2009 Canadian e-Learning Conference Program

Choosing an e-Portfolio Tool: Wading Through a Sea of Choices

Session Title: Choosing an e-Portfolio Tool: Wading Through a Sea of Choices

Time & Date: 2:00 P.M. – 2:55 P.M., Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Location: Rm. 155, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre (IKBLC)

Session Description: In the spring of 2008, a group of instructors from the Department of Secondary Education at the University of Alberta expressed interest in piloting the use of an e-Portfolio tool within their fourth-year teacher-preparation classes. At this point the Faculty of Education’s Technology Professional Development unit (Tech PD) was tasked with selecting an e-Portfolio tool.

This presentation will focus on the process used by Tech PD to evaluate various e-Portfolio tools. The process began with analyzing how the instructors wanted to use an e-Portfolio, using three distinct spectra of e-Portfolio purposes. Next, a broad comparison table of seven tools was constructed. This comparison included specific e-Portfolio tools, as well as broader web tools that can be used to construct e-Portfolios. The list was then narrowed to two tools: Mahara, an e-Portfolio-specific tool, and WordPress, a blog platform.

The final phase was to assemble a “sample student” and construct a sample e-Portfolio within each of the two tools. Detailed comparisons of both the end products as well as anecdotal feedback regarding the process of creating the sample e-Portfolios were used.

This presentation will be very visual and participatory, focusing mainly on the experience of creating the sample e-Portfolios during the third phase of the evaluation. The presentation will conclude with a look at some example student e-Portfolios and some preliminary survey data collected from the January 2009 pilot.

This presentation is based on a series of detailed blog posts at http://edtechpd.blogspot.com/search/label/ePortfolios.

Conference Stream: Learning & Teaching

Session Format: Paper Jam

Presenter: Jeff Warner

Presenter Bio: Jeff is an employee and M.Ed. candidate in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta. He delivers workshops and consults with instructors on integrating technology into teaching.

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