ePortfolios for Learning

Technology & Learning Question of the Week

2012-01-17T18:08:00.000-08:00

Today, the Question of the Week on the Technology & Learning newsletter was:

Is your district using e-portfolios to evaluate student work?

YES. These are great tools for assessing students and building individual portfolios.
NO. E-portfolios are too hard to manage.
LOOKING INTO IT. Our school is evaluating the logistics of implementing these assessment tools.

I find the statements following each response to represent a biased and narrow perception of the use of e-portfolios (for evaluation), but there is no way to add a comment or provide feedback on the survey itself. No wonder we have limited adoption of e-portfolios with this lack of understanding about the genre. E-portfolios are not just tools; they are a philosophy and a process to support learning!

Worldwide online class

2012-01-14T10:57:00.000-08:00

I am pleased with the registration of my first public online class: Intro to K-12 ePortfolios. The participants are primarily from North America, although I have students from Europe (The Netherlands, Germany, Italy) and Asia (Hong Kong, Japan). In the U.S., I have several groups of 3, 4 and 10 from school districts! The majority have signed up as "singletons" so I will be developing some groups for collaboration. Any group of four or more will qualify for a private one-hour live teleconference via Skype or GoToMeeting. Deadline for registration in this cohort is January 16, so I will have the final number next week. The next cohort begins in April.

This online class has many new elements for me: using Edmodo instead of threaded discussion in a course management system like Blackboard or Moodle; posting the course content online in Google Sites; doing live conversations in Google+ Hangouts. I team-taught an online course last fall using Edmodo for student discussions, and I have been using Google Sites for years. I picked Edmodo because it was a social network that can be used in schools, and has some features that make it more user friendly than a CMS. Maybe in the future I will use Google+ Circles for asynchronous conversations in the class. However, using Google+ Hangouts is new for me. I have the option to use GoToWebinar, but that tool is very instructor-centered. I really want us to have more of a conversation.

XO 3.0 at CES

2012-01-10T11:50:00.000-08:00

The One Laptop Per Child Foundation is showing its $100 tablet, the XO 3.0 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. It looks different from the design announced in 2010, but is now closer to production.

While it won't be available under a "give one, get one" purchase at this time, the technology is very interesting, especially the solar panel/cover, giving two hours of power for one hour of charging. According to TGDaily, here are some other specs: 8-inch display with 1024x768 resolution, 512MB RAM, 4GB of internal storage, and a 1GHz Marvell Armada PXA618 processor. Under the hood, the tablet will run either Android or Linux (Sugar) operating system and can be charged using a solar panel cover or a third-party wind-up handle mechanism, as well as a standard wall plug. I can hardly wait until this tablet goes into production, and we can order one under the same charity arrangement.

VoiceThread iOS App

2012-01-06T14:27:00.000-08:00

I just read a Tech & Learning blog entry from teacher Bob Sprankle, about using the mobile version of VoiceThread. Here is a VoiceThread he put together with his students, that "was captured almost entirely by walking around the room and having students reflect as they were learning/working." The blog post was entitled, "What's Your Favorite Transformative Tool of 2011?" I have been following the VoiceThread tool for several years, and am excited that they now have a mobile app that can be used on an iPod Touch device. The app is free, but there are a limited number of voicethreads that can be posted per email address. There are educator accounts, where a teacher can set up 50 student accounts (email addresses not required) for $60/year or $15/month. This is an interesting discussion of ed.voicethread.com:

Webinar scheduled

2012-01-04T20:57:00.000-08:00

I will be conducting a 90-minute webinar for School Leadership 2.0 on February 15, 2012, 7:00-8:30 PM EST (4:00-5:30 PST). The title of the Webinar: Balancing the Two Faces of ePortfolios. Registration page: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2721575305 Description:

This presentation will focus on the two different approaches to e-portfolio development: workspace vs. showcase, process vs. product, portfolios-as-assessment-for-learning/improvement vs. portfolios-as-assessment-for-accountability. Learning portfolios focus on reflection and strategies to support metacognition: "capturing the moment" with mobile devices, blogging/reflective journals for in-depth reflection, and digital storytelling. We will also discuss how to use of electronic portfolios as part of a comprehensive assessment management system supporting both paradigms of assessment for continuous improvement and assessment for accountability.

We will focus on maintaining student-centered e-portfolios with Web 2.0 and mobile tools across developmentally progressive levels. Educators can select a minimal level of implementation (ARCHIVE: electronic storage of artifacts); a secondary level (PROCESS: documenting learning over time using a reflective journal/blog with linked artifacts); or a higher level (PRODUCT: organizing reflections and artifacts thematically in a showcase/presentation to demonstrate specific outcomes/goals/standards).

Online course announcement

2012-01-02T12:26:00.000-08:00

The course content of the first course of the E-Portfolio Academy is online as both a self-paced and facilitated course:
Introduction to E-Portfolios in K-12 Schools
https://sites.google.com/site/k12eportfolios/

The facilitated course is open for registration through Paypal or school purchase order: http://electronicportfolios.org/academy/register/intro.html

The content of the two versions of the class is the same. There are three differences between the self-paced and facilitated classes:

The facilitated class has a cohort of students who go through the content together and carry on a facilitated asynchronous discussion.
I will be directly involved in the private discussions and will lead the cohort through the content, including live events.
The self-paced class is free; there is a charge for the facilitated class.

The discussion schedule will be provided only to members of the facilitated class through the Edmodo group. The discussion will be asynchronous, so there are no specific times to be online, but I will be scheduling some Google+ hangouts which will be synchronous (live), but not during the first couple of weeks.

The course interaction will be facilitated through an Edmodo group (private educational social network), Google+ Hangouts, and email group. Be sure to sign up for Google + and an Edmodo (teacher) account. Right after the New Year, I will also send invitations for the private groups to all registrants. The first facilitated course cohort will begin between January 2 and January 16. The next cohort is scheduled to begin in early April.

I was asked about the approximate number of hours per week that one can expect. Here is my response:

There are six lessons in the course. In the facilitated course, we will have a slow start: the first lesson will last two weeks (January 2-16) to give everyone a chance to get used to the course tools and the course process... and some are just getting back from their Christmas Break. To answer your question, this facilitated course is not your traditional academic course measured by "seat time." You will get out of the course what you put into it...within the schedule with the other course participants.

In each lesson, there are four process elements:
Inputs: Readings and videos
Outputs: Discussions/Group Reflections
Implementation Plan Component(s)
Personal Reflections (your blog entry)

How much time each person takes will be highly personal... some people will skim the readings, some will read them thoroughly plus all of the supplemental readings. Some will write extensive discussion posts and responses, some will write brief entries, and no responses. Some will write extensive blog entries, others won't write much each week. The weekly discussions and blog posts are only "required" for those taking the course for college credit (and there is a rubric in the course content that outlines the credit course requirements). If you are not taking the facilitated class for credit, you can get caught up on readings and reflections once your other class is over.

I realize most participants are teaching full time. I will be posting the schedule for the discussions for the facilitated course in the Edmodo discussion group. We can take the "fast track" or the slower approach to covering the course lessons. In other words, we can take one week or two weeks per lesson (7 to 12 weeks). My preference is to let the participants make that decision, although I need to finish the course by the end of February.

Downloaded Google Sites

2011-12-31T02:46:00.000-08:00

I received an email today from an educator in China who cannot access my Google Sites. I found the software from Google to download my Google Sites, and I uploaded a few of my sites to my own web server:

At least I now have a backup of these Google Sites as of the end of 2011. The content of the sites is alnost all there, but the navigation is not quite what appeared on the original Google Site. Any sub pages must be accessed from a link at the bottom of the main page, not from the navigation bar. Of course, most of the CSS formatting is missing. Access the Google Sites Liberation User Guide and download the software.

Mobile Year in Review

2011-12-30T11:59:00.000-08:00

This video is fun...and points out the impact of mobile technologies this year!

High School Portfolios revisited

2011-12-29T01:06:00.000-08:00

I received the following email recently:

At ___, we're just around the corner of requiring a portfolio from every student. I'm asking, as both a teacher and a parent, whether your thoughts in your 2005 blog would still be your same thoughts. Years have passed; have colleges really accepted portfolios in a meaningful way? Are some schools who have tried e-portfolios now reconsidering? What is a school that would be a "model" for how they work with portfolios and where the students see the work as meaningful and not just a "hoop" or "graduation requirement"? One administrator told me this morning, "They passed courses. That should be enough." I know the way to respond (similar to your post http://electronicportfolios.org/blog/2005/02/high-school-inquiry.html) - but I need to know the research. HAS the e-portfolio proven to be worth all the work? I don't want our school and community to go down a path that has already been blazed and people are walking back towards us without sharing what they have learned from their experiences.

Here is my response: I think the real problem is the general assumptions about portfolios...especially when they are a graduation requirement or for college applications. I am not an advocate of high stakes portfolios, or to use them to replace standardized tests. What about using portfolios for learning throughout the educational experience, to avoid the idea of a "hoop" to jump through? I like a different metaphor: mirror (reflection) or map (goal-setting/direction). I really like this model of self-regulated learning, and portfolios can support all phases of this reflection cycle. I also see portfolios as both process and product (see my latest paper published by the British Columbia Department of Education: http://electronicportfolios.org/balance/balancingarticle2.pdf

I recommend you look at High Tech High in San Diego, where all students maintain a DP (digital portfolio) throughout their high school years. The portfolio is used to document learning and support their Presentation of Learning (PoL) that they do three times a year. I am using that high school as a case study in my book. I don't know if their experience has been documented in a formalized research project, but they have been using digital portfolios since the school opened in 2001. Here is my blog entry: http://blog.helenbarrett.org/2010/10/high-tech-high.html
When I talked to a few students in the school about their DPs, their eyes lit up and I could tell they were very proud of them.

There is some research that shows that how a portfolio is introduced to students has a huge impact on their acceptance (and intrinsic motivation) and the effective use of the portfolios to support learning. If students see the portfolio as just another assignment or a hoop to jump through, they will be ambivalent; but if they see this online space as their personal learning environment, as their space to explore their future, to show off what they are really good at, then you will get much more acceptance. Ownership, Choice and Voice are major issues for me. I did a TEDxASB talk in 2010 that outlines the blurring boundaries of electronic portfolios and social networks, along with intrinsic motivation. I published the script on the MacLearning website:
http://www.maclearning.org/articles/48/blurring-the-boundaries-social-networking-e-portfolio-development

Good luck! And let me know if I can help.

I was also sent a link to a video on an ePortfolio project in a high school in the Boston area:

ISTE 2012 Sessions Scheduled

2011-12-16T00:48:00.000-08:00

Today, I received notice of approval of these sessions for the 2012 ISTE Conference in San Diego:

Create Interactive ePortfolios using GoogleApps: Docs, Picasaweb, Blogger, Sites [Workshop : Hands-on] Scheduled: Saturday, 6/23/2012, 8:30am–3:30pm PDT.
GoogleApps provides a comprehensive ePortfolio system: Store artifacts in GoogleDocs/Picasaweb; maintain reflective journals using Blogger; create showcase/assessment/presentation portfolios with GoogleSites; manage domain with Teacher Dashboard.
Student-Centered Interactive ePortfolios with GoogleApps [Concurrent Session : Lecture] Scheduled: Monday, 6/25/2012, 12:45pm–1:45pm PDT.
Create a comprehensive student-centered system supporting all three levels of ePortfolio development: Create/collaborate/store/share artifacts in GoogleDocs; Reflection/Feedback using blogging; Presentation Websites with GoogleSites.
mPortfolios: Supporting reflection in ePortfolios with mobile devices [Learning Station Session : Poster] Scheduled: Tuesday, 6/26/2012, 10:00am–12:00pm PDT.
Mobile devices (iOS, Chrome or Android) can support reflection through regular planning & goal-setting, capturing the learning moment, and metacognition (reflecting on change over time).

I've never done a poster session before, so it will be a challenge to present a complex topic like reflection and mobile devices in this format. But my presentation on GoogleApps is a reprise of my 2011 presentation that I thought was on of my best! The full-day hands-on workshop will give me an opportunity to provide an overview on my online Introduction to K-12 ePortfolios class with GoogleApps supplement. I'm pleased!

RCAC 2011 Keynote & Workshop

2011-12-10T11:07:00.001-08:00

I just returned from London, Ontario, where I gave the Thursday afternoon keynote for the Western [Ontario] Regional Computer Advisory Committee (RCAC). I also did a short breakout session to have a conversation about ePortfolio implementation. There were representatives from the Ministry of Education, so the questions tended to focus on policy, privacy, parents, and permissions.

RCAC Dec2011

View more presentations from Helen Barrett

On Friday, I gave a full day workshop to help technology consultants plan for the implementation of electronic portfolios in their boards/school districts. I used the planning process that I outlined in my online class, where the components are linked to the different course lessons. Here is a sample of the tweets from the conference:

@Gill_Ville #rcac11 this year the theme is storytelling!
@thecleversheep Storytelling... the unofficial theme for the day. Love it! #rcac11
@lisaneale (e)Portfolios are dynamic celebrations & stories of deep learning = choice & voice of the individual recognizing lifelong learning. #rcac11
@harryniezen #rcac11 Very moving examples of ePortfolios ... via @eportfolios
@markwcarbone @eportfolios: blogging for a public authentic audience makes a +ve difference to student learning - nice connection to my FBk w/shop today
@sadone #rcac11 @eportfolios Keynote slide show available for you at www.slideshare.net/eportfolios
@harryniezen #rcac ePortolios as a vehicle for students to share their passions (via @eportfolios )
@harryniezen #rcac11 Going deeper with @eportfolios (Dr. Helen Barrett) on the value and implementation of ePortfolios as a tool for student learning

The provincial government has established E-Learning Ontario and is providing the Desire2Learn platform to all schools in the province. Recently included in their D2L implementation is a portfolio tool. One adaptation that will be made to their D2L portal will be inclusion of GoogleApps, and they will also incorporate the WordPress blog. It sounds to me like this integrated platform will provide educators in Ontario with a broad choice on cloud-based tools, that can be a powerful combination for ePortfolio development. I am looking forward to following schools in Ontario for some exciting learning with ePortfolios!

iPadio for recording audio artifacts

2011-12-03T11:38:00.000-08:00

I am experimenting with applications to record oral evidence of learning, and interested in recording audio from my iPhone. I quickly recorded a short audio clip with the iPadio app on my iPhone. This process has a lot of promise for web based portfolios, especially demonstrating competence in speaking a new language!

The image on the right is the form to complete when uploading the recording. The title could be an assignment, and the description could be a short reflection! These recordings have a unique URL and can automatically be posted to the following social media sites: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Blogger, Posterous, LiveJournal, WordPress.

Frameworks for ICT & ePortfolios

2011-11-15T08:01:00.000-08:00

THE UNESCO ICT COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHERS - Version 2.0 has just been released.

	TECHNOLOGY LITERACY	KNOWLEDGE DEEPENING	KNOWLEDGE CREATION
UNDERSTANDING ICT IN EDUCATION	Policy awareness	Policy understanding	Policy innovation
CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT	Basic knowledge	Knowledge application	Knowledge society skills
PEDAGOGY	Integrate technology	Complex problem solving	Self management
ICT	Basic tools	Complex tools	Pervasive tools
ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION	Standard classroom	Collaborative groups	Learning organizations
TEACHER PROFESSIONAL LEARNING	Digital literacy	Manage and guide	Teacher as model learner

This new matrix provides another framework for training teachers. I have been working with a university in Vietnam to develop a proposal under the State Department's English Language Specialist Program. We have developed a project for me to work with English teachers in Vietnam to use ePortfolios to demonstrate English Language Learning. (I am keeping my fingers crossed, that I can spend the month of March in Vietnam!)

I just read an interesting post in the ePortfolio Conversations Google Group (Australia), on how to "help those students who feel they need some preparation before the bigger tasks ... a set of intro skills could help them feel better prepared and equipped to tackle e-learning and having a presence online":

Step 1 without a doubt - Email and how to use it effectively as a communication tool and an organisational tool
Step 2 - Social Networking in SOME form (Forums / blogging / Facebook / Twitter - establishing themselves as a resident - or at least a regular visitor SOMEWHERE online)
Step 3 - blogging - the why, where, how and when (also what a learner can expect to receive in return for their investment of learning how to blog)
Step 4 - Eportfolios.

Coach Carole responded with a more elaborated version in a follow-up post:

Communicate and Network online (include gmail and how to make that work for you smartly) (include skype and BbC for real time communication) (include disussion forums for anytime discussions)
Learn and collaborate online (include access and share learning resources in cloud based learning spaces, accessing and navigating learning spaces online, learning to be self-directed/self-managed learners)
Reflect and Connect online (include blogging and other online writing skills, curating and researching online, reflecting on learning, connecting with wider cohorts of online learners)
Then after 3 short courses like these (maybe a month each) - engage learners in something like the epcop mooc over 2 months.
Collect and Present online (focussing on e-portfolio approach to learning)

This looks like a logical progression, although I have been writing about the role of blogging in ePortfolio development. As I am putting together my book, I am incorporating some great examples of K-12 educators using blogs as portfolios.

Wes Fryer interviews Kern Kelley

2011-11-08T10:58:00.000-08:00

This is Wes Fryer's interview with Maine educator Kern Kelley about how students in his school district use iPod Touches, email, and Picassa Web albums to digitize content for their digital portfolios on Google Sites. Kern Kelley's school also gives students their own domain names when they graduate.

Earlier this year, Wes also posted a great article on how his 5th grade daughter digitized her writing folder with a microphone, iPad2 and Audioboo.

Intro to Electronic Portfolios in K-12

2011-10-31T19:19:00.000-07:00

The first self-paced course of the REAL ePortfolio Academy has been completed and is posted online:
https://sites.google.com/site/k12eportfolios/
By January, there will be supplemental modules available for Implementing ePortfolios with GoogleApps Education Edition, WordPress/Edublogs, or iOS/Android Mobile Devices.

Any non-profit/educational institution is free to use this open courseware content with colleagues in a school and and teachers are encouraged to become a member of the free Google Group for open/free discussion:
http://groups.google.com/group/eportfolioacademy

I am starting the first facilitated version of this class in January 2012. If you want to be part of this first facilitated class, register on this website in December:
http://electronicportfolios.org/academy/register/intro.html
I am in the process of getting approval for professional development college credit through Seattle Pacific University for those who need it, and registration information will be available upon receipt of the facilitated course enrollment.

Rather than using a highly structured course management system, we are going to use social networking strategies to facilitate interaction in the facilitated class: email through a private Google Group and collaboration in the Edmodo or Google+ social networks.
https://sites.google.com/site/k12eportfolios/syllabus/facilitated-course-communication

Review of Commercial Tools...and my response

2011-10-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

Trent Batson just published an article in Campus Technology entitled, "A Survey of the Electronic Portfolio Market Sector: Analysis and Surprising Trends." He discusses the variety of commercial and open source eportfolio tools; many of the commercial providers are members of AAEEBL. My response:

You reviewed the commercial and open source market here. However, in my experience, the largest growing category of student-centered ePortfolio tools are so-called Web 2.0 tools: blogs (such as WordPress and Blogger), wikis (such as Wikispaces and Google Sites), and web site authoring tools (such as Weebly and Yola). Next month, Seattle Pacific University will receive one of four 2011 Sloan-C Effective Practice Awards for its use of Wordpress.com as bPortfolios: Blogging for Reflective Practice --http://bit.ly/pamT5d
Worthy of special mention is the GoogleApps Education ecosystem, providing a variety of tools for authoring, storage and data transferability. When looking at portfolios across the lifespan, it is important that portfolio data not be locked into silos, but exportable into open formats. I have also spoken about how the boundaries are blurring between social networking and ePortfolio development. The new Facebook Timeline is an interesting platform for lifelong and life-wide learning, reflection, storytelling, & meaning-making. As asked in a comment on my blog, "How will those of us using ePortfolios in higher education compete with a social network that already dominates (and in some cases defines) our students' lives?" http://blog.helenbarrett.org/

Mix and Match: Creating a Blended Learning Environment with WordPress and Google Apps

2011-10-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

Mix and Match: Creating a Blended Learning Environment with WordPress and Google Apps

This is a great post by Kim Cofino about how the teachers and students blend these two tools at the Yokohama Independent School.

