Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Blogging as an aid to reflection in learning – what’s my own approach?
(Activity 2.4 for H808)
Even this early in this study course, I have been forced to take a much more honest look at my approach to my own learning. This is timely, since I am working on a whole PD programme at my school about the importance of understanding how people learn!
I realise that the desire to be challenged and look for something new is what I always profess but that when it happens I feel slightly panicked. A very simple example of this happened in July of this year when the Dance teacher at my school (some 30 years my junior and a dance expert as opposed to someone who flicked her hair about to Status Quo) tried to teach my some moves so that I could be one of the staff who joined in her flash mob experiment in the school canteen. I suddenly understood those people who look at a Maths question and say, “I just can’t do it”. The OU module H808 is another example.
Crème, P. (2005) ‘Should student learning journals be assessed?’, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 287–96. Available from: http://www.informaworld.com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/smpp/section?content=a713605501&fulltext=713240928 (accessed 3 August 2009).
Moon, J. (2001) ‘PDP working paper 4: reflection in higher education learning’ (online), The Higher Education Academy. Available from: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/resourcedatabase/id72_Reflection_in_Higher_Education_Learning.rtf (accessed 29 June 2007).
Moon, J. (2005) ‘Guide for busy academics no. 4: learning through reflection’ (online), The Higher Education Academy. Available from: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/resourcedatabase/id69_guide_for_busy_academics_no4.doc (accessed 2 July 2008).
Crème’s paper reminded me of a project that I tried last year with Maths GCSE students (aged 15/16). I routinely ask students to keep a learning journal. Most of them still prefer paper based journals although some of them made good use of the wiki that I set up for them. (This year, the school has introduced a managed learning environment with online access, hand in points, portfolios for tracking, and collaborative document writing. I have two classes who are just starting to use these tools.) I set one project which was to do an extended learning journal on their wiki page (effectively a blog) with pre-advertised assessment criteria for reflection – based on Perry, Moon and Allan (see refs below).
When guiding students to become independent learners, it is necessary to aim particularly for ‘deep learning’ and ‘target setting’, although, this is very difficult, especially with young learners. Deep learning entails personal evaluation of learning achieved and reflection on development as a learner. I tried to encourage full written accounts of this. Target setting entails identifying areas for improvement, linked to learning needs. Students who do well in this area make written notes of help needed and are proactive in seeking specific assistance. This is actually quite an advanced capacity for students aged 13-16 since they tend to simply request ‘help’ without being able to analyse what is required. There is likely to be some link with both current and potential cognitive ability but nonetheless, I believe that all ability groupings are able to improve with guidance.
This is what I wrote for them to try to explain what we were doing and why:
"Being a reflective learner means taking something that you already know really well such as how to read, or doing basic Maths, or something about how cars work, or your favourite music or artist. You then use that existing knowledge and apply it in new situations, usually to solve a problem. In so doing, you actually develop new knowledge and it is better than just being told or taught something by someone else because you will remember it so much better. Of course, at school, college or university, and even when training for a new job, you usually have to have someone to guide you. If you take the time to sit and reflect afterwards, write it down in a Learning Journal or mind map, or whatever suits you, you will find that you do something called internalising the knowledge - remember when I talked about metacognitive skills?"
Taking that a step further to look at my own learning, blogging and micro-blogging have been the ways in which I have taken something I already knew about (learning journals) and tried to apply it in new situations.
Parker and Chao (2007) provide an excellent explanation of what wikis can do, particularly as an aid to collaborative learning. I believe that it is this collaborative aspect which is so important in the development of lifelong learners. As Parker and Chao (ibid:58) put it:
"Cooperative learning leads to positive interdependence of group members, individual accountability, face-to-face interaction, and appropriate use of collaborative skills (Schaffert, Bischof, et al., 2006). Cooperative teams achieve higher levels of thought and retain information longer than students who do their work individually (Johnson and Johnson, 1986). The collaborative features of wikis make them particularly well suited for cooperative learning environments (Schaffert, Bischof, et al., 2006)."
Langley (2002: 9) points out the change that has taken place in perceptions of what it is to be a good teacher – based on views of how people learn. This has been reflected by successive Ofsted framework reviews so that nowadays lesson observations tend to look for ‘what learning has taken place’ rather than ‘what the teacher did’. Although Langley is considering teaching in Higher Education, I believe that there are many similarities with school teaching. For example, she writes:
"Transmission is not the only role, or even the primary role, of the HE teacher. The teacher’s role is to encourage active participation, dialogue and interaction by students with course materials and with each other."
