Whilst waiting for my iOS5 update to proceed I did quite a bit of reading, and one item that caught my eye was this post called “At Last – Recognition for Blog-based Portfolios” by Jim Shimabukuru, which reported on an academic paper written by a group of 6 US professors – “bPortfolios: Blogging for Reflective Practice“.

The abstract for the academic paper is:

“Web 2.0 technology, such as blogging, allows for locally developed, cost effective, and holistic alternative portfolio assessment systems. By enhancing critical reflection and fostering social interaction, blogging portfolios are seen as an integral learning tool for all students enrolled in a university program.”

Quite what the difference is, for the student’s final portfolio, between the blog and portfolio edition is still not clear yet, but it is obviously an alternative solution, and one that ought to be considered.

Many will know that I’ve long been a champion of electronic-based portfolio systems, and have tested and used a few of them (PebblePad, Mahara, etc). While the process of getting them used more widely than as part of a reflective writing element in a single Unit/Course is still on-going, I am now thinking that we have the basis here, with blog-based portfolios,

The highlights of using a blogging system (like WordPress) as the portfolio system are:

• WordPress.com hosted blogs are free.
• Students can use the portfolios across their entire study for numerous on-campus and online courses experiences.
• The portfolios promote and support ‘social interaction’, (i.e., ‘Students share their learning reflections in an open format’).
• Students can ‘continue to maintain their site upon completion of the program as their individual accounts are not registered on a university server’.
• The portfolio is ‘stored’ in the cloud (e.g. WordPress.com) if an Institutional system is not implemented.
• The portfolios are ‘highly cost effective’ and sustainable: “The university can focus its time and efforts on improving instruction and student support for the bPortfolio rather than allocate funds and personnel to web-hosting, software upgrades, and software support, etc. in the bPortfolio project”.

Jim closes his piece by saying that the use …

“… of WordPress and Blogger for teacher and student publications and portfolios is a highly sustainable, cost-effective, and educative practice. It expands the students’ e-learning environment beyond the walls of the college to include the worldwide web. Sloan-C, and especially SPU, are to be congratulated for taking this bold step toward re-empowering teachers for the 21^st century classroom.”

While his use of a blogging system was not sanctioned or supported officially (something he is glad of, in fear of opposition to his implementation) he recognises that there are implications regarding student support, both pedagogically and from the technical viewpoint. Both Blogger and WordPress have extensive resources online for just about every eventuality, this is not always the ‘cleanest’ method of support.

So, the big question … are ePortfolios on their way out before they’ve really gained traction, or is the subect of bPortfolios just going to dilute the discussion about the engagement of students, faculty, and employers? I welcome your comments.

No related posts.

David Hopkins, Learning Technologist

Those of you who follow my blog, or follow me on Twitter (@hopkinsdavid), Academia.edu or LinkedIn, will know I continue to explore the role of Learning Technologists, and the discipline that is learning technology. Below are two links to my previous efforts in defining some of my thoughts:

• What is a Learning Technologist (Aug 2009)
• What is a Learning Technologist (part 2)? (Oct 2010)

In October 2010 I started studying the PG Cert Education Practice at Bournemouth University with a view to gaining valuable insight into the world in which I inhabit, support, and advise. I will post on the first two assignments at some time, but the final assignment is an ePortfolio of work (at the time of writing, June 2011, the marks are not back yet) and supporting evidence over the past year or so that fits the three themes, which are:

1. Self-awareness and Self-evaluation: Evaluating Development Needs
2. Managing Change: Response to Context
3. Evidence-based Practice in Relation to Discipline Needs

It is not possible to replicate the whole ePortfolio here, nor do I want to (yet), but I wanted to share a few sections that reinforce my ‘journey’ as a Learning Technologist. These come from the final section of ‘evidence-based practice in relation to discipline needs’ (and associated references):

“The discipline of Learning Technology is changing and growing as new ideas for existing tools and systems are developed or as new systems are introduced – the advances in mobile computing and geo-location is introducing a new world of ‘tagging’ yourself and your ‘updates’ (Facebook), your ‘tweets’ (Twitter), and your photos (TwitPic, Flickr, Instagram, etc). Being a Learning Technologist also means we are not limited to just playing a supporting role, but we involved in the “broad range of communication, information and related technologies that can be used to support learning, teaching, and assessment” (Browne & Beetham, 2010, p6). This is our discipline and covers all aspects of subject areas from Health Care and Archaeology to Marketing or Computer Systems Designs.”

