The ‘Cloud’ Dilemma

Quoting from their post:

Ahead of their province wide conference on Privacy and Cloud-Based Educational Technology happening on April 4th, BCcampus has released a background white paper on Privacy and Cloud-Based Educational Technology in British Columbia (PDF).

This is potentially a very interesting debate on issues arising all around the world - and needs to be followed by anyone interested in ePortfolios.

Yet again for me it raises the issue of 'siloed thinking'. Yes, HE may have a majority of bright autonomous and responsible students who do not need the additional burdens of 'Privacy'. However, HE must remember that they are only a small fraction of the total pupulation of the universe! I would hate to think that HE, as the researchers and publishers of received wisdom, should presume to advise the whole planet how the rest of the world should behave.

There are several groups of learners such as the vast majority of younger children, the less able, the less-than responsible, the elderly etc who need varying levels of privacy which may be adjusted as their IT maturity develops.

So, yes, I say. Good luck with the debate and I hope that amicable solutions may be found for those institutions that can manage a more flexible working environment.

Effective Practice with ePortfolios

The above presentation, recently produced by JISC RSC Scotland South & West is an excellently crafted document which clearly articulates present thinking and concerns relating to ePortfolios. Click here to see for yourself.

However, yet again, this author appears to believe that the whole content delivery system, learning management and assessment, CPD and showcasing can all be crammed into what is essentially a private and learner-owned tool. As I tried to make clear, several years ago, (Who's Hijacking My ePortfolio - best read in Full Screen mode) institutions have their own individual agendas and appear to expect the ePortfolio to do all the conventional tasks of a VLE but without the expense! Admittedly, some VLEs are expensive as are assessment tools, plagiarism checkers etc.

As regular readers will know, one of my pervading mantras is "Let the VLE do what it does best and leave the ePortfolio to do what it can best do."

But, again, let me say, a good presentation which is worthy of further discussion.

Inspired by Technology, Driven by Pedagogy

The recently published book/paper by OECD ‘Inspired by Technology, Driven by Pedagogy’ may not say anything significantly new for those who have been involved in education and innovation for more than a few years. But it is a document well worth studying. I was saying that ‘Innovation must be curriculum driven’ some 40 years ago – and ever since.

http://www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/display.asp?sf1=identifiers&st1=9789264094789

However, it’s not what you say, but how you say it. This document pulls together wide-ranging research and well-argued thinking which together presents a very powerful case of which the UK government in particular should take note.

Space here does not allow me to quote all the impact statements or questions but let the following suffice:

“do governments (be they at national, regional or local level) have a systemic approach to technology-based school innovations?’ (p.18)

As one who has been involved with both innovation in schools and Total Quality Management for many years, I was pulled up suddenly by this question as I fear that the only answer at all levels is “No!”

Now that Becta in the UK is steadily dissolving due to Government cuts, I wonder if there will be any organisation ready, willing and able to develop an advisory paper on whole-school innovation? I am not sure that the ICT-Mark properly addresses whole-school innovation, and even if it can, is it realistic to expect that what one school sees as innovation and another sees as irrelevant can be merged into one policy? Is it possible to develop a regional or national approach to ‘a systemic approach to technology-based school innovations?’

The book raises many questions including teacher-training and the place of Web2.0 technologies. If this very articulate book were to fall into the hands of headteachers or even District or Local Authority advisors I just wonder what might happen. Perhaps my oft-quoted observation, “everyone did that which was right in his own eyes” has some poignancy here. Is there a place in UK education for firm advice as to how we should approach innovation particularly in relation to ICT?

Or is it that some countries have a very different educational regime to the UK? Writing a chapter for another book I was recently pulled up suddenly by a comment, ‘I am unclear as to the relationship between ePortfolios and the school regulatory bodies in the UK...’ My gut reaction was ‘What regulatory bodies?’

Reflecting on Reflections

I have written several times about the value of the ePortfolio as a tool to aid reflection (see tags list for 'reflection'.) However, in a recent post Karen Barnstable writes very clearly on the value of reflection, but more than that, adds some helpful advice on how to think through and document reflection with a 4-point STAR - well worth reading.