SPU bPortfolio process wins award

2011-10-10T15:57:00.000-07:00

Sloan-C will formally recognize SPU's work as an effective practice award winner for 2011 at a featured session at the 17th Annual Sloan-C International Conference in Orlando on November 11, 2011. The award acknowledges SPU for advancing learning, access, scale and student and faculty satisfaction.

The project description that won one of four 2011 Sloan-C Effective Practice Awards: bPortfolios: Blogging for Reflective Practice - Seattle Pacific University http://bit.ly/pamT5d

It is so great that these efforts have been recognized by such a prestigious organization. It is important to gain more recognition for the benefits and outcomes of supporting student reflection and ownership of documenting their own learning, whether in teacher education, or in K-12 classrooms. SPU's Teacher Education Program should be proud of creating an environment that balances learner-centered reflection with institutional assessment. Students are also experiencing a model of electronic portfolio development that can be adapted to K-12 students using widely-available and free online tools.

I appreciate the opportunity to add my very small contribution (and my name) to the application. Since my ideas were credited as part of their initial decision to adopt a blogging platform and move from their previous commercial system, I am very proud that these efforts have been recognized.

UPDATE: Blog responses to this award:
‘ePortfolios’ are out, ‘bPortfolios’ are in (apparently)
At Last – Recognition for Blog-based Portfolios

Samsung Chromebook 3G

2011-09-27T11:57:00.000-07:00

After my experience in South Carolina last week, I found this Samsung Chromebook on Craigslist and decided to buy it! (I know, I can't return it to Costco, but it seems like a good research tool...and my granddaughters would use it when I am through with it!) I am getting used to only having a web browser, and only using specific apps available through the Chrome Web Store. I am getting it set up with the tools I use on a regular basis, including Blogger (I'm writing this entry on it), and all of the Google Apps. I am teaching an online class this fall at Seattle Pacific University on "Issues and Advances in Educational Technology" and I am going to try to do the entire course with this device (or one of my other mobile devices). My primary research purpose is to see how this device works with normal classroom activities.

I can easily edit all of my Google Apps (Docs, Sites, Mail, etc.) with this device. I can't edit Sites with my iOS devices, and that is a very important tool for me, because my online course outlines are all in Google Sites. The keyboard is very comfortable to use, although I keep right-clicking (with two fingers). I am also testing the battery life, which should far exceed my Mac laptops. I haven't tried the 3G Verizon Wireless yet, but I am looking forward to being able to use the device during the rare times that I do not have wifi access with 100 MB free every month for two years (not a lot, but works in a pinch).

The man who sold it to me said that he added a 32 GB SD card for additional storage (it only has 16 GB--same as my iPad); but he said he rarely used it. With so many cloud-based options for document storage, I don't think that will be a problem for me. I was able to add a Dropbox extension and I hear rumors that Google might be resurrecting its GDrive, although Google Docs is nearly a universal document storage system.

Mobile Devices for Student Use

2011-09-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

Last week I facilitated a two-day workshop on implementing electronic portfolios using Google Apps for the Richland Two School District in Columbia, SC. The participants were teachers, building-level technology specialists, and district-level curriculum supervisors. We explored how they could use their new Google Apps adoption to support their emerging 1TWO1 computing program. They have been very proactive in implementing technology in their schools, along with other educational initiatives, such as Schlechty's Working on the Work model of student engagement. We also worked on building a district-wide and school-based implementation plan for integrating electronic portfolios to support student learning.

One of the most interesting activities that I observed on my last morning, before flying home, was a meeting with high school and middle school administrators, to look at a variety of Mobile Device Options. They had the following devices on display: Apple iPad, Lenovo Android Tablet (with keyboard), Samsung and Asus Chromebooks, and Lenovo Laptop Thin Client (Windows Thin PC). A group of teachers identified the priorities for these devices (on a scale 1-5):

Internet research/browsing [4.8]
Long battery life [4.8]
Easy to set up (teacher) [4.7]
USB port and/or card reader [4.3]
Flash sites (videos, games, etc.) [4.2]
Google Docs collaboration [4.2]
Google Sites (e-portfolios) [4.2]
Web 2.0 sites (Glogster, Wordle, Prezi, Wall Wisher, Voice Thread...) [4.2]
Content management and creation (Blackboard, Edmodo, etc.) [4.2]
Apps [3.8]
Games/simulation [3.4]
Notetaking (word processing) [3.3]
Video editing [3.3]
Video conferencing (Skype, etc.) [3.3]
Podcasting [3.2]
Reading e-textbooks and e-books [2.8]

There were other requirements that they assessed, without ratings: Multimedia (video, audio, files); Notetaking (handwriting recognition); MAP testing possible using VDI; Presentation design (Google Docs or free resources); Office productivity; Photo editing. As they looked at each of the four devices, and how well each one could meet those required features, the scores were very interesting: Chromebooks and Lenovo Laptop Thin Client were virtually tied in the lead, with Android tablet next and Apple iPad last. I borrowed an Asus Chromebook for an evening, and I was able to do everything I wanted to do on GoogleApps, or any Internet-based activity. I'm now trying to find a Chromebook to push to its limits! It was obvious that the iPad scored lower because of its challenges with both Flash and Google Sites.

(Written while watching MSNBC's Education Nation...very different from last year. We heard from teachers this year! Great dialogue about the issues, and a great story from a 4th grade teacher including a homebound student in his classroom using Skype...and his students blog!)

Facebook Timeline - a life portfolio?

2011-09-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

Last week, Facebook announced changes to the Profile, to include a Timeline that is a "friction-free" process for documenting our lives:

"Timeline is your collection of all the top photos, posts and apps that help tell your story. Learn more at http://www.facebook.com/about/timeline."

How soon before Facebook has all of the tools necessary to document our learning as well as our social graph?

Teacher Action Research on ePortfolio Implementation

2011-08-22T15:11:00.000-07:00

Last week, I was the external examiner on a Masters Thesis entitled, ELECTRONIC PORTFOLIOS: TOOLS FOR SUPPORTING THE TEACHER’S NEED FOR ASSESSMENT AND THE STUDENT’S NEED FOR DEEP LEARNING. I was given permission to post his final thesis. "The intent of this study was to examine how qualitative assessment in the form of electronic portfolios could be conducted to engage students in their learning." This action research focused on a small (N=12) group of mostly First Nations students in northern British Columbia, and was conducted by their teacher in his grade 11/12 Comparative Civilizations course over the 2009-2010 school year.

I found this study to be enjoyable to read, although a little repetitive. Chapter 6-Conclusions gives a concise overview of the case study plus his conclusions. This is a good case study of what a dedicated teacher can do on his own with almost no technological support. He literally bought flash drives for each student where they could keep their work stored in the classroom and create their Powerpoint-based presentation portfolios. In response to my questions to this researcher, he expressed his dissatisfaction with the process, and thought that in the future he would have students using a wiki to achieve the same goals. He kept a reflective (albeit, paper-based) journal throughout the process, and quoted from it throughout the thesis. Despite the technical issues, students gained a lot of technology skills, and he identifies these benefits:

...electronic portfolios support formative assessment by encouraging dialogue between the student and teacher that focuses on improving student work and is not emotionally threatening. Electronic portfolios support deep learning by allowing students to demonstrate their strengths, set personal learning goals, identify areas needing improvement, and use feedback to improve their learning.

As part of his definitions, he further defined deep learning for his work:

Deep learning occurs in two ways. One way is when students learn how to manage their learning. They develop the metacognitive skills that support self regulation of their learning. Students learn how to plan, monitor, and evaluate the success of strategies they used to complete learning tasks. The second way deep learning occurs is when students are able to take what has been learned and apply it to new situations.

Nicely done! This case study is a good example for teachers to use to conduct similar classroom-based action research on electronic portfolios, especially using more Web 2.0-based tools.

Google+ or Edmodo for online course support?

2011-08-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

I am starting to develop the online courses for the REAL ePortfolio Academy for K-12 teachers, and I want to use tools that model strategies that K-12 teachers can use with their own students. While some are using Moodle, few are using Blackboard or many of the course management systems used in higher education. I found an interesting blog post on Selecting Appropriate Technology for Online Learning. The author used Bates and Poole’s SECTIONS model: Students, Ease of use, Costs, Teaching and learning, Interaction and interactivity, Organizational support, Novelty (newness), Speed. These are interesting factors to consider as I develop an environment to support collaboration in these online courses.

Last week, there was a very interesting Edmodocon, with educators from around the world presenting about the use of Edmodo in K-12 classrooms (recording now online). I used the tool several times this summer in workshops, and it has the look and feel of Facebook. I like the ability to set up private groups and sub-groups. From the online conference, I saw how teachers are using this environment for collaboration. The most interesting presentation was on Game-Based Learning and how to set up and award badges in Edmodo. The system keeps track of Students, Teacher Connections, Library Items and produces a Sharing Score. It would be easy to see the level of participation by individuals in a course.

I received my Google+ invitation in the first few days, but there wasn't a lot of activity for me to follow. I recently listened to a whole series of podcasts called, Google+ Today and I've also been following This Week in Google podcasts. I have set up my Circles (Friends, Family, Following, ADE, Ed Tech, ePortfolio Colleagues) and Sparks (android tablet, iOS, educational technology, reflection in learning, digital storytelling, electronic portfolios). I posted a question (about using Google+ as a tool to facilitate communication in an online class), and received some very interesting responses (notice the length and depth of the last response). I haven't tried Hangouts yet, but it looks like a really interesting alternative to Skype and Google Voice, especially with groups of 10. (I could care less about Games right now in Google+; I have enough games on my various devices to keep up my procrastination level!)

What about other social networking tools? A lot of schools block Facebook, and I am finding I prefer using that tool for personal networking with close friends and family. I also don't think Facebook has the tools for online courses (although they are adding Skype for one-to-one voice chats). My other favorite social tool is Twitter, but the 140 character limit, and the public nature of tweets, contributes to short conversations, but not to the rich dialogue that I experienced in my recent Google+ post. I find that Twitter is good for announcements and what Chris Betcher calls, "tiny bursts of learning." Until I started following Sparks in Google+, I was using Twitter instead of RSS feeds, to read what other people are reading and posting.

What are the differences between these tools? Edmodo is called "Safe Social Networking" that can be used in schools. Google+ restricts membership to those over 18. For that reason alone, I should focus my efforts on Edmodo... but I am intrigued by Hangouts: could they be used for collaborative discussions? It seems like a great way to create small, like-minded groups to support each other through the process of implementing ePortfolios. I want to be able to record these Hangouts, though, so I have more research to do.

Resources on Reflection

2011-08-15T23:29:00.000-07:00

I recently found the following resources on reflection in the learning process:

Where is reflection in the learning process? - an excellent blog post by my friend, Jackie Gerstein
Empowering Students Through Reflection and Feedback - part of a very comprehensive wiki on student engagement developed by Leslie Grahn, World Language Resource Teacher, Howard County Public Schools. I especially like:

Reflective Thinking from the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
The Reflective Student from ETE, Classroom of the Future, Wheeling Jesuit University
Creating a Culture of Student Reflection: Self-Assessment Yields Positive Results from Edutopia
Getting into the Habit of Reflection by Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick in Ed Leadership, April 2000
Peer and Self Assessment from The National Capital Language Resource Center (includes discussion of the elements of self-assessment: Goal setting, Guided practice with assessment tools, Portfolios)
Student Engagement and Student Self-assessment: The REAL Framework
by Geoff Munns and Helen Woodward, University of Western Sydney (includes excellent guides for reflection)
A Taxonomy of Reflection: Critical Thinking For Students, Teachers, and Principals by Peter Pappas (based on Bloom's Taxonomy, revised)
How to Foster Student Feedback (from Edutopia)
Feedback That Fits by Susan M. Brookhart in Ed Leadership, December 2007/January 2008
Feed Up, Back, Forward by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey in Ed Leadership, November 2009

There are other great resources on this wiki, worth a few hours of exploration.

ePortfolio Workshop in a Montessori School

2011-08-07T17:24:00.000-07:00

I just led a workshop at the Montessori Hale O Keiki school in Kihei, Maui. My slides for this workshop are below.

MHOK2011

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The school has a Schools of the Future foundation grant, and will be focusing on the integration of individual ePortfolios in grades 4-8, with class or group portfolios in the primary years. On the first day of the workshop, we started using the Edmodo social networking tool and then we focused on collaborative writing using GoogleDocs; on the second morning, we set up individual teacher Google Sites. The school has purchased iPads and iPod Touch devices to use in the classrooms, so we explored using the cameras and StoryRobe to create short digital stories, which these teachers embedded in their Google Sites. According to feedback from one of the participants:

I especially liked the “MyStory” activity with StoryRobe. What a simple tool, but so much fun! As I was walking around the Montessori Hale O Keiki campus snapping my shots, I thought that this activity could really lend itself well to students who struggle with language... I thought of the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words”, and it is so true. What a fun way to share a little something about “who I am” with the world. I think that activities like this one can really help a struggling student with self-esteem and pride in their school work.

The participants left the workshop with a brief plan to implement this ePortfolio/storytelling process with their students. I am very interested to follow their progress. This is the first time that I have worked with a Montessori school, but I was told that my presentation very much matched their philosophy of learner-centered education.

AAEEBL Conference Reflections

2011-07-29T16:36:00.000-07:00

The second AAEEBL Conference was held in Boston on July 25-28, 2011. Below are the slides from my two pre-conference workshops. The first workshop was led with Eileen Brennan from Mercy College.

Aaeebl2011 monam ds

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The second workshop was lead with Cynthia Lucena from the University of Puerto Rico.

Aaeebl boston2011-web2 pm

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Her story about the commercial and open source tools that they tried at UPR, followed by their current adoption of GoogleApps and Moodle to collect evaluation data, is an interesting journey through a variety of different ePortfolio tools, both commercial and open source. Their decision to adopt Google Sites reinforces the message of this workshop: adopt student-centered tools that can be maintained across the lifespan, not tools that require a lot of technical support or fees to maintain beyond graduation.

I received some interesting feedback from one of the participants in the afternoon workshop. She told me that my presentation, which tends to take a more student-centered, personal development viewpoint, was a marked contrast with the majority of the institution-centered sessions that tended to focus on accountability and program assessment. I tend to agree; my perception is that the people who attend AAEEBL are more focused on the use of electronic portfolios in institutional contexts... perhaps that is because the membership of AAEEBL is primarily higher education institutions, not individuals. This is a real contrast with the European ePortfolio and Identity Conference (EPIC) that was held two weeks earlier in London, where there was more interest in community portfolios, individual identity development, and lifelong portfolios. The draft Proceedings of the EPIC 2011 conference are online.

Teacher Dashboard Video

2011-07-22T05:57:00.000-07:00

This was just posted on the Manaiakalani blog:

Good overview, and a great reminder of my visit to the Pt. England school in March!

Education Gazette

2011-07-14T16:01:00.001-07:00

http://www.edgazette.govt.nz/Articles/Article.aspx?ArticleId=8389
E-Portfolios in New Zealand:
Digital portfolios grow with the learner

Education Gazette reviews the growing use of digital portfolios by students, teachers and schools.

Sent from my iPhone

ePIC Conference Keynote

2011-07-13T04:05:00.000-07:00

Eifel2011 keynote

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Tweets from people attending the presentation:

@shojikajita "When cloud computing meets with Semantic Web: A new design for e-portfolio systems in the social media era" http://bit.ly/rtAbps #epic11
@isabellegonon #epic11 Helen Barrett : the future (of #eportfolio) is in the #cloud and in #mobile
@ljanegray #epic11 Helen Barretts philosophy for e-portfolios = authenticity, choice and voice.
@inicot #epic11 I'll certainly remember this piece of advice from Helen Barrett "Rewire, don't retire!"
@John_Pallister the #ePortfolio challenge is to make it the 'e'asy portfolio; the 'e'ssential portfolio and then go for learner 'e'ngagement #epic11
@isabellegonon #epic11 now I know what a #shoebox story is ! Thanks to Helen Barrett
@kirstie_C Great presentation from helen barratt. Epf as digital document of development. it's everywhere #epic11
@shojikajita Peter Drucker "Success in the knowledge economy comes to those who know themselves" in "Managing Oneself" #epic11
@donpresant #epic11 Helen Barrett: family photos, videos often start building digital identity before birth...ultrasound as #eportfolio artefact
@donpresant #epic11 Helen Barrett: 4 pillars are: self awareness, planning to learn, knowing how to learn, monitoring your learning
@shojikajita Isaac Asimov "The day you stop learning is the day you begin decayin." #epic11
@inicot #epic11 Helen Barrettt, "the matriarch of ePortfolios": Lifelong learning shouldn't be confused with lifelong schooling

It was an interesting session. First there was Donald Clark, talking about his skeptical blog post about ePortfolios: 7 reasons why I don’t want my life in a shoebox. In some ways I agreed with him when he railed against the commercial ePortfolio tools and extolled the use of social software. But he made some generalized statements that did not match my experience or beliefs, especially about lifelong learners. I think this blog entry simplified a very complex process, and didn't recognize the importance of metacognition. Before my talk, Shane Sutherland talked about the design of Personal Learning Spaces, which was an interesting look at systems design.

simondseconoart.png 1987×1639 pixels

2011-07-12T05:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/diagrams/social/simondseconoart.png

This picture was shown in a presentation today. I found it and sent the link by email to my blog, but had to go back to the website to upload the image.

Sent from my iPad

ePortfolios and Identity Conference 2011

2011-07-11T08:57:00.000-07:00

I am in London, providing two workshops at EIFEL's ePIC Conference. Here are my slides:

Eifel2011 monam web2

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Eifel2011 monpm ds

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Here are a few tweets from the sessions:

@inicot Dr Barrett : "Upload your videos onto youtube, vimeo... They will make sure that they are still accessible in a 100 years from now" #epic11
@shojikajita Instant screencast http://www.screenr.com/ #epic11
@inicot At #epic11, attending Helen Barrett's workshop,'Adding voice to ePortfolios'-"Write lousy first drafts!"- @eportfolios
@shojikajita Tools for Digital Storytelling http://electronicportfolios.org/digistory/tools.html #epic11
@isabellegonon #epic11 #evernote pour sauvegarder ses notes, ses enregistrements audio ou video depuis son mobile et se souvenir de tout, je vais essayer !
@isabellegonon #epic11 Helen Barrett parle de twitter comme outil reflexif pour échanger sur ce qu'on est entrain d'apprendre
@CnamSDTICE leonardo da vinci's folio is the first portfolio in history says Helen Barnett in #epic11 electronic portfolios since 1991 only !
@inicot @batier Merci Christophe ! On diffuse à l'interne. A Londres pour la conference ePortfolio #epic11 can't wait i meet Helen barrett;-)

It is nice to reconnect with colleagues in the ePortfolio field. Besides a wide representation from across Europe, there is a large group from Singapore. I will be doing a short keynote in two days.

Audio and Video Diaries

2011-07-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a Twitter post, I found this article in The Guardian:
Next generation learning: the gift of sound and vision
"David Stinson has pioneered the use of video and audio diaries to improve students' learning." Excerpts from the article:

"By using video and audio diaries and much more besides, the kids can reflect on trials and tribulations they've encountered during the learning process..."

"The real benefit of using e-portfolios is that every student, regardless of ability, can adapt to the dynamic nature of recording their thoughts and emotions in video and audio, removing some of the anxiety involved in pen and paper communication. For students with special needs this can be especially constructive, as the unique nature of expression in e-portfolios takes away the need to endlessly compare to their classmates."

I am going to start using the term online diary instead of blog or reflective journal for the type of working portfolio that involves documenting the learning process over time. The word diary has a more universal meaning, regardless of media. This article demonstrates the powerful impact of reflection on learning, even though the word reflect is used only once. Now, with mobile technologies, it is much easier for learners to capture audio and video reflections. We know that students have figured out how to use the cameras on their mobile phones... for good or for ill; here is an opportunity to teach about appropriate uses of these tools (digital citizenship) while using a tool that is intrinsically motivating and always in most students' pockets.

