Following consultation with parents and teachers, Ilam School decided to move from hard copy portfolios to e-portfolios and online learning journeys in 2010. Principal Lyn Bird says this shift fits with future national standards reporting.
“In 2007 we introduced a learning management system (LMS). A couple of teachers investigated how it could be used. It started as a resource and homework portal. We got into using the forums and photo galleries and those sorts of things. We realised that a lot of the things we were doing with the LMS were reflection activities. For example, if children are commenting in a forum or a photo, they are reflecting as they are doing so.
During 2008, a few more teachers got involved, trialling some digital learning stories. We looked at the potential, and this year we are cementing what we see as really crucial and how we are going to work across the school. Our next challenge is to move away from our two-dimensional portfolio to a more child owned three-dimensional e-portfolio. We have set some good things in place for this with our work in effective pedagogy.
Parents will have access and a login. They will see their children’s work and reflections, what is going on in the classroom and examples and evidence of their learning. This gives them an opportunity to participate in the reflection by feedback and commenting.
The previous portfolio featured a list of things that needed to be included, whereas now the children are making decisions as to what goes in the portfolio. They are beginning to manage their own system. It is becoming assessment to learn rather than just the cumulative assessment at the end. The children are using their e-portfolios as a tool to help them learn rather than to present their end result.
One of the key things is pride. In the past, with paper portfolios they may have been proud to take them home, but there wasn’t as much of that sense of ownership.”
E-portfolios are a portfolio on the internet, and it is really cool because instead of just taking it home at the end of each term we can just go on whenever we like and change stuff. I did a video on cycle safety and it was about how I enjoyed it and what I think I need to work on and stuff that I am good at.
Student
“The value for students is that they have 24/7 access to reflect on their learning. They are involved in peer feedback (which is very powerful feedback), teachers feeding back to students, and parents feeding back to teachers and students. So it is a three way communication about learning.”
You can go back to what you have done and you can try again. You can change things and you can get better at it.
Student
“Learning becomes more child directed because as they reflect on their learning they then they realise they are more passionate about one particular thing, or other children start to feed in ideas and you get that instant recognition that they can take off in that area.”
Review questions
Teachers at Ilam School have recognised that e-portfolios provide a platform for student reflection. Identify ways your school provides students with authentic opportunities to reflect on their learning. Is this consistent across the school?
E-portfolios allow for three-way communication with parents, teachers and students all providing feedback for learning. How does this three-way communication occur in your school and how might it be strengthened?
Published on: 10 Dec 2009
