What? l Why use? l Digital portfolios: guidelines l School stories l Discussions l Related websites l Research and readings
An e-portfolio is an electronic format for learners to record their work, their achievements and goals, to reflect on their learning, and to share and be supported in this. It enables learners to represent the information in different formats and to take the information with them between institutions.
Nick Rate is a national facilitator working with ICT PD clusters around the country. In a CORE breakfast presentation on e-portfolios, he highlighted how they can assist schools to improve learning outcomes, enabling increased student engagement and success.
The development and use of digital e-portfolios in New Zealand schools is rapidly evolving. The Ministry recognises the potential of e-portfolios to support improved student outcomes and will be reviewing its current approach to encouraging the use of e-portfolios in schools. More information will be made available through Enabling e-Learning as it becomes available.
If you need a non-technical introduction to e-portfolios, the Ministry published Digital portfolios: Guidelines for beginners early in 2011. These provide good background information on the place of e-portfolios in your school’s educational strategy, and a snapshot of the Ministry's current approach to e-portfolios in schools.
e-Portfolios can assist students to take increasing responsibility for their own learning. Technology enables the use of a range of media - video, sound and images, as well as text to show both the learning process and final products.
Teacher, Jacqui Innes Russell Street School, describes the process and benefits of planning explicitly for what students will share on their e-portfolios.
Sharing learning using the class blog and e-portfolios
In this video clip, teacher Jacqui Innes describes how students individual e-portfolios and the class blog serve different purposes but work in conjunction with each other. She explains the purpose of each, the structure of posts, and how students are scaffolded into making these. She comments on how engagement with parents and the wider community has enhanced communication and student learning.
e-Portfolios - polices and procedures
In this video clip, James Rea, Deputy Principal Russell Street School, explains the purpose and content of their e-portfolio documentation. He describes his role as e-learning leader and the approach he takes to developing and maintaining staff capability and understanding.
e-Portfolios in the classroom
Linda Sweeny, Associate Principal and Senior Team Leader at Te Kura o Tiori Burnham School, explains the process for setting up Blogger for students to use as an e-Portfolio. Linda and some of her students share the benefits created by collaborating and sharing their work with peers, whānau, and teachers.
e-Portfolios are used by both staff and students at Parkvale School. Parkvale School are part of an ICT PD cluster. Their reflective summary, Teacher and student e-portfolios at Parkvale School, outlines the process they used to introduce e-portfolios and their purpose for both staff and students.
EDtalks: The e-portfolio - a personal space for learning
In this EDtalks video, Lenva Shearing, deputy principal at Bucklands Beach Intermediate where all 750 students use e-porfolios, describes how the focus is on the process of learning. Students use them to help articulate their learning, for reflection, to look for next learning steps and set goals, rather than as a showcase of learning.
e-Portfolios - the benefits for student learning
In this video clip, Deputy Principal, Miranda Makin explains the benefits of using e-portfolios for students participating in the Impact Projects. They have found e-portfolios showcase the richness of the learning through images, videoing, audio and will provide a document for students to take with them when they leave school to demonstrate the kinds of key competencies they have developed.
As part of the MOE 2010 seminar series, Mark Osborne and Miranda Makin describe how the use of e-portfolios supports the monitoring and evaluation of the key competencies at Albany Senior High School. You can view their stories below from NZ Curriculum Online.
Read this NZ Curriculum Online school snapshot, which describes the steps Tauranga Intermediate took to move from paper-based portfolios to using blogs as their e-portfolios.
This snapshot of learning for MyPortfolio on Software for Learning describes how Level 3 English students are using MyPortfolio to engage in shared learning with their peers and subject teachers.
This snapshot of learning for MyPortfolio and Ultranet on Software for Learning describes how the school's approach to using e-portfolios has been developed through a cycle of teacher inquiry. This has focused on the use of web based tools to increase opportunities for students to reflect on their learning, seek feedback, support collaboration, and student ownership of learning. For further information, view this presentation demonstrating how teacher Erin Sawyer used MyPortfolio with Years 7-8.
In this snapshot of learning for MyPortfolio and Google Apps on Software for Learning, students in an NCEA Level 1-3 performance music class use an e-portfolio to keep a digital journal of their learning. This enables both student reflection, and teacher feedback and feedforward. Used in conjunction with Google Apps, some of the barriers of time and place that had initially limited the learning process are overcome.
Join the discussions in the Enabling e-Learning: technologies community
Software for Learning
The e-portfolio page provides useful links to software, information, and school snapshots demonstrating how software has been used to provide students with the opportunity to record, reflect, and share their learning.
Educational Leaders
This search result provides links to principal's sabbatical reports and other useful information on e-portfolios from the Educational Leaders website.
EDtalks
A collection of videos with educators discussing e-portfolios within an educational context.
Using digital media for your e-portfolio
This advice document introduces the concept of an e-portfolio and explains how digital media can be used effectively.
Assessment for Learning and e-Portfolios
This efellows research report, written in 2008 by Nick Rate, explores what teachers can do to maximise the formative learning benefits of online e-portfolios.
Join these groups to participate in discussions with other teachers/educators about the content here, or that is relevant for you.
Enabling e-Learning
e-Learning: Leadership
e-Learning: Teaching
e-Learning: Technologies
e-Learning: Professional Learning
e-Learning Planning Framework
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