e -Portfolio, Part 1

1. e-Portfolio, Part 1 Amy Johnson, NBCT RCU Multimedia Specialist Blackboard Support Team

3. We will…. Talk about.. • What is a portfolio? • The philosophy behind… • Why create a e-portfolio? • Why is reflection important… • How to create an e-portfolio? • What tools to use…..

4. What is a Portfolio? • Dictionary.com defines it as a flat, portable case for carrying loose papers, drawings, etc. • In education it is a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student’s efforts, progress and achievements in on or more areas.

5. What is an e-Portfolio? • If portfolios are 'simply a collection of documents relating to a learner's progress, development and achievements' (Beetham 2005) then e-portfolios could be defined as simply digital collections of these documents. However, ideas of what an e-portfolio 'is' are complex and to an extent the definition and purpose will vary depending on the perspective from which a particular person is approaching the concept. Consensus is beginning to grow as experience of e-portfolios develops which will help converge these different ideas and definitions. • A helpful starting point is to distinguish between e-portfolios as products, e-portfolios as tools or systems and the processes associated with e-portfolio development although they are intrinsically linked and in the case of product and process, interdependent. • Essentially then, an e-portfolio is a product created by learners, a collection of digital artifacts articulating learning (both formal and informal), experiences and achievements. Learners create 'presentational' e-portfolios by using e-portfolio tools or systems. As part of this production process, learners can be inherently supported to develop one or more key skills such as collecting, selecting, reflecting, sharing, collaborating, annotating and presenting - these can be described as e-portfolio-related processes. Definitions of an e-portfolio tend to include the concepts of learners drawing from both informal and formal learning activities to create their e-portfolios, which are personally managed and owned by the learner, and where items can be selectively shared with other parties such as peers, teachers, assessors and employers. (http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/e-portfolios/index_html)

6. What to include: The collection must include: • student participation in selecting contents. • the criteria for selection • the criteria for judging merit • evidence of student self-reflection

7. e-Portfolio • Helen Barrett • http://electronicportfolios.org/ • Sample • http://www.richerpicture.com/dp/sarah/barrington_hs/index.html

8. 21st Century Skills http://www.21stcenturyskills.org

9. NETSNational Educational Technology Standards http://www.iste.org

11. Why e-Portfolios? • The e-portfolio is the central and common point for the student experience….It is a reflection of the student as a person undergoing continuous personal development, not just a store of evidence. • Geoff Rebbeck, e-Learning Coordinator, Thanet College, quoted in JISC 2008, Effective Practice with e-Portfolios

12. Why e-Portfolios? • Application – provides evidence in support of an application for a job or for admission to further study • Transition – provides a richer more immediate picture of learners’ achievements and needs as they progress to a new environment, and supporting them through the process of transition • Learning, teaching and assessment – supporting the process of learning through reflection, discussion and formative assessment, and providing evidence for summative assessment • Personal development planning and continuing professional development – supporting and evidencing the pursuit and achievement of personal or professional competences • Effective Practice with e-Portfolios http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearning/eportfolios/effectivepracticeeportfolios

13. Level 1 – Collection: Begins with technology integration across curriculum • Level 2 – Primary Purpose: Learning/Reflection/Metacognition • Level 3 – Primary Purpose: Showcase/Accountabilty

14. A Reminder… Reflection is the “Heart and Soul” of a Portfolio….NOT the Technology!!

15. Reflection for Learning • Portfolios provide a powerful environment in which students can collect and organize the artifacts that result from engaging in these challenging, real-life tasks, and write the reflections through which students draw meaning. Part of the reflective process is to have students tell stories about their experiences which brain research shows can help students embed these experiences into their long term memory. • How do you get your students to reflect? • http://sites.google.com/site/reflection4learning/

16. Even if we experience something that has happened to us before, it is hard to make meaning of it unless it engages our emotions.

17. Sample Portfolios • http://www.richerpicture.com/dp/sarah/barrington_hs/index.html • http://www.richerpicture.com/samples.php • http://freelancefolder.com/20-inspiring-personal-portfolio-sites-you-should-explore/

18. Sample

19. How to Create a Portfolio? • http://electronicportfolios.org/categories.html • http://electronicportfolios.org/blogmodels/wordpress.html • http://rcu.blackboard.com

20. Blackboard

21. Resources • e-Portfolios - http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/e-portfolios

22. Q & A