Browne, T. and Beetham, H. 2010. The positioning of educational technologists in enhancing the student experience. Project Report. Association of Learning Technology and The Higher Education Academy. Available from:http://repository.alt.ac.uk/id/eprint/831. [Accessed May 25, 2011].

“One aspect of my role that I have found invaluable is that I am able to bring my commercial background in web design and Internet technologies, as well as time as an employee and owner/manager of a small business, to the varied subject areas I support in the School; accounting, management, finance, law, contract, marketing, etc. It is this background that has given me the time to develop a professionalism that I pride myself with that has enabled invitations from different teams within the School, and other Schools, to be involved in teaching, research and projects. The concluding statements in the work by Neurmann et all (2002) state that a steady growth in staff development “has typically involved the central provision of short-courses … divorced from the specificities of the everyday academic context” but a “faculty-based [or] departmentally based provision could give promise of enhancing reflective practice, drawing on a recognition of specific cognitive and cultural factors rather than concentrating on generic teaching skills and presentational techniques.” I have found a School (departmentally)-based approach is able to factor a growth of a closer personal relationship with an academic or team and their subject area to be more valuable than a ‘point-and-click’ approach to the introduction of new tools and systems.”

Neumann, R., Parry, S., and Becher, T. 2002 Teaching and Learning in their Disciplinary Contexts: a conceptual analysis. Studies in Higher Education. 27(4). p405-417. Available from: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=7362300&site=eds-live&scope=site. [Accessed May 25, 2011].

“Work by Browne & Beetham (2010, p6) highlights the impact technology enhanced learning has as a “major driver for enhancing the student experience”, but they acknowledge that literature is “relatively silent” on the role and impact Learning Technologist’s have on such objectives. Through my own day-to-day experiences I have found myself being invited to be involved in research, projects, presentations, workshops, conferences, etc that I would not normally expect to be asked to; I attribute this to my open and willing attitude and cultural change within the Business School that has improved relationships between myself and framework teams, and the understanding of the role a Learning Technologist. Questions on where a Learning Technologist should be “positioned” is a difficult one, say Browne & Beetham (2010, p13) which received mixed responses when they asked, and one I can see both sides to the argument; are we positioned in the School so we can maximise the relationships and knowledge of the disciplines of those we support, or are we a central resource that are shared among many different subject disciplines and School, but get the benefit of being kept up to date with system changes/updates? In my view there are positives and negatives to both arguments, but a School-based Learning Technologist has the best of the ‘local’ knowledge and the best of the collaborative environment a central position can offer, if working in a collaborative environment. The discipline of learning technology and the individuals who are part of this growing professional ‘group’, according to Peacock et al (2009), can have a valuable influence on all aspects of, for example, eResearch as we can demonstrate the role of support to help researchers “make informed decisions about whether and how to use e-learning tools to conduct qualitative e-research” and that a “more inclusive model of the Learning Technologist’s role in academia could help address the potential polarisation of the profession into researchers and practitioners”.”

Browne, T. and Beetham, H. 2010. The positioning of educational technologists in enhancing the student experience. Project Report. Association of Learning Technology and The Higher Education Academy. Available from:http://repository.alt.ac.uk/id/eprint/831. [Accessed May 25, 2011].

Peacock, S., Robertson, A., Williams, S, and Clausen, M. 2009. The Role of Learning Technologists in Supporting E-Research, ALT-J: Research in Learning Technology, 17(2). pp115-129. Available from: http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=article&id=doi:10.1080/09687760903033041 [Accessed May 25, 2011].