Elizabeth Holmes (2/10/08:1), writing for CPD Week, uses an analogy from children’s literature to begin her explanation of professional learning journals:-
"Any Harry Potter fans out there may remember a conversation between Harry and Dumbledore about the 'pensieve'. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by JK Rowling, Dumbledore explains to the young Harry that the stone basin he calls the pensieve is used to hold excess thoughts from one's mind so that they can be examined at leisure. "It becomes easier to spot patterns and links, you understand, when they are in this form", says Dumbledore."
I believe that this would also make a good explanation of why student learning journals should be encouraged. Teachers strive to help their classes with pattern spotting and link making and it is my contention that by assisting them in making links across and between subject areas we are helping them to become independent learners for the future. Northedge and Lane (1997) describe a spiral of learning which begins at the point where we realise that we need some extra information in order to enhance our learning, moving on through study and lessons, using some old knowledge, to internalise new ideas and begin the spiral again. The issue which I believe exists even more markedly with young students is that they need considerable guidance to move sensibly along this spiral.
I asked students “What do you think of using the LJ idea in Maths?”
· Good, helps me remember
· It’s very useful for going back when a question comes up
· again later on
· Don’t like it
· Very good idea as it cuts down revision and gives you all the
· information you need.
· OK
· Very good, much easier to revise from
· It is useful for revision
· It makes it much easier to revise for exams or to look up
· how to do things you don’t understand
· Helpful to refer back to, I’ve got better at it
Allan, H. J. (2008) ‘Assessment tool for reflective practice’, for the Royal College of Surgeons
(unpublished)
Holmes, E. (2/10/08:1) “Professional learning journals – making learning come alive”, CPD
Week (teachingexpertise.com)
Langley, A. (ed) (2002) Supporting Open Learning Theoretical Reader (2002) Milton Keynes,
The Open University
Northedge, A. and Lane, A. (1997) ‘What is learning?’ in Northedge, A. et al. The Science
Good Study Guide Milton Keynes, the Open University pp. 20-2
Parker, K. R. and Chao, J. T., (2007) Wiki as a Teaching Tool in Interdisciplinary Journal of
Knowledge and Learning Objects (3: 57-72), California, USA
Perry W G (1970) Forms of Intellectual and Ethical Development in the College Years, New
York, Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Even this early in this study course, I have been forced to take a much more honest look at my approach to my own learning. This is timely, since I am working on a whole PD programme at my school about the importance of understanding how people learn!
I realise that the desire to be challenged and look for something new is what I always profess but that when it happens I feel slightly panicked. A very simple example of this happened in July of this year when the Dance teacher at my school (some 30 years my junior and a dance expert as opposed to someone who flicked her hair about to Status Quo) tried to teach my some moves so that I could be one of the staff who joined in her flash mob experiment in the school canteen. I suddenly understood those people who look at a Maths question and say, “I just can’t do it”. The OU module H808 is another example.
Crème, P. (2005) ‘Should student learning journals be assessed?’, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 287–96. Available from: http://www.informaworld.com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/smpp/section?content=a713605501&fulltext=713240928 (accessed 3 August 2009).
Moon, J. (2001) ‘PDP working paper 4: reflection in higher education learning’ (online), The Higher Education Academy. Available from: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/resourcedatabase/id72_Reflection_in_Higher_Education_Learning.rtf (accessed 29 June 2007).
Moon, J. (2005) ‘Guide for busy academics no. 4: learning through reflection’ (online), The Higher Education Academy. Available from: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/resourcedatabase/id69_guide_for_busy_academics_no4.doc (accessed 2 July 2008).
Crème’s paper reminded me of a project that I tried last year with Maths GCSE students (aged 15/16). I routinely ask students to keep a learning journal. Most of them still prefer paper based journals although some of them made good use of the wiki that I set up for them. (This year, the school has introduced a managed learning environment with online access, hand in points, portfolios for tracking, and collaborative document writing. I have two classes who are just starting to use these tools.) I set one project which was to do an extended learning journal on their wiki page (effectively a blog) with pre-advertised assessment criteria for reflection – based on Perry, Moon and Allan (see refs below).
