This document discusses the use of ePortfolios to support reflection. It begins by defining what an ePortfolio is, both traditionally and in an educational context. It then discusses the purpose of ePortfolios in helping students find their passion and set goals through reflection. The document outlines Kolb's experiential learning model and how it relates to ePortfolio development. It then provides examples of digital tools that can be used to capture artifacts, reflect, collaborate, and present learning. It concludes by emphasizing that reflection is the most important part of an ePortfolio and should not be overshadowed by the technology.

1. Supporting Reflection
in ePortfolios
University of Alaska Anchorage (retired)
Seattle Pacific University (adjunct) Dr. Helen Barrett
New England College (adjunct) electronicportfolios.org
International Researcher & Consultant Twitter: @eportfolios
Founder, REAL ePortfolio Academy Slideshare.net/eportfolios
http://images.cdn.fotopedia.com/flickr-3341813162-hd.jpg

2. Resources
• http://slideshare.net/eportfolios/
(my slides)
• http://electronicportfolios.org/eportfolios/
• http://electronicportfolios.org/eportfolios/refl
ection.html
• https://sites.google.com/site/reflection4learni
ng/
• Twitter hashtag: #eportfolios

3. Golden Circle
What?
How?
Why?
3

4. WHAT?

5. specialty case responsibilities
Portfolio
One Word,
Many Meanings
art work collection of artifacts investments

6. What is a Portfolio?
• Dictionary definition:
a flat, portable case
for carrying loose
papers, drawings, etc.
• Financial portfolio: document
accumulation of fiscalcapital
• Educational portfolio: document
development of humancapital

7. Who was the
first famous
“folio” keeper?
DEFINITIONS

8. Leonardo da Vinci’s Folio

9. +Electronic
• digital artifacts organized online
combining various media
(audio/video/text/images)

10. WHY?

11. Help students find
their Purpose and Passion
through Reflection &
Goal-Setting in
E-Portfolio Development

12. Purpose
• The overarching purpose
of portfolios is to create a
sense of personal
ownership over one’s
accomplishments,
because ownership
engenders feelings of
pride, responsibility, and
dedication. (p.10)
• Paris, S & Ayres, L. (1994) Becoming Reflective
Students and Teachers. American Psychological
Association

13. “metacognition lies at the root of all learning”
“…self-knowledge, awareness of how and why we
think as we do, and the ability to adapt and learn, are
critical to our survival as individuals…”
- James Zull (2011) From Brain to Mind: Using Neuroscience to Guide Change
in Education

14. Brain-Based Learning (Zull) &
Experiential Learning Model (Kolb)

15. Experiential Learning Model
Lewin/Kolb with adaptations by Moon and Zull
Practice
Have an experience
Try out what you Reflect on the experience
have learned
Metacognition
Learn from the experience

16. http://www.systemswiki.org/index.php?title=Ex
periential_and_Double_Loop_Learning

17. Single & Double Loop Learning
Reflecting
http://simbeckhampson.com/2010/10/12/doing-things-right-vs-doing-the-right-things-rainerfalle/

18. Self-Regulated Learning
Abrami, P., et. al. (2008), Encouraging self-regulated learning through
electronic portfolios. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, V34(3) Fall
2008. http://www.cjlt.ca/index.php/cjlt/article/viewArticle/507/238

19. Learning/Reflection Cycle
blog
Why?
(double-loop learning)
Now What?
What?
So What? website

20. http://electronicportfolios.org/eportfolios/reflection.html

21. HOW?

22. Digital Tools?
Expressive vs.
Structured Models

23. E-Portfolio Components
< Multiple Portfolios for
Multiple Purposes
-Celebrating Learning
-Personal Planning
-Transition/entry to courses
-Employment applications
-Accountability/Assessment
< Multiple Tools to Support
Processes
-Capturing & storing evidence
-Reflecting
-Giving & receiving feedback
-Planning & setting goals
-Collaborating
-Presenting to an audience
< Digital Repository
(Becta, 2007; JISC, 2008)

24. What functions can be achieved for each of
these processes?
• Capturing & storing evidence - this evidence of learning can be in
the form of text, images, audio or video
• Reflecting - “the heart and soul of a portfolio” - this reflection could
be captured in real time in different formats: writing, voice capture
(and voice-to-text conversion), video capture and digital stories
• Giving & receiving feedback - one of the most effective uses of a
portfolio is to review a learner’s work and providing feedback for
improvement
• Planning & setting goals - a very important part of the portfolio
process is personal development planning and setting goals for
achievement
• Collaborating - learning is a social activity - technology provides
new forms of collaboration
• Presenting to an audience - at specific points in the learning
process, a learner may put together a presentation of their learning
outcomes for an audience, either real or virtual

25. Planning Doing
Planning & Setting Goals
Giving & Receiving Feedback
Reflecting

26. Reflection with WordPress

27. Blogging* by eMail
*the act of sharing yourself
Tumblr Posterous
• Set up account on website • Just email to
• Send email to: post@posterous.com
myaccount.tumblr.com • iPhone App
• iPhone App • Cross-post to Facebook&
• Call in your posts for audio Twitter
post to blog
• Cross-post to Facebook&
Twitter

28. With iOS
(iPod Touch,
iPhone, iPad)
Text
Images
CAPTURE THE MOMENT
Audio
Video Doing

29. Capture Store Online Capture Voice
Images &
Video
Storage
Capturing & Storing Evidence
Google
Drive?
Google Docs DropBox

