Should I Have a Portfolio activity enables students to consider the potential and use of a portfolio for their learning and career. For more information about the ways that this can be achieved visit Teaching with Technology, ePortfolios. RationaleThis activity prepares students for Work Ready, one of RMIT’s Graduate Attributes. Learners/ContextThe context for this activity is for any learner at any stage in their studies; though the earlier a student can begin a portfolio the better. It is increasingly common for learners or employees to demonstrate their achievements through the display of digital artefacts they have produced during their studies or work experience. These artefacts can: act as objects for personal reflection be categorised and displayed to potential employers be used as a record of learning when applying for further study be shared for others to use and build upon. AlignmentThis activity creates a personal learning record for students. Instructions/ProcessesPrior to Semester Set up a portfolio. Beginning of Semester Ask students the following questions on whether to start a portfolio: Do I have to work on many different assignments or projects? Is my future career one which evolves quickly and in which I will need to constantly be learning? Is my future career a competitive one in which I will need to show how I can make a difference? Would I like to build a professional network? If they answer yes to any of the questions above, then a portfolio will be of use to them. Explain to students the benefits of an ePortfolio and mention good practice. Throughout the semester, ask students to collect as many artefacts as they can. Ask students to upload their images, videos and other work. In the process of building and maintaining a portfolio ask students to: select what to include, and what to exclude think critically about their own work reflect on how that work has come about capture stories and reflections about their artefacts discover emerging themes or pathways in their work. ePortfolio Examples An app or product students create When students create an app or product, ask them not only to include a link to the finished product in their portfolio Ask them to take screenshots or pictures of their product at various stages of development Ask them to add a product development narrative to the portfolio, either as a written reflection or as a video. An essay student write Ask students to consider writing a shorter piece of work, which includes a few excerpts, highlights the strengths in the essay and then links back to the original work. An event If students attend a meetup, a conference or a public lecture ask them to write up a reflections Ask them to include images or documentation of the original event, for example any posters or advertising. Sometimes the events can be later publish as a video recording. A project If students are members of a project team, ask them to capture the final report or product of your team work Ask students to capture their reflections on their personal contributions, how the team worked together, what challenges the team encountered and how it solved problem This is all useful knowledge to know about oneself and preparation for any future employment Group or individual presentation In preparing a presentation, ask students to write their reflections on the process of doing the presentation. EXTENSIONExamples of external ePortfolio tools are: Wordpress blog; a Tumblr blog; a Blogger site; Pinterest site; a Google site or an open shareable folder Google Docs; a Slideshare site; an Evernote notebook; a YouTube channel; a Soundcloud account or a detailed LinkedIn profile. You can combine a number of these sites together to create a comprehensive portfolio of your artefacts, stories and reflections. In selecting the tools, ask students to think about the following: Who controls this website? Will I still have access in a year? In three years? In a decade? Does that matter to me? Will this tool let me control who can see which artefacts? Will I be able to export or download my work for reuse in another platform or safekeeping? Conditions/Critical Success FactorsKnowledge about ePortfolios.Knowledge of Blackboard.Knowledge of various ePortfolio applications. Resources/ TechnologyTeaching with Technology, ePortfolioshttp://bit.ly/1R3uyLH RMIT’s Graduate Attribute-Work Readyhttp://www1.rmit.edu.au/teaching/graduateattributes Good Practe in ePortfolioshttp://www1.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=075sqig1pgj0z;STATUS=A;PAGE_AUTHOR=Kate%20Ebbott;SECTION=3; Balancing the Two Faces of ePortfolios-benefits of eportfoliohttp://electronicportfolios.org/balance/ Barnstable, Karen. (2010). 41 Benefits of an ePortfoliohttps://kbarnstable.wordpress.com/2010/01/08/41-benefits-of-an-eportfolio/ The Benefits of E-portfolios for Students and Faculty in Their Own Words. (2009, January 2). [Text].https://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/benefits-e-portfolios-students-and-faculty-their-own-words Hartman, E. (2013, March 24). Are ePortfolios still relevant for today’s students?www.emergingedtech.com/2013/03/are-eportfolios-still-relevant-for-todays-students/ The University of Minnesota has a list of public learner portfolios at:http://bit.ly/1R3Doc Examples from Louisiana State Universityhttp://bit.ly/1R3EhBS Ralston, Anthony. "ePortfolio Development and the Potential Relationship to Learning Theories." International Handbook of E-Learning Volume 2: Implementation and Case Studies (2015): 105. Leraas, Jesse, and Susan Huber. "Using Google Sites to Create ePortfolios for Graduate Students as a Means to Promote Reflective Learning in the Development of Dissertation Topics." The Complete Guide to Using Google in Libraries: Research, User Applications, and Networking (2015): 193. Related Category: Active learningPersonalisationWIL onlineDownload Pattern: ShouldIHaveAPortfolio.pdf Login to comment