When guiding students to become independent learners, it is necessary to aim particularly for ‘deep learning’ and ‘target setting’, although, this is very difficult, especially with young learners. Deep learning entails personal evaluation of learning achieved and reflection on development as a learner. I tried to encourage full written accounts of this. Target setting entails identifying areas for improvement, linked to learning needs. Students who do well in this area make written notes of help needed and are proactive in seeking specific assistance. This is actually quite an advanced capacity for students aged 13-16 since they tend to simply request ‘help’ without being able to analyse what is required. There is likely to be some link with both current and potential cognitive ability but nonetheless, I believe that all ability groupings are able to improve with guidance.
This is what I wrote for them to try to explain what we were doing and why:
"Being a reflective learner means taking something that you already know really well such as how to read, or doing basic Maths, or something about how cars work, or your favourite music or artist. You then use that existing knowledge and apply it in new situations, usually to solve a problem. In so doing, you actually develop new knowledge and it is better than just being told or taught something by someone else because you will remember it so much better. Of course, at school, college or university, and even when training for a new job, you usually have to have someone to guide you. If you take the time to sit and reflect afterwards, write it down in a Learning Journal or mind map, or whatever suits you, you will find that you do something called internalising the knowledge - remember when I talked about metacognitive skills?"
Taking that a step further to look at my own learning, blogging and micro-blogging have been the ways in which I have taken something I already knew about (learning journals) and tried to apply it in new situations.
Parker and Chao (2007) provide an excellent explanation of what wikis can do, particularly as an aid to collaborative learning. I believe that it is this collaborative aspect which is so important in the development of lifelong learners. As Parker and Chao (ibid:58) put it:
"Cooperative learning leads to positive interdependence of group members, individual accountability, face-to-face interaction, and appropriate use of collaborative skills (Schaffert, Bischof, et al., 2006). Cooperative teams achieve higher levels of thought and retain information longer than students who do their work individually (Johnson and Johnson, 1986). The collaborative features of wikis make them particularly well suited for cooperative learning environments (Schaffert, Bischof, et al., 2006)."
Langley (2002: 9) points out the change that has taken place in perceptions of what it is to be a good teacher – based on views of how people learn. This has been reflected by successive Ofsted framework reviews so that nowadays lesson observations tend to look for ‘what learning has taken place’ rather than ‘what the teacher did’. Although Langley is considering teaching in Higher Education, I believe that there are many similarities with school teaching. For example, she writes:
"Transmission is not the only role, or even the primary role, of the HE teacher. The teacher’s role is to encourage active participation, dialogue and interaction by students with course materials and with each other."
Elizabeth Holmes (2/10/08:1), writing for CPD Week, uses an analogy from children’s literature to begin her explanation of professional learning journals:-
"Any Harry Potter fans out there may remember a conversation between Harry and Dumbledore about the 'pensieve'. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by JK Rowling, Dumbledore explains to the young Harry that the stone basin he calls the pensieve is used to hold excess thoughts from one's mind so that they can be examined at leisure. "It becomes easier to spot patterns and links, you understand, when they are in this form", says Dumbledore."
I believe that this would also make a good explanation of why student learning journals should be encouraged. Teachers strive to help their classes with pattern spotting and link making and it is my contention that by assisting them in making links across and between subject areas we are helping them to become independent learners for the future. Northedge and Lane (1997) describe a spiral of learning which begins at the point where we realise that we need some extra information in order to enhance our learning, moving on through study and lessons, using some old knowledge, to internalise new ideas and begin the spiral again. The issue which I believe exists even more markedly with young students is that they need considerable guidance to move sensibly along this spiral.
I asked students “What do you think of using the LJ idea in Maths?”
· Good, helps me remember
· It’s very useful for going back when a question comes up
· again later on
· Don’t like it
· Very good idea as it cuts down revision and gives you all the
· information you need.
· OK
· Very good, much easier to revise from
· It is useful for revision
· It makes it much easier to revise for exams or to look up
· how to do things you don’t understand
· Helpful to refer back to, I’ve got better at it
Allan, H. J. (2008) ‘Assessment tool for reflective practice’, for the Royal College of Surgeons
(unpublished)
Holmes, E. (2/10/08:1) “Professional learning journals – making learning come alive”, CPD
Week (teachingexpertise.com)
Langley, A. (ed) (2002) Supporting Open Learning Theoretical Reader (2002) Milton Keynes,
The Open University
Northedge, A. and Lane, A. (1997) ‘What is learning?’ in Northedge, A. et al. The Science
Good Study Guide Milton Keynes, the Open University pp. 20-2
Parker, K. R. and Chao, J. T., (2007) Wiki as a Teaching Tool in Interdisciplinary Journal of
Knowledge and Learning Objects (3: 57-72), California, USA
Perry W G (1970) Forms of Intellectual and Ethical Development in the College Years, New
York, Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
reflections on 'why use ePortfolios?'
