Practical session: using the ePortfolio software to:

• Create ePortfolio profile entries including:
  • insert new pages
  • insert and edit text
  • insert digital images
  • insert linkages
• add your Action Plan (from Session ??) to your ePortfolio

Note to Teachers or Trainers the following guide to undertaking these activities is for the Elgg (MAHARA ??)system. However we will add guides for other ePortfolios systems in the future. NB If this is a face to face session you may decide not to go through all the different functions explained here but rather to let learners use the on-line materials in their own time. However for the sake of this module it is important that participants create their own profile and learn how to make a basic blog entry.

1. Logging in
2. Populating your profile – using similar interests for the demonstration
3. Introductory blog post
4. Making some connections – the friends mechanism
5. Creating access controls
6. Ad-hoc communities
7. Pulling in external content – flickr, delicious etc
8. Advanced

• Podcasting
• Using third party clients to post to Elgg
• Mobile devices

• RESOURCE LINK - KeyPal UserGuide [1]

The value of reflection in learning - how can we use ePortfolios to support reflection

Task 1

Hopes and fears and expectations- Our learning expectations.

• • Create a new entry in your ePortfolio.
  • Enter a short description on this page that explains what you expect from this course.
  • explain What are your hopes? and What are your fears?

• Read each others entries

• Discussion:
  • how do our hopes and fears differ from those of young learners?
  • Does a socially disadvantaged background effect our attitudes to learning?
  • If so how and what can be done to change this?

• Write a short e-Portfolio entry on your ePortfolio about what you thought were the most important things raised in this discussion.

Task 2

Read this short text and consider the questions below

For face to face course: Questions and discussion. On-line course: please answer in your e-Portfolio

• What processes do you use for reflecting on learning?
• Who do you share your learning with and why?
• What processes can help support reflection?
• What are the barriers to reflection?

Read this short text and consider the questions below

For face to face course: Questions and discussion. On-line course: please answer in your e-Portfolio

• What processes do you use for reflecting on learning?
• Who do you share your learning with and why?
• What processes can help support reflection?
• What are the barriers to reflection?

John Pallister is a teacher who is using e-Portfolios with his students. he has written about the issue of facilitating reflection. Read his [http://mosep.elggspaces.com/jpallister/weblog/38.html