As I commented on Karen's post, the compilation of a separate 'diary' of reflections might be a very effective CPD tool for anyone. As Dr Helen Barrett suggests, the ePortfolio lends itself to recording one's 'Life Story'. I just wonder how many myriads of reflections or evaluations I have composed and then forgotten. What would I think about my own life-story if I had retained those reflections for further reflection?

Memory Jogger:

S - Situation

T - Task

A - Action

R - Result

But please read Karen's post to see this in context.

Captivating the young

Too often people like the one in this cartoon think about ePortfolios from a technical standpoint or in terms of HE and FE, or upskilling of the workforce. It’s time we started focussing more on what we should be providing in terms of ePortfolios for our children.

I was pleasantly reminded of this by a long response that I got from Tricia Lockhart:

"As far as portfolios are concerned I share your frustration. Back in 1998 I came across primary schools where the year 6 pupils took with them a disc (almost a portfolio) of their work and skills to the secondary school who did not really know how to deal with it and so many of to-days schools have still not really got there.

"My exam boards talked about portfolios and so I made sure we were ready - only to find that firstly they delayed (because some schools were not ready) and then they gave a straightjacket of a structure or a theme which failed to understand what a portfolio really was (for example, we were allowed no external links yet these indicated the discoveries and hence journey of the students). They gave a context of a time capsule (the standalone portfolio would be found in a hundred years) and then failed to consider the reality of that - would the hardware and software still be decipherable. The logical failings of the task undermined what the students were doing. Imaginative schools and students were held back by rather unnecessary barriers. We had to change their online, working portfolio to make a stunted offline version for the exam board. Variety and opportunity must surely be the key - in a system that screams 'differentiation' why must assessment scream 'uniformity'?

"I worked with a year 4 lad, reluctant to read and write though quite clever and able he really did not have the motivation to navigate through the boring (to him) bits. In his spare time the call of the outside space and football lured him away. There were exceptions (The excellent Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls). However, when he was given the role of a sports reporter, the zeal and attention to detail as he researched what to include, selected what to say and reworded how to say it, recorded then rerecorded (voluntarily saying there needed to be more expression or it needed to be slower) made him look like the most industrious and studious learner. The pride with which he then shared the resulting podcast with grandparents and peers was wonderful and of course was further motivation. This was just an audio production with a picture of the reporter as an image. (Hats and glasses are fun to wear and give some anonymity plus a 'stage name') Other examples I have are the 2 girls who made a news report and had used chroma key so they on their 'studio' chairs were in front with suitable footage behind. Sharing the result widely is so important.

"The way that parents and others can be integrated into the whole process is also important. Over recent years the way our assessments have been a barrier to parents fully understanding what is happening and then needs to happen means we have diluted the help from the most important allies teachers have - parents.

"Yes we need to make students aware of the problems and the need for security but not at the cost of the possible advantages. We also need to get some perspective - local papers of full of the pictures of all children who start primary school, smiling faces and names included. Electronic sources are not the only risk factors."

How I agree with everything Tricia has said above. I believe that the eFolio solution meets all of her criteria. eFolio is user-friendly, configurable to one's own self image and, above all is extremely e-safe and not 'discoverable' by any search engine until such time as the owner wishes to make a page 'public'.

Do other readers have similar stories of bureaucratic failure to deliver what our youngsters need? Are we not missing out by not captivating the young?

And now for something different

I thought that, for a change, I would show this montage put together using PhotoPeach. Not that I am getting any commission.

Blogs as Web-Based Portfolios

I pounced upon this free book (13 pages) by Jeff Utecht as soon as I saw the title, 'Blogs as Web-Based Portfolios' for two reasons. Firstly, because I found Jeff's easy to read style to be quite fascinating (I have referred to this in my previous post) . However, unfortunately, my second reason for it grabbing my attention was that the title was like a red rag to a bull - and thus for this post!

For several years now, and almost every day, I have been reading the various blogs, wikis and e-Portfolios of undergraduates, trainee teachers and students. Repeatedly I have found myself asking questions about how much guidance the students have had relating to e-Portfolios and what sort of challenges teachers or lecturers have been presenting to their students. Even the most articulate of students I find referring to a blog as their e-Portfolio.

