Program - day 1 workshop 4

This workshop is suitable for academics or anyone with an interest in the use of ePortfolios for students, professional development or lifelong learning.

Ian Knox is a lecturer in eBusiness and eMarketing currently on secondment as an eLearning Developer, at the University of Ballarat, Institute of Professional and Organisational Learning. Ian’s current research interests include Communities of Practice, mLearning and the use of ePortfolios for students and in a professional context. Ian is a co-founder of Foliospaces.com.

Steve Pallett is a Learning Technology Officer at the University of Ballarat. He holds a Master Degree in Education and a Bachelor Degree in Engineering. He has a diverse background which includes teaching, quality assurance and technical support. He is an avid lifelong learner and an advocate of open source software, having been a leader in introducing such into school environments. Steve is currently involved in the successful introduction and promotion of portfolio software for reflection, assessment and showcasing of lifelong learning and is a co-founder of Foliospaces.com.

Portfolios have been used for recording evidence and work for many years. The addition of
the "e" in e-portfolio adds significantly to their utility. It adds flexibility and the ease of
sharing; entries can be reused in different presentations for different contexts, they are
accessible from any internet enabled device and different views can be used for entirely
different purposes.

The workshop will include a brief introduction to discuss various types of ePortfolios, and it
will provide examples of the types of information that could be stored or displayed.
Workshop participants will be given the opportunity to start a personal ePortfolio and to
complete a series of exercises to familiarise themselves with the features and technical
functions involved in producing a profile, blogs, artefacts and published 'Views'.

A group activity will also be conducted. Pre-loaded resources will be provided and groups
will complete a virtual presentation, to emulate an assessable task.

Participants are encouraged to register for a free ePortfolio space prior to the workshop at
http://www.foliospaces.com to allow for the best utilisation of time on the day. They are also
encouraged to upload a photo for inclusion in their personal profile, although this is not
essential.

There is no expectation that participants have had any previous experience using ePortfolio
applications. The workshop is designed to be instructive, informative, and fun.

Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC). (2008) Australian ePortfolio Project. ePortfolio use by university students in Australia: Informing excellence in policy and practice. Retrieved March 4, 2009, from http://www.eportfoliopractice.qut.edu.au/information/report/index.jsp

Bransford, J., Brown, A., & Cocking, R. (Eds.) (1999). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

JISC (2008) Effective practice with e-Portfolios supporting 21st century learning. HEFCE, Bristol.

Mănucă, E., Alexandru, A., & Gavrilaş, R. (2009). E-Portfolio implementations and experiences: Didactical functionalities of E-Portfolio in interdisciplinary contexts. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 4(1), 9-12.

Sutherland, S. and Powell, A. (2007) Celtis SIG mailing list discussions [July 2007]