[MUSIC] An ePortfolio is an online space, where students can catalogue evidence of their learning. Julie Hughes from the University of Wolverhampton, uses ePortfolios as a way to encourage more reflective learning in her post-graduate education students. This case study exams the benefits of using blogs together with ePortfolios, to improve students communication and collaboration skills, and to help prepare them for professional practice. >> The students were from IPGCA group of a 100 students who were undertaking a post graduate teaching qualification, for the life long learning center in the U.K,. We're particularly looking at the way in which students have used ePortfolios and blogs, for the development of critical reflective practice and collaborative learning. The blog is the space, where you are encouraging conversation. The ePortfolio is the space where you are presenting, yourself for assessment. >> The method of teaching, these courses for years has been that the student creates a file of written information and resources. >> Students would write paper journals, which they would exchange with each other and with me, and we would write back to each other. And so we are always really, really keen to test that, was if the technology could support that sort of dialogue writing. >> You're creating that document online, all throughout the year, so that includes resources, assess lesson plans, your assignments, and also reflective blogging. >> So this is the interface, this is PebblePad. The reflective blog is this following. And so in the first semester they, everything they do they'll put on to that blog and share with their personal tutor. Then in the second semester, we introduce our web folio template to them. I created a template which mirrored exactly the Pebble ePortfolio. And then what I said to my students was now, it's yours to personalise. So, what you'll see here then, is that the students will copy this template, and there's a link here to their core modules, and to their subject specific module, and you'll see this, this is quite linear, these are the components they're required to fulfil. But also, importantly these new teachers are going to export this portfolio, they're going to take it out with them into the workplace. So here this is us giving an indication, when they pull up the professional formation and CPD requirements, this is what they will be required to do. So what we are trying to do, is to, map for them if you like, a career trajectory, that is about reflective practice and engaging, in personal and professional, audit reflection. What teachers say is that, it allows them to have an ongoing monitoring relationship, with the student over time. >> For me, the benefit was, was actually in the quality of the interaction I got from a personal tutor. You get availability particular from the mentor, you get face time, virtual face time, that you couldn't schedule any other way. >> Once you start to get, Electra's feedback for your reflection you start to think a bit deeper about it, and then you've got that constant communication. >> Once you've set up the expectations and the practices. The collaborative learning is phenomenal, and the opportunities for peer learning is, you know, colleagues, staff and students have said, that's been one of the main benefits. >> It was really useful because you, you didn't just get your lecturer's point of view, on her, on her professional level, but you also got advice and ideas from other students. >> I could say learning was different, was, there was something very tangible happening here. That hadn't been happening in the paper journals. We looked at where we had naturally occurring activities, that asked for reflection and actual planning, and we used this there. We support the members of staff to develop the skills, the technical skills, and then we support them in terms of pedagogy, and that happens at the same time, so staff aren't expected to be experts. I'm very keen that if colleagues come into these spaces, they think about the teaching practices and so that's been my approach when I've mentored staff is to walk along side them, team teach with them, model the practices. And then in that way it shows them a way to be if they want to that they can then develop their own style. What I try to do was to create something that mirrored. The Pebble portfolio, so that it felt the same, and it was important that it felt the same so that I had an understanding of what bits went where, and so I think when you've come from a portfolio way of working, colleagues have worked in health or in social work, who are used to portfolio ways of being, the move to online portfolios has been much, much easier. [BLANK_AUDIO] This is a very, very intense nine month course. We don't want it to be that the technology's the cracking point. We want it to be that the technology's enhancing and making the experience better. We have sessions built into the core modules so they will come around once every six weeks, two nights a week, with a tutor and they will practice. >> We were helped to start an account. We were told what this. What this pebble pad functionality was for. >> The reflection that you could do, how you could share blogs with other people, how you can work with feedback, how you can upload music, pictures, video clips. >> We also establish and make very clear about the netiquette of the space, and I establish netiquette as being thinking through your fingers. I've seen staff. Be overly formal, and completely shut down conversations, and students feel they've been shouted at, or they've been, that the fear is driving the conversation more than the conversation. One of the things we've also done is to use, we call them the Pebble Powers and the Blog Bodies. Because they are. Training to be teachers, we can say to them, what if you'd like to be a sort of peer support, a buddy, then we can use that towards your teaching hours. We're the only PGC in the country preparing them for the next stage, where they'll be required to interact with the technology, not in a supportive. Environment they'll be on their own as teachers. >> We've already transferred what we've done in our blog to a different site anyway. So that we can use that through our teaching practice. Because I've enjoyed and learnt so much from the, the reflection and the blogging. I think it'd be a real shame to not continue with it. I think it's critical to remain a reflective practitioner in order to develop as things move on. >> If the discipline is interested and engaged in, an individual's development. And wants to monitor that and track that and support that and give feedback on that ePortfolio ways of being, is a great way to do it. >> I think if you choose the right way and people are shown, and learn how to use it properly, it's a great resource to have. It's like a little, little bag with everything in it. [BLANK_AUDIO]