Despite my interest in 'all things technical' I still think as a teacher and a leader of staff. To this end I would argue against the many who think that a blog or a wiki is a suitable tool for presenting an e-Portfolio. Quite simply, a good e-Portfolio is so much more. Yes, it can include blogging tools or wikis, it can include links to a whole range of Web2.0 tools, but, as Nick Rate points out (slide 15), these are all contained within the e-Portfolio. I just do not see a tool like Wordpress meeting the vast range of pedagogical activities one would expect within an e-Portfolio.

As I have repeatedly said, if the e-Portfolio is to be fully portable, learner owned and lifelong it must be hosted externally to any institution and yet, at the same time afford the security and reliability that schools require and without adding an additional workload for staff.

Show and Tell Video

I was recently privileged to attend a 'Show and Tell' meeting presented by Christine Terry of Grays School in Newhaven (on the South Coast.) For me the overriding message was not so much about the technology but primarily that of engaging parents.

Yes, the infrastructure had to be in place. Without a good learning platform developed for even the youngest of children, without a good broadband supply, without a good policy for getting laptops in the homes, without a good understanding of the principles of the Home Access Programme, without good training of all staff including Teaching Assistants, none of this could have come about.

Not much mention is made of their use of their e-Portfolio system inbuilt within their VLE but even the youngest children know and understand words like 'transition' and have a good understanding of how the e-Portfolio can be used even at this early stage. However, the overwhelming conclusion is that the dual criteria of their whole-school strategy and the insistence of involving parents right from the start worked amazingly well.

For more on Becta's notes on the visit please click here.

For more of Becta's Case Studies please click here.

Teachers don't know everything!

On more than one occasion when talking to a child in school I have been somewhat rebuffed by the statement, "You don't know everything!" That was always particularly hurtful as I never pretended to know everything and certainly my teaching strategy was always so ask questions and encourage my students to explore possible outcomes for themselves.

In a recent discussion with Glen Finger about the forthcoming book, 'Developing a Networked School Community' and the problems of training teachers for the digital age, Glen wrote:

"A contribution which the book makes, and there is growing anticipation for this, relates to guidance on teacher readiness (including the confidence and capabilities for being aware of the suite of technologies (technological knowledge TK) for enabling a networked school community.

"In particular, the various conceptualisations which Mal Lee visualised throughout the book might be useful for parents, teachers, students to conceptualise beyond 'a place called school' to take into account access to a richer range of technologies, as well as recognise the value to parents as the first and continuing educators of their children."

Glen goes on to remind me of a quote from Dr Helen Barrett, some four years ago:

"There isn't a lot of knowledge about the pedagogical content of using portfolios for learning; the administrators and data managers are implementing electronic portfolios (that are really used as assessment management systems) with full knowledge of data and statistics but without full knowledge of the theoretical underpinnings and value of using portfolios to support student and teacher learning."

The above should disturb any reader, particularly as nothing much seems to have progressed over the last decade. Many teachers see the e-Portfolio as nothing more than an electronic CV. Few teachers use blogs for educational purposes, collaboration is still seen as nothing more than "Turn your chairs around to sit in groups and talk together about the problem." Few teachers use polling or voting software in their classrooms, very few schools permit the use of pupils' personal electronic devices and even fewer teachers know how to apply these technologies in the classroom. So if new ICTs are not being fully used in the classroom, what chance is there that teachers will encourage a Web2.0 mentality for real learning at home?

I really feel that until ITT and in-school CPD can address these issues we will not move on very far.

My response to my original title is therefore, "Yes, we don't know everything, but we should know what we need to know and also know what we don't know!"

e-Portfolios under the microscope

Jamin Lietze has produced an excellent and concise summary of his recent presentation. Well worth checking out, once one gets used to the Prezi format - best seen in Full-Screen mode.

I have know of Jamin's work in New Zealand for almost two years now. A credit to his school and nation!

The details of his document on 'Set your criteria...' must be taken seriously. I hope that we can soon have an audio transcription of the presentation or perhaps an extended article as a backup to this work.

Jamin, Congratulations on an excellent show!

The end of the BB e-Portfolio?

A recent post from Mr Woo identified one of the weaknesses of how many young learners see the e-Portfolio. But perhaps, as other Blackboard users have commented about their difficulties in using BB in a liberated teaching & learning environment, I should not be surprised.

