An ePortfolio is a digital resource which provides a means of interactive learning and technological integration, as well as an effective method of keeping you up to date with student learning styles and needs. Almost any file type can be taken and ‘wrapped’ into a PDF format, which can then be organised into logical collections and linked together so that navigating, finding, and interacting with lesson content is possible in a variety of useful and creative ways. The main benefit, other than being able to employ technological literacy across the curriculum, is that being a digital resource it can be shared via the internet. This means student work is instantly accessible and searchable, and provides a way for students, peers, parents and teachers to give feedback on effort and achievement. Also, being digital allows for the combination of graphics, sounds and videos to make content more engaging and stimulating.
The nature of learning is evolving, and with students today being brought up in such a media-rich society it was only a matter of time before this was translated into teaching. Skills such as critical thinking, innovation and creativity are being regarded more and more highly by employers, and literacy in technology is a must-have for most job roles nowadays.
Many old-school (forgive the pun!) teaching practices are being given a technological revamp, and the idea of using portfolios to showcase a student’s development and achievements has not been excluded. ePortfolios are a 21st century solution to the difficulties in managing, moving, duplicating and sharing of traditional paper-based portfolios, with the added benefits of allowing for the inclusion of digital projects such as video, animation, music and web-based work. In the UK, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has mandated that every student has access to a personalised online resource with the capacity to support an ePortfolio by 2008, and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has also moved towards using ePortfolios in assessment, and has proposed that all awarding bodies for examinations should be able to accept and assess ePortfolios by 2009.
Of course, there are issues concerned with using such a resource. Content still has to be created and uploaded, and teachers and students need to be shown how to use it. Careful planning is required, and you need to have a good idea of exactly what you want to include content-wise. For example, you may want rich media such as video or animations to spice things up, but would then have to decide if you wanted students to download them or view them as embedded in the page. You may also want your students to collaborate on projects, which will require more planning and explaining to classes.
This may sound like a bit of a time consuming nightmare, but it is simpler than it sounds – lots of the content can be created in programs which most people are familiar with such as Microsoft Offices’ PowerPoint and Word, so you can use resources you have already got which can be converted into the PDF format and can be accessed through the free downloadable Adobe Reader.
It makes life easier in terms of collecting and organising student work, as well as marking, and provides students, peers and parents with a means of seeing how far pupils have come, and the goals they are working towards.
For more details call our education team on 03332 409 333, or email at education@jigsaw24.com