Creating an e-Portfolio

My e-Portfolio Process and Description:

To create an e-Portfolio using WordPress was quite simple, I created a subdomain of my own website johncowper.com using the self hosted version of WordPress. I have a hosting account with Hosting Ireland and I set up and created a subdomain called http://elearning.johncowper.com using softaculous wordpress install. This process was quite easy really and I wanted to set up this version of WordPress rather than using WordPress.com. This allowed me to use any theme or plugin in anyway I chose as I have paid for the hosting and domain name. Creating my e-Portfolio was very simple really I chose a very simple theme to allow maximum access to the material so that the user can see everything easily. Various themes on WordPress are difficult to sometimes setup and are full of unwanted moving features that only add clutter to a website and so wouldn’t work well on an e-Portfolio. So I decided to choose a theme called “Responsive” with a flexible foundation to allow full adaptability to any mobile device.

I have chosen to place all of the modules that relate to Technology Enhanced Learning on this e-Portfolio namely the first module (Teaching and Learning 1-Foundation) the second module (Teaching and Learning 2 – Advanced) and the sixth module (Technology Enhanced Learning) which we are currently undertaking. All of these modules I believe relate to technology enhanced learning in some way or another.

The e-Portfolio contains four main sections and within each of these four sections there are details on tasks undertaken on the course. Each of the headings outlined below have sub drop down menus, which outline the individual tasks assigned.

• Reflective Blog Posts
• Module – 1 – T & L 1 – Foundation
• Module – 2 – T & L 2 – Advanced
• Module – 6 – Technology Enhanced Learning

The website has a banner design to the header designed to outline the intended use of the e-Portfolio. The banner image is 90 pixels high in order to facilitate the navigation bar below so that the entire header section doesn’t take up too much real estate at the top of the
e-Portfolio.

E-Portfolios are a great way to get your students to engage with their own learning and to document what they have learned and undertaken during a course. Maureen Andrade (2013) indicates that as students engage in this process of gathering the information to place in their e-Portfolio they can reflect on the evidence of what they have learned. By doing this they begin to see the bigger picture by making connections with their coursework and the concepts inherent in education. She goes on to add that e-Portfolios allow lecturers to track the learning outcomes of students and give institutions a better understanding about their achievements and the colleges learning goals. I agree that e-Portfolios have a high impact on educational achievement and practice as outlined by Maureen Andrade (2013) in which we can very easily document our students learning progress, (Andrade, 2013).

The Benefits and Challenges of using e-Portfolios with students:

I believe that e-portfolios can really help students develop and manage their learning over a lengthy period of time. This helps them to consolidate what this learning has done for them by simply allowing them to see the learning process by creating a visual representation of this learning through creating an e-Portfolio. The fact that they can create areas to place in coursework or other learning aspects allows students to make a connection between what is being taught and what they are doing with their own learning.

According to Yang, Tai & Lim (2015) e-Portfolios are a form of authentic assessment with formative functions, I agree that this is the case and that this allows students to showcase and share their work. I think the formative nature of e-Portfolios really helps students to understand their learning over a period of time and that it gives them a view point where they can see their own progression in a positive way and I think this is a huge benefit and I have seen this with my own students, (Yang, Tai and Lim, 2015).
As Yang, Tai & Lim (2015) outline productive learning is key and they indicate that e-portfolio assessment supports productive learning as it shows student’s physical progress in coursework. Formative assessment here shows this progress and the outcomes are visable, this therefore encourages students to self monitor and critically reflect on their learning and work. Yang, Tai & Lim (2015) go one to define three characteristics of productive learning, 1 – learning motivation, 2 – the abilities to self manage self reflect and 3 – the ability to engage in peer learning, (Yang, Tai and Lim, 2015).

I do agree with Yang, Tai and Lim (2015) that some of the major challenges in productive learning are the teaching styles encountered by students. They outline that how lecturers actually behave and teach may foster disengagement by students who will actively don’t want to engage with the teachers prescribed learning products but want to foster active learning processes such as getting involved with e-Portfolio generation. However in saying that two of the the major challenges that I have with my students are 1)- the difficulties they encounter in creating or building e-Portfolios. Most need a lot of how to guidence and formative encourgement to get them to fully engage; 2)- students are extremely reluctant to share their e-Portfolio with their peers, due to not wanting their classmates to view their inner most thoughts and reflections outlined on their blogs. The other issue involves only wanting to share their e-Portfolio with me their lecturer due to the possibility of plagiarism, (Yang, Tai and Lim, 2015).