When Joy, Terrie and I chatted online last week we began by looking at some of the questions Robyn posed about e-portfolios.
Yes, there's a great deal of confusion, but it is exactly that confusion (resulting from early adoption of new technology/software, etc) which is fuelling the large amount of discussion, investigation, debate, etc. which is now taking place. Looking closer, I see more clarity beginning to emerge, as a result of community focus.
BUT I wonder if there is too much "cart-before-the horse" thinking.We the practitioners should be much more involved in creating a "wish-list" of exactly what we need the package to do. WE and our teachers/students are going to be using this for a specific purpose and we should define this clearly. We should then be involved in the process of design (if possible) and definitely in the testing and "tweaking" of the product.
The current discussion about e-portfolios demonstrates that there are many different purposes
envisioned. Among these are: as a secure personal repository; as a student course record; as a
personal CV; as a personal profile; as a group/individual collection of work samples; as a
demonstration of skill development; as an institutional record of an individual; and so on ...
As a number of contributors to this discussion have pointed-out here and in the Connections and
Conversations wiki, many of the practitioners "at the coalface" have adopted and/or adapted various social software programs to perform the function they require.
I agree with Robyn Jay and others who express disquiet about institutions locking behind firewalls
something which, in effect, should remain under the individual's personal control.
Some of our team wanted to look at the kind of software already being used - Robyn suggests looking at Carole McCulloch's site http://personal-eportfolios.wikispaces.com/ . Carole has been trialling various sites/packages for several years, and she provides a number of links to her own trial pages, and also provides some general background and links on e-portfolios and their uses.
Robyn has also bookmarked a few spaces in delicious at http://del.icio.us/robynjay/eportfolio
In the above list see Dr Helen Barrett - http://electronicportfolios.org/myportfolio/versions.htmlShe includes a list of sites and brief comments on each - very helpful.
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I think the pertinent point you make here Kathie is that the process must be driven by a)learners needs, b)educators and c)pedagogy and what we know to be good teaching practice.
Yet again we seem to be scrambling to fit our practice around what we are told is coming.
Yet again a lot of what is happening is being driven by policy w/o due consideration for individuals or good practice.
I often quote Curtis Bonk who in 2003 in Sydney said - 'there is absolutely nothing in a LMS that helps teachers teach well .... they're all about administration and record keeping'. Let's not fall into the same trap again.
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