The Portfolio Development Process

In the second lesson of her course, Dr Barrett discusses and supplements through various resources her concept of the two faces of electronic portfolios wherein she asks is it a workspace for students to process their work throughout the semester; is it a showcase, that is, a product to be built perhaps at the end to be assessed and graded, or is it both? It is, and there are three development levels evident in its implementation. During its process stage it is a “case” for storage or a digital archive, and there is a suggestion that no work, or even the attempts made toward producing assignments should be lost. The electronic portfolio can provide the workspace where everything is saved toward the goal of achieving best examples. It is a reflective journal, which may take the form of a blog, so students look over their various attempts and remark on what they have learned at each stage of their development, and of course, it is a presentation in the traditional sense of how we perceive what a portfolio is, and this may be displayed on a structured website, being that this is the electronic age, where we have so much technology available, many young people are adept at handling same, and there is no longer any need to archive and transport stacks of paper documents as examples of their abilities and achievements. In fact, today there exists the possibility of carrying around representations of ourselves in our pockets on cell phones, small tablets, and the like.
One of the facets of teaching in the modern classroom that heretofore has seemed an insurmountable problem has been the overuse of personal gadgets, which until now have “gotten in the way” of teaching, if an instructor sees his or her job only in the traditional way of, say, spouting grammar rules and expecting students to listen attentively, learn and remember, and then be assessed in some standardized way. This just isn’t possible anymore. The technology is here to stay, and with Fulanita checking with friends about an assignment due in the next hour’s class, or the weekend’s activities, or worse, playing some hand/eye coordination game that ostensibly has nothing to do with the task of the moment, it is frustrating to the teacher who sees it as a distraction. What if, however, the lesson were conducted through the said gadget, and the student were motivated by the idea that every task being done was becoming part of her personal portfolio?
One of the ways, among many possibilities, that students can express themselves, in a mode they often feel motivated to do, is through the telling of stories. These give them the opportunity to write about personal issues, emotions, and problems they are having difficulties in resolving through non-creative channels. I have been assigning writing tasks for several years, with and without formulae and/or templates, but mostly as work to be done outside class. These have always been meant to become a part of students’ portfolios, and have been uploaded to a social networking blog. Unfortunately, without guidance, that is about where I have left them. In recent semesters, students have been instructed to produce presentation portfolios, using Powerpoint, of which, it is hoped, they maintain a copy along with what they present for a grade, but I can see now this is only the end product half of the concept, and there has been little motivation to put an enthusiastic effort into these presentations. Most do not see this as something they may have use for later in life, and thus are doing the work merely to obtain a grade. I feel the onus is on me as the instructor to motivate students to produce permanent records of their learning for purposes they may not yet see. I hope I am up to the task, and that I come out of the course equipped to be more effective at my job.

Teachers' Day

Today is Teachers' Day, and I'm giving myself a gift. This new blog. It has nothing to do with all the other blogs I maintain, nor my Tweets and Tumblr posts, nor Facebook--yet. This is to focus on developing my awareness of ePortfolios--how to produce them, and how to instill the motivation for English students here at the Tec to produce them. Have started on the process by reading and watching a lot of imparted information, and will work under the tutelage of Dr Helen Barrett, an expert in the field. Have noted, also, there are several other Tec teachers going through this with me, and that gives me a comfortable feeling.
I'm not a neophyte to all the technology, but there is so much to learn and changes occur so fast, that it sometimes feels as though one were drifting behind a blur of knowledge. Knew there was a plethora of resources for keeping notes and making journal entries electronically, but now I hope to discover what works best, and how to combine resources to make the keeping of a portfolio easy and fun, to have those who will be doing it see the differences between process and product and take pleasure in both.
Have been made aware of Simon Sinek's Golden Circle and The Power of Why, and though these concepts appear fairly obvious, I'm looking at these principles from a refreshed point of view. It's just a chore to do something if it's done without enjoyment. Can see the similarities between electronic portfolios and social networking in that both comprise the sharing of life moments and images and sensations, but the big difference seems to be that networking on something like Facebook is without the purpose of another venue such as LinkedIn, whereas portfolios are a testament (lifelong, hopefully) to the process of one's learning. It was mentioned that getting a job won't be the same in future and that is already a changing thing. People will not be selling out and attaching themselves to some company in a nameless, faceless way, but rather they will be adding to their self image and they will be the product advertising themselves and their capabilities, and perhaps be sought after rather than seeking.
In short, portfolios have always been a valuable tool to help one make it into the marketplace, but now with the technology at hand, and the ability to carry all one's information around in their pocket, it is easier than ever, and providentially more efficient. And it's out there; it's not like writing one's memoirs in some dusty back room.