I immediately thought of several previous posts I had written on the subject of the storage of artefacts. (see 'Ethics or common sense?' and 'Moving House?') I would not wish to say outright, "I told you so!" but I fear that in far too many cases the designers of so-called e-Portfolio systems are not thinking through the implications of their work, nor are course designers spelling out the practicalities of their strategies.

Do you own a Rolls Royce?

It's no good having a Rolls Royce, the latest high-performance Jaguar or a Lamborghini parked outside your house if there is no one to exploit its real potential or for its passengers to gain a wonderful enjoyment of the experience.


So, too, with all the recent innovations that we are presently experiencing in schools. For some schools the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) is such a 'white elephant' where, despite the 'oos' and 'ahs' of the visitors the actual passengers (the pupils) do not rate the experience and the driver (the teacher) has hardly gained a licence to drive the IWB! In fact, some schools are disposing of their IWBs, generally due to the lack of confidence of the driver to actually get in and try the 'brute' out. Rather than being so frustrated, I would suggest that more teachers should actually get into the driving seat of their IWB, VLE or e-Portfolio and actually begin to enjoy the experience.

I'm presently writing this post at lunchtime at the ORT International VLE Seminar week - which also happens to be an opportunity for this international audience to visit BETT. I was priveledged to present a keynote presentation on 'VLEs - Evolution or Revolution?'. The reason for mentioning this is that I have been very impressed by the clarity of thought concerning VLEs in schools. If a country like Argentina can produce really creative resources by all of its teachers then perhaps teachers in the UK had better look out. Their attitude to sharing work through Creative Commons is far more productive than the protectionist IP lobby that some feel obliged to follow.

But I really must get back to the theme of e-Portfolios and ask that we start to share good practice and, like the Argentinians, begin to develop a more creative and exciting learning environment for all our students, staff and institutions included!

A New Year - but Old Mantras?

The ‘New Year’ is a time when we invariably look forward to new initiatives, a fresh start or a promise to follow New Year’s Resolutions. However, recent proclamations appear to be promising ‘more of the same’ – is this really all we can expect?  Are we really being encouraged to 'throw out the baby with the bathwater' all because of a few 'bad apples'?

Our friendly Welsh essayist, Graham Attwell, is in fighting spirit for his socio-political vision when he states:

“If Open Education is to mean anything, it has to address the question of social divisions including class, gender and race. I am unconvinced this can be done from inside the existing educational institutions, although of course it will need the support of those working in those organisations. Instead I think we need to use the power of the Internet to provide opportunities for education and learning outside the present system and to embed those learning activities in wider communities than the present institutions address.” See:

http://www.pontydysgu.org/2010/01/a-radical-definition-of-open-education/

Tony Bates flags up another essay on college costs in an article by Michael Bassis,

Again, another eloquent essay in which subtle misrepresentations are embedded in otherwise constructive thinking:

“Let's return to the case of online learning. This design began as an inexpensive way to deliver the standard curriculum. While it did provide increased access to many students, it was widely regarded as inferior to traditional degrees delivered by faculty in the classroom. But online learning is proving to be a classic example of a disruptive technology.”

See: http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/dec2009/bs20091221_519869.htm  .

I don’t know from which planet Michael Bassis originates or how old he is, but surely, some 30 years ago we were already exploring how Learning Platforms could support ‘anytime access’ and how this steadily evolved into some of the exciting VLE deliveries at local, national and international scales. Nothing to do with ‘inexpensive’ and certainly not ‘disruptive’.

Alongside developments in educational thinking, of recognising 10 Multiple Intelligences, of discovering the benefits of collaborative learning even with the 4 walls of a conventional classroom, of the acceptance of an increasing diversity within our classrooms and a recognition of the implications of increased family mobility it is no surprise that online learning has come of age. The relevant technologies are certainly NOT ‘disruptive’ but rather ‘supportive’ of educational thinking.

Again, sadly, Jon Mott and David Wiley in an extensive article fail to recognise the root cause of the problem in their paper:

http://ineducation.ca/article/open-learning-cms-and-open-learning-network  they state:

“Alternatively labeled learning management systems (LMSs), learning content management systems (LCMSs), and virtual learning environments (VLEs), such software has generally been focused primarily on helping teachers increase the efficiency of the administrative tasks of instruction (e.g., distribute documents, make assignments, give quizzes, initiate discussion boards, assign students to working groups, etc.). This instructor-centrism comes despite the best intentions and efforts of system designers, early adopters, and instructional support staff who sought to use these systems to transform the dominant learning modality of higher education from traditional, classroom-based instruction to online and hybrid courses. In practice, the vast majority of instructors who adopted the CMS largely ignored Bloom's challenge to make an "educational contribution of the greatest magnitude," instead focusing on increasing the administrative efficiency of their jobs.”

