Or a voyage of discovery into e-Portfolios
and Lifelong Learning
Ray TolleyMaximise ICT Ltd
Why so many differentE-Portfolios ?
Before looking at the number of e-Portfolios available to us, we should first look at the number of VLEs or Learning Platforms available to schools and colleges. And then reflect upon how many different implementations of e-Portfolios might be generated by each individual school’s VLE.
How many differentVLEs do you recognise ?
FirstClass
The first problem for those who want to use an e-Portfolio as a Lifelong learning tool is that in most cases where the e-Portfolio is embedded within the VLE it is not easily ‘portable’ between institutions.Some may say that ‘interoperability’ will solve the problems of ‘portability’, however, we need to be careful about what can actually be ported from one system to another – very little in my view.
Some 18 months ago, whilst investigating the impact of VLEs in schools, we asked the following question and the resultant graph on the next slide reveals a worrying state of affairs.However, the responses for ‘setting up and testing’ are also of concern in that, when asked further, none of the respondents could actually describe the potential functions of their e-Portfolio apart from ‘showcasing’.
8.Do you have an e-Portfolio system up-and-running?
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Based upon the previous concerns, the following slides summarise some of my research and findings as presented to Becta last year.
An investigation into the use of e-Portfolios in schools
particularly in Key Stage 4
by R J Tolley30/04/2008
‘By spring 2008 the DCSF expects your learners to have access to a personal
online learning space.’
‘….with the potential to support an e-portfolio (provided by their local authority)’
….to support assessment for learning, personalisation….
Learner engagement…. e-portfolios…. Tools and services - providing communication tools such as
email, messaging, discussion forums and blogs.
Becta’s Mandate
• A collection of digital resources; • That provide evidence of an individual’s progress and
achievements;• Drawn from both formal and informal learning activities;• That are personally managed and owned by the learner;• That can be used for review, reflection and personal
development planning;• That can be selectively accessed by other interested parties
e.g. teachers, peers, assessors, awarding bodies, prospective employers.’
Definitions from JISC‘Definitions of an e-portfolio tend to include the following elements:
Helen Beetham (2005) http://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/eportfolio_ped.dochttp://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/eportfolio_ped.doc
Mirror Map Sonnet
Theoretical Act Story Journey
Laboratory Test Showcase
Celebration of Learning Across the Lifespan
Comparison with Financial Portfolios
Campfires around which we tell our stories
My digital clone My work companion My butler
My dashboard My planner Toothbrush
My IPR manager Caterpillar Confessional
Kaleidoscope Window(s) Tail-end-Charlie
Gatekeeper Constant Companion Festival
From Dr Helen Barrett
http://electronicportfolios.org/metaphors
From Evangeline Stefanakis
To see how portfolios can be a Window into the Learner’s Mind, it takes time to examine the student’s work and accompanying reflections. It may be helpful to first review the work, then the reflections, and then go back to the work to see what students did (visible in the work sample), along with how they did it and what they learned (in the reflection).
‘Multiple Intelligences and Portfolios’
Linguistic Logical-Mathematical
Bodily-Kinesthetic
Visual-Spatial
Musical Naturalistic
Interpersonal IntrapersonalEthical-Spiritual
Problem-Identification
Problem-Solving
Communicating Solutions
Idea from ‘Multiple Intelligences & Portfolios’ by Evangeline Stefanakis
Multiple Intelligencesand Assessment
contextscontextsneedsneeds
pleasurepleasure
socialsocial
physicalphysical
funfun
interestsinterests
cognitivecognitiveaestheticsaesthetics
rationalrational
aspirationalaspirational
intellectualintellectual
desiresdesires
feelingsfeelings
expectationsexpectations
Idea from a dissertation by Eva de Lera, University of Cataluña
The Joy of e-Learning
19th Century thinking for 21st Century technology?19th Century thinking for 21st Century technology?
Old perceptions of what media an e-Portfolio might contain,
Lack of confidence and experience of new technologies,
Lack of imagination re Helen Barrett’s metaphors,
Lack of encouragement by examination boards and assessors,
Lack of understanding of how people want to represent themselves.