We need to document strategies to capture these multimedia diary entries in easy-to-use websites that can be overseen by teachers when used in K-12 schools. I started with my mPortfolios Google site, and my workshop at ISTE last week. I have two upcoming workshops on using Web 2.0 tools (at EIFEL in London on July 11, and at AAEEBL in Boston on July 25). Once those workshops are over, I will focus on how to incorporate these ideas into the online courses to be offered by the new ePortfolio Academy for K-12 teachers.

ISTE 2011 Reflections

2011-06-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

I just finished my presentation, Student-Centered Interactive E-Portfolios with Google Apps.

Iste google apps2011

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Here are the tweets I just captured about my presentation. I thought it was one of my better presentations. I really feel like the elements are aligning to make student-centered portfolios a reality: tools, philosophy, pedagogy.

@TheHomeworkDog RT @jessievaz12: More on #eportfolios http://bit.ly/iioGvf #ISTE11
@erinbarrett Lots of "ooohs and aaahs" when @eportfolios shows #teacherdashboard! Great tool! #ISTE11 #eportfolios
@jessievaz12 An 'ooooo' overtook the crowd as the teacher dashboard plug in was showed from the google marketplace! #eportfolios #ISTE11
@rgriffithjr Agreed! - RT @jessievaz12: Portfolios should be a conversation about learning, not a presentation on learning #eportfolios #ISTE11
@cbuchanan_dasd RT @millpub: Taxonomy of Reflection http://bit.ly/5PpwuF #iste11 #eportfolios #iste11dasd
@RSOldring #eportfolios Lvl 1 - collection of Artifacts/ Lvl 2 - collection with reflection/ Lvl 3 - selection and presentation #ISTE11
@RSOldring #eportfolios being built in social media tools can be a great motivator for students #ISTE11
@Sharvey85 The power in the portfolio is the process/journey not the destination #eportfolios #iste11
@erinbarrett My mom, @eportfolios is rocking her presentation...of course! #eportfolios #iste11
@jessievaz12 A dad uses twitter as portfolio showing growth and experiences of his child. Started the minute she was born! Amazing! #eportfolios #ISTE11
@Sharvey85 Give students ownership of their learning with #eportfolios
@Tim_Yocum Social media makes portfolios easy. RT @jessievaz12: The line between eportfolios and social media is blurring #eportfolios #ISTE11
@divatechie12 @Student Centered #eportfolios with Google Apps. Website for presentation is electronicportfolios.org/ slidesshare.net/eportfolios
@jessievaz12 Slidehare.net/eportfolios check out all those resources! #eportfolios #ISTE11

The themes I found repeated at this conference were mobile devices (everyone has an iPad or iPhone!) and Google Apps really took off this year. I also found a lot more teachers interested in portfolios through our Birds of a Feather sessions on Electronic Portfolios and Google Apps in Education. It has been an exhilirating conference!

mPortfolios Workshop

2011-06-26T07:41:00.000-07:00

Iste mobile2011

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These are the slides from my workshop on Saturday at the ISTE conference in Philadelphia. I am finding that mobile devices are ubiquitous at this conference!

Google Apps update alerts: Embed your Google Docs videos

2011-06-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

Google Apps update alerts: Embed your Google Docs videos: "You can now embed your Google Docs videos in Google Sites. Release track: Rapid Release* Editions included: Google Apps, Google Apps..."

Hooray! That solves a lot of problems for schools.

A new tool - Motorola Xoom

2011-06-19T21:20:00.000-07:00

I'm playing with a new tool, courtesy of Costco's 90 day return policy (for the same price as my original iPad)! If I like it, I'll keep it. I was able to download some of the major apps I use on my iPad: Dropbox, Twitter, Facebook, Edmodo, Evernote, Kindle, as well as the Google apps, Docs, Gmail, Maps, Earth. I started this post in the Blogger app, but when I went back to the app, after it quit, I couldn't see the draft. So I am editing in the browser, something I cannot do on the iPad. (Blogger also lost my last edits, so I'm posting it again!)

The Xoom was fairly easy to set up, once I was able to manually type in my hidden wifi ID and password. The latest update to Honeycomb, Android 3.0 for tablets, downloaded automatically when the Internet connection was made. It took a few minutes to synch with my Google account, but now I can see all my Docs, and I can do basic editing on my Sites, another task I cannot do on my iPad. I am trying to figure out the Android version of iPod/iTunes, to download my favorite podcasts. I am preparing for an mPortfolio workshop next Saturday at the ISTE conference, where I am focusing on iOS apps on iPad/iPod Touch/iPhone, and so we really won't be doing a lot with Google Apps. However, I will be doing a presentation on Student-Centered Interactive Portfolios with Google Apps on Wednesday, so I want to really assess how well it works on an Android tablet.

Editing typos on this screen is frustrating, to get the cursor in the right place (I am making the final edits with my Mac). I took this picture with the camera on the Xoom (has a flash...nice!), which uploaded it automatically to my Picasa Blogger album. It was easy to insert it from there with my Mac. Still trying to insert it with the Xoom.

Update: I returned it to Costco. Compared to other Android tablets it was bigger and slower! I didn't like it well enough to keep it.

Links to recent E-Portfolio articles and blog posts

2011-06-17T21:42:00.000-07:00

I've come across some recent articles and blog posts that provide interesting reading about e-portfolios.

E-Portfolios Evolve Thanks to Web 2.0 Tools in EdWeek, June 15, 2011. I am quoted in the article and I previously blogged about my visit to Rob Van Nood's classroom, the first example (I made the connection between him and the author). Here is my comment on the EdWeek article:
Thanks for the examples, including Rob's classroom, which was a fun place to visit. The need for teacher professional development is important to meet the potential of e-portfolios to engage students in managing their own learning. That is why next week at the ISTE Conference, I am launching the REAL* ePortfolio Academy for K-12 Teachers (*REAL = Reflection, Engagement, Assessment for Learning). Primarily through online courses which establish grade-alike Communities of Practice, K-12 teachers from across the world will learn portfolio development principles, share strategies, and support each other in implementing e-portfolios using free Web 2.0 tools.
Dr. Helen Barrett http://electronicportfolios.org/academy/
Nick Rate's recent blog post, ePortfolios in the News, has links to some new websites. Two I particularly like:
Eportfolios - J'accuse where the author discusses the benefits of using a blog as an e-portfolio over specialized e-portfolio systems: Over-complication; Institutional, not user focus; Focus on the tool, not the skills; Lack of social element; Educational arrogance.

E-portfolios – 7 reasons why I don’t want my life in a shoebox: Uninteroperable; Institutionalised; Human nature; People are not learners [I disagree!]; Boundary problems; Plus ca change [the only constant is change]; Recruitment myth. I agree with some of his comments, but I think he misses the potential in others. The author, Donald Clark will be a presenter at the EIFEL Conference in July in London. I think I will be leading the panel.

The comments on both of these blogs are great reading!
Blogs as Showcase Portfolio by Kim Cofino, June 12, 2011. This is a GREAT resource (she uses WordPressMU with her 6th grade students... see examples). I love Clint Hamada's comment on this post, partially copied here:
Kim, thanks for highlighting the ease of using blogs as a portfolio tool. The key, I believe, is to create a culture of blogging (and sharing and reflecting) as part of the day-to-day workings of the school. Then the showcase is truly that: a showcase of things students have already done that do not require any huge amounts of work to prepare!
My response: I love this post and Clint's follow-up comment. The first level of building an electronic portfolio is to capture and save work in digital form (integrate technology into the teaching/learning process); the second level is to set goals and reflect frequently (a blog is the perfect environment for connecting artifacts and reflection); the third level is building a showcase portfolio at specific times during the school year (parent conferences? formal presentations of learning?). I discuss this process in more detail in my online article, Balancing the Two Faces of ePortfolios (2011, British Columbia Ministry of Education, Innovations in Education, 2nd Edition). I’ll be sharing your links! Thanks!

There is a theme in these blog posts, and in my recent research for my book: blogs are a great tool for developing e-portfolios, from Kindergarten through adulthood. People have been keeping written journals for centuries; blogs provide a similar space for reflection and deep learning, with a significant difference in storage and permanence. (I once blogged about the loss of physical memories through natural disasters, such as floods or fire: Digital Archive for Life, 2005) As long as Blogger keeps it stored digitally, it should last my lifetime and beyond (I've misplaced a lot of paper journals over the years). But every so often, I back it up... JUST IN CASE!

I've created many versions of my thematically-organized presentation portfolio, but I rarely visit or update these showcase portfolios (the only one I keep updated is my GoogleSites URL-branded version, first developed in 2008). My reflections are posted in this blog, which I consider my learning portfolio... and the easiest and most natural to maintain as a learning journal. The structure of a blog also lends itself well to comments and conversation.

Evernote for Intermediate Portfolios

2011-06-08T06:05:00.000-07:00

This blog attracts a lot of silent readers. Last November, one of my readers wrote to me with his story of how he was starting to use Evernote for ePortfolios in his grade 3-5 classroom. I am adding a version of the story about this school's experience into my book. Students in the intermediate classrooms (grades 3-5) in the Trillium Charter School (Portland, OR) are documenting their learning using Evernote on desktop computers, iPod Touch 4 (with the built-in camera), the teacher's iPhone and soon an iPad, with the addition of a wireless printer/scanner that can email scanned student work directly into their Evernote accounts. (They use a LexMark Pinnacle Pro 901 All-in-One that will scan paper on both sides... the biggest technical challenge was getting these printers set up, and adding all student Evernote email addresses). The Intermediate teachers have all adopted this process since the first of this calendar year, each adding one-to-three iPod Touch devices to supplement the three or four Free Geek donated Linux desktop computers in each classroom. I saw students choose the device they wanted to use to document their projects, with reflection scaffolded by a Portfolio Artifact and Reflection form that they could complete by hand and scan along with other paper or media.

The teachers assign time to work on Evernote every day, as a way for students to set goals and document their progress toward achieving their goals. On the day I visited, students were able to go to the only lab in the school, to work on their reflections. They preferred doing most of their writing with a regular keyboard, not the tiny keyboard on the iPod Touch, but they used its camera extensively to document their projects. This picture was taken with my iPhone directly into the Evernote app which uploaded to my account on the Evernote website. I was able to download the image from Evernote to my laptop to insert into this blog entry (I didn't figure out whether I could link to the image directly). What I found to be innovative about this process was the seamless way that the students could take a picture of a project with the iPod Touch, which automatically saved it to their Evernote accounts. They could add reflections and tags with either the iPod Touch or with one of the classroom computers.

The students led parent conferences, and shared their Evernote accounts with their parents. Attached is their Conference Checklist. I also have permission to share part of a letter that was sent home to parents, to explain the use of Evernote. The students tag their work (with required tags plus their own) so that the teacher can easily review categories/collections of work; unfortunately, Evernote cannot be used to provide feedback... the teacher needs to send an email with feedback. The students are being encouraged to use Evernote over the summer if they see something cool (what I call "capturing the moment)!" The real advantage is the simplicity: students write directly into Evernote, and don't have to open a word processor on their home computers, and then copy/paste into a portfolio program. The students are developing "Working ePortfolios" to document learning anytime, anywhere. Imagine what would happen if every student had a mobile device...although having three or four in a classroom with classroom computers and occasional visits to a lab, seemed to work just fine! The students are not developing public presentation portfolios, although they could be shared with their teachers and families; they are documenting their learning and progress toward achieving their goals... and they were engaged and seemed to own the process!

Using ePortfolios as a reflective teaching tool - Case study

2011-06-03T01:28:00.000-07:00

This video, "starring" Julie Hughes and two of her graduate students from the University of Wolverhampton in the U.K., was published by COFAonline at the University of South Wales in Australia. I love Julie's quote about blogging as: "thinking through your fingers."

REAL E-Portfolio Academy for K-12 Teachers

2011-05-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

I found a name and developed a logo for my latest project. Every portfolio needs an adjective to describe its purpose. REAL stands for Reflection, Engagement, and Assessment for Learning.

I blogged this title in 2005, and haven't had an opportunity to put it into practice until now. So, when I introduce a series on online courses this summer, they will be under the umbrella on an online academy -- more like a learning community, although there will be more structure than the average online community of practice.

I have received over 129 responses to my online form, so far. I am surprised with the number of inquiries from outside the U.S. To date, 60% of the respondents have already set up a GoogleApps for Education account, and 75% indicated interest in students using mobile devices to support e-portfolio development! Tomorrow I am visiting a school where 3rd-5th graders are using a few mobile devices and Evernote to capture their learning and share with their parents. Stay tuned!

Why isn't there more E-Portfolio Development in K-12 schools?

2011-05-16T19:17:00.000-07:00

I received an email today from a graduate student who wants to study the implementation of e-portfolios in the transition of special education students from high school to college or to work. She attended the Council for Exceptional Children International Conference this Spring in Washington, D.C., and learned in a pre-session class that currently there are few school districts who are actually using the ePortfolio process. In the limited research she located only 2 school districts who are actually using this, and 3 states/coalitions who are in the process of initiating the process within their states. Through her contacts with CEC's Division on Career Development and Transition (DCDT), they indicated that no one is using this process. Why? My response to her:

I could articulate my "hunches" based on my prior REFLECT Initiative research in high schools. Several years ago, I did a Google Scholar literature review on K-12 portfolios (paper or electronic) most of it from the 90s. My observations: since No Child Left Behind passed in 2001, the use of portfolios--paper or electronic--has declined dramatically in K-12 schools in the U.S., based on the research that has NOT been published. Here are some of my educated guesses for the many reasons:

Time - There is a perception that it takes a lot of time to implement e-portfolios. Teachers are overwhelmed with teaching, "test prep" and other school reform issues, and portfolios don't have as high a priority as other learning strategies.
Access to the Internet - There aren't enough computers or other digital devices (and a high speed LAN/WAN) required to access the Internet for web-based portfolios. I worked with one rural school district with limited Internet access, but had a 1:1 laptop program in their secondary schools. They had problems with consistent software, and strategies for storing portfolios on local servers. A lot of these problems could be solved with a cloud-based solution, if they had good high speed Internet access. I think these problems will be solved soon, especially with a "Bring Your Own Devices" approach. You might check out my last blog entry.
Knowledge of and experience with portfolio learning - A lot of teachers do not have experience with using portfolios, or have their own e-portfolios (developed using tools appropriate for K-12 students), so there is not a knowledge base or personal experience to draw upon.
Teacher Technology Competency - Even with enough access to technology, unless teachers are willing to learn along with their students, there is often a reluctance to teach with unfamiliar tools. And the average teacher won't let students use technologies they don't know how to manage... and a lot of schools block many of the social networks that I think students use on a daily basis in portfolio-like ways (collecting digital evidence in image, audio, video, text; sharing accomplishments, etc.)
Fear of CIPA and COPPA and concerns about student privacy. Perhaps that is because most of the students are under 18.
Confusing/Conflicting Purposes - There are a variety of purposes for implementing e-portfolios: learning/reflection/process, employment/showcase/career development, assessment/accountability, transition. Sometimes there is a confusion in WHY e-portfolios are being implemented. See this cartoon.
Underlying philosophy of learning - While portfolios initially came out of a constructivist model of learning, there are some educational institutions that do not endorse that theoretical approach, emphasizing a more behaviorist paradigm (my evidence: our national obsession with standardized testing, especially when used for high stakes accountability)
Lack of trust in teacher judgement of students' self-assessment.
Vocabulary (a portfolio by any other name is...) - students are creating websites that resemble showcase portfolios, or are regularly writing in blogs that resemble reflective journals... but these activities are not recognized as components of portfolio learning.
Too much emphasis on product (presentation/showcase of learning outcomes) and not enough on process (facilitating conversations about learning).

I find that, for the most part, learning e-portfolios are a classroom-by-classroom phenomenon; assessment e-portfolios are a district or state implementation, but often lack student engagement; employment/showcase e-portfolios are often created by tech-savvy students, often using social networks. One exception is the Navigation 101 program in Washington state: "a life skills and planning program for students in grades 6 through 12. It aims to help students make clear, careful, and creative plans for life beyond high school." The program includes a portfolio, but it is usually a 3-ring binder.

All that being said, I believe a portfolio can be a powerful tool for metacognition, building a positive digital footprint, establishing a conversation about learning, as well as showcasing achievements, planning for a preferred future, exploring purpose and passions. As I said in a recent blog entry, "If we want student engagement, I believe e-portfolios should be stories of deep learning, not checklists of competencies."

Are there other barriers to the implementation of e-portfolios in K-12 schools? Are there strategies that we can use to overcome these barriers?

A Device for Every Learner!

2011-05-15T00:18:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, Google announced Chromebook, a laptop computer that will be available to order on June 15, 2011; Price: $28-$33/month for businesses, $20-$23/month for education. I think the price is a little high for education, when looking at a device for every child, but very affordable for mobile labs or for individual families for a 3-year lease that includes all upgrades, maintenance, hardware refresh, and 100 MB 3G access per month. ReadWriteWeb provided an interesting cost analysis of the Chromebook in education. Combine the use of the Chromebook hardware with all of the Google Apps, and the barriers to e-portfolios are coming down. I wonder if my next purchase is a Chromebook ($20x36 months = $720) or one of the Android tablets coming out this summer (for around $500)?

But there are other options for giving each student internet access 24/7, at school and home. In addition to 1:1 laptop programs, there are other mobile devices that are being used in schools. For example, Canby (OR) and Escondido (CA) School Districts provide iPod/iPod Touch devices and/or iPads for student learning. More schools are starting to explore student owned devices; according to eSchool News, 'Bring Your Own Device' is Catching on in schools.

Ed-tech access is an issue, but students' personal devices are an attractive option to a growing number of districts.

I am doing e-portfolio research this year on the variety of student-owned-or-loaned mobile devices that increase access to creative tools and the web, both from home and school. In addition to "capturing the moment" in image, video, audio and text formats, creating a digital story can be a powerful way to add reflection to a portfolio. The tools are becoming very creative and inexpensive on an iOS device (per my own experience last Christmas break with my iPod Touch); last weekend, the Center of Digital Storytelling sponsored the Blink Mobile Media Challenge:

The idea is to choose a moment to capture images/events, and then write and record a narration, and edit the movie on your mobile device.

Editing Google Apps from iOS devices is still not as easy as with Google's own ChromeOS, but there are many apps that can be used to support various components of e-portfolio development. I will be exploring specific iOS apps for supporting certain aspects of e-portfolio development at a preconference workshop at this summer's ISTE Conference. Maybe by the end of June, there will be more information about emerging Google Chrome and Android devices.

Tweets from @dorothyjburt in NZ:
- We are trialling 6 - without the Telco plan - using our own wifi. Lotsa fun
- Weekend story from an @ptengland 6yr old "In the weekend I went to the park and played on the Firefox" Thx SallyV for sharing :)

Generic Tools Requirement for E-Portfolio Development

2011-05-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

What are the best tools for e-portfolio development? My answer is always, "It depends!" But I have some requirements. Here is my recent response to a university about the generic tools I think are needed to address the portfolio development process:

online space for students to store their work that is either initially owned by the student, accessible after graduation or can be easily transferred to a student-owned space any time (individual documents must be accessible by URL) - Digital Archive
online reflective journal (blog) where students can keep a contemporaneous learning record, with the ability to contribute evidence in audio, video, images and text from mobile devices or computers (individual blog entries need to be "tagged" or assigned classifications for ease of retrieval) - Electronic Documentation of Learning
an online system to aggregate and present evidence (artifacts and rationale) of achieving "gen-ed" student outcomes plus requirements of specific majors - Showcase/Presentation Portfolio
a data management system to collect and aggregate faculty evaluation data of students' summative portfolios - Assessment Management System

I also have other requirements: whatever tools are used should allow students' "Choice and Voice" in portfolio development with an emphasis on expression rather than structure. I prefer systems that students can maintain for a lifetime (either by adopting an open Web 2.0 system, or initial learner ownership of their own online personal web space).