I conclude the portfolio saying that:

“the opportunity to reflect on the past year(s) has given me greater insight into my role within the Business School and wider Bournemouth University community, but also how I am able to shape the discipline of learning technology from workshops, research, and conversations I am involved in, and by engaging with like-minded professionals through social networks like Twitter and LinkedIn. From this reflection I am able to concentrate my work and reading with a view to develop my professional practice.”

My journey
I have been on a journey during this PG Cert course,. Not all of it has been pleasant but I have enjoyed it and realised that I don’t like the ‘getting by’ mentality: when I do something I like to do it properly and see it through to the end. The struggle has been finding a balance between work and home life AND being a student again. There were times when one had to be sacrificed, and it was always my studies and assignments that suffered. I am not sorry for this, just disappointed that, at times, I wasn’t able to put the effort and dedication I know I am capable of into my studies.

What next?
Well, I don’t know where I am going to go now, assuming I get the grades to pass (finger’s crossed) but there are many avenues open to me: further studies, CMALT application and accreditation (definitely), etc. One thing is certain: I have started something here I want to see grow and to see where it can take me, my work, and my job/discipline. As they say “watch this space …  !”

Please feel free to leave a comment about the above or about your experience as a Learning Technologist, or your experience of working with us.

Related posts:

1. What is a Learning Technologist (part 2)?
2. What is a Learning Technologist (part 5)?
3. What is a Learning Technologist?

This article from Campus Technology made me revisit some of my old posts on portfolio’s (see ‘related links’ below) and that, in the right hands and syllabus structure, “seem to improve student engagement and learning”.

Apparently;

“ePortfolio systems and associated portfolio practices finally are on track to become the centerpiece of educational transformation they always seemed destined to be.”

Does that mean we’ve finally worked out the best way to use them, or does it mean the developers and providers have worked out what it is we need, not what they want to give us?

“Many signs now point to a sudden explosion of electronic portfolio planning, adoption, and rapid market expansion [and] behind this market upswing is the return of academia to the learning values of portfolios based on a recognition that portfolio theory is a good guide for transformation of the academic side of the institution in this time.”

What tools are out there at the moment that are getting the coverage in articles like this:

• Mahara: “Mahara is an open source e-portfolio system with a flexible display framework.”
• ePortfolios.org: “ePortfolio.org is a student-centered platform.”
• FolioSpaces: “… provides you with the tools to set up a personal learning and development environment.”
• PebblePad: “… is a Personal Learning System being used in learning contexts as diverse as schools, colleges, universities and professional bodies.”

ePortfolio practice is:

“… as an educational process, rewarding and engaging and fits the times; student owned, stays with student over time, produces additional metrics by which to assess and evaluate students, supports high-impact learning experiences outside of the classroom, helps create a strong resume, develops reflective and integrative thinking, supports life-long learning, and so on.”

The article continues by saying traditional VLE-type environments like BlackBoard, Moodle, etc, are at the end of their ‘decade’ and that “electronic portfolio systems are more and more the new center of campus strategic thinking about learning and technology.”

The piece finishes by saying that “electronic portfolios, after seemingly running into a dead end a few years ago, are again a robust growth sector and a path to educational transformation. It’s about time.”

• Trent Batson has created this website for all information and links to ePortfolio resources: www.eportfolio-source.org

So, what system are you using or do you plan to use in the next few months or years, and how do you intend to implement it; fully hosted or hosted for you, integrated into your VLE / LMS or stand-alone? Please share by commenting below.

No related posts.

There are two dates for upcoming CMALT webinars from the Association of Learning Technology. These are aimed at candidates wishing to complete their portfolios before the end of the year (2009).

To book your place go to: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dElMRWpfU3VFZVQxd2o1V0tUQzhBcWc6MA

These webinars are FREE to attend if you have registered for CMALT or are a CMALT holder on the following dates;

• 13th October, 2009
• 10th November, 2009

No related posts.

