Tech Play 2: ePortfolio

The ePortfolio

ePortfolio's are very different from traditional standardized testing, it focuses more on what a student can do, rather than what they can’t. The ePortfolio is a student centered learning experience that allows students to utilize technology to collect artifacts to demonstrate evidence of learning and achievement.

 As a learner pursing a graduate degree I find ePortfolio's to be more relevant and meaningful to my academic and career goals than other forms of assessments. Currently, I am a teacher and my goal is to ultimately be an administrator. Simply taking a test or writing a research paper does not show the full extent of my experience or learning.

Now to answer the question of preference! The question was asked which do I prefer, portfolio's or standard forms of assessments. While researching ePortfolio's I found a video of a teacher speaking of his experience using ePortfolio's in his classroom. He told the story of one of his student's telling him that they did way more work in his class than their prior teacher. It made me laugh out loud because to be honest that's how I'm feeling about portfolio's. Although I definitely understand the benefits of them, it's a lot of work! I would PREFER to take a test any day! 

Making Connections

The ePortfolio allows students to not only collect assignments (artifacts), but also focus on specific works to reflect on or make connections to other artifacts that are included or other experiences. The learning process is more rich when students are able to not only make those connections, but reflect and identify strengths and areas of improvement. The reflection process may connect their learning to the artifacts in the portfolio or across content areas. This process can help students not only develop critical thinking and self evaluation skills, but also connect and learn through all content areas including writing. 

" 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)

Student Empowerment

The ePortfolio gives students a sense of ownership in the learning process and allows them to not only track their progress but to feel a sense of accomplishment. Once students feel a sense of ownership the learning becomes more tangible.  

" 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 & Ayres.(1994).

ePortfolio vs Portfolio

• ePortfolio's are more cost effective- everything is electronic so it's easier to create and maintain

• ePortfolio's can be sent electronically so it's easier and faster to share with others

• ePortfolio's can easily incorporate digital media such as videos or audio

Which Tool?

One of the platforms that I explored is considered a proprietary tool foliospaces.org, which has a free version that affordances include the ability to create content, journal, create pages, add and manage files as well as share and create groups. Although the site does have several helpful videos I found this platform to be less user friendly than Google sites which is the other affordance that I explored. Affordances of using google sites is that it's much more user friendly, the ePortfolio is owned by the creator so therefore individuals control and present their own content. Google is also constantly developing and integrating new tools and applications which allows the user to stay up to date on current technology changes. I also love that it's easy to transfer information from my personal drive to educational/professional account. It also allows for interactivity and team web sites. 

Which Tool for Students?

I love Google apps but for students I would go with Dreamdo Schools which is a Project Based Learning platform that is easy to use and allows students to plan, create and share  projects with not only their classmates but globally as well. Teachers begin by creating an account and inviting students to a project. Students are able to insert text, images, links and videos to document their learning process. What I like about Dreamdo the most is the ability for classes to connect globally to other schools who have class projects via Skype and are even able to develop a buddy relationship to another class. I love the idea of scholars making connections with other scholars across the globe! I think this is an excellent way to encourage cross cultural learning. 

For security reasons if I did decide to use this tool in my classroom, I would be very careful monitoring students and ensuring that very little personal identifiable information is shared on the platform. 

References

Student E-Portfolios - Google for Educators. (n.d.). Retrieved June 19, 2019, from https://sites.google.com/a/bvsd.org/google-for-bvsd-educators/e-portfolios-for-students

Using Google Sites for Creating An ePortfolio - Eportfolio Resource Center. (n.d.). Retrieved June 18, 2019, from https://sites.google.com/site/resourcecentereportfolio/how-to-use-google-sites

Sitkin, J. (n.d.). Dreamdo Schools Review for Teachers. Retrieved June 19, 2019, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/website/dreamdo-schools