The issue of ownership is critical. Of the four items above, only the last one needs to belong to the higher education institution. If we are committed to student lifelong learning, e-portfolio development strategies can be powerful tools for self-directed learning, self-knowledge and self-management, but only if we introduce the process appropriately, and support student ownership, both technically and psychologically. I guess that is why many students are engaged in their social networks, where the technological activities are similar to e-portfolio development, but are not the purpose or motivation. Learner-centered web-based tools exist to support the portfolio process... and many undergraduates are tech-savvy, at least in social networking skills. How can institutions build on these skills and intrinsic motivation as e-portfolios are implemented?

In the short time I was at Hostos Community College in New York City, after my presentation to faculty, I met with a small group of students. Rather than doing a formal presentation about e-portfolios, I led an informal discussion about their current uses of technology, the differences between social networking and e-portfolio development, and the potential for building an online digital identity that they could use to explore their passions and create their preferred futures. When I left, a lot of the students were intrigued and excited. If we want student engagement, I believe e-portfolios should be stories of deep learning, not checklists of competencies.

My older blog entries about selecting e-portfolio tools:
2010: Another question about "best" portfolio tools in higher ed
2010: Which Portfolio Tool?
2009: Motivation and Selecting an ePortfolio System

Presentations in Bothell & New York

2011-05-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

Last week, I make a presentation at the first University of Washington Bothell Teaching/Learning Symposium. Presentation in Slideshare: UW Bothell Apr2011 - Slidecast version in Vimeo.

That afternoon, I flew to New York City, and the next day I made a presentation at Hostos Community College, for their EdTech 2011 Showcase. After the presentation, I had a great informal meeting with students, a more formal discussion with faculty, and a meeting with administrators, all about their implementation of ePortfolios. It was a very stimulating day! Presentation in Slideshare: Hostos Apr11

Online Courses under Development

2011-04-27T00:06:00.000-07:00

I am working on the following course outlines to be available in the Fall Quarter 2011:

Overview of Student-Centered Electronic Portfolios (generic, no specific tools, an overview of the different purposes/tools, with an emphasis on collection, reflection, and direction/goal-setting) - 1 credit - 3 weeks with six lessons or 6 weeks with six lessons (20 hours) - 3-week version of course offered twice a quarter
Implementing Electronic Portfolios in K-12 Education with Google Apps (Docs, Sites, Blogger, YouTube, Picasa, Digication, Teacher Dashboard) - 3 credits - 10 weeks, 20 lessons (60 hours) Prerequisite: Overview class
Classroom-Based Research on Implementing Electronic Portfolios in K-12 Education - 1-3 variable credit - 10 weeks (may be repeated twice?) (20-60 hours) Prerequisite: Implementing class - This class is meant to support teachers the rest of the school year.
Adding Voice to E-Portfolios with Digital Narratives - 1 credit - 3 weeks, six lessons or 6 weeks, six lessons (20 hours) (with a focus on reflection in e-portfolios through multimedia)

I want to pilot the Overview course (#1) before the ISTE conference in June, and offer it officially by September 1. At the same time, I want to get started on designing the Implementation class (#2). I will work on the other two in the fall. As of tonight, 100 people have filled out my online form indicating interest in the course... in 8 days. I guess there is some interest!

Evolution of Electronic Portfolios

2011-04-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked for information on the evolution of electronic portfolios. My response:
There are several levels that could be addressed: the context, the technology and the pedagogy. In the 90s, much of the development and implementation of e-portfolios was in K-12 schools. That stopped in 2001 (thanks to NCLB?), and the emphasis was in higher education. I am hoping to bring e-portfolios back to K-12 through an online community of practice. In Europe, there is an emphasis on health care, workplace and community portfolios, documented at EIFEL's conferences since 2003. With the emergence of social networking, which one could argue involves portfolio-like activities, the electronic portfolio has become more personal and universal.

The technology began on desktop computers in the early 90s, published on CD-Recordable discs in the late 90s, on the Web with customized systems (or web authoring tools) in early 2000s, Web 2.0 in the late 2000s, and now mobile devices combined with Web 2.0.

The pedagogy began as formative assessment in the 90s, summative assessment in higher ed in the 2000s, and individual learning/digital identity development in 2010s (at least that is what I am focusing on). The current wisdom (thanks to Julie Hughes) is for e-portfolios to be more of a conversation than a presentation.

The evolution depends on which lens you are using to view electronic portfolios. Anyone write up a more formal history of this evolution?

Google Apps announcement

2011-04-24T23:10:00.000-07:00

I just received this message from one of my GoogleApps domains:

Google Apps accounts are undergoing an improvement, allowing you to give users access to over 60 additional applications from Google. We encourage you to transition your organization’s accounts on your own schedule now.

There are several advantages to transitioning on your own schedule:
Make the change on your own timeline
Have time to try the new infrastructure with a subset of your accounts first
Use automated mailing lists and email templates to pre-notify your users
Get access to over 60 additional applications from Google right away

Finally! I am excited to try out the new improvements. It's been a year since they announced these changes were coming. "This change will let users access many new services such as Blogger, Reader, Google Voice and calling-in-Gmail (US only), Picasa Web Albums, AdWords and iGoogle from their Google Apps accounts."

A Worldwide E-Portfolios-in-K-12 Community of Practice?

2011-04-23T18:24:00.000-07:00

I am working on a plan to develop a worldwide community of practice to support the design and implementation of electronic portfolio processes in K-12 schools. The primary audience for this Community of Practice (COP) will be K-12 teachers and Technology Coordinators, providing the following professional development through online course content. The initial courses would focus on GoogleApps/Digication/Teacher Dashboard and a few other Web 2.0-based tools and mobile devices. The COP will be formally announced at ISTE 2011 and the first online course will begin in August 2011. Here is a preliminary outline of the activities that could be supported by this Community of Practice.

Clarify a Vision for implementing electronic portfolios with students in your classroom
Using GoogleApps for Education domain with support from local school or district ITS
Identify different tools available to implement electronic portfolios for both teachers and students
Support a pilot study with students to test out the different free electronic portfolio tools, based on Internet connectivity (Digication, Google Sites, etc.) and mobile devices or 1-1 laptops
Provide professional development in electronic portfolio development knowledge and skills, using either face-to-face or online strategies, to be able to:

Capture & store evidence in a variety of multimedia formats and Web 2.0/mobile tools
Reflect on Learning - “reflection = the heart and soul of a portfolio”
Give & receive feedback as part of formative Assessment FOR Learning
Plan & set goals as a lifelong learning strategy
Collaborate using Web 2.0 tools
Present showcase portfolio to an audience
Evaluate portfolios used for summative Assessment OF Learning

Share strategies for using reflection to support student learning, both “capturing the moment” during the learning process and retrospectively as a culminating activity
Develop a long range plan for implementing electronic portfolios in classroom/school/district
Determine success criteria for electronic portfolio implementation
Support classroom-based research on the implementation of electronic portfolios in K-12 classrooms through community of practice and guidance on gathering data, publishing results
Provide a Certificate of Excellence in E-Portfolio Practice to teachers upon publication of classroom-based research after two years of implementation
Graduate-level credit available at an additional fee. Professional Development Clock Hours also available with nominal assessment fee (based on individual district/state requirements).

These are the initial ideas. This COP could provide a great opportunity for collaboration among graduate students who want to study K-12 Electronic Portfolio Development for a Masters or Doctoral degree through their selected graduate programs. I have served as an external examiner on multiple dissertations and theses that are focused on electronic portfolios, with another one planned for July in the U.K.

There would be three levels of support in this Community of Practice:

Self-paced: a website with course content and readings, which will be free, but no communication with instructor or other participants
Collaborative: a collaborative space for dialogue and feedback throughout the year, which will require a one-time membership fee
Credit: participants in the collaborative space may earn university credit for full participation in the courses, for an additional credit fee (I am working on finding the right university to offer graduate credit for these online courses)

I posted a form online to collect indications of interest, and have received more than 70 responses in five days, although some of the respondents are from higher education. I plan to keep the form up until the ISTE Conference in June. In a later post, I will elaborate on the online courses that will be offered and a tentative schedule. Feedback is welcome.

Online Course in 2011-12 School Year for K-12 schools

2011-04-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

I am thinking of offering an online class on E-Portfolios in K-12 Schools throughout the next school year. It would provide an opportunity to guide schools through a year-long process of implementation with GoogleApps/Digication/Teacher Dashboard and maybe also with mobile devices. The plan is to primarily use a private Google Group and Google Site to facilitate the course, with live events available through Skype, Elluminate, or Adobe Connect. I am gathering information now with a form:
http://electronicportfolios.org/web2class.html

The "Hook" at Pt. England School

2011-03-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

I'm in New Zealand visiting Pt. England School in Auckland, where they are implementing Google Apps and Blogger and where they worked with hapara.com to develop a brand new Google add-on called Teacher Dashboard, a tool that provides a lot of support for a teacher managing a classroom full of student GoogleDocs accounts (and soon Google Sites and Blogger). On Tuesday night after school, I participated in a meeting of the school's "hackers": a group from the larger Auckland community who have gathered together (over food and beer) almost weekly over the last 18 months to support a systemic approach to implementing technology in the school cluster: http://www.manaiakalani.org/

This group began when the principal, Russell Burt, sent out an email: "Hackers wanted!" They have been working through all of the issues of implementation. On Tuesday night, they reworked their Design Principles: http://www.manaiakalani.org/home/design-guidelines. I was impressed with their vision for the project, and the "open source" nature of their development. This group of creative people came together to solve a problem...to take on a challenge, and the results are stunning!

There are plans to share the school's wifi throughout the entire school community, mostly on light poles (keep in mind, this is one of the poorest neighborhoods in Auckland, where there are few computers and little or no Internet access in homes). Observing the systemic approach as well as the implementation of netbooks for students beginning in Year 5 (9-10 year-olds) is also impressive; their parents will be paying NZ$15 a month for these netbooks which eventually will be going home with the students. The program plans to support these netbooks for only three years... they realize that the technology will be changing a lot, and the devices will need to be replaced!

I am observing classrooms where students are blogging using Blogger on a regular basis (http://www.ptengland.school.nz/index.php?family=1,451), even the Year 1 students (5 years old) have blog entries dictated to teachers in a class blog: http://pesyear1.blogspot.com/ (the students were so pleased when we commented on their posts).

If there is one thing I have learned in this school is that if you want the impressive gains that they have made in the poorest schools in Auckland (see their research report linked below), you need visionary leadership, a group of teachers that is willing to take on the challenges, but who are also well-supported with PD and equipment, and a "can-do" attitude. Every teacher has a Macbook and a netbook; in addition to the student netbooks, every classroom has at least five iMacs (of various vintages...I even saw some 10-year-old "jelly bean" iMacs in Year 1 classrooms). As you can see, this school cluster is a great example of what can be done with imagination, some extra funding, and leadership (can't emphasize it enough)! Thanks to fellow ADE Dorothy Burt and everyone at Pt. England School for making us feel so welcome!

Here is a link to their research reports: http://www.manaiakalani.org/research-1/2008---2010-report

Summary: The Project definitely provided a motivation for writing, an improvement in audience awareness and purpose and in presentation skills. Other school interventions also had an impact on literacy achievement; however the Project has provided a purpose and enthusiasm for literacy.
The students of Manaiakalani were provided with a “hook” (e-learning outcomes published in on-line spaces) which gave these decile 1 students a voice to be heard globally. Subsequently, participating in the Manaiakalani Project enhanced their literacy, engagement, oral language and presentation.
With the advent of netbooks in 2011, schools are starting on a new and innovative initiative that, with careful planning and implementation and adequate support and funding, could be the key to 21st century education in New Zealand.

EdWeek Article on Technology & Testing

2011-03-17T14:57:00.000-07:00

Several months ago, I was interviewed by a writer for EdWeek about the role of Technology in Assessment, and the potential for using e-portfolios. Her article was published in the Technology Counts 2011 publication, which can be downloaded as PDF. Here is what she said about e-portfolios:

Examining E-Portfolios
In the meantime, some teachers are using technology tools to create performance-based student assessments, such as e-portfolios.

Helen Barrett, a former professor at the college of education at the University of Alaska Anchorage, has spent the past 20 years researching strategies and technologies for e-portfolios. Such portfolios provide a collection of student work and require students to reflect on their work and progress.

"What we want to do is help learners not only be much more aware of their own skills and competencies as they relate to standards or a rubric, but also to be able to reflect and write on that," Barrett says. "An e-portfolio should be more of a conversation about learning than a one-way presentation about learning."

Having students take ownership of their portfolios is essential to maximizing the potential of the evaluation, says Barrett.

"We need to get students intrinsically motivated about developing the portfolios," she says. "It's not the kind of routine assignment where teachers tell them what to put into it and what to write."

E-portfolios provide students an opportunity to beef up their self-assessment skills and become more familiar with different types of technology, Barrett adds. Students can embed videos and images in their e-portfolios, and they can use blogs or podcasts to reflect on their work.

Mobile devices add another dimension to e-portfolios, allowing students to reflect "at the moment the learning takes place," Barrett says.

Embracing e-portfolios brings a level of authenticity to the assessment that students typically do not experience, says G. Alex Ambrose, an academic adviser at the University of Notre Dame and the founder of EdVibes, an ed-tech consulting firm.

Students can go on to use what they've gathered in e-portfolios to apply to college or use in a job interview, says Ambrose, making the portfolio meaningful beyond the school walls.

Most K-12 schools, however, have not used e-portfolios to evaluate student performance, he says, partly because of "the culture of the school from the administration to the parents. They're just not ready for the technology."

I met Alex last October when I made a presentation at a conference at Notre Dame. I disagree partly with his last statement; in my opinion, it is not just the technology that the school culture is not ready for (many students and their parents use the technologies I mentioned)... it is the portfolio pedagogy as well as the current emphasis on high-stakes testing for student (and teacher!) evaluation. I also have concerns about using e-portfolios for high-stakes evaluation... it would create an Opportunity Cost in the way we implement portfolios for accountability vs. portfolios for learning/improvement that I talked about at the 2009 Assessment Conference. I propose a balanced approach with student ownership of both the process and the product.

I talked to the author of this article again this week, where she is preparing another article just on e-portfolios.

Yola as free online portfolio tool

2011-03-15T00:07:00.000-07:00

As part of the online course I am teaching for New England College, I am experimenting with free online web development tools. Yola is another one of the tools supported by Salt Lake City Community College. This is the 39th tool that I have used to re-create my electronic portfolio. The process moved fairly smoothly. The tool allowed me to reconstruct my portfolio in less than two hours, copying the information from my Weebly portfolio where I had the URLs on the page (and the links). All of my other artifacts are web links.

The real advantage of Yola is the many different tools, gadgets and widgets available: Flickr Gallery, Flickr Search, SmugMug Gallery, YouTube Video, File, MP3 Player as well as custom HTML and password-protected pages. A custom domain name can be purchased for $29.95 a year. The Pro (paid) version includes a custom domain name and other design features (for $99/year... a little pricey). I created a Table of Contents on the upper left side of the page (the Navigation, with links to each section on the site, which automatically shows on each page. I am impressed with this tool). I was able to create this hyperlinked set of web pages, with no knowledge of HTML.

This program would work well for a presentation portfolio, and Yola would work well if the goal is a learning portfolio, with interactivity and feedback through the blog. Each blog entry can have comments added (using a 3rd party program) and can have categories in addition to tags (like WordPress), and any page can be hidden in navigation menu. The whole site can be password-protected. Of the two tools, I like the free version of Yola better. I don't know how the premium versions compare.

Weebly as free online portfolio tool

2011-03-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

I will be teaching an online course for New England College on Portfolios in Professional Writing, and I revisited my Online Portfolio Adventure, recreating my portfolio in Weebly. This is one of the tools recommended and supported by Salt Lake Community College. Weebly is the 38th tool that I have used to re-create my electronic portfolio. The process moved fairly smoothly; I lost new pages several times, and there wasn't an obvious "save" button (the tool saves automatically). Weebly allowed me to reconstruct my portfolio in less than two hours, copying the information from my Google Sites portfolio where I had the URLs on the page (and the links). All of my other artifacts are web links. Placing images wherever I wanted on a page was more complex, compared to Google Sites.

The real advantage of Weebly is the many different tools, gadgets and widgets available: Photo Gallery, Slideshow, File, Flash, Google Maps and YouTube Video as well as custom HTML. The Pro (paid) version has an Audio Player, Video upload, embedded documents, and password-protected pages. I created a Table of Contents on the upper left side of the page (the Navigation, with links to each section on the site, which automatically shows on each page), although there were no sub-pages for site organization. I am impressed with this tool. I was able to create this hyperlinked set of web pages, with no knowledge of HTML, although it helped when I had to use Custom HTML to add Embed codes for videos from my YouTube, Blip.tv, and Google Video accounts.

This program would work very well for a presentation portfolio, and would also work well if the goal is a learning portfolio, with interactivity and feedback through the blog. Each blog entry can have comments added with moderation, and any page can be hidden in navigation menu for privacy purposes. Weebly has an Education version, where a teacher can manage a group of student accounts. The Premium account cost ($39.95) plus the cost of a domain name ($33.95/year for two years) makes it much more expensive than GoogleApps.

Through the process of recreating this portfolio, I also updated my Google Sites portfolio, which is really my favorite version to date. I think my 2006 Apple iWeb portfolio is the most attractive, but very difficult to update, so it is frozen in time, with lots of broken links!

NCCE Workshop and Presentation

2011-03-03T16:04:00.000-08:00

Here are my slides for my hands-on workshop this morning (Creating ePortfolios using GoogleApps) and presentation this afternoon (GoogleApps ePortfolios) held in Portland at the Northwest Council for Computer Education (NCCE). I was disappointed that they scheduled my workshop during the same time as the keynote address by Dr. Yong Zhao, which took place during the latter part of my workshop time. I noticed that about half of the participants left my workshop after the break... I hope it wasn't a reflection on the workshop, but the last half was mostly hands-on time)! If I had not been leading the workshop, I probably would have left as well! I heard the keynote was very good.

NCCE workshop11

View more presentations from Helen Barrett

NCCE mar11

View more presentations from Helen Barrett

Selected tweets with #NCCE2011 hash tag:

Creating another Google Site with Dr. Helen Barrett at the NCCE Conference
PORTFOLIO: ePortfolios with GoogleApps, http://sites.google.com/site/eportfolioapps/
PORTFOLIO: GoogleDocs - Create a Document to describe our own portfolio
PORTFOLIO: Level 1 Workspace: Collection of Artifacts in the Cloud
PORTFOLIO: 3 steps in setting up an efolio: 1. Storage in GoogleDocs, 2. Reflect in Google Blogger, 3. Presentation GoogleSites
10 Ways Technology Supports 21st Century Learners in Being Self Directed, http://tinyurl.com/6dldns8
PORTFOLIOS: GoogleApps for Education is awesome. It's free. Can take up to 6 weeks to get it set up, though
PORTFOLIOS: Great Article! Keeping it real. Ideas for Schools, Educators, and Students, http://tinyurl.com/68x95cc
PORTFOLIO: Balancing the two faces of ePortfolios, http://electronicportfolios.org/balance/index.html <-- VERY COOL GRAPHIC :)
PORTFOLIO is both process and product
PORTFOLIOS: students need to reflect in multiple formats, not just print.
Helen Barrett shared two stories: 1. Students burned upon graduation 2. Student offered a $50 reward for her lost portfolio Hmmm
Power and Portfolios: Best Practices for High School Classrooms, http://tinyurl.com/4eyloe6 GREAT BOOK!
The more structured the portfolio the less ownership students have
ePortfolios help the learner find their voice
ePortolios should be more about talking not telling. A CONVERSATION OR DIALOG!
Helen Barrett at TED Talks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckcSegrwjkA
Dr. Barrett... hyperlinking leads students to a deeper understanding
Using The Renzulli Learning System to Support Differentiated Instruction, http://tinyurl.com/4wjpfh4
KNOW THYSELF this was carved at the temple at Delphi
PORTFOLIO: Is it a structured assessment portfolio? a learning portfolio? etc. Decisions need to be made FIRST!
Ask the question what the purpose of the portfolio. There are many purposes. Ask, 'who owns the portfolio?' Who keeps it?
Portfolio 3.0: http://www.scribd.com/doc/34463843/ePortfolio-3-0
ePortfolio in 21st Century: Introduction to e-Portfolios from JISC's Lis... http://slidesha.re/bvkzBz
ePortfolio Definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_portfolio
Is this the first Portfolio? Leonardo da Vinci: http://www.foliosociety.com/book/NOL/notebooks-leonardo-da-vinci
Portfolio: One Word, Many Meanings - definition depends context
Simon Sinek Profile: http://www.ted.com/speakers/simon_sinek.html
Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action, http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html
Helen Barrett quote: "Reflection is the heart and soul of ePortfolios not the technology"
Another good eportfolio resource http://goo.gl/kxuu
Check out this SlideShare presentation : Aaeebl slc feb11 http://slidesha.re/hEUf8Z
Oregon is the first state to adopt GoogleApps for all k-12 schools.
Dr. Barrett is THE expert of portfolios - so lucky to have her presenting at #ncce2011
Helen Barrett's slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/eportfolios
Morning Session: HA73 - Create ePortfolios using Google Apps, http://tinyurl.com/4p6svuo

I am impressed with some tweeters who add value to my presentation, adding additional links and information! Thanks!