Reflection on ePortfolio case studies
(activity 2.3 for H808)]
JISC (2008) Effective Practice with e-Portfolios: Supporting 21st Century Learning, JISC. Available from: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/effectivepracticeeportfolios.pdf (accessed 10 July 2009).
This paper considers several projects, considering especially how e-Portfolios can improve personalisation and reflection in learning. All of the projects are with adults, although for different purposes (professional development, higher study)
“Behind any product, or presentation, lie rich and complex processes of planning, synthesising, sharing, discussing, reflecting, giving, receiving and responding to feedback. These processes – referred to here as ‘e-portfolio-based learning’ – are the focus of increasing attention, since the process of learning can be as important as the end product.” Page 8
My own reflection on this is to query how is that makes ePortfolios different from any other process of learning. If I were to play Devil’s advocate, I might suggest that we are jumping on a digital bandwagon and that there is no benefit over paper based approaches. Indeed, it could be worse since a paper portfolio does not ‘crash’ (though it can get lost or destroyed).
In my experience of leading Professional Development with school teachers, paper based portfolios are no more likely to succeed since it is the very act of reflecting and keeping a log which many busy people find difficult – unless they can see a very real benefit for them or for their practice. It may well be that the production of a professional looking document will be one incentive. However, we need to remember that many of our potential customers would be deemed digital immigrants and will not necessarily find these tools easy to work with to begin with. Additionally, access to hardware may remain an issue for some.
“The primary aim of an e-portfolio may be 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, more commonly experienced in higher and continuing education contexts, but now also occurring further education and schools. These different approaches are not mutually exclusive, however, and may in fact represent different starting points on a journey towards embedding e-portfolio use fully into the curriculum.” Page 8
Do ePortfolios improve development of reflection, personalisation, and collaboration? Perhaps the major difference is to do with audience and potential development of communities of practice. In my opinion, this is the real benefit of ePortfolios: they open up the opportunity to receive peer review and feedback from (more able) partners across a global network if chosen.
For me the major concern is one raised by Harry Tuttle “Web 2.0 21st Century Skills What percent of class wiki is student created? Don't count mandatory posts. Is it a class teacher “website”? “Twitter comment 26/9/08 In other words, whose portfolio is it? How much is driven by the learner? With teachers in my own school, I found that asking them to post reflective writing on our wiki dramatically increased the use of this repository. I am still finding it very difficult to get collaborative work to develop.
It would be great to hear from people who have used either paper portfolios or ePortfolios or both - especially as Professional Development tools - with any hints, particulalry on the collaborative aspect.
(activity 2.3 for H808)]
JISC (2008) Effective Practice with e-Portfolios: Supporting 21st Century Learning, JISC. Available from: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/effectivepracticeeportfolios.pdf (accessed 10 July 2009).
This paper considers several projects, considering especially how e-Portfolios can improve personalisation and reflection in learning. All of the projects are with adults, although for different purposes (professional development, higher study)
“Behind any product, or presentation, lie rich and complex processes of planning, synthesising, sharing, discussing, reflecting, giving, receiving and responding to feedback. These processes – referred to here as ‘e-portfolio-based learning’ – are the focus of increasing attention, since the process of learning can be as important as the end product.” Page 8
My own reflection on this is to query how is that makes ePortfolios different from any other process of learning. If I were to play Devil’s advocate, I might suggest that we are jumping on a digital bandwagon and that there is no benefit over paper based approaches. Indeed, it could be worse since a paper portfolio does not ‘crash’ (though it can get lost or destroyed).
In my experience of leading Professional Development with school teachers, paper based portfolios are no more likely to succeed since it is the very act of reflecting and keeping a log which many busy people find difficult – unless they can see a very real benefit for them or for their practice. It may well be that the production of a professional looking document will be one incentive. However, we need to remember that many of our potential customers would be deemed digital immigrants and will not necessarily find these tools easy to work with to begin with. Additionally, access to hardware may remain an issue for some.
“The primary aim of an e-portfolio may be 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, more commonly experienced in higher and continuing education contexts, but now also occurring further education and schools. These different approaches are not mutually exclusive, however, and may in fact represent different starting points on a journey towards embedding e-portfolio use fully into the curriculum.” Page 8
Do ePortfolios improve development of reflection, personalisation, and collaboration? Perhaps the major difference is to do with audience and potential development of communities of practice. In my opinion, this is the real benefit of ePortfolios: they open up the opportunity to receive peer review and feedback from (more able) partners across a global network if chosen.