Schools and Further Education
Old university styles
Use of the e-Portfolio for content delivery only,
Traditional didactic styles often decades old,
Failure to invest in imaginative resources,
Limited to internal use eg for PDP,
Lack of understanding of how e-portfolios can be used for Lifelong, Lifewide Learning.
Higher Education
Industry not equipped
Few workers have their own computer workspaces whilst at work,
Larger industries train for own skills-developments only,
SMEs do not have the resources for staff-development,
Personnel are often more mobile,
Lack any interest in how e-portfolios can be used for Lifelong, Lifewide Learning.
Industry and Commerce
Confessions of a Teacher at http://lissylea.blogspot.com/2009/06/arrrgh.html
‘Confessions of a Teacher’
The parents were all amazed at their child’s e-portfolio. The children ran their conferences.
They showed their parents their e-portfolios and I was there to make comments about the feedback that I had posted on their goals.
It was great to see some parents who were very unsure about e-portfolio take delight in the fact that the children were leading the show.
Home Access
A government drive to make computers and the internet more accessible to low-income families has been so successful that funding is extended to allow more families to benefit from the scheme. Since the launch in February 2009, over 7,500 applicants have benefited in the pilot areas.
Home Access will ensure every learner has an equal chance to tap into the benefits of the internet to enhance their learning.
The £300 million Home Access programme aims to deliver equal learning opportunities to the 35 per cent of families that currently have no access to the internet at home.
1. It is portable: It cannot be located in any one institution or embedded within a proprietary VLE.
2. It is personal: It is ‘owned’ by the user and is customisable to the user’s age, stage and style.
3. It is generic: It is not modelled on any particular curriculum delivery system nor content.
4. It is Web2.0: It should be compliant with all generic formats within the application.
5. It is MIS-free: It is not ‘hard-wired’ to any institution’s MIS infrastructure.
6. It is ‘lite’: It is not a permanent repository of all of a user’s files, rather a ‘transit camp’.
7. It is lifelong: Ownership must be maintainable as a continuity, ‘5-95’.8. It is lifewide: It is capable of being used by all ages and abilities
through a wide range of assistive templates.9. It is accessible: It must recognise common standards of accessibility in
terms of both outputs and inputs.10. It is credible: Summative Assessment linked to a secure repository ie
the awarding body or a central MIAP/Minerva archive.
10 Prime Directives
• The Pupil• The Teacher• The Form-tutor• The teacher (personal)• Member of SLMT• Governors• Parents• The New School• Mentors
• Collaborators/peers• Careers Counsellors• Private tutors• W/E Placements• OCR Assessors• UCAS• FE/HE interviews• Potential Employers• Tribunal panel members
But who would use the e-Portfolio?
Showcasing – via permissions;Customisation – menus, pages, fonts, graphics;Gatekeeper – a ‘filter’ on what to present;Mentoring – ‘academic God-parents’;Collaboration – safely with peers;Favourites – my shortcuts/URLs;Personal Organisation – an electronic ‘Planner’;Planning – both formal and informal;Feedback – from ‘friends’ and teachers;Reflection – a place for quiet contemplation;Monitoring – a personal log of grades, comments;Assessment – what I do and how I do it.
e-Portfolios and Functionality
Sophie at 7 years oldSophie at 7 years old
e-Folio - Lifelong and Lifewide
Sophie at 12 years oldSophie at 12 years old
e-Folio - Lifelong and Lifewide
Sophie at 17 years oldSophie at 17 years old
e-Folio - Lifelong and Lifewide
Sophie could have chosen the Diploma routeSophie could have chosen the Diploma route
e-Folio - Lifelong and Lifewide
Sophie as a young professionalSophie as a young professional
e-Folio - Lifelong and Lifewide
Well, if my mother-in-law can do it …..?Well, if my mother-in-law can do it …..?
e-Folio - Lifelong and Lifewide
e-Folio – selected demonstration sites