Keynote at AAEEBL Western Regional Conference

2011-03-01T14:25:00.000-08:00

AAEEBL SLC Feb11

View more presentations from Helen Barrett

Here are the slides for my presentation on Monday, February 28, at the AAEEBL Western Regional Conference, held at Westminster College in Salt Lake City. I really liked their theme: A Life of Learning: EPortfolios for Education and Beyond. Of course, I captured some of the #11waaeebl tweets (these are less than half of the tweets... a prolific group of tweeters!):

#eportfolios How can we use the tools students have in their pockets to capture the moment? - Helen Barrett
Barrett capture and storing evidence: mobile phones to capture
Barrett Balancing two faces diagram is here: http://bit.ly/hZYuo4
Barrett video on mobile technology http://youtu.be/6mCkbrYKQyI
Barrett suggests Pink's "Drive" to identify intrinsic motivations for reflective learning in ePortfolios. http://is.gd/XBMux3
Barrett advantage of mobile is ability to capture the moment with technology-blog, mobile phone, etc.
Barrett create environment that allows people to find their voice, explore their purpose through choice
Barrett Pink's studies on intrinsic motivation choice and voice makes difference on dev. his website: http://bit.ly/R5gzD
Barrett-eportfolios should be less about talking; should be more about conversation rather than presentation
Digital Dossier project [video] illustrates centrality to our identity. http://is.gd/0jURHD
Barrett "we don't learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience." quote of Dewey
#eportfolios -- Helen Barrett says that it is reflection that makes all the difference -- A dialog about learning is key!
portfolios are tied closely to the ideas of Kolb's experiential learning model (expanded by other theorists).
Barrett referred to JISC model http://bit.ly/BJYKz
Barrett social networking is a significant part of upcoming generations' lives
#eportfolios Listening to Helen Barrett talk about "Is there a portfolio in your pocket?" Great conference!
Barrett Social networking: connect (friending), listen (reading), respond, commenting) share (linking)
digital dossier video http://www.teach42.com/2009/02/19/your-digital-dossier/ (here it is with comments from @teach42)
Digital Dossier -for more go to harvard center that compiles a lot of information http://bit.ly/gdsE9f
RT @idaj: Barrett's reference to 5 reasons your online life has replaced your resume is at http://bit.ly/gQq3Gh
Digital Dossier: photos of kids which are uploaded to flickr, FB, email, multimedia messages, with info
Barrett noted that there's a high school in Canada ? who are developing their Digital Dossier
Barrett says a signficant number of toddlers already have a presence on the internet--wow!
Barret's reference to 5 reasons article-the article is at http://bit.ly/gQq3Gh
Barrett article from Forbes: 5 reasons why your online presence will replace your resume in 10 years
Barrett quotes drucker: success in knowledge economy comes to those who know themselves-"
Barrett: in sum, eportfolios as a way for all to get better sense of who they are
Slides for Helen Barrett's keynote, "Is the future of ePortfolios in your pocket"? http://is.gd/DSYarL
Barrett-summarizing b. Cambridge ePortf: support deep learning, reflection development, integrative, self directive and lifelong
4 pilars-- portfolio as mirror (self-awareness) portfolio as map (self-direction), meta cognition, and self-monitoring.
Barrett self-monitoring-responsibility to construct meaning; be reflective and think critically, reflective journals in eport.
#11waaeebl Barrett- meta learning-awareness of learning and different approach, deep vs. surface learning; help learners recognize success
Barrett-self-management as goal of eportfolio provide a map, e.g. set goals for future learning
Barrett self-awareness focuses on understanding prior knowledge; eportfolio can be a mirror
portfolios can provide a sense of ownership, but also support reflection for lifelong learning
Barrett discussed diagram of lifelong learning with 4 pillars, self awareness, self monitoring, self management, meta learning
Barrett because ownership engenders feelings of pride & sense of accomplishment
Barrett-purpose for portfolios: overarching purpose is to create a sense of personal ownership over one's accomplishments...
Barrett-eportfolio support many diff processes; celebrate learning, personal planning, transition to courses, emplym, assessment
Barrett social networking (e.g.FB & Twitter), used to collaborate, facilitate employment, etc.
Barrett ePortfolios have been used almost 2 decades now for variety of purposes
Barrett: portfolio: concept, philosophy, process, etc. DiVinci was one of the first keepers of a portfolio
Barrett said the DaVinci was the first keep of the portfolio historically
Barrett- when we use the word portfolio, be sure to use an adjective in front, e.g. learning portfolio
Barrett prtfolio has differnet meanings-some as concept, philosophy, process, pedagogy, product, tool
Barrett today's theme, among other things, is mobile technology and some social networks

I was impressed with the breakout sessions that I attended during the day. I found out that Salt Lake Community College provided support for students to create their portfolios in one of three different online tools: weebly.com, wordpress.com, yola.com. They created tutorials for students in each of the sites: Weebly, WordPress, Yola. Very impressive! I also heard from University of Washington Bothell Campus who are using Google Sites.

In a panel on Transitions from K-12 to Higher Education:Eportfolios and Admissions, one of the college admissions director mentioned that an electronic portfolio could show that a student could perform the 3 C's: Create, Collaborate, Communicate.

In the panel on Transitions from Higher Education to Work: Eportfolios and Employment, there are employers present who had interesting comments about using eportfolios in job applications and hiring:

the differences between academic portfolios and showcase/career portfolios... and differences between disciplines;
the importance of professional/career portfolios;
involve career services in convincing students of the value of building a portfolio;
helping students learn how to present themselves;
helping students make the connection between academics and careers;
smart kids bringing iPads into interviews to showcase specific achievements!

This was a very interactive conference (especially the panels and table discussions on the second day). Westminster College did a great job of putting together this conference.

Passion, Self-Directed Learning and Total Talent Portfolios

2011-02-24T11:59:00.000-08:00

10 Ways Technology Supports 21st Century Learners in Being Self Directed by Lisa Nielsen
New York educator and super-blogger Lisa Nielsen posted a very interesting blog post on the Technology & Learning Advisor Blog. As Lisa introduced her post, "Life in the 21st century provides a whole-new world of opportunities for self-directed, passion-driven, personalized learning." Here is a summary of her ten points. (I provided the details on one of the items, for obvious reasons!)

Personal Learning Networks
Tweet to Connect with Experts
Skype an Expert
Free Online Educational Resources
Online Learning
Authentic Publishing
Use YouTube and iTunes to Learn Anything
Passion (or talent) Profiles
Develop Authentic Learning Portfolios When done write [sp] ePortfolios can be a powerful tool that not only helps remind students of all their accomplishments, but it also enables them to share these with the world. In the 21st century, creating an ePortfolio is free and easy. Student simply select a container (blog, wiki, website, Google site), decide how they’d like to organize it, and then post their work. I strongly advise against using any paid for portfolio site. It is important that students have ownership of their own work and that it can travel with them wherever they are. When it comes to ePortfolios, Helen Barrett is the go-to person. To learn more, visit her blog http://blog.helenbarrett.org where she shares fantastic ideas.
Empower Students to Assess and Learn Themselves

I also loved her earlier blog post: Preparing Students for Success by Helping Them Discover and Develop Their Passions where she says:

The Total Talent Portfolio focuses on student strengths and "high-end learning" behaviors. Although the teacher serves as a guide in the portfolio review process, the ultimate goal of the Total Talent Portfolio is to create autonomy in students by turning control for the management of the portfolio over to them. Students visit their portfolios often updating the selection of items to be included, maintaining and regularly updating the portfolio, and setting personal goals by making decisions about items that they would like to include in the portfolio. Teachers use the Total Talent Portfolio as a means to differentiate instruction and effectively group students. The students love having a Total Talent Portfolio because they know it’s their personal roadmap to making their dreams come true, whatever they are.

The students use their Total Talent Portfolios to help them pursue engaging activities in areas of deep personal interest. When discovering and exploring passions is the objective few teachers find their student have short attention spans. In fact quite the opposite. These students know what it’s like to be in a flow (the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.) and how to do so for real purposes.

Dr. Renzulli's article, linked from this blog post, clearly articulates "A Plan for Identifying and Developing Gifts and Talents." I love it! THAT's what a learning portfolio should be all about!

ITSC Conference Reflections

2011-02-23T12:00:00.000-08:00

I spent three days in Portland at the ITSC 2011 Conference. They built an app, which linked to a mobile-friendly website. I don't normally go to a conference where I am not presenting, but I was fascinated by the program. I enjoyed the following sessions/workshops:

Canby SDs iPod touch & iPad 1:1 Classroom Implementations - I plan to visit this district, where every 3rd grader in the district gets an iPod Touch. They have shown some dramatic increases in literacy and math scores of students in classrooms using these tools. Notable links: Main wiki on iPod use, Using iTunes as a Digital Portfolio. I was especially impressed with the story Joe Morelock told about how students post goals for the week with Corkulous - a cork board app ($4.99). A student creates a collection of cork boards, building small portfolio on device. Students set weekly goals in one color, show accomplishments in another color.
Rethink, Relearn: What it means to think, learn and design curriculum with Dr. Roger Schank. I attended this conference because he was one of the keynote speakers and I have his book, Tell me a Story. I enjoyed the opportunity to work with Jackie Gerstein and another educator from Oregon, where we explored a lot of ideas around how students can find their purpose and passions. We entitled our GoogleDoc, "Everyone has a story" and we compiled a lot of resources on daily reflection, goal setting and how do we help students find their “spark?” A spark is something that gives your life meaning and purpose. It's an interest, a passion, or a gift. What do you bring to the world that is good, beautiful, and useful? It was a very exciting morning.
This looks interesting with Alec Couros and Dean Shareski - Lots of new apps and websites: Tagxedo.com, Instapaper, safeshare.tv, fur.ly, ujam.com, pen.io, min.us/
Beyond Search with Lucy Gray - Learned lots of new ways to search Google. I especially liked www.sweetsearch.com which is powered by Yolink. Google Search Lessons, Lucy's slides in Slideshare
Mobile Learning in Your School with Ira David Socol (he helped his son create todaysmeet.com)- This was a good opportunity to learn from other educators about why and how to use mobile phones in education: let students choose their own device (SODs -- Student-Owned Devices). Start with calendar, use mobile organization of the day. I learned how to email reminders from Google Calendar. Other links we explored: polleverywhere.com, www.mobilestudy.org. We explored Dragon & Vlingo (voice to text) which doesn't work well with children's voices. He talked about MITS Freedom Stick (4 GB flash-based Freedom Drive-- some use MP3 player) which contains mobile versions of Windows open source software. Build mobile websites: site.mobi/, ubik.com/. Use mobile devices to make sense of things - map where you are, upload to Flickr - Flickr on your Mobile (How to Access Flickr Through Your Cell Phone) Read more: How to Access Flickr Through Your Cell Phone | eHow.com
It is all about power for unempowered people.
Closing Keynote: Cognitive Processes that Underlie Learning with Roger Schank. I intend to get his book when it comes out next fall: Learning 2.0 from Teachers College Press. I took voluminous notes in Evernote. Some of the key ideas:

We learn from experience - which experiences affect memory? (memory is dynamic)
Case-based reasoning - how it relates to me
Learning is the abandonment of old scripts
change by experience - what makes experience memorable: emotional reactions, satisfaction goals, surprises, deep involvement in developing a solution, catastrophic failure.
Education must be defined as guided practice (death of "you will need it later")
Education must be about helping students achieve truly held long term goals [reinforcing the need for student goal-setting]
Education should be designed in order to match student goals with societal needs - start with a well-defined goal (one that the student wants to achieve)

Education must focus on the non-conscious mind. If you have a motivated learner, you can teach then anything.
Education should enable the satisfaction of curiosity
Many ideas on how to change teaching: art of teaching is art of assisted discovery
John Adams' purpose of education: learn how to live and how to make a living... and it should be fun!
Provide an education allowing students real choices. The real goal should be getting students to think for themselves.
Curriculum should be organized around Cognitive Processes: modeling (constructing a model of the world), judgment, prediction, causation, diagnosis, evaluation, experimentation, negotiation, describing, influencing, teamwork, planning.

Story-Centered Curriculum article

White Paper (PDF)

I am really glad I came to this conference. There were a lot of sessions on GoogleApps that I did not attend, and I had to make a lot of choice about which sessions I should attend, but I think I chose what I needed at this time. I have new ideas to integrate into my upcoming presentations next week. I also took the opportunity to visit a teacher in Portland, who is doing exciting work using Evernote for student portfolios in grades 3-5, but I will save that reflection for a future post, especially if I decide to go back to Oregon to visit Canby School District classes.

Watson and IBM’s Deep Question Answering (QA)

2011-02-21T20:28:00.000-08:00

Earlier last week, we watched IBM's Watson super computer beat two human contestants at Jeopardy. I actually think Watson won because it was faster at pushing the buzzer. Albeit, the performance was an impressive display of IBM’s Deep Question Answering (QA). On Thursday, IBM announced a partnership to apply this technology to medicine. The partner, Nuance Communications, Inc., also developed Dragon Dictation for iOS devices, and voice recognition for other mobile phones. Imagine "Watson-to-go" on a smart phone: speak the symptoms along with text-based data, and have Watson produce a diagnosis. As explained:

Watson's ability to analyze the meaning and context of human language, and quickly process information to find precise answers can assist decision makers, such as physicians and nurses, unlock important knowledge and facts buried within huge volumes of information, and offer answers they may not have considered to help validate their own ideas or hypotheses.

How could this technology be applied in education? Could we feed in the URL to a student's rich e-portfolio, along with the criteria we would like to assess, and could Watson give us feedback around a variety of criteria? Or would we want this capability? Would it help teachers pinpoint areas for development in written language? What about analysis of some of the 21st Century Skills, especially Inventive Thinking—Intellectual Capital: Adaptability/Managing Complexity and Self-Direction; Curiosity, Creativity and Risk-taking; Higher Order Thinking and Sound Reasoning. Is this the type of complexity that the QA technology could be designed to analyze? Or is this assessment and analysis task too difficult, even for Watson? Perhaps with the Gates Foundation's emphasis on Learning Analytics, and the upcoming Learning Analytics & Knowledge Conference, February 27-March 1, 2011 in Banff, Alberta, there will be some development in this area.

Learning analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of data about learners and their contexts, for purposes of understanding and optimising learning and the environments in which it occurs.

Calgary Teachers Conference

2011-02-18T00:06:00.000-08:00

Today I presented a keynote address and a follow-up workshop on teacher portfolios at the Calgary Teachers Conference. Here are some tweets from the participants:

That's my mom! RT @geekteacher Barrett is brilliant! @eportfolios #CCTCA #CCTCA2011
@eportfolios Thanks for two great sessions, and our chat over lunch! I hope we stay in touch! Safe Travels! -Monti
"I stopped following RSS feeds, and began following people!" @eportfolios (Dr.Barrett) re: #twitter #CCTC2011
@CCTCA2011: It's a shame @marcprensky and @eportfolios were running at the same time! Don't make us choose!! :) #CCTC2011
RT @geekteacher: I'm shocked & disappointed that so few people are attending @eportfolios keynote. #CCTC2011 / It's a small dedicated group!
#CCTC2011 @eportfolios is presenting on different types of portfolios; showcase, mobile, presentation, expressive, blogging.
Barrett is brilliant! @eportfolios #CCTCA #CCTCA2011
What, so what, and now what - Q's to ask in the process of eP development. @eportfolios @CCTCA2011
Key to learning from an ePorfolio is dialogue - need for collaboration @eportfolios @CCTCA2011
eP's can help students explore life purpose & goals, personal & prof identity @eportfolios @CCTCA2011
The power of a portfolio is personal! @eportfolios @CCTC
Much to learn about how students approach their eP's - @helenbarret @eportfolios @CCTCA2011
I'm shocked & disappointed that so few people are attending @eportfolios keynote. #CCTCA #CCTCA2011
Looking forward to @eportfolios (Helen Barrett) keynote. #CCTCA #CCTCA2011

It was interesting to look at the program and see the number of presentations for up to 11,000 teachers, although I'm not sure all of them were there. Reminds me of the in-services I used to do in Fairbanks in the 80s, putting on a conference for teachers who often don't get to attend big national conferences. Now I am spending an unexpected night near Calgary airport due to canceled flight home. Travel on this trip has been weird: a two hour flight, but I had to take my passport! It is also interesting to hear concerns about storing data on U.S. computers (something about Patriot Act???). I encouraged use of mobile tools and reflection, of course.

Based on feedback, I'd like to put together a resource to support scaffolding reflection in K-12 schools, especially elementary, focusing on past, present and future tense:

Past: Looking back over a collection of work and find the themes/stories (retrospective)
Present: Reflection in real time (capturing the moment, using a variety of tools to capture text, image, audio, video)
Future: Goal-setting (from reviewing work, what are goals for future learning?)

I am suggesting that a group of teachers gather together virtually to brainstorm and share strategies for guiding student reflection; it was a question that came up at the end of my keynote. This process would be tool-neutral, although I am exploring how to use mobile devices to "capture the moment" or reflect in real time, which will be the focus on my ISTE workshop in Philadelphia in June.

NZ Guidelines for beginners

2011-02-15T12:34:00.000-08:00

The Ministry of Education in New Zealand has just published its second edition of Digital Portfolios: Guidelines for beginners (PDF). This publication provides a basic overview of ePortfolios specifically for K-12 schools. In the first section of the publication, there are descriptions of the history, distinguishing features and advantages, and definitions/descriptions of a digital portfolio. It also outlines the possible contents of a portfolio, benefits and outcomes of an ePortfolio approach (with a specific discussion of reflection & blogging); Planning for success, Objectives, pedagogy, ownership & audience, important criteria; and Tools – what’s out there? The last section of the publication has responses to a questionnaire provided by 11 schools. For those K-12 schools interested in getting started with ePortfolios, this is a good resource.

The Portfolio Process in your Pocket

2011-02-14T13:54:00.000-08:00

Here is the first draft of an article for a newsletter entitled, Is the Future of ePortfolios in Your Pocket? (It is the title of my upcoming keynote address at the Western AAEEBL Conference.) I would love some feedback on the paper, which was drawn from previous blog entries and my mPortfolios Google Site. I have been reading a lot of online articles about mobile computing in the last week. Here is a quote from Why Mobile is a Must from T.H.E. Journal:

Kids today are captivated by the personalization and socialization of online tools--the ability to build large networks of friends; share their thoughts, feelings, and goals; and communicate as they wish. Students have become so invested in mobile devices that our society has coined a new term for them--digital natives--to represent their having only known a world where all of this is possible. And not only is it possible, it's possible anytime and anywhere, via a plethora of devices and widely available cellular and WiFi networks.

The upshot is, these digital natives now have in their hands the tools to shape their own education in once unimagined ways. They have the ability to interact with other learners at their convenience, with differences in time and place presenting no hurdle. They can research, on the spot, any topic of interest. And they can capture the moment, whether it's in a picture, a video, or a blog entry.

Another article in T.H.E. Journal focuses on the national survey Speak Up 2009, Drill Down: Mobile Devices in Education, where they quote parents:

Parents see the use of mobile technologies in schools as a means of increasing student engagement (43 percent) and preparing students for the working world (41 percent).
The most often-cited instructional benefit is mobile devices' ability to extend learning beyond school hours.
Only 12 percent see no significant educational benefit to mobile devices.