I last wrote about ePortfolios back at the beginning of the year. At that point I started looking into the ePortfolio system that is installed in Bournemouth University’s VLE, Blackboard 8.

I am really struggling to put all my thoughts down into this post, so here’s some short points that will hopefully get the message across:

• Students don’t know what an ePortfolio is. They only think in terms of paper-based CV.
• Same goes for (some) academic staff. This means we are not thinking for the emerging Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 world the students will soon be looking for work in.
• Academic staff are so busy they can only think of their own Units and work load. it will take a coherent and collaborative approach to get ePortfolios integrated into each Unit with someone overseeing the whole project (from their first to last day, and beyond into employment).
• If used internally in the VLE, the ePortfolio becomes obsolete once the student leaves. While it can be downloaded, the student has to arrange to host it somewhere themselves, and it is no longer an on-going project, it is now history.
• To make the ePortfolio truly unique is to get it started early in secondary or even primary school. This will then enable the students to really show how they have progressed. Whether it is really relevant from an early age is really for each student to determine.
• Is it worth it? Unless both staff and students can be shown a tangible benefit, from the start, to them they wont agree to it and will not keep it up to date. If each Unit at each Stage of study has something that needs to be entered to the ePortfolio (eg. reflective writing exercise)it will soon have big gaps and be worthless.

I think this is what I’m trying to say … Nick Rate has put it into his presentation here;

Nick Rate – ePortfolios: The story so far

Nick puts it very succinctly, and extremely well on slide 31;

• Collect
• Select
• Reflect
• Project

The new word associated with ePortfolio is ‘portability’; the ability for the student to take their ePortfolio with them through the (various stages of the) education system and into employment.

Here lies the problem with asking students to use the pre-installed Blackboard ePortfolio system; while we can set this up from day one, for it to run until they complete their student after 3 or 4 years, and they can export and take it with them when they’ve finished … it is no longer editable or ‘working’. It is now just a group of static pages and links and documents outlining whatever it was they did.

Does this mean we should be recommending the students start something outside of the VLE? What would all the (Institution) policy makers think of that? We have a VLE and are ‘asked’ to use it for everything (even though we can link to YouTube, Internet links, PDfs, etc; but all learning materials should be loaded and accessible through the VLE).

The ePortfolio should be an ongoing enterprise. This blog is an ongoing process for me, and will no doubt form an integral part of whatever CV or job application I make in the future (if I stay in eLearning and HE), and therefore is my ePortfolio.

Where’s yours?

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This guest post on Mashable’s website is an excellent place for Higher Education Institutions to start thinking about what, and how, they can use Social Media to their advantage: 10 Ways Universities Share Information Using Social Media

The 10 methods are (and should NOT be limited to the ‘broadcast’ method):

1. Gathering and Sharing Information
2. Showcasing Student and Faculty Work
3. Providing a Platform to Broadcast Events
4. Emergency Notification
5. Connecting People
6. Producing, Not Just Promoting
7. Creating a Dialogue and Communicating to Students
8. Facebook Office Hours
9. Coaching for the Spotlight
10. Getting Wired Via Mobile

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I joined ALT (Association for Learning Technology) about 2 years ago, and at the beginning of last year I attended a workshop on the benefits and processed involved in becoming a Chartered Member, CMALT.

Worryingly, I’ve been so busy since then I overlooked CMALT and it wasn’t until a recent post by a fellow Twitter-er, @jonnycrook, that I remembered it and decided to dust off the forms and information, and do something about it.

So, here I am, doing something about it.

I’ve set up a new category on my Blog for CMALT posts. I’ve set up my profile on the CMALT Community website (please click link to visit; all comments welcome here or there, especially if you have already succeeded where I plan to go), I’ve added my Twitter and Blog feeds into the profile, and I’ve added the CMALT process into my staff appraisal (on-going since May; very busy).

… so, where now? I have to re-read all the documentation on what is needed, how, and when. Once I have this understood I will be in touch with CMALT again to get the necessary paperwork sorted and mentors assigned. Watch this space?

