Tech Play 2: ePortfolios Tools

"Folio Thinking"

Portfolios bring education and learning to a whole new level. Through portfolios the learner is able to display the knowledge they have acquired over a period of time. By doing this the learner is able to show how they have developed and evolved throughout the learning process. Portfolios give the evaluator, teacher or administrator the opportunity to see how the learner has grown as well as help them to understand how the learner obtains knowledge and processes. In today's world it is becoming more and more obvious that each individual learns in a different way. Sure we can all be generalized into categories such as Gardner's multiple intelligences but overall we each learn in our own manner. Portfolios give both the learner and the educator the opportunity to assess the student's learning as well as give them an outlet to express their learning in a way that is unique to them.

One might compare and contrast portfolios to other forms of assessments such as quizzes, tests, essays, research papers, homework, worksheets, etc. All forms listed are great ways to assess where your students are before during and after learning but I can't help but generalize these into two different categories based on a new perspective that a classmate gave me this past week through our reading discussions. For me quizzes, essays, homework, worksheets all fall under the category in which students are regurgitating facts and information which means that very little meaningful learning experiences are taking place. That is not to say that no teacher should ever utilize these assessments. I would use most of these to assess before and during the lesson or unit to pre-assess, monitor student progress and clarify misconceptions or misunderstandings. The second category would consist of the research papers, student presentations, etc. These are are used as more of a summative assessment in which students display everything that they have learned about a concept or topic and include student insight that is particular to their thinking and development of thoughts. Portfolios I believe could be utilized to encompass all of these types of assessments to show how a students has developed and progressed throughout the unit or units therefore making it a rich and meaningful learning experience for both the learner and the educator.

As I pursue my graduate degree I find myself thinking that what would be relevant and meaningful to my academic and professional goals to articulate what I know and have learned about educational technology from my academic, professional, and personal experiences and provide evidence with a collection of artifacts I have created. I believe that this would be better because would enable my colleagues, administrators, and future places of employment to see what I have learned and to what depth and complexity. I also find that this is the way that I prefer to do because as an educator I have ideas and beliefs that are unique to me i would want to people to know how I think and feel about certain topics and knowledge base. 

Technological Affordances

Portfolios in general give a great insight to both student knowledge obtained and their unique perspective about what they have learned whether they are physical or digital. Through my experience with portfolios not one looks the same therefore making it exceptional and exclusive to the learner. Physical portfolios can be great for collecting works that are done over time as well as tactic information about the learner and the knowledge they have gained about particular subjects. in my opinion physical portfolios are great for younger students who have not yet grasped technology skills and can be utilized for students to conduct their own parent/teacher/student conferences with help and guidance form their teacher. Some disadvantages to physical portfolios are storage space, difficulty of locating and possibility that artifacts could be lost. 

Digital portfolios or e-portfolios are great tools for older students or adults to display the knowledge they have acquired about different concepts or topics over time. ePorfolios have great affordances in that they allow the learner to organize their thoughts and ideas in a user friendly format, reflection pieces can be constituted through blogs, collaboration can take place among viewers, educators, and the learner and more importantly there is literally no space necessary for the portfolio to occupy other than a domain on the world wide web. 

In my exploration I found different ways to create an e-portfolio as well as my thoughts and ideas. 

Wikis- When explored various wikis I found them to range based on organization and topics but other than that they all primarily looked the exact same with differentiation in color. I found wikis to not be very unique and personal in the sense of showing personality. 
Websites-When viewing websites I found there to be more variation and I really got the sense of the type of person the author was which helped me to understand their thoughts in a different perspective.  
Proprietary Tools- I viewed various types of software used for e-portfolios from watching a tutorial for an e-portfolio for Epislen on YouTube to playing with a free trial through Foliotek. I found all of the software to be extremely user friendly, organized and enables a few personal touches but overall the cost of having the software is what ultimately turned me off. One type of software costs over $2000 to start up with a $25 to $30 per student fee.  

For my e-portfolio I have decided to go through Weebly and create a website to display the knowledge I have gained over the course of this class. Click here to view my e-portfolio.

Shift in Context/Perspective- Implementation in My Classroom

When thinking of implementing digital portfolios in my class I can't help but differ my perspective in which type of tools I would want them to utilize. If it were a perfect world, I had an infinite budget, and I was working with students who were using e-portfolios for the first time, I would want them to use a software such as Foliotek. This software enables students to select their own personal backgrounds, gives a an easy to use format, guides students through the process with tutorials and very aesthetically pleasing. 

Sadly enough this is not a perfect world so I had to choose what I e-portfolio tool I think would be most beneficial to my students I would choose wiki dues to it being user friendly and little types of user personalization. The students I work with do not have an extensive technology background and wiki seems to be great for beginners. If my students were more technology savvy students I might have them create a website. Since I work in intervention I could have my students track their reading progress, do their writing exercises, have them write reflections on what they have read, etc. There are various types of standards that could be attached to what we are working since they range from 1st-5th grade. Overall I think that e-portfolios would be useful as well as beneficial for my students in preparing them for working and learning in the 21st century.