The Speak Up 2009 reports are available for download, and are interesting reading. I imagine the 2010 report, when it comes out, will have even more of an emphasis on mobile learning. The latest ISTE Publication, Learning & Leading with Technology, has several articles on mobile technologies in learning: "The Whole World in Their Hands" and "There's an App for This!" It seems like there is a convergence of thinking about mobile devices in education! In a week, I will be attending the ITSC conference in Portland, where I plan to attend some interesting sessions related to these issues (and the AAEEBL conference is the following week). Stay tuned!

Upcoming trip to New Zealand

2011-02-13T23:10:00.000-08:00

My daughter and I are going to Auckland, with a side trip to Fiji on our way home over her Spring Break (it's a good way to use all of the air miles I earned last year!). We will actually be gone two weeks, but with travel time and the last four days in Fiji, we will only be in Auckland for nine days. We will be spending a week in the Pt. England School, to see how this primary school is integrating Google Apps, Blogger, ePortfolios and Teacher Dashboard into their program. We are going to guide some students and teachers through the digital storytelling process. I am finishing up my book, and need to spend more time in direct observation of a primary school. According to their technology director:

We are an Apple school with iMovie happening all over the place. And are rolling out our very first 1:1 on Linux Netbooks this week. The idea being that they use their Netbooks for all their Google apps work and jump on the iMacs to create their movies, music etc. Unfortunately our cohort do not have access to iAnything in their homes - welcome to NZs poorest community :) Highly creative though....

I hope to make a short visit to BBI to see how they are doing as well. I spent more than a week in that school last March. This year, they are integrating iPads into their intermediate school.

Democratic Revolution in Egypt

2011-02-11T14:57:00.000-08:00

Over the last year, I have been communicating with a graduate student who is trying to study and implement electronic portfolios in Egypt. Although I have not heard from him over the last three weeks, I have been thinking about him while watching the cable news channels. Waking up to the jubilant celebration, I decided to send him the following email:

I have been watching the television reports of the revolution in Egypt and thinking of you. I just wanted to say how impressed I am with what I am watching. You must be so proud about what is happening in your country. I don't know how involved you have been, but I wish your country great success in building a democracy.

I am convinced that self-efficacy and self-directed learning are essential to democratic principles, and in a small way, electronic portfolios can be part of that process. Understanding oneself, and showcasing achievements are important to building self esteem. I see Egypt as a country that has suddenly discovered its national self-esteem, as shown through the video news reports. It is a good metaphor for what can be achieved by individuals with electronic portfolios!

Digital media was an important part of your national revolution; it can also be part of individual transformation.

I received the following response a few hours later. The English may not be perfect, probably due to imperfect translation software, but the feelings are obvious!

Thank you for your interest about me my dear Egypt
Taste that freedom has a taste very, very, very special in the same as any human being on the face of the earth ..........
I wish Mint always be my free in everything, as America ... Freedom in education .... Freedom in religion ... Freedom in the economy .... Freedom in everything .....
And I hope to be able to exploit the historical moment of spreading the culture of the use of technology in education, individual and through e-portfolio....
Thank you once again for your interest ....... and I ask you the freedom and all of the earth

NCCE Presentations

2011-02-08T13:42:00.000-08:00

I will be presenting at the Northwest Council for Computers in Education (NCCE) in March 2011:

3-hour Workshop: Create ePortfolios using GoogleApps (March 3, 2011, 8:30-11:30 AM Oregon Convention Center)
Oregon was the first state to adopt GoogleApps for all K-12 schools. These powerful tools are ready-made for creating and maintaining electronic portfolios by teachers and students. Learn how to create artifacts using Google Docs and Picasa, a reflective learning portfolio using Blogger, and a showcase/assessment/presentation portfolio with Google Sites.
1-hour Presentation: GoogleApps ePortfolios (March 3, 2011, 2:15-3:15 PM)
Oregon was the first state to adopt GoogleApps for all K-12 schools. These powerful tools are ready-made for teachers and students to maintain electronic portfolios. Get an overview of creating artifacts using Google Docs and Picasa, a reflective learning portfolio using Blogger, and a showcase/assessment/presentation portfolio with Google Sites.

Using SMS in the e-portfolio process?

2011-02-02T15:28:00.000-08:00

I am following an EPortfolio Conversations Google Group, where a question was raised about collecting evidence of informal learning rather than formal education. One response: "Start with SMS [on mobile phones] - its the morse code of the present generation...and it works." Here is my response:

Being a Baby Boomer, and only learning about SMS from my kids and grandkids, I need to learn more about how we can use SMS in ePortfolio development. I am doing a workshop at ISTE in Philadelphia in June entitled, "Hands-on mPortfolio Development with iOS devices (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad)." In all cases, there is a Web 2.0 website where we will post the artifacts and reflections "in real time".

Although smart phone ownership (Android, iOS) is growing, these tools are not widely owned by teenagers. Where does a student store SMS messages online? I know my teenage granddaughter updates her Facebook page with her "feature phone" but that is not an option for most schools. I am looking for the practical applications, because I am getting inquiries from educators in the developing world, where the plain old mobile phone is the tool students have available for Electronic Documentation of Learning? In my opinion, that is the first step in building an ePortfolio: collection of artifacts (in text, images, audio, video) and reflection on experiences/artifacts (in any of those same formats).

Maybe we could learn from what Google is doing in Egypt right now: providing local telephone numbers to call; the service simply delivers a link on Twitter so you can hear the actual voice message! In the U.S., Google Voice messages can be saved as MP3, and imperfectly translated into text. (I heard of one teacher who sits in his car--his quiet recording studio--and records his reflections as a voice message in Google Voice.) What else? I am looking for a blog-like tool that can be updated by a plain mobile phone. What Web 2.0 tools, besides Facebook, are accessible from SMS? After a little research, I found instructions for posting from SMS to Blogger and WordPress, but it looks like this service is only available within the USA. I suppose Posterous would work as well, if the message comes in as an email. You can also use SMS to post to Twitter.

Google Docs refresh to the Documents List

2011-01-31T23:12:00.000-08:00

Today Google Docs updated the Documents list, with some neat new features. I really like the way they have changed the Folders into Collections, which really act like Tags for classifying docs, combining the best features of labels and folders. In a portfolio collection, any file can be uploaded and assigned to more than one Collection (i.e., subject collection, portfolio collection, etc.). The new name fits better within the portfolio process. Bravo, Google!

Generative Knowledge Retrieval Prompts

2011-01-29T13:49:00.000-08:00

I am at the AAC&U E-Portfolio Forum, and the attendees were asked to choose a form to reflect on the activities of the day: a Digication Portfolio page, Facebook, Twitter tag #aacu11gki Google Voice, Google Docs. I chose Twitter, but am also checking FB. Of course, this type of backchannel conversation happens at most technology conferences I have attended over the last two years. What makes this different is the prompt provided to the participants:

ASK YOURSELF: Why am I here today? What am I curious about? What do I want to know or learn from today's for? What did I take away from [today's] activities?
"I am here to..."

RETRIEVE YOUR EXPERIENCE: What is capturing my attention right now? What is challenging, exciting and/or annoying to me and why? With whom do I want to share my insights or materials at home?
"I notice that I..."

RECORD YOUR INSIGHTS: How am I sharing my insights with others? What am I doing to record my experiences? What resources might I need?
"That session made me think about..."

ANCHOR & AMPLIFY: How do the insights I am having today apply to the rest of my work and life? What will I perceive, think and do differently as a result of today's sessions?
"Based upon what I've learned today, I think I will..."

Good stuff.

Sent from my iPhone

Digication now in Google Apps Education Marketplace

2011-01-28T23:54:00.000-08:00

Google Apps just got smarter: introducing the Apps Marketplace’s new EDU category
A notable addition to the list: Digication for e-portfolios with unlimited free accounts for all students (with limited storage, but hey, you have GoogleDocs and hyperlinks)! http://digication.com/google

This is a very exciting development. The combination of GoogleDocs/Sites for collection/integration of technology into the curriculum, Blogger for day-to-day reflection/documentation of learning, and now Digication for presentaton/reflection/showcase makes GoogleApps Education Edition the strongest platform for K-12 schools to implement e-portfolios.

This development provides an opportunity to implement e-portfolios for all students, within a rich pedagogical environment, in addition to the other tools available: BrainPop, Aviary, DreamBox, Haiku, LearnBoost. I am excited to add this new chapter to my book!

Short but productive digital storytelling workshop

2011-01-18T14:07:00.001-08:00

Erin and I just finished a two-day workshop on eportfolios with a school district near Minot, ND. The teachers focused on building a collection of artifacts in GoogleDocs yesterday morning, built a professional portfolio in the afternoon in Google Sites. This morning, they created a digital story and uploaded it to GoogleDocs, shared it with me so that I could show it to the whole group. This was by far the easiest end to a digital storytelling workshop, when we collect stories to showcase. No more flash drives to pass around! Just send a link.

For more than half of the teachers, this was the first video they had created, although many of them worked with a partner. This afternoon, we had them collaboratively writing in grade level groups using typewith.me, pulling together a plan for Next Steps in implementing e-portfolios in their district. Altogether, a very successful two days! As you can see by the progress chart, we had a lot of video projects to support! Our largest group yet. I learned some more about iMovie9 in the process!

On my way home, I read a tweet with link to the latest draft publication from the Ministry of Education in New Zealand: Digital portfolios Guidelines for beginners (PDF). Looks like a good study and set of resources on some of the early adopter schools, including Pt. England and Bucklands Beach Intermediate. We need a similar study here in the U.S.! They asked these schools some good questions.

AAEEBL Western Conference on ePortfolios

2011-01-10T20:48:00.000-08:00

I have been confirmed as the luncheon keynote speaker at the AAEEBL Western Conference on ePortfolios at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, February 28-March 1, 2011. The title of my presentation will be: Is the Future of ePortfolios in your Pocket? mPortfolios for Lifelong Learning. My description:

"We are implementing portfolio-like processes throughout our lives, regardless of technology or tools:
collection
selection
reflection
direction
presentation
feedback
evaluation
Look at the way that technology supports those processes: digitizing/archiving, hyper-linking/embedding, storytelling, collaborating, publishing, aggregating. We need to help students develop lifelong skills that will last after they graduate. If students are using "world ware" (tools in use it the world) then they are developing skills that can be applied in the "real world" outside of formal education. We should also look at how students are naturally using technology in their lives: social networking, mobile communications, capturing and storing images, audio and video, etc. We could build on the tools that students are already using... and look at the intrinsic motivation factors that drive the use of social networking, and apply those factors to the ePortfolio environment: autonomy, mastery and purpose (thanks to Dan Pink's book, Drive). We are looking at a future that is well integrated with mobile devices. I will share my current research focusing on the application of mobile devices (iOS and Android) to support ePortfolio development across the lifespan."

See my latest Google site, under development: http://sites.google.com/site/mportfolios/

Russian (and German) version of Balancing diagram

2011-01-09T15:39:00.000-08:00

I received a Russian translated version of my Balancing the Two Faces of Electronic Portfolios diagram. This addition makes fives different translations: Spanish, Catalan, Japanese, Mandarin, and now Russian. As this EFL Instructor fron Volgograd State University said, when she sent me the image,

Your works have helped me greatly and I translated the table about two sides of e-portfolio into Russian during my work. It is one of our main fields of work to localize foreign literature for Russian public and vice versa. As I saw some foreign versions of your table in the online publication of the article such as Mandarin and Spanish I thought probably it will be a good idea to place the Russian version as well. So to express my gratitude I decided to send you the result of my work and hope it may become as useful for you as your works have become to me.

Thanks! These translated versions provide visual representations of how this concept has been accepted across the world!

UPDATE 1/26/11: I received the following message today: "attached I send you the German translation of your slide that is very helpfull for understanding the idea of eportfolios." This version is also included after the others on the web page.

Google Docs stores & plays video

2011-01-06T23:59:00.000-08:00

Today, Google make the following announcement: Google Docs Now Allows Streaming of Uploaded Videos. The following are the formats that can be uploaded into Google Docs:

WebM files (Vp8 video codec and Vorbis Audio codec)
MPEG4, 3GPP and MOV files - (h264 and mpeg4 video codecs and AAC audio codec)
AVI (many cameras use this format - typically the video codec is MJPEG and audio is PCM)
MPEGPS (MPEG2 video codec and MP2 audio)
WMV
FLV (Adobe - FLV1 video codec, MP3 audio)

Here is a Aimee's first Lucy video, which I uploaded to GoogleDocs. This is really good news for schools that block YouTube. Now we can have student-created videos uploaded to GoogleDocs. While these videos open in a new window, rather than being embedded on a page, maybe that will happen soon.

Digital Storytelling with iPod Touch 4

2011-01-02T22:56:00.000-08:00

My junior-high granddaughter and I are experimenting with my iPod Touch 4, creating a digital story with images she took with the built-in camera. She wrote out a short script, and I helped her format it to help with recording (one line per image). She taught me a lot about the capability of the device, including the built-in microphone, which she discovered when she tried Face Time last weekend. Our first project was using Splice, which tended to quit on us when we inserted almost every new image. However, we didn't lose much. We also had a difficult time figuring out how to go back and adjust the timing of the audio clips we recorded directly into the program. It was easy to adjust the In and Out points of each audio clip. I'm sure with a little practice, and more time, we could add a lot more features, like the Ken Burns effect on the images, and background music. Our first version was uploaded to my YouTube account directly from the program. I downloaded a Quicktime version to my MobileMe account.

The second version of Aimee's video was created using Storyrobe on the iPod Touch 4. Maybe it was because it was the second time she narrated the story, but it took only a few minutes to create this version. Aimee watched the YouTube version of the first story, so that she picked the right images, and then figured out how to record as she navigated from image to image. When she was through, she said it was much easier. The little glitch in the audio at the end was probably because she stopped the recording while she was still talking! The end result was 30 seconds shorter, with no titles. We figured there were graphics programs we could use to make titles, and do a screen grab. Storyrobe looks like a good program for elementary students. The process reminds me of PhotoStory, without the music. I uploaded five copies of the story to YouTube (by accident, because there was little feedback when I pressed the button), but YouTube rejected the duplicates.

I have more programs that I would like to try, but school starts again tomorrow. I will focus on using other video editing software on my iPad (ReelDirector or Storyrobe) to recreate one of my digital storytelling workshop videos. Stay tuned!

Another question about "best" portfolio tools in higher ed

2010-12-26T23:54:00.000-08:00

This message was sent to the Researching Lifelong ePortfolios and Web 2.0 listserv that I facilitate: "In your opinion what is the best ePortfolio software or website for university students & staff?" Here is my response:

You asked this question in a list that focuses on Web 2.0 tools for ePortfolios. That implies an environment and an approach, not a specific tool. Before identifying specific tools, you need to identify the PURPOSE for developing a portfolio. There are purposes imposed by an institution (and frankly, that is the way most individuals begin a formal "portfolio") but we are implementing portfolio-like processes throughout our lives, regardless of technology or tools:

collection (our natural tendency to save those objects that remind us of important events in our lives)
selection (well, we can't save everything, so we have to make choices, based on a variety of criteria, consciously or subconsciously)
reflection (the sign of deep learning... But not always called reflection. Humans have been keeping journals for hundreds of years, to help record experiences, or "thinking in print" to make sense of them)
direction (in this case, setting goals... what I call reflection in the future tense... an essential component of success)
presentation (putting a public face on the portfolio for a selected audience for a particular purpose)
feedback (that's where the learning gets reinforced or suggestions made for improvement)
evaluation (either by self or others, depending on context)

When we look at the various processes, and the way that technology supports those processes (archiving, hyperlinking, storytelling, collaboration, publishing, aggregating), there are a lot of tools that can support these efforts. I hope universities want to help students develop lifelong skills, that will last after students graduate. Learning a specific commercial tool that requires a paid subscription, may not meet that goal. But if students are using "world ware" (software in use it the world) then they are developing skills that can be applied in the "real world" outside of formal education. We should also look at how students are naturally using technology in their lives: social networking, mobile communications, images, audio and video, etc. I believe we should build on the tools that students are already using... I am not suggesting that we use Facebook for ePortfolios, but that we should look at the intrinsic motivation factors that drive the use of social networking, and apply those factors to the ePortfolio environment: autonomy, mastery and purpose (thanks to Dan Pink's book, Drive). I talked about these issues in my TEDxASB talk that can be found on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckcSegrwjkA

But the practicalities of universities seem to require a specific tool... I recommend selecting one tool for student-centered portfolios (that they can continue to maintain after they graduate) and another tool to collect evaluation data by faculty, and used to aggregate data for institutional purposes. In my opinion, the "best" student portfolio tools are Web 2.0 tools, such as:

blogs (WordPress, Movable Type) implemented by a lot of universities, such as Penn State and UMW
Google Apps (Docs, Sites, Picasa, Blogger) also implemented by a lot of K-12 schools and universities, such as Clemson

I have blogged about some interesting tools under development to help aggregate Web 2.0 content stored in the cloud to support ePortfolios (Paul Kim's PrPl/PCB model discussed in the BJET, November 2010). I am also concerned that any tool that is used be well integrated with mobile devices. There are mobile apps available for most Web 2.0 tools to support the various components of the portfolio development process. My current research is focusing on the application of mobile devices (iOS and Android) to support ePortfolio development across the lifespan. See my latest Google site, under development: http://sites.google.com/site/mportfolios/

Enough of my sermon.
Happy Holidays!!!

Sent from my iPad

Authenticity, ePortfolio Dimensions and Teacher Dashboard

2010-12-15T08:17:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a tweet by Jamin Lietze (from New Zealand), I found a blog post by Nick Rate, another NZ educator who thinks deeply about e-portfolios: Dimensions and Dashboards. I was impressed with this statement:

The basis for this discussion is really considering what an eportfolio should be and defining a tool that is as authentic as possible. The problem with most eportfolio systems is that the eportfolio is not the central working (learning) space, it is generally a space where learning is brought to and then shared and reflected upon. There is a lack of authenticity here and often a double handling of learning artefacts. So the question… is there a dimension of eportfolios that removes or minimises this issue?

His comments about authenticity really resonated with me because adolescent students often don't acknowledge the value or relevance of developing an e-portfolio (in contrast to their constant use of social networking). He also asks a question: "Are eportfolios a true representation of the learning or just a snapshot?" Then he identifies six "dimensions" or what I would call categories of e-portfolio tools:

The Dedicated (A dedicated eportfolio system)
The Managed (portfolio functionality or module built in or attached to a LMS)
The Blogged (contained within an online blogging tool)
The Mashed (distributed across online spaces and web technologies, using an aggregator such as NetVibes)
The Saved (created using desktop software and not online)
The Integrated (ePortfolios that are seamlessly integrated into the way students are learning)

Under the last example, he highlights the "Teacher Dashboard" (by Hapara, Ltd. of Auckland, NZ) which is described as "an add-on to Google Apps Education Edition that makes it easier for teachers to deal with their classroom Google Docs, Sites, Gmail and Blogger content." The description of their presentation at the ULearn '10 conference provides a tool for teachers to manage access to student work across Google Apps. The examples shown are from the Pt. England school in Auckland.

In my opinion, this tool looks like it provides a much-needed teacher-centered management approach in schools to balance the learner-centered PrPl/PCB approach theorized by Paul Kim of Stanford. I can't find the Teacher Dashboard tool in the Google Apps Marketplace yet, and I would love to get my hands on it...to see how it really works! It would be a great addition to the upcoming workshop that I will be leading for a school district in North Dakota in January, as well as the technology conference workshops and presentations that I will be conducting in the next few months at NCCE (March 3, 2011 in Portland) and ISTE (June 29, 2011 in Philadelphia).

