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I was teaching a unit called “Action and complete change request”
where the students were using it a bit more like a work experience.
So they had changes to the system -
they had to implement them and every week I was getting them
to send me an email with what they'd done.
And the students said "there's got to be a better way to submit all this altogether"
so that made me go and look and because
I was also a technology mentor for the Western Sydney Institute,
I'd heard about Mahara, so I went and investigated it
and I started using Mahara the following semester to collaborate all the work.
And then I found out that we actually had an Institute which was called FolioSpaces
and since then I've been using that.
So what I get the students to do is basically set up a journal
- well, create an account first - and then in their account,
set up a journal and then they share the page with me so I can read it.
And the reason I get them to do that is because
it shows what we've actually covered.
They've got a list of the tasks that they've done.
So that if they go for a job interview they can then, you know,
demonstrate that to them to say "yes,
this is what I have covered before and what
I've actually been part of while I was studying at TAFE."
I introduced this idea to my Cert 4 students
who were doing a unit in sustainability,
they then, you know were giving me work... like...
week by week they would do an activity and
email that activity to me and that was filling up my email box.
So, what I got them to do was to create FolioSpaces account,
you know, so they would upload their journals onto that site
and then share / give me the URL so that I can have a
look at their work and then give them feedback.
Well, I just think it's an essential place for the students
to put the work that they've achieved.
So, I've only started just using the journal
and I look to expand next semester
- put assessments up there as well.
So, they can submit the change requests forms as well.
And also because it's got the resume part built-in we can refer
that then for their prospective employer to have a look at that
and they can send a link and they can share it that way,
so it gets them ready for work 'cause that's the whole purpose
of what we're trying to train for.
I think certainly looking at the - we are using Moodle a lot in our section,
in our IT section - and we'd certainly like to look at the link between
Moodle and the ePortfolio so that, you know, students...
now students can upload their results and their work onto the Moodle.
We'd like to see the link between Moodle to the ePortfolio so that,
you know, there's no duplication.
And sort of like, you know, it's an ongoing process,
like, a student you know finishing Cert 3, finishing Cert 4, Cert 5,
you know, and then going out they will have a complete record.
Which would be… you know, which can follow them electronically.
Yes, because by them having their own account they can log in -
they don't have to be at TAFE - they can log in outside,
and they can update it at any time, 24/7.
And that makes them have a bit more of a responsibility
for their work and it makes them more, you know,
"I really want to use this and I want to learn from it
and use it to benefit me in the future."
I think having control of their own learning,
you know, they [are] uploading stuff, you know,
and they as they go along with their learning on the Moodle.
I think certainly, it certainly gives them better control experiences,
you know, and number two I think you don't lose the information.
Previously, you know, students come up to me and say,
'well look, you know, my hard drive's been stolen or my,
you know, my dog ate my USB stick'.
You know that sort of excuse, you know, won't be there because,
you know, it's sort of like in a central area
and then we can access - teachers can access - that information.
So, I had a student lose one of their week before's journal entries
and, so, I reported it, but it was never found.
So, I've actually had to get students to keep a copy
of what they type in the journal in a Word document as a backup.
We've also backed up their FolioSpaces pages as well.
I keep that separate so that if there is a problem we can restore it.
So, they're the main issues that I've had because I've mainly been
using the journal and the text and the sharing of the page.
And, I have had a few students who actually shared
the page and then I couldn't access it.
So, I don't know whether that was the student that didn't
set it up properly or it was something that happened in the system.
Because I was even looking today and - at one of my students' work -
and there was no buttons across the bottom to show
the next page in the journal and then I look back
about half an hour later and it was there.
The eLF program is a professional development program
which we offer to teachers and other staff within WSI,
the Western Sydney Institute of TAFE.
And it's a program that is mapped to a unit from
the Training and Education package.
It's the 'TAE501A Facilitate eLearning'.
In 2010, we were looking for another tool to try for the blogging,
the reflections, and we were also trying to encourage more
of our participants to apply for RPL,
because the uptake had not been big at that stage.
One of the reasons we decided to go for the ePortfolio
was that in the reflections, in the journaling tool,
it enabled our participants to share those reflections
with other members of the group.
So, they were able to engage in peer-to-peer learning
and understanding and support of each other.
And it also enabled us as facilitators to be able to keep
a check on their journeys and interact with them
and do some troubleshooting along the way.
Of course, the other side of it as well is that they
come out of the program with their RPL page already developed.
One of the things we do is obviously check those regular reflections.
So we will give them feedback on those reflections very early on.
We've made sure that they've been able to
make a post to the reflections before they leave.
In the next week, they're required to make another post as well.
If they're not reflecting, we'll be in contact with them.
If they don't respond to their ePortfolios,
we'll choose another method to get in contact with them as well.
The costs are quite minimal because Western Sydney Institute
has paid for an 'institution' on FolioSpaces,
there's no other cost to the eLF program as such.
Some of the barriers really relate to time,
as they do for everybody else.
With all teaching programs we have limited time.
And in our eLF program we only meet with our participants for one day -
a face to face day where we introduce them to three learning platforms,
the concepts, and some icebreaker activities as well.
So, the time allocated to the ePortfolios is quite limited
and within that time we need to introduce the concept
of an ePortfolio and get them to create their page
and understand how to create a journal and do their posts before they leave.
At the end of the program, we ask the participants to complete
an end-of-course survey and from that we find out how they feel
about using all of the platforms, but particularly their ePortfolio.
We have a couple of our graduates who've gone on to looking at
implementing or starting to implement ePortfolios
in their teaching practices.
And there's just a different feel about it
amongst the eLF participants at the moment.
I think it fits really nicely with the other platforms
that we're using and it gives the participants
that real experience of using it as a learner
which I think really helps them when they're looking
at how their students might feel and use the ePortfolios.
My very first and top tip would really be to provide them -
the new teachers or the people learning to use ePortfolios -
with an opportunity to experience it as a learner first,
so that they the develop the concepts and the understanding
and they have some practice for themselves. So that’s my first tip.
My second tip would be about creating those
train-the-trainer kind of session plans
and being very clear about what it is that you think or
the teachers might want to get out of the training,
so that they can go away and start to implement them
in their own teaching practices.
You probably need to provide them with some help to do that.
So, have some conversations, maybe direct a session
around the actual needs, rather than a very generic session.
And my last tip would really be to have fun and to perhaps
let some passion show, because I think that when people see
that it creates enthusiasm and with that sense of enthusiasm
it might drive them to go away and spend some time playing,
which is really important that they do that.