lists, draft ideas and documentations which may or may not come to
fruition. After all, not all students have ‘instant recall’ and traditional diaries have all
but disappeared off the face of the earth!
Learning Styles and their wide variety, are not often treated seriously in colleges.
Here, within the e-Portfolio there are no rules about punctuation or underlining titles.
Colour schemes and styles of presentation, essays or bullet points, interviews on MP3
or statistical graphs, music or video, photography of 3D artefacts or scanned images
may be compiled and presented as the owner chooses. The publishing of rich-media
is an art-form in itself which lends itself to the whole range of Gardners’ 10
‘intelligences’. (Well, 9 plus my addition of ‘Problem Solving’)
Telling a Story as Helen Barrett suggests, covers a range of approaches. The formal
presentation to a potential employer, for instance, can be an interesting ‘story’ using a
range of media to demonstrate progression, variety of experience, and linking to one’s
career highlights etc. A variety of apposite ‘stories’ can be created within an e-
Portfolio dipping into a range of source materials and media links as appropriate.
However a second type of perhaps more creative story is also possible:
The Campfire Story allows a more romantic/imaginative approach to explaining one’s
life-history or experiences. As Dr Joanne Carney quotes in Helen Barratt’s document
on Metaphors, ‘"Technology is the campfire around which we tell our stories," says
musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson. If that be so, what tales will be
shared in the flickering glow of teachers' electronic portfolios? Will web and
multimedia technologies be used to help teachers capture their knowledge of practice
and share it in ways not possible with older technologies?’
Teachers and Lecturers as hinted at by Laurie Anderson, above, need not be
excluded from any of the previous notes. In fact, in order to communicate with the
students’ e-Portfolios they will need to familiarise themselves with the system
anyway. However, many informal or semi-formal activities can take place between
staff either within departments or even socially where, perhaps, formal college
structures preclude social interactions particularly in the larger institutions.
Formative Assessment is not as simple as it may at first seem. For far too long
software writers have assumed that the calculation of a number of grades indicating
progress towards a final or summative assessment would be sufficient. On the other
hand, teachers may have assumed that the insertion of a few short written comments
in an exercise book would provide all the guidance that a pupil might need. W.J.
Popham, in his book, ‘Transformative Assessment’, challenges many of our
conventional assumptions about how formative assessment should be performed and
describes scenarios rich for the e-Portfolio treatment.
At Institution Level there is also a significant need to communicate using a range of
rich media beyond the scope of any simple e-mailing system. Governors, college
R J Tolley e-portfolios – a bridge too far? Page 8 of 9
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9. managers and departmental policy makers all need to communicate strategic thinking
in more than simple text. When rich media is already centrally available any
appropriate staff can access materials without the usual complexities of VLE access,
download formats or issues of storage. Furthermore, the consensus e-Portfolio can
then become the on-line point of access by Government inspectors such as OfSTED
or a whole multitude of professional agencies.
Lifelong Learning and Leisure is also not precluded – in fact the very opposite! The
largest proportion of potential e-Portfolio users are neither children nor academic
students but ordinary people, whether in employment, between jobs or retired. The e-
Portfolio for many will become the communications system par excellence for job
applications or part-time learning. At a time when the Government is so very
concerned about the uplifting of a sub-literate underclass in UK society, the e-
Portfolio is an excellent medium for self-improvement strategies, developing a sense
of self-worth and providing an effective platform for community projects.
The ‘Joy of e-Learning’ is perhaps at the heart of e-Portfolio design. Early on in my
search for an understanding of e-Portfolio management I heard Eva deLera present on
the principle of making distance learning, in particular, enjoyable. She was working
with disadvantaged learners, often getting home late after a full day’s work, with poor
transport facilities and low-grade communication systems. To sustain a good learner
‘stay-on rate’ is all a matter of making their working environment welcoming and
easily navigable. A clear message to e-Portfolio designers!
Autonomy is perhaps the trump card or unique selling point of any true e-Portfolio
system. Quite simply the e-Portfolio has no need to be embedded within any VLE or
institution’s file-server. In practice, institutions frequently change VLE vendors – the
chaos that this would cause to the independent ownership of e-Portfolio content is
almost beyond description and may, in fact, seriously limit the options to transfer to
another VLE. In fact, unless the e-Portfolio is stored independently of any
institutional system it can neither be considered to be ‘portable’ nor ‘owned’ by the
end-user.
CONCLUSION: The e-Portfolio must not be hijacked - not by Industry, nor Higher
Education, nor mainstream schools, nor adult Training Institutions, nor by the QCA,
nor any VLE supplier but, more importantly, not by factions within the education
system who may have a limited view of its real potential. The e-Portfolio is a
dynamic, evolving and personal item of equipment for everyone and for every aspect
of their studies, career development or leisure use, which should be available to all -
from ‘5-95’- by right. How it is used by both our students and staff will vary
according to college policies, learning styles, digital competencies and academic
maturity. Suffice it to say that the above list of features should make the e-Portfolio
accessible to all whatever their age, aptitude, ability, accessibility or attitude. A
bridge too far? No! But most staff need much more support to understand and adopt
the above concepts and press on together with confidence.
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