New Technology Priority

2010-12-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

The following is an excerpt from the Federal Register today, December 15, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 240) [Page 78485-78511], with a new priority for funding from the Department of Education Supplemental Priorities for Discretionary Grant Programs

New Priority 6--Technology
We have established a new priority, Priority 6--Technology, that reads as follows: "Projects that are designed to improve student achievement or teacher effectiveness through the use of high-quality digital tools or materials, which may include preparing teachers to use the technology to improve instruction, as well as developing, implementing, or evaluating digital tools or materials.'' Federal Register Online via GPO Access [DOCID:fr15de10-138

This document also includes new priorities on Enabling More Data-Based Decision-Making and Promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education, Increasing Postsecondary Success, Building Evidence of Effectiveness. Anyone want to collaborate on a proposal to provide evidence that the effective implementation of electronic portfolios (with digital storytelling) can address these priorities in K-12 schools?

ISTE 2011 Sessions

2010-12-14T13:26:00.000-08:00

My following proposals were accepted for the ISTE 2011 conference in Philadelphia:

Hands-on mPortfolio Development with iOS devices (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) [Workshop : Hands-on]
Scheduled: Saturday, 6/25/2011, 12:30pm–3:30pm

Bring your mobile iOS device (iPhone, iPad, iPodTouch) to explore mPortfolio development. Create/upload artifacts (text, images, audio, video). Download free apps for blogging, GoogleApps, Mahara.
[Website: https://sites.google.com/site/mportfolios/]

Student-Centered Interactive ePortfolios with GoogleApps [Concurrent Session : Lecture]
Scheduled: Wednesday, 6/29/2011, 8:30am–9:30am
Create a comprehensive student-centered system supporting all three levels of ePortfolio development: Create/collaborate/store/share artifacts in GoogleDocs; Reflection/Feedback using blogging; Presentation Websites with GoogleSites. [this is my book adapted to the GoogleApps environment, similar to my 2010 presentation]
[Website: http://sites.google.com/site/eportfolioapps/]

2010 Global Education Conference ePortfolio Recordings

2010-12-05T14:22:00.000-08:00

Here are the sessions on ePortfolios at the 2010 Global Education Conference held in November 2010. These are all Elluminate recordings, so there are links to these presentations which are mostly 60 minutes. I cannot download the presentations.

TITLE:	Assessing 21st Century Learning With Electronic Portfolios [using Weebly]
PRESENTER:	Elizabeth Garrison, St. Anthony School (United States)
TIME:	GMT Wed 17 Nov 2010 07:00PM (click for international time conversions)
RECORDING:	CLICK HERE to watch the Elluminate session recording.
FORMAT:	Presentation
LANGUAGE:	English

TITLE:	Eportfolio Communities of Practice
PRESENTER:	Carole McCulloch, Educatinal Consultancy Network (Australia)
TIME:	GMT Tue 16 Nov 2010 12:00AM (click for international time conversions)
RECORDING:	CLICK HERE to watch the Elluminate session recording.
FORMAT:	Open Discussion
LANGUAGE:	English

TITLE:	Digital Storytelling
PRESENTER:	Glenn Cake, Centre for Distance Learniing and Innovation (Canada)
TIME:	GMT Thu 18 Nov 2010 03:00PM (click for international time conversions)
RECORDING:	CLICK HERE to watch the Elluminate session recording.
FORMAT:	Presentation
LANGUAGE:	English with French examples

TITLE:	Creating Digtial Portfolios for Teachers
PRESENTER:	Roger Fuller, Milken Community High School (USA)
CO-PRESENTER:	Melodie Roden CO-PRESENTER: Nick Holton
TIME:	GMT Tue 16 Nov 2010 01:00PM (click for international time conversions)
RECORDING:	CLICK HERE to watch the Elluminate session recording.
FORMAT:	Presentation
LANGUAGE:	English

2010 K-12 Online Conference Highlights

2010-12-04T23:34:00.000-08:00

I discovered the 2010 K12 Online Conference on iTunes U and then on their website. I have downloaded these videos on my iPad as well as my laptop! Following is a video by Chrissy Hellyer (NZ, teaching in Bangkok, Thailand): "Record, Reflect & Share – VoiceThread as a digital Portfolio" - Link to presentation’s supporting documents: http://learninghighway.wikispaces.com Great Resource!

Here is another video from the 2010 K-12 Online Conference, on Primary Digital Portfolios using a blog, recorded by Kathy Cassidy (Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada). Link to presentation’s supporting documents: http://primaryportfolios.wikispaces.com

A great resource on Project Based Learning in Hand using iOS Mobile Devices by Tony Vincent (Phoenix, Arizona, USA). Link to presentation’s supporting documents: http://learninginhand.com/pbl
I downloaded some new apps on my iPad after watching this video, including another video editing app that will work on my iPad (ReelDirector - $3.99).

iPad Authoring Advances

2010-11-27T17:48:00.000-08:00

I've noticed some increased editing capability with my iOS devices. I can now create and do basic text editing in GoogleDocs (Documents and Spreadsheets) using Safari and the docs.google.com/m website with my iPad. The editing is very basic (no formatting) but it works better than a few months ago. But Google Sites is a different story. Here is a Twitter conversation I had today with @Lenva (Lenva Shearing, deputy principal at BBI in Auckland):

lenva: Trying to edit a google sites new page made on iPad (os4.2). Cannot edit. Anyone know how or have an app?
lenva: Does anyone know of an iPad app that let's you edit google sites
eportfolios (me) @lenva I haven't been able to edit Google Sites text with iPad. Google Docs editing getting better but prefer using Office2HD (not free)
lenva: @eportfolios I also use Office2HD for G docs. Was hoping there was something similar for G sites. Rolling out ipads next yr, so its a pain.
eportfolios: @lenva U can create&name Sites pages w iPad...just not edit-yet. Workaround: embed Docs into Sites page w/laptop. Then edit Docs w/iPad?
eportfolios: @lenva Can now edit WikiSpaces with iPad. Couldn't do that 6 months ago: see example: http://eportfolios.wikispaces.com/Mobiles

It sounds like BBI will be implementing a new iPad pod next year (their new school year starts at the end of January!). I am excited to see how this learner-centered school implements iPads. I spent two weeks visiting their school last March, to observe the creative ways that they implemented e-portfolios. I shared my passion for digital storytelling with the teachers and some of the students. Maybe I'll have to go back for another visit next year, to see how they implement digital storytelling with their iPads.

I've downloaded a couple of iPad/iPod apps for digital storytelling: Storyrobe, Splice (Video Editor for 3GS and iPhone 4 - US$.99). How soon will Splice and iMovie (US$4.99) be available on the iPad? I have them on my 4G iPod Touch! Last summer, some Apple Distinguished Educators put together a great site on implementing digital storytelling with the iPad: https://sites.google.com/site/digitalstorytellingwiththeipad/home. I've received other iPad software recommendations for e-portfolios, including Evernote, which I will include in a future blog entry. I've established a Google Site for exploring mPortfolios (m=Mobile) between now and June: https://sites.google.com/site/mportfolios/

EDUCA 2010 Conference in Lisbon

2010-11-20T01:30:00.000-08:00

It is always interesting to get another perspective on my work from another country. I provided the opening keynote for EDUCA 2010 sponsored by the University of Lisbon, Portugal, their First International Meeting devoted to the problems of using ICT for learning. It was literally standing room only during the opening session... the largest group I have addressed in years (including the AAEEBL conference in July). By a show of hands at the beginning of my keynote, about half of the room were K-12 teachers, the other half were from higher education. The meeting had one distinction: the hashtag #ticeduca2010 (ICT and Education Conference) was tweeted more than the Summit Meeting of NATO at Lisbon being held at the same time. I guess the followers of the NATO conference are not active on Twitter, like these educators are! Their blog points out the highlights of the conference. I left the social dinner prior to the music! Jet lag overpowered me in the middle this four day trip!

Here are a few of the comments about my presentation tweeted with my Twitter ID while I was presenting:

Helen Barrett @eportfolios keynote about e-Portfolios was very effective and passionated about their key goals, functions #ticeduca2010
Apresentação de Helen @eportfolios Barrett terminou. Tempo para café. Até já...
Everyone in education shoud check Helen @eportfolios Barrett blog - http://blog.helenbarrett.org/ #ticeduca2010
Helen @eportfolios 3 niveles de desarrollo de eportolios #ticeduca2010
#ticeduca2010 - Helen @eportfolios Barret http://electronicportfolios.org/balance/
Engaging slides and some key discussion points for attendees of #CILT2010 via @eportfolios http://slidesha.re/dbuyaz
#ticeduca2010 @eportfolios RT @jlramos1957: Helen Barret presentation in slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/eportfolios/necc2010
Helen @eportfolios Barret RT @grahamattwell: Standing room only for @helenBarret at #ticeduca2010 conference in Lisbon
#ticeduca2010 Helen @eportfolios Barrett explora este link http://ow.ly/3co83
"O que é um Portfolio em Educação?" Helen @eportfolios Barrett
#ticeduca2010 Balancing the Two Faces of ePortfolios @eportfolios a iniciar...
#ticeduca2010 Sessão inicial encerrada... a seguir Helen @eportfolios Barret

Here are my slides:

Lisbon nov2010

At the end of the presentation, I showed Erin's Digital Story:

I am amazed at the number of graduate students who came up to talk to me about their research on e-portfolios... and who are referencing my work. I also have offers to translate some of my diagrams into Portuguese! I also have a pending request from the U.S. Department of Education to use one of my visuals, which I intend to adapt to the new GoogleApps environment.

I am also getting used to my new tiny MacBook Air. I missed copying some of my files (like a local copy of my website), but I have wifi access in my hotel and at the conference. I am still using my iPad for listening to podcasts, primarily because of its long battery life. I do miss my iPhone, though; I don't have an international data plan, so it stays in airplane mode while I am out of the U.S. I head home tomorrow. Because of the NATO Summit, I won't get to do much sightseeing today... all the tour companies have canceled their routes today. Time to get some needed rest.

vPortfolios from nick.com?

2010-11-01T05:41:00.000-07:00

My colleague, Jonathon Richter, has been talking about ePortfolios in virtual worlds. He shared a website with me that looks interesting. It doesn't look like an interactive portfolio (collection of artifacts) with authentic feedback, but it includes an opportunity to "record your accomplishments" (reflection on learning).

Virtual reality meets real world education with Nick.com’s The Big Help. Start by creating your own virtual persona and personalized “Club House.” Then simply record your accomplishments to win special, limited edition prizes. Deck out your virtual room with a Legit Locker or hop on your Big Help skateboard and show off your avatar’s new Varsity Jacket. With activities ranging from stopping off at the library to starting a reading club with friends, the Club offers tons of ways for students to step up by “improving their bodies, mind, communities and planet.”

This website is part of Nick.com's Get Schooled Challenge, an effort to get people to step up in support of education.

PrPl and PCB: a new e-portfolio environment in the cloud?

2010-10-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

Stanford University has been doing research on e-portfolios for more than ten years, and the latest article by Kim, Ng, and Lim provides the most interesting framework I have seen: PrPl Semantic Index and Personal Cloud Butler (PCB). It matches my concept of the Digital Archive for Life (2009)

This article (in the British Journal of Educational Technology, Volume 41, Issue 6, pages 1018–1028, November 2010) is pretty exciting: "When cloud computing meets with Semantic Web: A new design for e-portfolio systems in the social media era." The abstract:

The need, use, benefit and potential of e-portfolios have been analysed and discussed by a substantial body of researchers in the education community. However, the development and implementation approaches of e-portfolios to date have faced with various challenges and limitations. This paper presents a new approach of an e-portfolio system design based on Private–Public (PrPl) data index system, which integrates cloud computing applications and storages with Semantic Web architecture, making semantic web-based visualisation and advanced intelligent search possible. It also discusses how the distinctive attributes of the PrPl-based digital asset management system can serve as a large-scale robust e-portfolio system that can address issues with scalability, sustainability, adoptability and interoperability. With such a new distinctive design, a large-scale deployment at a state or national level becomes possible at a very cost-effective manner and also such large-scale deployment with intelligent digital asset management and search features create numerous opportunities in education.

The following article about the Personal Cloud Butler (PCB) is referenced in the document, "A Distributed Social-Networking Infrastructure with Personal-Cloud Butlers."

The PrPl/PCB system uses the mobile phone number as the unique user ID, which restricts its use in K-12 schools, since students don't often have phones until they are in high school... but there are also Google Voice numbers!

I recently started using Mint.com. It is an aggregator for a person's financial data. In my mint.com account, I see all of my financial data aggregated in one window: my TSA, checking and savings accounts, mortgage balance, assets, loan balances, and my brokerage account (if I had one!). The system pulls data from these different accounts (with my permission, of course) to provide an overall picture of my financial capital or monetary assets. The system is created by the makers of Quicken, and uses an email address as a unique user ID.

We need a similar system for human capital or intellectual assets of knowledge workers. Some think that tool is an online vita with hyperlinks. Others think it is an e-portfolio, although I believe an e-portfolio goes beyond the "accounting" function, and the portfolio process supports the development of these competencies (knowledge/skills/abilities). That's why I think this article is so interesting. We can store our evidence in many places online (a federated cloud-based storage system); we just need a tool to aggregate that data for different purposes and different audiences.

Of course, there are a lot of e-portfolio systems which match evidence of achieving outcomes defined by any number of rubrics, aggregating faculty-generated assessment data. The challenge is that these systems impose a structure that often doesn't facilitate learner creativity and personalization. But other systems have been set up to "harvest" assessment data from learner-owned web-based portfolios, such as WSU's Harvesting Gradebook or BSU's rGrade system. Right now, these systems are server-based, and it would be great if they were converted into SaaS, available in the cloud.

I am doing a lot of training in using GoogleApps Education Edition for student portfolios in K-12 schools: artifacts stored in Google Docs/Picasa/YouTube (a PrPl database would be useful here); a reflective journal in Blogger; and thematically-organized presentation portfolios in Google Sites, especially for those states and institutions that have "gone Google." What is also missing from that whole environment is a system to collect evaluation data based on rubrics. For me, that is another missing link in using some of these Web 2.0 tools for learner-centered e-portfolios while assessing learner outcomes against rubrics.

Electronic Portfolios in STEM

2010-10-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

In preparation for my participation in the STEMTech Conference next week in Orlando, I prepared a two-page definition of e-portfolios for use in round table discussions. It may be too late to make any changes, but I would love some feedback.
Eport Definition

Here are the source documents referenced in this definition document:

Balancing the Two Faces of ePortfolios
http://eft.educom.pt/index.php/eft/article/viewFile/161/102
Online Personal Learning Environments: Structuring Electronic Portfolios for Lifelong and Life Wide Learning
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dd76m5s2_39fsmjdk
Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker
http://www.public.navy.mil/usff/Documents/managing_oneself.pdf
Effective Practice with e-Portfolios from JISC
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/effectivepracticeeportfolios
National Educational Technology Plan
http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/NETP-2010-final-report.pdf

ePortfolios for Managing Oneself and Portfolio Careers

2010-10-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

On Monday and Tuesday, I attended a Conference on Advising Highly Talented Undergraduates, held at Notre Dame University. On the first day, Dr. Richard Light of Harvard University provided the opening keynote address on the Challenges for Advising Highly Talented Undergraduates. He mentioned an article by Peter Drucker entitled, "Managing Oneself" published in the Harvard Business Review in 1999. I found several copies of the article through an iPhone Google search, and downloaded it. The purpose for the article struck a cord with me:

“Success in the knowledge economy comes to those who know themselves
– their strengths, their values, and how best they perform.”

We live in an age of unprecedented opportunity: If you've got ambition and smarts, you can rise to the top of your chosen profession, regardless of where you started out.

But with opportunity comes responsibility. Companies today aren't managing their employees' careers; knowledge workers must, effectively, be their own chief executive officers. It's up to you to carve out your place, to know when to change course, and to keep yourself engaged and productive during a work life that may span some 50 years. To do those things well, you'll need to cultivate a deep understanding of yourself-- not only what your strengths and weaknesses are but also how you learn, how you work with others, what your values are, and where you can make the greatest contribution. Because only when you operate from strengths can you achieve true excellence.

Here is where an ePortfolio can provide an ongoing environment where individuals can develop and manage their own personal SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats). The article contains the following sections:

What are my strengths?
How do I perform?
What are my values?
Where do I belong?
What should I contribute?
Responsibility for Relationships
The Second Half of your Life

I can see a powerful purpose for ePortfolios: managing knowledge workers' career development, from high school through late career. There is another opportunity: managing "portfolio careers." As I was preparing for my closing keynote at this conference, I explored websites that focused on Portfolio Careers:

Portfolio Career and Professional Fulfillment:Flexible Working Patterns in the 21st Century
http://www.suite101.com/content/portfolio-career-and-professional-fulfilment-a136379
"A portfolio career offers flexible working arrangements to suit people and their personal and professional requirements during the 21st century"
Portfolio Careers: Creating a Career of Multiple Part-Time Jobs http://www.quintcareers.com/portfolio_careers.html
The Future Of Work: Portfolio Careers
http://gigaom.com/collaboration/the-future-of-work-portfolio-careers/
Portrait Of A Portfolio Career: Answer To The "Perfect Job"? http://www.successfromtheinsideout.com/e_letters/portrait.html
The portfolio career: To find fulfillment try simultaneous careers http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/07/04/the-portfolio-career-to-find-fulfillment-try-simultaneous-careers/
Portfolio Careers / Portfolio Lives
http://ourfounder.typepad.com/leblog/2010/06/portfolio-careers-portfolio-lives.html

I also found this video that encapsulated some of the key elements of portfolio careers:

Next Generation Journalist: Nick Williams from Adam Westbrook on Vimeo.

"Today, security means being employable, even if you don't have a job." The speaker talks about the concept of personal branding: "everyone needs to know what they are uniquely brilliant at… what they're passionate about, what they love doing, and what they're good at doing, and then finding people who want to hire them at that.

Slides for my keynote presentation are posted on Slideshare.

Workshop Backchannel and Recording Audio Reflections

2010-10-17T19:01:00.000-07:00

On Friday, October 15, I worked with faculty from Mt. San Antonio College in the Los Angeles area, with colleagues John Ittelson and Jeffrey Yan. The workshop was an Introduction to Electronic Portfolios, with John and I providing an overview in the morning, and Jeffrey conducted a hands-on workshop in the afternoon with Digication. It was fun to collaborate with two other ePortfolio colleagues. We set up a typewith.me document as a "back channel" for the workshop, used the page to post a lot of hyperlinked resources, and invited the participants to post questions throughout the workshop. While John and I were presenting in the morning, Jeffrey answered a lot of the questions that were posted. In the afternoon, I added more resource links. When we were through, the participants had a page of resources to use as a reference. It was the second time that week that I used that tool for group collaboration and feedback.

Jeff shared a great idea for doing audio reflections, that one of the users of his system shared: Google Voice. In the privacy of his car, this teacher called his Google Voice number and left, as a voice mail message, his reflection on his class. Google Voice saves the message in MP3 format, which can be download and included in his portfolio. Once recorded, if he didn't like what he heard, he would record another message. It took some practice, but it is an easy way to record audio for an ePortfolio reflection. Other tools we discussed for audio recording reflections: audioboo.com (includes an iOS or Android app).

High Tech High

2010-10-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

I have spent the last two days visiting High Tech High in San Diego, talking with teachers, administrators and students, and visiting two different courses for teachers. I still have some more time to visit with a few more people and to debrief with their Director of Research, but I realize that I learned a lot more than how they are implementing DPs (digital portfolios) with their students; I also learned a lot about their philosophy of personalizing learning for a diverse student body. Since the school opened in 2001, every student has maintained a digital portfolio, which is used to support their POL (Presentation of Learning) twice a year and their TPOL (Transitional Presentation of Learning) at the end of the year as the student's rationale as to why they are ready for the next grade (or ready to graduate?). Even more important, every teacher has a digital portfolio, but some of them use these websites more like an instructional management system, as a resource for students. Some of the more impressive teacher portfolios showcase the project-based learning at the core of the school philosophy.