In my opinion all of the writers have failed to appreciate the root cause: it is not a failure of the technologies but, rather, a failure of some educators to move with the times, to take on board new teaching and learning styles and to appreciate how modern technologies can dramatically assist these strategies. As a practising technologist for over 50 years, I would suggest that just jumping to yet another isolate technology as the solution to all our problems will solve nothing.

As this new year dawns, let’s stop laughing at those tutors who still use the IWB as if it were no more than an OHP, let’s stop taking inward gasps of dismay when we see students actually printing out their essays for marking, let’s stop procuring content for a CMS on a ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ basis but rather, ask the Senior Leadership Teams why these things are still happening. Let’s ban the familiar setting of homework as ‘finish off your classwork notes’, let’s ban the use of pre-scripted activities that have no sense of personalisation or topicality, let’s remove all ‘pigeon-holes’ or ‘duckets’ from our staff-rooms and begin to establish liberated teaching and learning norms which equally apply to all sectors of education.

'Transformative change' is not so much about the use of contemporary technology but rather about the mindset of the instructors – or even the assessment Boards.

Instead of the powerful voice of HE maintaining the didactic traditions of pre-Victorian England, perhaps it is the time to re-vitalise all sections of academia not by introducing low-cost technologies so much as enforcing rigorous Schemes of Work which recognise improved efficiencies of teaching and learning and the support that contemporary technologies can offer.

Although all of the above refers to CMS/LMS/VLEs etc the arguments for e-Portfolios are similar:  Confusion and ignorance relating to the provenance of the e-Portfolio along with poor implemenations and even poorer teaching strategies are sufficient to encourage anyone thinking about e-Portfolios to drop the subject like a 'hot potato'.

Rather, as I have said frequently, 'Let the VLE do what it does best and allow the e-Portfolio to do what it can best do."

E-Portfolios in Rural Communities

Adrienne Carlson has contributed the item below. Its full title should read, 'How to Raise Awareness of E-Portfolios in Rural Communities'. Of course, we have the Home Access Programme in England but that is only the begining. Having the technology is one thing, getting both teachers and learners to use it is another, as Adrienne writes:

There are various reasons teachers use e-portfolios – from enhancing their profiles to developing their knowledge and skills, it helps them improve personally and professionally as members of the pedagogic society. But their counterparts in rural communities are not blessed with the same advantage, because they hardly have access to technology let alone the wherewithal to use it on a regular basis to create, develop and maintain an e-portfolio. If we are to raise awareness of e-portfolios in rural communities, we must:

• Introduce technology as a regular teaching tool: Since e-portfolios are linked to technology, it follows that technology must be made a teaching tool in rural communities before it can be harnessed for the purpose of e-portfolios. One way to do this is through grants and other forms of funding, but more than that, efforts have to be made to introduce teachers to technology and encourage them to use it without any hesitation. And to do this, we must teach them to use the technology with the right kind of training.
  
  
• Train teachers to use technology: Most teachers (or anyone else for that matter) who don’t have much contact with technology are usually intimated by it. They refuse to even attempt to learn it because they are scared that they will not be successful at it. Any training program should address these issues and manage the apprehensions of teachers before attempting to teach them how to use technology as a teaching aid.
  
  
• Introduce them to e-Portfolios: When teachers realize the value and usefulness of e-portfolios, they are more eager to adopt them as development tools. Programs must be held to prove to them the potential of e-Portfolios and show all staff how it can help them grow in their profession and update their skills as well.
  
  
• Understand the needs of learners: The work of Eva deLera underlines the value of making distance learning more acceptable to rural learners. Just think: no personal transport, poor public transport, little contact with other learners etc are all reasons for poor retention rates. The e-Portfolio can be the means to overcome these barriers to learning and make learning actually enjoyable.
  

