I have been thinking a bit about the relevance of the e.portfolios in the primary classroom (particularly because GDLT students are required to have one through a site called Mahara). In amongst thoughts and strategies to use this particular tool I remembered something!
When I was in primary school each student had a folder that showcased their best work, drawings and test scores etc. This was our work portfolio and we took pride in adding our work to it. As the teacher kept it in a store room, we were not allowed to keep it after our schooling had been completed. I'm sure it would be very interesting to look at it now and reflect on my learning from that time in my life, if I had it!
To me, the e.portfolio is a much better way of organising our students' work rather than having to store everything in physical folders. Instead of each child having a folder, you can upload the files into a site like Mahara, where students would be able to share this work with others through at the discretion of the teacher, parents etc.
Also, the students can use e.portfolios to complete assessment tasks, reflect on their learning journeys through blogging etc. whilst creating their own personalised "views" to make their sites look unique. What primary aged student wouldn't love having their own website!? Through Mahara students may create their own blogs, resumes, upload pictures, word documents and other artefacts and include links to other blogs they may wish to remember. Although some of this takes a little navigating, the classroom tasks would define how much the students need to understand about using their e.portfolio.
There are a few problems with the physical folder portfolios such as the one I had: you cannot share it with people, cannot take it home and it is not really the property of the student though it is their work. Students may be able to feel more ownership of their e.portfolio sites. I'm sure this would empower them to take great pride in their work. In contrast to myself, those students may also be able to have access to it after their schooling.
E.portfolios are a great way for primary students to demonstrate, reflect on and present work and achievements in ways that suit each individual.
Regards,
Toni
e.porfolios are also a very safe way to keep information as they are in "cyber space", not in physical space. You can't lose them or burn them.
ReplyDeleteMichael Prim F/T
Hi Toni,
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! After doing the Mahara workshop this week from Scot, I must say that I have fallen head-over-heels for this amazing piece of technology. I liked thinking how I can use it for different kinds of resumes etc. But I had not thought about using it within a primary classroom for the children's learning portfolio. And then having parents being able to access it to see what their students are up to - genius! I also thought that because you can be specific about who can access the views, you could have a general view (ie. one that any one can access), a more specific view (ie. one that is just for the parents, so if someone is having difficulty with learning parents can see how), and a view that is just for the teacher (ie. comments and tests etc that would be for teacher use only). So as long as you're really careful about the security, you could have all of the information that you need all in one convenient location. This would also be good to set up a view for relief teachers to give them information on lessons, students, rituals etc.
Thanks for giving me something extra to think about :)
- Leesha
Hi Michael and Leesa,
ReplyDeleteI love that e.portfolios are a safe way to store information and student work. My mother's house burnt down when she was young and I often wish I could have seen some of her school work, stories, songs and photos etc.
I'm glad you feel you can use this technology Leesha, I am excited to get into more exploring! The security of the site can be easily managed to share with parents and students and also keep it from the public eye. Hope you are both going well in your studies.
Toni