For me the major concern is one raised by Harry Tuttle “Web 2.0 21st Century Skills What percent of class wiki is student created? Don't count mandatory posts. Is it a class teacher “website”? “Twitter comment 26/9/08 In other words, whose portfolio is it? How much is driven by the learner? With teachers in my own school, I found that asking them to post reflective writing on our wiki dramatically increased the use of this repository. I am still finding it very difficult to get collaborative work to develop.
It would be great to hear from people who have used either paper portfolios or ePortfolios or both - especially as Professional Development tools - with any hints, particulalry on the collaborative aspect.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
wordle of E891 intro
never yet managed to make these links work - here goes http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/1169781/educational_enquiry
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
H809 into H808
Having just got a PASS for H808, I am absolutely delighted. I did find it hard to stay on track and was not as good as I had intended to be at joining in on forums. This was an eyeopener for me as an OU tutor on a course which employs a 'blended'approach, some f2f and some online tutorials. It made it much clearer for me to see how I can improve my own online tutoring practice in the future - and that is indeed the reason why I set out to do the MAODE.
Some of the guidance in evaluating articles has been useful for teaching my own MA group, my EdD supervision and even for coaching and mentoring teachers at my High School to undertake things like action research for their NQT year, and their reflective writing for their Chartered London Teacher status.
H809 opened my eyes to bloogging and Twitter. The latter made me think of loads of new ways to use wikis. I have only just started on H808 but it has already made me think about ePortfolios as a teaching and learning tool.
I'm even thinking of writing a paper .....
So thanks to all those on my last study course and (in anticipation)on my new one.
More reflections from Juliette Culver
Some of the guidance in evaluating articles has been useful for teaching my own MA group, my EdD supervision and even for coaching and mentoring teachers at my High School to undertake things like action research for their NQT year, and their reflective writing for their Chartered London Teacher status.
H809 opened my eyes to bloogging and Twitter. The latter made me think of loads of new ways to use wikis. I have only just started on H808 but it has already made me think about ePortfolios as a teaching and learning tool.
I'm even thinking of writing a paper .....
So thanks to all those on my last study course and (in anticipation)on my new one.
More reflections from Juliette Culver
Monday, September 14, 2009
choosing a focus group for ePortfolios
I may be going off the track - tell me someone if you think so, please. I think that I may build on the success of the wiki that I developed last academic year with my High School staff for our PD programme to try to move forward for ePortfolios. The two key areas are: personal development and assessment of learning.
I have already asked staff to list the sessions they intend to attend this coming year if they are going to particpate in our accreditation scheme. They already have the assessment criteria and activities - the latter are just short written evaluations of each session and a longer reflection at the end of the year. Now, this builds on last year's work because they have got used to publishing their reflections on the wiki already. The development will be to get them to blog their session evaluations on their personal pages on the wiki.
It would be good to develop some informal peer assessment of the blogs, I think - what do others think of this idea? I am thinking that I'll use an adaptation of Hayley Allan's criteria for reflective writing. The tables below are what I did for GCSE students so will need some adaptation for teachers and other school staff. (Allan, Perry, Moon refs coming soon!)
click to enlarge
further info on the PD programme www.splatshs.wetpaint.com
I have already asked staff to list the sessions they intend to attend this coming year if they are going to particpate in our accreditation scheme. They already have the assessment criteria and activities - the latter are just short written evaluations of each session and a longer reflection at the end of the year. Now, this builds on last year's work because they have got used to publishing their reflections on the wiki already. The development will be to get them to blog their session evaluations on their personal pages on the wiki.
It would be good to develop some informal peer assessment of the blogs, I think - what do others think of this idea? I am thinking that I'll use an adaptation of Hayley Allan's criteria for reflective writing. The tables below are what I did for GCSE students so will need some adaptation for teachers and other school staff. (Allan, Perry, Moon refs coming soon!)
click to enlargefurther info on the PD programme www.splatshs.wetpaint.com
Sunday, September 13, 2009
first thoughts about ePortfolios
Went out for breakfast today with my husband - as we occasionally do on a Sunday. We both take papers to read and basically work and pretend like we are taking a break but still get stuff done. It's more fun than it sounds since we lead completely different professional lives which still have a good degree of what you might call conceptual overlap so we discuss ideas that we come across as we read. Heaven knows what people at neighbouring tables think of the 'odd couple'.