E-portfolios are a relatively new tool in the pedagogic toolkit, so it will take some time before they gain any amount of popularity in rural communities. But with persistence and time, it will slowly gain acceptance and become a tool that is used regularly and to great effect.

By-line:
This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of engineering degrees online . Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson83@yahoo.com

The Advantages of E-Portfolios in Teaching

E-portfolios are beginning to gain in popularity as the entire world embraces digital technology and the online way of life, but e-portfolios still have a long way to go before their full potential is realized. For those in the dark, an e-portfolio (when used in connection with teaching) is a collection of the work of someone in the pedagogical field which reflects their ideology, their views and thoughts on teaching, a list of their accomplishments and talents, the courses and classes they teach, and so on. In short, an e-portfolio for a teacher is similar to the portfolio artists carry around in order to showcase what they’ve achieved and provide a teaser of what they’re capable of. There are various advantages in using e-portfolios when you’re a teacher:

• It’s easy to update and rectify: Any data stored in a digital format is easy to maintain because you don’t have to rewrite entire documents when you make a mistake. Updating information also becomes a piece of cake because the process is almost effortless.
  
  
• It helps you become a better teacher: When you have a readymade package of all your work and your ideas and thoughts, it’s easier to analyze your style and refine your presentation when you have a plan for the future and work towards it. When you’re able to show others what you stand for as a teacher, you can prove yourself more effectively, especially when you’re aiming for a promotion.
  
  
• It proves you’re tech savvy: When you show that you’re familiar with the technology used to create and maintain an e-portfolio, you prove that you’re tech savvy, a skill that many teachers lack. In today’s world, you must know and love technology if you want to keep up with all that’s happening.
  
  
• It allows easy access to your work: When you have an e-portfolio, it’s easy to put your work online so that more people have access to it. This way, you’re showcasing your skills to a larger audience and providing yourself with appropriate exposure.
  
  
• It allows you to use multimedia: When you’re able to include pictures, videos and music in your e-portfolio, it gives it much more depth than using just text alone. E-portfolios allow you to use multimedia to your advantage and showcase your ideas and skills with much more strength.
  
  
• E-portfolios save space: No matter how much information you want to add to your e-portfolio, you can do so without worrying about space constraints. It’s easy to include information and events as they happen, because digital information is compact and concise.

E-portfolios are just becoming well-known as tools of the trade for teachers, as well as within some other sectors such as Health Care & Nursing. With more from the pedagogy field embracing them, they’re soon going to become the norm rather than the exception they are now.

By-line:
This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of online degrees . Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson83@yahoo.com

The Australian ePortfolio Toolkit

In trying to under-stand the state of e-Portfolios around the world, I rediscovered the Australian ePortfolio Project Report of August 2008 that I'd neatly stored away and then forgot! As they state:

"The AeP project team has developed the Australian ePortfolio Toolkit for use by ePortfolio practitioners in their institutions. The ePortfolio Toolkit comprises a series of ePortfolio Concept Guides designed to inform the diverse stakeholders in higher education about issues and opportunities associated with ePortfolio learning."

However in re-visiting their site I found it refreshing to study their 'Concept Guides'. To my mind they are one of the clearest expressions of JISC advice. However, they are just that, advice for HE and VET students, staff, technicians and employers of graduates. What we now need to do is translate these excellent documents into exemplar materials for the rest of the 90% population who are not on the HE conveyor-belt.

Excellent as the advice is, I cannot see much evidence of what is actually happening in the classroom or late at night between peers reviewing each other's work or collaborating in larger projects.

So, good as the Australian venture is, whatever nationality you belong to, please come back to me with examples of the work done in your country - and let me 'wave the flag' for your nation.

Chicken or Egg?

We have a very difficult situation concerning the introduction of e-Portfolios into the classroom. Until such time as teachers are able to free themselves from old didactic methods, until they are brave enough to let go of the reins or at least allow a bit of slack, there is very little reason to use an e-Portfolio.

On the other hand, without adequate technology, both in the classroom and beyond there is little hope of being able to do even the simplest of tasks that would benefit from using an e-Portfolio.

Unfortunately, there is also a third element with which we must contend, that of the silo-mentality of many institutions who only see the e-Portfolio as a one-purpose tool for the use of their individual institution. (see my paper, ‘Who’s Hijacking Our e-Portfolios?’)

