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I’ve learned about a learning model that works well with both my content, my style, and my personality, Challenge Based Learning (https://cbl.digitalpromise.org). It is a natural fit. It also has a lot in common with CSLE+COVA. (Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, & Cummings, Choice, Ownership, and Voice through Authentic Learning, 2018) Both are cut from the same cloth. They are both about giving learners the room to grown and learn. At the heart, the learners are the one’s responsible for learning.
I started like so many other teachers by building on the way I was taught. I quickly grew to hate that. I wanted challenges. I wanted more than just compliant kids who spat facts back at me. I started down the road that led me here to where I am today. Our projects are intended for other people. In fact, I only review them to help students complete quality work that their clients want. The actual end user is someone else. These projects are intended to have a life beyond the classroom. Looking at what will help move education forward. You could call this my manifesto. As I completely change things in my classroom, how I handle ePortfolios is getting changed as well. I still have a lot of questions, but I know that things need to change. There’s no better time than the present, so here goes.
My students have asked me how they need to set up their portfolio and what needs to be in it. Up to now, I have said they can set it up the way how they like. The goal is that they show their progress in learning and that they eventually master the standards for the course. The way it looks will reflect their own personal thoughts and feelings. All of the readings this week gave me a lot of pause. I kept stopping and reflecting on my experiences with ePortfolios in class. As I mentioned before, I have had a lot of ups and downs with them in class. It never really stuck. In all honesty, they were something the kids endured until it was over.
The concept of CSLE+ COVA (Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, & Cummings, 2018) in the reading has been very helpful. They are things I have danced around, played with, tried out and worked with for years. The problem was that the things I was doing was taken from all of the things I had learned and seen, but not with a clear strategy. That has changed this year. Part of it was out of necessity. Part of it is really lucky timing. I tend to be pulled from class a lot for a variety of things. A lecture based format just doesn't work in my class. I have to be there to lecture and lead learning. This year, I gave up even more control than ever before. I did so from day 1, twelve days before our 5303 course started. I know that ePortfolios will play a large role in their success this year. I've was struggling with getting the students to employ methods that helped them move past "enduring" portfolios. As I reflect on the events of today in class in light of recent passages from the book Choice, Ownership, and Voice through Authentic Learning (Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, & Cummings, 2018), I am struck by my students’ reaction to this journey. They are very willing to take it with me. They are admittedly nervous about it. So am I. This is new for all us. The great thing is that they have faith that I am doing things with their best interest in mind. Additionally, they “feel” that it is better for them. Hard to argue with that.
Let me back up. I am talking about giving my students the power to tell me what to put in the gradebook, what grade to give them, and what evidence they will give (and in what form) to support the grade. The stipulations are that each student must complete the challenges laid out, and each student must have documented evidence of mastery of the course standards. Everyone has to complete the work, not some or most… All. I’ve been working on giving a clear path for my students as we embark. I’m intentionally only giving them one thing to tackle at a time. There are demands the school is placing on me with respect to grades. We have 3 required categories and minimum numbers of grades that must go in. For now, I am leaving categories out of the mix for the students. They have enough on their plate with figuring out the challenges, the grades, and the standards. Eventually, I will turn that over to them as well. In essence, I am working more like a mentor and coach and not a facilitator. Definitely, not a presenter of information. This is straight out of chapter 3 (Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, & Cummings, 2018). My next steps will be in working with them to use their portfolios more effectively than just a repository. But, all things in due time. We have all year. There’s really no rush to get that up and running yet. I like the excitement they have. Works Cited Harapnuik, D., Thibodeaux, T., & Cummings, C. (2018). Choice, Ownership, and Voice through Authentic Learning.
I put together a little bit about the online learning communities (or PLNs) I am a part of. I draw a lot of encouragement, learning, and inspiration from these PLNs. They are a place for me to both "consume" information for my own edification and a way for me to share with others who might be able to learn from me as well.
For more information, check out the Social Media Connections page. LearningCommunity from Mike Yakubovsky on Vimeo. In my experiences, I’ve seen the use of portfolios is class be a lot like group work. It sounds good, innovative, and student focused. Too often, it just ends up being a cute idea that is done poorly, doesn’t lead to deeper learning, and is quickly forgotten about.
I have never liked this approach. Unfortunately, I’ve been guilty of it myself. I could tell in the middle of it that I was missing something, and things were not really getting to the point of bringing about a better learning environment. I could never really get a grasp of it and would put it off until I thought I had learned more. Two things have really created a change for me in the last twelve months. First, was our district committee working on starting a K-12 portfolio program. Though my work on this committee, I got a real good opportunity to look at so many other portfolios, research, and talk with other people who were looking for the same thing. I had turned the corner. The second has been this program. These have really given me the tools to move from portfolios as a collection of work and into a learning tool. In the web article, Why Use an ePortfolio, Dr. Harapnuik points out very clearly about learners using portfolios to demonstrate their learning journey and not just a snapshot of the destination. (Harapnuik, n.d.) For an ePortfolio to really be a way to assess learning, students must truly own the process. This sparked an inspiration for me in my class. I have been turning more and more of my class over to my learners each year. This year, I pretty much gave them full control. They are telling me how to grade things, what will go in the gradebook, and when things will be due. To that end, they are also responsible for clearly demonstrating that they have mastered the standards of the course. My students and I have agreed that they are going to use their portfolios to demonstrate this mastery. I’ll be honest. It’s a bit nerve-wracking. I have no idea how things will turn out. We had a conversation today about one of the standards. The students asked me if I had a document that gave a clear definition of it so they knew what to give me in return. I told them that I didn’t have one. Even if I did, I wouldn’t give it to them because I want them to research it and figure it out. Go to Google. I continued by telling them that I would help them evaluate what they find. I have no idea exactly what the next step is. We have agreed to a clearly defined goal for the end of the year. At the same time, they are determining the path. As we move through this uncharted territory, we all know that their portfolios will be key to demonstrating mastery. We have also begun to see that it will be helpful for them to manage the process. They have already started adding in some of their own reflections. There is a team of students that are going to take the lead in guiding the rest of the class through building their portfolios. Reflections of learning is next on my mind for getting them to the higher levels of mastery. So, begging the question… what do you think I need to look out for, or do next, or… ? I’m in totally new territory here. Any advice? Works CitedBarnstable, K. (2010, January 8). 41 Benefits of an ePortfolio. Retrieved from Stable Transitions: https://kbarnstable.wordpress.com/2010/01/08/41-benefits-of-an-eportfolio/ Barrett, H., & Richter, J. (n.d.). Why Reflect?Retrieved September 2018, from Reflection4Learning: https://sites.google.com/site/reflection4learning/why-reflect Harapnuik, W. (n.d.). Why Use an Eportfolio. Retrieved September 2018, from It's About Learning: http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6063 I have done a short self assessment of my leadership in education. This is a short synopsis of where I am, where I have been, and where I hope to go. For the sake of time, I focuses on the impacts I have had and the impacts I hope to have in the future. -
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About 5303This course is the second in the Masters of Education in Digital Leading and Learning at Lamar University. The focus of the course in developing and learning about ePortfolios in education. ArchivesCategories
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