No related posts.

‘ePrtfolios’, when used correctly, can demonstrate the student’s learning and competency level. However, it is a fair assumption that many higher education establishments have not been using them, and therefore employers are not looking for them.

Chris Ward and Chris Moser write, on the Internet Blog ‘Educause Quarterly‘, that “Universities clearly have an opportunity to migrate to a web-based e-portfolio system and to educate employers on the value of e-portfolios”. I couldn’t agree more. There is, as is always the case, more to it than this.

With modern VLE’s it is true to say that the technology exists in most higher education establishments to allow students to create an ePortfolio as they continue through their studies. However, has anyone given them any guidance on;

1. what they should be writing,
2. why they should be writing it, and
3. how an employer will look at it, and for what reason.

Well? Who should drive this forward; student, establishment, or employer?

As is most often the case, the students don’t think about the what they’ll do after graduation until they’ve finished their last assignment and sat their last exam. Then the panic sets in and they think “wot next?” There is a certain responsibility on quality employers to ask for, or expect a certain quality of graduate to apply for their jobs, and therefore can easily become known as the employer that looks for, and expects, modern portfolio and interview techniques. According to ’Educause Quarterly‘, 75% of major employers do not know what an ePortfolio is, with a further 14% thinking they are not valuable. Is this just that they haven’t seen a good example of an ePortfolio?

A search of Google can bring up an expanse of examples of Universities ‘recommending’ certain aspects that students should include in their ePortfolio … but very few examples of an employer and what they look for.

My task is simple … find out what the employer wants.

Back soon.

No related posts.

Producing the ePortfolio is an exercise in stucturing and ordering your thoughts. You need a start page, whether it’s a page that’s part of the general content of the portfolio or it’s a special one you’ve written as an introduction to you, the author, is entirely up to you. Then always comes the question “do I number the pages?”.

Why not, it’s your portfolio, it’s your work, so it’s your choice. Personally it makes it easier to see where I’ve been and where I’m going if I’ve numbered my way around my files and folders, but this doesn’t always work.

This now comes to the real reason I’ve become interested in ePortfolios. I understand the techniques for creating and managing the system, the pages, and the content … but what to put in it? Starting with a simple ‘background page’ as the opener is always a good point, but then I get stuck for what comes next. Since my learners are just finishing their first Unit, it makes sense for them to do some reflective writing on the last 6 weeks.

They split into groups and have generated a wiki each (each group) based on a set of instructions and a real-world business environment. Now they’ve been marked and feedback given I want them to take this information and reflect on the whole process. So, the next page I would expect to see in their ePortfolio is their interpretation of the work they submitted, their thoughts on the comments they received, and what they would do with this information now if they were able to improve (or just alter) their work.

Does this clasify as worthy of an ePortfolio? Yes, as this is something they can take back to their emplyer / sponsor as an indication of the work they are doing, as well as downloading this and the rest of the ePortfolio for future use, and possibly a future employer as proof of their studies.

Reading
http://pace.wlv.ac.uk/viewasset.aspx?oid=292117&type=webfolio

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So, what’s all the fuss about ePortfolios then?

Firstly, is it e-Portfolio, or ePortfolio, or is it E-portfolio? Personally I don’t care just so long as the right information is given and the help is there to correctly signpost the learner to the right way of using the tool. By the way, I’m going to use ePortfolio.

For some the act of creating and managing their portfolio is going to be tough, but these people will often have the same technical issues whether it’s email, browsing or posting to a discussion. We, as eLearning ‘leaders’ should be doing what we can to include these people as much as possible. So, whatever tool we use, we must make sure that it is as simple as we can make it.

This brings us to the ‘why’ behind the ePortfolio. I always make sure I think like the online learners I support, basing my decisions and information on the lowest-common denominator … if they can understand my instructions then so should everyone. ePortfolios can be used extremely successfully, and as my ‘lot’ are mature students studying online Business subjects, they are the perfect people to trial this on.

No related posts.