Pre-Test in Wolsingham

Welcome to the Pre-Test in Wolsingham

Activity 1: Set up your own ePortfolio

Mahara is a web-based, open source portfolio System, that allows users to individually fill and structure their portfolio artefacts. There are a few things to "know" before getting started:

• There are no "roles" in Mahara: every user has the same rights and can arrange his/her artefacts and his/community according to their preferences.
• All artefacts are by default "sealed" and not visible for others. They become visible for 3rd party only by adding them to a "VIEW"
• The different sections can be shortly described as:
  • HOME: Go back to your main entrance window
  • MY BLOGS: You can set up as many Weblogs as you like. It is recommendable to set up Blogs for each subject. (Note: they are all invidible for others, unless you add them into a VIEW!)
  • MY FILES: You can store your files (UPLOAD FILE) on the system and organise them by adding an individual folder structure (ADD FOLDER). If you upload files you can add descriptions and tags (keywords).
  • MY PROFILE: You can add additional information about yourself by filling in the appropriate forms
  • MY RESUMEE: You can fill in your employment history, your education history and your publications in your Resumee. Additionally (e.g. for PDP-purposes) you can add YOUR SKILLS and YOUR GOALS, divided in PERSONAL, ACADEMIC and CAREER SKILLS and GOALS.
  • MY CONTACTS: You can develop/set up your own communities and networks here, join existing communities and organise your friends in groups. This helps you to give access to your tutors and peers in the section VIEWS.
  • MY VIEWS: VIEWS are template based presentations, which allow you to pick your artefacts from the "ARTEFACT TREE" and add the to the presentation. In the section EDIT ACCESS you can give the right to view these VIEWS to certian people, groups and communities for a certain time
  • MY ACCOUNT: manage your account details here

Activity

For the first step, please set up your own ePortfolio account, using the ePortfolios System called Mahara. Step 1: Go to the website: http://ttt-toolbox.salzburgresearch.at/mahara Step 2: Register and set up you account Step 3: Log on to the System an fill in your "PROFILE" Page, and have a look at the different variations of "MY RESUMEE" Step 4: Create a new BLOG Step 5: Reflect on yesterdays session and write a blog entry about your experience.

Activity 2: Developing a learning plan

There are several characteristics for a "good" learning plan, which consists of certain learning goals. A learning plan consists of:

• A learning goal - where you want to get to in a long term
  • Targets - short term challenges to help you to meet your goals
  • Action points - to help you to reach your targets
  • Support/Resources - to be used
  • Deadline - for completion
  • Revised target - agreed with your teacher/tutor

Learning goals should

• match the learner's interest,
• comply with requirements of a curricula
• be measurable (which means, it should be clear, when and if the goal is achieved)
• be realistic for the learner (matching his preknowledge, learning possiblities, time span)
• last not least a motivating, challenging goals.

Activity

Set up a specific personal learning goal for your professional development as a teacher Write down your learning goal in the section MY RESUMEE - MY ACADEMIC GOALS

Activity 3: Selection and connection of artefacts

An ePortfolio is a structured collection of reflected artefacts, which show your competencies. They should be connected to each other when they are stored and they should be connected to your individual learning goals. Explore this Sample ePortfolio http://chub.uwsuper.edu/Sample/

Activity

Discuss in pairs: when and how often an ePortfolio should be updated Make a justified choice on how to choose content, that shows a certain competecy Write a blog entry about your discussion outcomes (e.g. a list of key factors, that are necessary to proof a certain competence)

Activity 4: Reflection

The questions 'What?, So what? and Now what?' can stimulate reflection from novice to advanced levels. It is possible to use the model simply at the descriptive level for level 1 reflection. The arrows at the top of the diagram indicate a sequential and cyclical order to the framework.

There are 3 stages of the framework development: 1. Firstly the practitioner reflects on the situation in order to describe it. 2. The second phase encourages the practitioner to construct personal theory and knowledge about the situation in order to learn from it. 3. At the third level the practitioner reflects on action and considers ways of improving the situation and reflects on the consequences of his/her actions.

Some guiding questions for refelction on a learning process:

• What was the setting in which the ePortfolio was taught?
• What were the intended learning outcomes?
• What were the essential strengths and weaknesses?
• What specifically might have been changed to improve the learning outcomes?
• What were the unintended and unanticipated learning outcomes?
• What factors negatively or positively affected the success?
• What specifically was learned as a result of developing, planning and teaching?

Activity

Framework for reflective practice - practical exercise Step 1: Brief input on the concept of Framework for reflective practice - see above! Step 2: Individual exercise - How to carry out reflection each participant is given a supporting template hand-out and a sample situation to be analysed everyone should answer the questions in the template forming groups of 2 persons - peer reflection presentation in plemary of key conclusion - different interpretations, reasons, etc

Activity 5: Assessment

The assessment of ePortfolios is a special form of e-assessment: As a computer-assisted assessment it refers to a practice that relies in part on computers (JISC 2007, p.6).

Accoring to JISC (2007, p. 6) assessment may be used at each of the three stages at which a learner's attainment and progress come under review:

• diagnostic assessment of a learner's knowledge and skills at the outset of a course.
• formative assessment that provides developmental feedback to a learner on his or her current understanding and skills. Formative assessment can also be described as assessment for learning since an assessment that is entered into voluntarily, and on which no final qualification depends, can prompt learners to adjust their own performance.
• summative assessment is the final assessment of a learner's achievement, usually leading to a formal qualification or certification of a skill or competence. Summative assessment is also referred to as assessment of learning.

The popular techniques for assessment and their brief description

Journal- shared account of a person’s actions, thoughts and feelings written by the person himself or herself, usually on a daily basis.

Diary- private account of a person’s actions, thoughts and feelings written by the person himself or herself, usually on a daily basis.

Verbal Report- account given by individuals of their thought processes, feelings, ideas etc.

Questionnaire- form on which there is a set of questions to be answered by a number of people so that information about those people which is of interest to the researcher can be collected.

Checklist- a list of items to be checked by a person.

Self-rating forms- persons’ critical rating of their own work.

Self reports- persons’ report on their own work.

Field-notes- written comments made in the process of professional action.

Interview- conversation or meeting intended to gather certain information.

Case Study- an in-dept study of one particular student, teacher, class, school etc.

Observation- process of watching or listening to professional action either while it is happening, or from a recorded sequence.

General criteria for a good ePortfolio

Assignment

Students sitting a final exam at the University of Vienna. (Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Test_%28student_assessment%29.jpeg, released under Public Domain) Discuss your last assessment: What was the purpose of your assessment? How did you assess? What did you measure and assess? How does your assessment fit to the learning goals/curricula? How did the form and content of assessment influenced the learning habits of your students?