There is technical support in each building as well as a system-wide IT Director. The entire system adopted Google Apps over a year ago with over 4,000 accounts mapped to their Active Directory, and also has a WordPress server; these tools are used for different purposes in the program. Here is a school that matches my three-level model:

Level 1. portfolio as storage (collection of artifacts)--Everyone has server space, with a folder called MyDP to store their portfolio, or a file that links to a portfolio developed on another server. The school also has three video servers, controlled by the teachers.
Level 2. portfolio as workspace (collection plus reflection/metacognition, organized chronologically)--The school has a WordPress server and many teachers have their students use WordPress blogs for day-to-day assignments and reflections.
Level 3. portfolio as showcase (selection, summative reflection and presentation, organized thematically)--Many teachers and students are moving from their original Dreamweaver-based DP over to Google Sites. These portfolios support student-led conferences (SLC)--which I observed--and the public Presentations of Learning

Four design principles underlie the work of High Tech High: personalization, adult world connection, common intellectual mission, teacher as designer. There are actually nine schools in the San Diego area; I only visited two of them. I will be writing up a more in-depth case study for my book, as the high school example. I asked one group of students how the public nature of their DPs and POLs impacted their learning. As one student said:

I want that work to be good. I know I'm up to it... It makes you want to understand what you're learning... My DP helps me self-reflect. I could update it daily. I self-reflect on how well I do. I learn from myself as well. I see my strengths; I see my weaknesses and how I can improve. I work harder to do better.

ISTE 2011 Proposals

2010-10-13T07:48:00.000-07:00

In a late night writing marathon, I submitted three proposals to ISTE 2011 in Philadelphia:

Presentation: Student-Centered Interactive ePortfolios with GoogleApps
Create a comprehensive student-centered system supporting all three levels of ePortfolio development: Create/collaborate/store/share artifacts in GoogleDocs; Reflection/Feedback using blogging; Presentation Websites with GoogleSites. [this is my book adapted to the GoogleApps environment, similar to my 2010 presentation]
BYOL Presentation: mPortfolios: Make ePortfolio Development Easier with Mobile Devices
Bring your mobile device (iOS or Android) to explore mPortfolio development. Create/upload artifacts (text, images, audio, video). Download free apps for blogging, GoogleApps, Mahara, others.
BYOL 3 hour Workshop: Hands-on mPortfolio Development with iOS devices (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) Bring your mobile iOS device (iPhone, iPad, iPodTouch) to explore mPortfolio development. Create/upload artifacts (text, images, audio, video). Download free apps for blogging, GoogleApps, Mahara.

I only expect one of these proposals to be accepted. I set up a new Google Site to begin to develop the concept of mPortfolios. I was shocked that the Site name was still available: https://sites.google.com/site/mportfolios/

ePortfolio California Summit

2010-10-11T23:36:00.000-07:00

I participated in the ePortfolio California Summit, co-facilitating a session on Workplace portfolios (First job and beyond). It was my role to establish a common definition for e-portfolios in this session, and to provide a few ideas about using Web 2.0 tools to maintain career-long ePortfolios. The participants were from higher education institutions from throughout California. I introduced the team to Etherpad (typewith.me) to replace flip charts in group brainstorming. In the afternoon, there were presentations from the Executive Director of WASC, and a report of the standards committee.

E port California

View more presentations from Helen Barrett.

Oregon Apps Google Summit

2010-10-08T21:15:00.000-07:00

I visited Sherwood, Oregon to participate in the first Oregon Google Summit. I set up a new web page with my presentations (in GoogleDocs) and links to my video. I also set up a page on their website. I enjoyed meeting some of the educators in Oregon who are leading this effort, plus a few people from Google who led technical sessions. My "aha" moment: the fact that Folders in GoogleDocs are really tags that can be used to classify documents; single Docs can be tagged to multiple folders without making multiple copies. This concept is different from how we manage files on our computers or server space, which will require a different level of explanation. But it allows portfolio artifacts to be tagged in folders for individual classes (collection), and then also tagged to a Portfolio folder (selection) which can be shared with a teacher. See this Google blog entry by a high school teacher.

My proposals to the Northwest Council for Computer Education conference in March 2011 have been approved:

Presentation: GoogleApps ePortfolios
Oregon was the first state to adopt GoogleApps for all K-12 schools. These powerful tools are ready-made for teachers and students to maintain electronic portfolios. Get an overview of creating artifacts using Google Docs and Picasa, a reflective learning portfolio using Blogger, and a showcase/assessment/presentation portfolio with Google Sites.
3-hour Workshop: Create ePortfolios using GoogleApps
Oregon was the first state to adopt GoogleApps for all K-12 schools. These powerful tools are ready-made for creating and maintaining electronic portfolios by teachers and students. Learn how to create artifacts using Google Docs and Picasa, a reflective learning portfolio using Blogger, and a showcase/assessment/presentation portfolio with Google Sites. (March 3, 2011, 8:30 AM)

New ePortfolio online publications

2010-10-07T01:49:00.000-07:00

I have been collecting some new articles on ePortfolios in my delicious.com account. Here are some of the most interesting:

The Complexity of Implementing e-Portfolios
Lisa Gray (JISC) and Gordon Joyes (University of Nottingham) spoke about the complexities involved in implementing e-portfolios and the concepts that need to be understood to achieve a successful implementation. A model for e-portfolio implementation built around threshold concepts, misconceptions and pre-conceptions: The roles of Purpose, Learning Activity Design, Process, Ownership, and the Transformative and Disruptive nature of e-portfolios. Includes links to video of presentation at the Mahara UK 2010 conference.
Effective practice with e-portfolios: How can the UK experience inform practice? (PDF) Speaking of the Disruptive Nature of ePortfolios, this paper documents research by Gordon Joyes, Lisa Gray, and Elizabeth Hartnell-Young (Victoria Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Australia). This paper introduces the background to the JISC work within the e-portfolio domain in the UK and presents an overview of past and current activities and the drivers for these developments. This is followed by a review of JISC’s approach at drawing out the learning and implications for e-portfolio practice from this extensive collection of work and its dissemination. The analysis of twenty one recently funded projects involving the use of e-portfolios in the UK is introduced. The findings suggest that e- portfolio implementation is particularly complex in part due to the number of stakeholders involved, the contexts in which e-portfolios can be applied and the number of purposes they can have. This research suggests that there are threshold concepts related to e-portfolio implementation and that the journey in developing an understanding of effective practice is not straightforward. However a means of supporting this journey is suggested.
The Accountability/Improvement Paradox- from Inside Higher Ed - "there is an inherent paradox in the relationship between assessment for accountability and for improvement."

I also found some interesting websites about K-12 ePortfolios:

Column: Students' e-portfolios chronicle school year - 5th grade students using ePortfolios to support student-led conferences!
K-12 Digital Portfolios - Oyster River School District's website on Digital Portfolios (NH)
Reflective Practice by Carole McCulloch - a view of her research and think pieces on reflective practices.
Plan to Implement - a page that I added to my Google Site on ePortfolios with GoogleApps. This page covers some recent work with school districts I have been working with to address five elements of the planning process: Vision, Skills, Incentives, Resources and an Action Plan. I will be using this website as the foundation for my presentation on Friday at the Google Summit in Oregon.

bPortfolios at SPU

2010-10-06T18:05:00.000-07:00

Seattle Pacific University has adopted Wordpress.com as their students' "bPortfolio" system. Each student establishes their own account, and records their reflections in a blog entry. I attended a workshop yesterday that the faculty requested, to set up a WordPress.com account and see what the students are experiencing. Prior to a year ago, this university used one of the commercial ePortfolio tools. Since that time, although the transition has not always been smooth, they have provided good support materials, including video tutorials, and a good set of presentations on iTunesU on Reflective Learning with Electronic Portfolios recorded on March 23, 2010. I am especially impressed by the video on Metacognition: Reflective Thinking Strategies by Art Ellis, Director of the Center for Global Curriculum Studies, who discusses strategies for promoting student reflection on their learning process.

The students set up their WordPress.com site with Categories with represent the Standards that the students are required to demonstrate. All entries and a final meta-reflection are assigned a specific category. Students are also encouraged to assign their own tags to entries, and to include a Tag cloud in addition to the categories. The final entry is the meta-reflection or self-assessment of achieving the standard. Since the blog is organized in reverse chronological order, when selecting the category/standard, the meta-reflection is the first entry shown.

The question of accountability/assessment always comes up, and this institution is NCATE accredited. I have talked with the person at SPU who has set up an Excel spreadsheet template to share student portfolios with a designated assessor, who is paid separately to evaluate the student's self-evaluation. I saw an example yesterday and basically it includes links to the students' bPortfolios, and space for an assessor to record evaluation of the students' self-assessment of their portfolio. The assessor opens the student's bPortfolio link in a their browser window, and records the evaluation in the Excel file. (I'll bet it could be done in a GoogleDocs spreadsheet, but I haven't tried to adapt it to an online format.) The rubrics are included in the spreadsheet document. The spreadsheet data from the separate assessors are then merged into a single spreadsheet and will be used for reporting and analysis.

Since I am teaching an online graduate course for SPU this quarter, I am able to see how this process works. All of the students had already set up their Wordpress accounts. My course requires them to write a weekly reflection in their bPortfolios on the weekly themes. So, I have an opportunity to see this process in action. There is lots of room for improvement, but as I said in an earlier blog entry last year, "This Teacher Ed program has figured out how to balance the needs of the institution with the needs of their teacher candidates... who just might want to replicate the process with their own students... with tools that are free and available in schools."

Collaboration in Online Course

2010-10-05T23:48:00.000-07:00

This fall I am again teaching an online graduate class for Seattle Pacific University, Issues and Advances in Educational Technology. Like last year, I am trying to use open/free tools that students could use with their own students. So, we are using delicious.com (to record and share weekly research of online resources related to the weekly theme), typewith.me (to collaboratively reflect on the links shared and the weekly theme), blogs maintained on wordpress.com (to reflect on the learning for the week and provide feedback), Google Sites (to develop a collaborative project), Google Docs (sharing documents for feedback, and forms/spreadheet for weekly grades), and one of the digital storytelling tools (to develop a digital narrative).

Last year, we also set up a private Google Group to communicate with the students and to maintain a record of communication for the students. This year, however, I was asked by the university to use their Blackboard server for communication and grades. I must admit it made the beginning of the class much smoother (not having to get the students to sign up for the Google Group). However, one week into the class, I am feeling like there is less collaboration: the email is from me to the class, but there is no online record of the communication; when the students respond to my emails it goes to me not to the group, so the students can't support each other. It puts me at the center of the process, which I don't want or like. In the third week of the class, our topic is "collaboration" and I think I will move the class email over to another private Google group. We have also set up a grou.ps "Ning-replacement" that we might use as an experiment. I might have the students use that site for discussions and my announcements in future weeks.

I have also noticed that the students' initial writing in typewith.me looks like a series of short monologues (very much like a Blackboard discussion) rather than like a collaborative discussion. Old habits of online discussions are hard to break. But it is fun to explore these new tools with these graduate students. Each week we cover one of these themes: reflection, collaboration, 21st Century Learning, critical thinking, online safety, copyright, productivity, change, innovation. These themes correlate with the new Washington state Educational Technology Standards for students. My goal is that these future teachers are aware of these standards, and the many free tools that are available. I am finding that there are many perceived barriers, so it is interesting to explore the opportunities as well as the challenges!

Blogging on Paper

2010-09-22T23:28:00.000-07:00

I found the following blog entry:
Learning to Blog Using Paper - a 7th Grade Teacher's clever introduction to blogging (starting with a paper exercise) and using "sticky notes" as comments. Here are the instructions for students (provided in Scribd):
- Seventh Grade Blogging Rules
- The Art and Aspirations of a Commenter

These are great guidelines for reflection and feedback by adolescents. It also looks like a great PD activity for teachers who are not familiar with blogging.

e-Portfolios in Developing Countries (using mobile phones)

2010-09-19T02:25:00.000-07:00

I received this "feel good" email:

I am deeply grateful for the excellent articles you have posted on e-portfolio on your website. You would not know the great service you are providing to less fortunate educators in Third and Developing World that are not as nearly as priveleged as people in the developed world. At the moment I am doing a course (Masters in Instructional Technology and Design) with the Open University of Malaysia. One of the courses, involves the preparation of a e-portfolio as a final project. I was just about reaching a point of frustration, because I did not know exactly how to set about doing this project. I clustermate of mine who is also involved in the program, referred me to your Website, and you took care of my problems. You are really a genius, professor. Your knowledge is vast. What is even greater, is your unselfish resolution to publish make such a rish deposit available to us the less fortunate. Words cannot expess my gratitude. May I encourage you to keep up the good work, and never falter in the work you are doing for the less fortunate, for you shall reap a rich reward in due season. You are truly a missionary to poor countries.

P.S: Do you have anything on the use of mobile phone text messaging (SMS) to teach children who are functionally illiterate. My final thesis is in this area, because the population of Jamaica is appox 2.7 million people, with 2.4 million Mobile phone users, yet they have banned its use in many schools for some of the same reasons it is banned elsewhere. My purpose is to show that the technology or tool can be used constructively.

Of course, I am flattered by the kind comments. His P.S. raises concerns about access to the Internet in developing countries. I received this comment in a message from Trent Batson, AAEEBL's Executive Director:

...we heard a woman from Guatemala lamenting that few kids have Internet access but "everyone has cell phones." Not smart phones, yet, but at least that's doable for places like Guatemala.

I've also been communicating with educators from Egypt to Brazil, and because of the lack of connectivity, I often write to them about implementing ePortfolios with tools we were using in the late 90s. (I read a recent report about the high cost of Internet access in developing countries compared to average monthly income.) But the universal connectivity tool is the cell phone. My granddaughter updates her Facebook status here in the U.S. from her cell phone (not a smart phone). I want to learn more about connectivity from cell phones with online generic tools used to develop ePortfolios, such as GoogleApps and WordPress. I know it is possible with smartphone apps, but most of the developing world is using SMS. I will do another post soon about the iPhone Portfolio apps I have been collecting.

K-12 and Higher Education ePortfolio Support

2010-09-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

What is the most effective way to meet the needs of K-12 schools for supporting the implementation of ePortfolios? Is there a need to bring ePortfolio information/resources/training to events that K-12 teachers normally attend, such as ASCD, ISTE, NSDC, BLC, and other K-12 education conferences? We can spin our wheels, and not get much traction if we don't recognize the differences between the K-12 and higher education cultures. I spent eight years in K-12, six as the Staff Development Coordinator for the Fairbanks School District, and another 14 years in the Teacher Education program at the University of Alaska Anchorage. I have seen both sides of education, although I didn't start studying ePortfolios until I arrived in Anchorage. Most of my work with ePortfolios in the 90s was focused on K-12, but with the PT3 grants, my focus shifted to higher education in 2000. In 2005-2007, I conducted a research project on implementing ePortfolios in secondary schools, sponsored by Taskstream. Since that time, my consulting time has been more focused on K-12. Perhaps some of my more recent experiences can illustrate some of the differences between K-12 and Higher Ed.

I did make a connection with one of the few K-12 educators attending AAEEBL's July 2010 conference (which was co-located with another higher education conference), and I will be working with her organization on some K-12 ePortfolio activities, still to be developed. (But they have little or no funding... another problem with K-12.) I am also continuing my self-funded research on how ePortfolios are being implemented in K-12 schools: In October, I am planning to visit several High Tech Highs in the San Diego area, where they have been implementing digital portfolios with every student since the first school opened in 2000. In mid-October, the students are leading student-led conferences, so I am getting permission to observe and to conduct some short focus groups with students and to talk with the lead teachers.

Earlier this week, I conducted a two-day planning/training session with a small school district in North Dakota that wants to begin implementing ePortfolios over the next two-three years. I met with a committee of teacher leaders for a day, then made a presentation to the entire district (60 teachers!) for a couple of hours, followed by an activity where I led the committee through the Change Game (a simulation to move a school district through the stages of change). I also had both principals and the superintendent participating in this two-hour simulation. The district is planning two more early release days before I go back in January for a two-day hands-on workshop. So the committee and I planned how they could best use that time. We also set up a Google Group to maintain communication between face-to-face meetings. This is similar to the work that I did for the last two years with a small school district in California.

I did 10 days of face-to-face workshops under a Title IID grant (No Child Left Behind) for New York City Schools last spring. I am working via Skype with an individual high school in Manhattan, where the lead teacher is a Google Certified Teacher, so I am learning a lot from how her teachers and students are beginning to implement ePortfolios across the school. I hope to visit that school when I am in New York in December, to see how the process is going.

Last spring, I visited the American School of Bombay, after conducting monthly 45-minute teleconferences for them (over their lunch hour or before school). While in the school, I had appointments to meet with individual teachers or groups of teachers. I saw some wonderful examples from their third grade students! In June, I visited a private school in Barcelona, and with simultaneous translation, introduced them to using GoogleApps for ePortfolios over three days. I also provided a full day workshop at a private school in California after school was out in June.

The K-12 culture is very different from higher education. Professional development is very different, their reasons for implementing ePortfolios are different, and the tools/strategies they use are also different. Most schools don't have the level of technology support that you will find in most higher ed institutions (unless they are a private or international school). The time constraints are also very different. They squeeze in PD in one- and two-hour blocks. But from my observations from the Intermediate (middle) school that I visited in New Zealand, it is the small incremental trainings on a regular basis (before and after school) that makes a difference in how well teachers implement technology in teaching and students' learning.

That's what I am trying to document in my book! It is slow work, but I am gathering lots of good observational data and lots of resources along the way. Any other examples of success stories of implementing ePortfolios beyond a single classroom? For those with experience in both K-12 and higher education, what do you see as the differences?

GoogleApps Education and Blogger

2010-09-16T14:51:00.000-07:00

The message was posted to the Google for Educators Discussion Group:

Blogger has been added to the Educational Edition but the transition won't occur enmass until later this fall. Your GoogleDomain administrator can transition people to the new apps by going in the admin dashboard and "transitioning" users. I love it, I can now embed my Picasa3 slideshows and create an iGoogle page with RSS feeds, this will make school portfolios so much richer.

I totally agree! When will Blogger be universally available in Google Apps Education Edition?

Kindergarten Portfolios with Blogger

2010-09-08T16:27:00.000-07:00

I'm doing online research for my book, and found some great examples of using Blogger to create ePortfolios in Kindergartens. Here are some links:
http://kdgroom102.blogspot.com/ (Carol Stream, IL) - written up in a local newspaper
http://hunterparkkindergarten.blogspot.com/ (NZ - with links to 2 public blogs) It is obvious that the students are not posting to these blogs, and most of them are private, requiring an invitation to view. The two public blogs:

- http://hpkgtn09abigail.blogspot.com/ (NZ = public student example in Blogger - lots of embedded images+video) - The teacher added Labels (Tags) that can be selected under Quick find
- http://bennybee.blogspot.com/ Quote from profile:
This is my E-profile all about me!
Mum and Dad have decided to leave it an open blog as an exemplar of how e-profiles can be used to document and assess my learning and life as a partnership between my extended family, my teachers at kindergarten, my dance teachers, and when I get there my school teachers too.
Please enjoy and respect my E profile.

I have emailed the school to communicate with the teacher who put together these portfolios. I would love to have a conversation with more Kindergarten teachers who are implementing this process with their students.

Tech Talk on Learning Portfolios at BBI

2010-08-31T11:28:00.000-07:00

I just listened to an Eluminate session conducted by LearnCentral and TechTalk Tuesdays. The guest presenter was Lenva Shearing, Deputy Principal at Bucklands Beach Intermediate School (BBI), in New Zealand, where I was privileged to spend a couple of weeks last March. A summary of the webinar:

Look at the pedagogy, vision, implementation and effects on learning that personal reflective portfolios can provide. This session will not discuss the tools that might be used, but the pedagogoy behind personal reflective portfolios.

It was fun to see how the ePortfolio process at BBI has evolved over the last few months. What I appreciate about their approach is the emphasis on goal-setting, learning and feedback, and their inquiry model of teaching, based on the EYP philosophy. Even though there was not an intention to discuss the tools used, questions can't be avoided when ePortfolios are being demonstrated. I see that BBI has moved from the Ning platform to store their video, to using divShare, one of my favorite online storage sites. Lenva demonstrated how teachers are using this tool to store and embed their audio feedback on student work. Even though the demos of student portfolio videos were difficult to follow, Lenva's description of BBI's philosophy and practice is a worthwhile contribution to the larger ePortfolio dialogue.