Prior to using an ICT solution perhaps one of the first activities that caught my imagination was that of dividing my class into groups and brainstorming an issue on a large sheet of paper. But after several re-draws of the proposed solution something of the fire of the activity had died down. Yes the discussions or even arguments that took place were always excellent but somehow we never captured the dialogues between the students.

Later on I introduced the concept of blogging, starting by using a paper-based activity. Yes, again this produced howls of laughter and a definite broadening of understanding about how others felt on the topic in question.

If teachers are comfortable with this level of freedom within the classroom, where the outcomes may be quite different to what one might have planned, and if the teacher is then able to help the students learn from the exercise, then, and only then, might we be able to demand on the grounds of curriculum enhancement the technologies we want.

Senior Leadership and Management Teams (SLMTs), as we call them in the UK, need to be convinced however that the learning will be deep learning. This needs demonstration of teacher competence in managing such scenarios as the above before the leap of faith that justifies the investment in equipment and the access to electronic collaborative tools.

Yes, blogs and wikis may be a good start but are not necessary if students have a good e-Portfolio system. As a senior head of department for many years, I would prefer to provide my teachers and their students with an e-safe system that allows the controls to be gently lifted from a totally secure or private condition through stages of group collaboration and steadily expanding the number and variety of school-based and external audiences with which any individual child is able to cope.

A good e-Portfolio, such as eFolio, provides adequate facilities to manage one’s artefacts, to use feedback from peers and mentors, to reproduce electronic versions of the collaborative activities as mentioned above and repeatedly revising one’s planning, drafting and reflections within the e-Portfolio.

In the UK I feel that most schools have been encouraged for a number of years to develop these collaborative skills either on paper or in small groups huddled around a limited number of computers. Similarly, in the UK, we have experienced over the last ten to fifteen years a large number of technological initiatives (and more still to come!) that have prepared us for the next leap of faith. But thirdly, we also have had several initiatives concerning the personalisation of learning. Again, the e-Portfolio is that special place where one’s individuality, learning styles and support by other adults lends itself to a unique repository of learning far different to the formal content delivery mechanisms of our Learning Platforms.

I would argue strongly that the UK is therefore potentially ready for e-Portfolios. However, despite my statements above, this will require a massive amount of staff training in order to help teachers understand how the e-Portfolio fits into our curriculum and can in actual fact enhance it!

BUT, this e-Portfolio explosion is not about to happen throughout the world. Many countries, even if they had the technologies and 1:1 pupil:computer ratios are still teaching in didactic, teacher-led authoritarian regimes which may not allow the individuality which an e-Portfolio supports. I suspect (and am willing to be corrected) that some parts of America are as traditional or conservative in their teaching and learning methods as mid- or eastern Europe. In other places, such as New Zealand, many teachers are already actively developing the collaborative culture upon which e-Portfolios thrive but the hierarchy are still discussing what an e-Portfolio is.

So, in returning to my original question, ‘Chicken or egg?’ I suggest that those education authorities who are most ready to introduce an e-Portfolio culture should be considering a ‘controlled explosion.’ We need all the elements of an independent learning culture, of collaboration, of an adequate sufficiency of access both within institutions and remotely through home access policies. Perhaps most fundamentally, we need a teacher education programme which can pull together all the separate benefits of an e-Portfolio for the learner.

21st Century Schools

Since its publication in June of this year I have struggled to understand the implications of this White Paper.

It sounds good, is full of promises and some fine examples from outstanding schools. However, it seems to be propounding 'more of the same' rather than looking to new approaches. I cannot see throughout the document how 21st Century Schools will be any different to what we have NOW, nevermind in the future.

For some time now we have understood the implications of a 'flat world' and that has been developed further in Peter Bradwell's paper, 'The Edgeless University'.

I therefore see schools in a similar light. We have discussed the inestimable merits of formative assessment through the e-Portfolio many times. Along with the Home Access Programme we will soon have a near 100% on-line access for all our learners. In schools I see the 'expert' teacher not only being called upon by students in their own class, but also from other classes and other year-groups and even from other schools, 24/7/365. And why stop there? What about adult learners or collaboration with colleagues or professionals around the world? Perhaps the whole issue of contracts and conditions of service needs to be re-appriased in the light of on-line learning communities?