So my papers to day included three short articles about ePortfolios which I selected from the reading list on my study course.
The Electronic Portfolio Boom: What's it All About T Baston 2002 explores why the time is right for many to explore ePortfolios. One reason cited is that databases are now available through websites. I have no idea how many people actually do manage their files in this way and would love to know so please do respond with some comments if you can. Baston also comments that the way students work nowadays (mainly on computers rather than paper based) allows their work to be "searchable and transportable". This is one reason that I have given for enjoying posting my study notes on a blog - it means that I can use the tags to find my notes easily (and so can my tutor if s/he wishes) and more importantly (for me) I can access them wherever I am. I don't have to carry a laptop or even a USB stick with me. Baston's claim that ePortfolios "have a greater potential to alter higher education ... than any other technology application we've known thus far" is a big one and certainly thought provoking.
The European Institute for e-Learning (EifeL) has produced some notes on their Europortfolio Mission. An interesting read.
Finally, this morning, I looked at Online Personal Learning Environments: Structuring Electronic Portfolios for Lifelong and Life Wide Learning by Barrett and Garrett 2009. This made me think a good deal about how I work with both my HE students and my High School students in the future. The idea of a digital archive and blog which is under the control of the learner seems absolutely paramount to me in encouraging students to become independent. I am thinking of Knowles' concept of 'andragogy' - where the student takes on the responsibility for their own learning, rather than pedagogy where they are 'led'. I especially liked the point made that the learner owns the work and the institution owns the evaluation - and "Learners should be able to choose how much of that evaluation they will include in their own digital archive." This ties in with one of my major responsibilities as a Deputy Head teacher - leading the Professional Development programme at our school. I encourage staff to keep evidence folios (including, for example, lesson evaluations done by observers) and to draw on these when they make submissions for accreditation or publish their reflections on our school based wiki, for sharing. My EdD student also works in this way. The next step is for me to encourage all of these people to use ePortfolios for storing their work. This means that I have to explore the software that is available so that I can make informed suggestions and recommendations.
Interesting article on Google apps ePortfolio that came from a recommendation from @dpeter on Twitter
The video on the right of this blog Information R/evolution (Three Tags) by M Wesch is a useful addendum to this discussion.
So my papers to day included three short articles about ePortfolios which I selected from the reading list on my study course.
The Electronic Portfolio Boom: What's it All About T Baston 2002 explores why the time is right for many to explore ePortfolios. One reason cited is that databases are now available through websites. I have no idea how many people actually do manage their files in this way and would love to know so please do respond with some comments if you can. Baston also comments that the way students work nowadays (mainly on computers rather than paper based) allows their work to be "searchable and transportable". This is one reason that I have given for enjoying posting my study notes on a blog - it means that I can use the tags to find my notes easily (and so can my tutor if s/he wishes) and more importantly (for me) I can access them wherever I am. I don't have to carry a laptop or even a USB stick with me. Baston's claim that ePortfolios "have a greater potential to alter higher education ... than any other technology application we've known thus far" is a big one and certainly thought provoking.
The European Institute for e-Learning (EifeL) has produced some notes on their Europortfolio Mission. An interesting read.
Finally, this morning, I looked at Online Personal Learning Environments: Structuring Electronic Portfolios for Lifelong and Life Wide Learning by Barrett and Garrett 2009. This made me think a good deal about how I work with both my HE students and my High School students in the future. The idea of a digital archive and blog which is under the control of the learner seems absolutely paramount to me in encouraging students to become independent. I am thinking of Knowles' concept of 'andragogy' - where the student takes on the responsibility for their own learning, rather than pedagogy where they are 'led'. I especially liked the point made that the learner owns the work and the institution owns the evaluation - and "Learners should be able to choose how much of that evaluation they will include in their own digital archive." This ties in with one of my major responsibilities as a Deputy Head teacher - leading the Professional Development programme at our school. I encourage staff to keep evidence folios (including, for example, lesson evaluations done by observers) and to draw on these when they make submissions for accreditation or publish their reflections on our school based wiki, for sharing. My EdD student also works in this way. The next step is for me to encourage all of these people to use ePortfolios for storing their work. This means that I have to explore the software that is available so that I can make informed suggestions and recommendations.
Interesting article on Google apps ePortfolio that came from a recommendation from @dpeter on Twitter
The video on the right of this blog Information R/evolution (Three Tags) by M Wesch is a useful addendum to this discussion.
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