Can you help me?

[awilliams]

Olivet College has been using student portfolios as integral part of
its curriculum for the past sixteen years. During that time,
electronic portfolios have been acceptable options, but they have been
more of a notable minority than the rule. We are seeking to change,
making electronic versions easier for the general student population
to produce and eventually become the default format.

I am posting this message for some assistance in developing an
electronic portfolio system, hoping to benefit from your experience. I
would be quite grateful if you could take a few minutes to answer
these questions. Thanks in advance for your consideration.

1. What software is used to create digital portfolios?
a. Commercial (such as DreamWeaver or FrontPage)
Please list:
b. Created by or for the college.
c. None
2. If used, is it
a. Required
b. Not required but available.
3. What sort of training, if any, is required for students to create
their digital portfolios?
a. None
b. 1 day workshop or less
c. 1-5 day workshop
d. 1-10 week course
e. semester long course
f. other
4. Do you use software to maintain the portfolios, such as databases
or specialized applications?
a. Yes.
b. No administrative software used.
5. If administrative software is used, do you use
a. Database software (Access, FileMaker, etc.). Please list:
b. Site administrative software. Please list:
6. What hardware resources are in use? Check all appropriate.
a. specialized labs
b. studios catering to students who are creating their portfolios.
c. Other (please list):
d. No special hardware is used.
7. What personnel resources (both staff and student) do you dedicate
to maintaining student portfolios? Check all appropriate:
a. Full-time director (faculty/staff)
b. Part-time director
c. Full-time assistant(s). How many?
d. Part-time assistant(s). How many?
e. Student assistant(s). How many?
f. No staff

Thanks again for taking the time to answer these questions. Your help
is greatly appreciated. Any comments or observations would also be of
great value.

[John Pallister]

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.

[kev.brace]

my suggestions inline below - regards Kevin Brace

On Jun 24, 5:56 pm, awilliams <awilli...@olivetcollege.edu> wrote:
> Olivet College has been using student portfolios as integral part of
> its curriculum for the past sixteen years. During that time,
> electronic portfolios have been acceptable options, but they have been
> more of a notable minority than the rule. We are seeking to change,
> making electronic versions easier for the general student population
> to produce and eventually become the default format.
>
> I am posting this message for some assistance in developing an
> electronic portfolio system, hoping to benefit from your experience. I
> would be quite grateful if you could take a few minutes to answer
> these questions. Thanks in advance for your consideration.
>
> 1.      What software is used to create digital portfolios?
>         a.      Commercial (such as DreamWeaver or FrontPage)
>                 Please list:

evernote, pebblepad, mahara, epet, iwebfolio, some are also giving
students their own VLE course to create a pseudo folio, and there are
some plugins for Moodle usch as easyfolio. some are also using
hyperlinked word/ppt documents, or shared google docs, and others are
using blogs, such as blogger or elgg.

>         b.      Created by or for the college.
>         c.      None
> 2.      If used, is it
>         a.      Required
>         b.      Not required but available.
> 3.      What sort of training, if any, is required for students to create
> their digital portfolios?

>         b.      1 day workshop +    semester long support for both staff & students