ePortfolios

I am sitting here (with the flu) trying to gain a better understanding of Mahara and ePortfolios. At first I could not see the relevance of ePortfolios (ie Mahara) and how it could be incorporated into an educational setting. I only saw it as our assessment tool or portfolio platform for graduate teachers (as suggested through this course).

The Mahara website provides really good examples and information regarding ePortfolios and it allowed me to gain a better understanding of its application.

"ePortfolios ... are personal online spaces for students to access services and store work. They will become ever more useful as learners grow up and start moving between different types of learning and different institutions" (Secretary of State for Education and Skills - UK, 2006 as cited in http://mahara.org/about/eportfolios).

Another explanation is “It can be used to create collections of artefacts to share with fellow students, peers, family/ friends, to present to potential employers and to complement applications for research funding” (http://mahara.org/about/eportfolios). As various readings outline,over a lifetime individuals will have a multitude of jobs. ePortfolios provide one place to record achievements, aspirations/goals and experience.

Ravet’s (2006 as cited in Steel, Ehrmann & Long, 2008) vision for ePortfolios is a “personal, lifelong, and lifewide learning landscape”. There are applications for in a education, social and work context. In my opinion, it is a one-stop shops for all your networking needs.

After some reading, researching and reflecting, I can see ePortfolios being utilised in the following situations:
* Assessment – allows the teacher to view assessment, provide feedback and report accordingly. In particular, it could be beneficial for the Senior Certificate.
* Portfolios – for students to submit to universities or post-compulsory education institutions. It could also be expanded for when the student graduates university, they require accreditation (ie teachers, engineers, accountants, psychologists).
* Resumes – as above
* Learning Management System – teachers could put all learning materials for students to review out of school hours. Students could also use it as study notes and assist in recall of information/knowledge.
* Student Reflection/Journal of their learning experiences.

To be honest, I was quite nervous about using Mahara. However, the videos by Scot were very straightforward and easy to understand. I have had a quick look around and set up some things on Mahara. I am confident that I have a basic understanding of this platform and it will only be a matter of time before I can grasp it fully and use it to its full potential (hopefully). I also look forward to using Mahara outside of this course.

References

http://mahara.org/about/eportfolios.

Steel, C.H., Ehrmann, S.C. & Long P.D. (2008). Creating community engagement
around the concept of ePortfolios: An innovative planning process. In Hello! Where are you in the landscape of educational technology? Proceedings ascilite Melbourne 2008. Retrieved from http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/melbourne08/procs/steel.pdf