30. ePortfolio Tools &
Web/Blog Pages
Collaborating
Doing Reflecting Reflecting

31. Online Video Editing
Web 2.0 Sites
Presenting to an Audience
Share Online Reflecting
Create Videos
Create Presentations

32. Presenting to an Audience
Keynote Google Sites

33. Presenting to an Audience
Prezi Viewer

34. Video Editing

35. Digital Tools
for Reflection
Reflective Journals
(Blogs)
Digital Storytelling
and Engagement

36. Portfolio as Story
"A portfolio tells a story.
It is the story of knowing. Knowing about
things... Knowing oneself... Knowing an
audience... Portfolios are students' own
stories of what they know, why they
believe they know it, and why others
should be of the same opinion.”
(Paulson & Paulson, 1991, p.2)

37. Do Your E-Portfolios have
CHOICE and VOICE?
• Individual Identity
• Reflection
• Meaning Making
• 21 st Century Literacy
• Digital Story of Deep Learning

38. Convergence

39. Digital Storytelling Process
• Create a 2-to-4 minute digital video clip
– First person narrative
[begins with a written script ~ 400 words]
– Told in their own voice [record script]
– Illustrated (mostly) by still images
– Music track to add emotional tone

40. Some Basic Concepts
 “ePortfoliois both process and
product”
 Process: A series of events (time
and effort) to produce a result
- From Old French
proces(“‘journey’”)
 Product: the outcome/results or
“thinginess” of an activity/process
- Destination
 Wiktionary

41. Balancing the Two Faces
of ePortfolios
Process Product
Story of Documentation
Learning of Achievement
Workspace Showcase

42. http://electronicportfolios.org/eportfolios/index.html

43. 1. Purpose
• Purpose. Decide on the purpose for the
portfolio. What are you trying to show with
this portfolio? Are there outcomes, goals, or
standards that are being demonstrated with
this portfolio? In this example, steps 2-4
represent an iterative process, using a blog to
provide formative feedback on student work
on a regular basis.

44. Students Reflect - Before
– Students: Create a blog page to use as a reflective
journal. Call the page "Journal" or "Blog." Create a
first post that describes the purpose for
developing this portfolio.
– Teachers: Set up templates for student work, if
appropriate.
– Students: Set personal goals for learning
(reflection “in the future tense”).

45. 2. Collection/Classification
• What artifacts will you include in your
portfolio? How will you classify these entries?
• Students: convert all attached artifacts into
web-compatible formats (JPEG or PDF)

46. 3. Reflection.
• Reflection is the heart and soul of a portfolio.
Reflection provides the rationale for why
these artifacts represent achievement of a
particular outcome, goal or standard. Blog
entries provide an opportunity for reflection
"in the present tense" or "reflection in action."

47. Students Reflect – During
– Dr. Barrett's Google Site on Reflection for Learning)
– Students: Write a blog entry with a reflection on each
learning activity or artifact (what is the context in
which this artifact was developed? What did you
learn?).
– Students: Add your own
classification using Tags
– Students: Add appropriate
artifacts (through hyperlinks)
or as an attachment to the
journal entry.

48. Resource on
Reflection
https://sites.google.com/
site/reflection4learning/
REFLECTION FOR
LEARNING

49. 4.
Connection/Interaction/Dialogue/
Feedback.
• This stage provides an opportunity for
interaction and feedback on the work
posted in the portfolio.
– provide feedback on the work posted in the
ePortfolio/blog entries. Guidelines should
be provided to support more effective
feedback.
• REPEAT steps 3-4 for each learning
activity or artifact,including updating
goals when appropriate.

50. 5. Summative
Reflection/Selection/Evaluation.
• At the end of a course (or program),
students would write a reflection that
looks back over the course (or
program) and provides a
meta-analysis of the
learning experience as
represented in the
reflections stored in the
blog/journal entries.

51. Students Reflect - After
– Students: Review the blog/journal entries for that
category, and write a "retrospective reflection"
about the learning represented in the artifacts,
selecting one or two examples that best represent
achievement.
– Students: Prepare a Page for each Outcome, Goal
or Standard, and link to the selected
"best" blog entries, writing a reflection
on each page (by outcome/goal/standard)
which should also have the artifact
attached or linked.

52. 6. Presentation/Publishing
• The portfolio developer decides what parts of the
portfolio are to be made public.
– Student: Create a set of pages that highlight the best
components of the portfolio, linking to specific entries
in the blog. Add the
evidence (through hyperlinks to blog entries or artifacts)
to the appropriate sub-pages in the portfolio.

53. Students Organize Showcase
Portfolio
– Students: Create an Introduction page, which
should contain an overview of the portfolio. It
serves as a “letter to the reader” and provides an
explanation of the overall goals of the portfolio.
Provide links to other pages developed
in the portfolio.
Advertise this Introduction
page as the initial access
point in your portfolio.
– Students: Create a page with
Future Learning Goals
(reflection in the future tense).

54. A Reminder…
Reflection & Relationships
… the “Heart and Soul” of an e-
portfolio…
NOT the Technology!
54

55. My Final Wish…
• dynamic celebrations
• stories of deep learning
• across the lifespan

56. DR. HELEN BARRETT
@EPORTFOLIOS
Researcher & Consultant
Electronic Portfolios & Digital Storytelling for Lifelong and Life Wide Learning
Founder, REAL*ePortfolio Academy for K-12 Teachers
*Reflection, Engagement, Assessment for Learning
eportfolios@gmail.com
http://electronicportfolios.org/
http://slideshare.net/eportfolios