Feedback from audiences

The flow of information due to the use of blogs as portfolios is two fold. This means that the owner can receive and give information to any of the given audiences. This is done by the posts made by the individual and the comments made about the posts from the various audiences.

The comment function is possibly the most important function of the use of blogs for portfolios because the owner is able to receive feedback from a vast range of audiences, whereas with an 'old' portfolio the comments are restricted to the teacher and the parent (or other caregiver). This means that the owner is more exposed to feedback (and other forms of assessment) and therefore their learning grows. They will also put more effort into the presentation of the work as it will be shown to many more audiences.

Why use e-portfolios instead of portfolios?

This is a very important question to ask. What makes an online portfolio better than an 'old' portfolio? The old form of portfolio is the clear file each student has that contains their 'best work' that they can take home at the end of the term to show their parents and they make a comment on their work.

One would expect those who are confident with ICT and its use in the classroom to be for the use of e-portfolios. Yet one other group of people who would push its use would be those who host blogging sites, or own applications such as moodle or cecil that schools buy to use for such reasons.

Handwriting vs word publishing is something that needs to be considered. Whether parents want to see their children's work in hard copy, or whether they are happy to see their work word published. Through the use of e-portfolios handwriting can be included. hand written stories can be scanned and added to the blog if that is what is desired.

One medium, or a variety of media? Through the use of e-portfolios children can use a variety of media to display their developing knowledge. They can scan or take photos of art work they have done, models they have made or them working within groups. But through the use of an e-portfolio they can also include videos of them working, movies they have made themselves, slide shows, and other varieties of such media. This enables all children to show their understanding in a way that suits them, rather than all having to hand write a story 'in their best hand writing'.

Usage

Not only can students use blogs as portfolios within the school year, they can also use them once they have left school completely.

Due to the increase in the use of the internet for getting jobs, employers are using e-portfolios to see the development of the prospective employees understanding in various contexts. This way they can access this information from any where.

Students are able to apply to college or to businesses showing these complete examples of their work; something much richer than what would be shown in their CV. It is also a way of seeing the development of the individual, and whether they act upon feedback given in the comments, or whether they continue to make the same mistakes. This could be something that sets one person apart from the rest, so can be very beneficial for the owner.

This video shows the perspectives of various students who have used portfolios to track their learning and how they will be used in their future.

Blogs vs ePortfolio

Various other bloggers have looked at the difference (if any) of blogs to ePortfolios and which one is of more use. Yet my argument would be that could you not use a blog to create an ePortfolio? This way each of the elements you like about each can be used. Comments can be moderated by the user of the portfolio and all additions to the portfolio would be date stamped, and accessible to anyone. This would mean that the user could share their portfolio with family and friends any where in the world, and they could leave comments about their work.

I am not the only one who has considered this idea. As described here, the purpose of a portfolio that is online is for the user to be able to share their learning. This can come in the form of their work, and also the reflection of the process they took.

Blogs to increase scores

The use of blogs to record children's development and growing understanding of specific contexts is an important element to consider. It is thought that the use of blogs by students helps them to increase their achievement levels in various areas. Within a maths context it is considered very important as it encourages children to think about how they came to their answer and to develop the skill of explaining the process they have gone through. This links clearly to the numeracy project which has an increasing presence in New Zealand schools. Encouraging children to think about the process can only have positive outcomes for the children.

Having this growing knowledge documented online enables children to go back over their years at school to see how they, and their understandings, have grown.

Portfolios

The use of portfolios is a fairly new concept within schools. All children have a folder where their best work is kept so that they can show their parents at the end of the term.

Through the use of ICT there can be a new way to create portfolios of children's learning. If children are guided through school using blogs, then their learning can be displayed on the internet for them to show any of their family. This means it is not restricted to simply the classroom, and is something they can access even when they have left school.