Hi A? Williams
Just back from ePortfolio 2009. Really enjoyed the conference, meeting
people face to face and picking up new ideas. Many thanks Serge and
everyone @
eife-l.org for organising an excellent, informative,
enjoyable and thought provoking event. I was pleased that 10 out of
the 150 members of this group were at the conference. The ePortfolio
is alive; is developing but is facing some challenges. Helen’s
‘rewirement’ is still in my head as I prepare to ‘rewire’ for semi-
retirement – interesting that my spell checker already understands the
relationship between rewirement and retirement, it wants me to correct
rewirement to become retirement, I will resist!
Have posted my ePortfolio presentations + thinking to
http://www.slideshare.net/jpallis001
The request for advice is quite timely. I will not attempt the
questionnaire, but will offer or signpost some general suggestions/
advice. It sounds like you have some solid foundations to build on,
namely your experience with the portfolio process, a process to
support learning not just a summative assessment tool.
The summary below comes from some thinking from two years ago:
• the ePortfolio process must be integrated into school policy,
philosophy and vision;
• teachers will need to be trained to support and must value the
ePortfolio process;
• the implementation must be planned;
• students must be clear about the benefits for them, of compiling and
using ePortfolios;
• support systems and procedures must be in place before students
begin to work with ePortfolios;
• use the tools and technology that learners want to use;
• opportunities for formal review/presentation must be built into the
school year;
• parents, employers and community partners must be involved/aware of
ePortfolio developments, usage and potential;
http://www.slideshare.net/jpallis001/maastriecht-oct-2007-presentation
My recent thinking and experience would reinforce the importance of
everything in this list but would also highlight the integration of
the ePortfolio PROCESS into the curriculum as being critical.
Without integration, the process will not be used; the learners will
not be able to benefit from the process.
If the learner is to exercise ‘choice’ and develop the skills they
need to manage their own learning, they will need to be able to ‘see’
and ‘access’ the ‘curriculum’. It will be the starting point for the
ePortfolio process; I need/want to ‘do’ … ; I will do it by … ; I did
it but …; I talked to my teacher/mentor and we ….; I now need to …. I
will record my plans/story/thinking/achievements/ in my ePortfolio.
Who personalises the ‘curriculum’ is then likely to promote an
interesting debate.