Elizabeth Hartnell-Young is doing some great studies of ePortfolios. She hooked up with us and we are providing some support with phones and software.
Here is a PDF of the transcript of the keynote she gave at the ePortfolio conference in France last October. I wasn't sure if I had mentioned it.
Here are some quotes:
Portfolios, as the name suggests are mobile containers (porter = to carry; portable = movable) for artefacts in a range of media, and while everything ‘m’ is in at present, it is a good time to explore how eportfolios, and their relatives blogs and digital stories, can support learning in a flexible and mobile way.
and on her first work with Lifeblog 1.0 and the Nokia 7610:
My recent research considers how mobile devices can support eportfolio development and digital storytelling. It is based on a handset containing a megapixel camera, up to ten minutes video recording, phone, internet capability, 8MB memory and numerous other features. Some would call it a mobile phone. But there is an added feature that could support rich new ways or learning.
Recognising the importance of collecting evidence on the move (the archive), revisiting the artefacts, reflecting on them individually and holistically, and sharing the important items with others, Nokia came up with the concept of Lifeblog. This software can be used to transfer images, videoclips (up to 10 minutes long) and messages from the handset to a personal computer. These are displayed in chronological order, with the date, to give a story of the day’s activities and messages. This element, the Timeline, is similar to the archive, or collection of artefacts. A second feature of the software is called Favourites, allowing us to drag and drop particular items into another layer, and to transfer them back to the handset for sharing with others. With the software we can also add text notes, send artefacts as email attachments, or delete them completely.
During the past few months, the handset was sent out with ten explorers ranging in age from five years to nearly fifty, and on their return they shared interesting and useful data.
Some participants used the device to collect happy memories for the future: for example, as one woman reflected “I love the capturing… but only for good things. My aunt died and I had no interest in taking pictures of anything around that.” And she deleted the clip of her choir singing “because it sounded shocking but we actually sounded very good”. An eight year old chose to save as a Favourite a video clip of his first ride on a horse “because it was the first time” and “you can keep it all your life”. As he composed his text notes, he explained that he was writing for “people in the family”, indicating his sense of audience.
The father of an autistic child was excited that the mobile device could support social stories, a method described by Gray and White (2002) and used extensively by this family.
Say you’re going on a trip to Sydney and they’ve never been on a trip. They can’t conceptualise it, can’t get over the fact that they’re not going to be in their own bed. You can tell them a hundred times it’s for two days, but they think it’s for ever. So you make them a little social story. It really relieves the stress.
Normally the parents sketch elements of the story and, using the child as the central character, outline the steps involved in going shopping, to the dentist, or on a long trip. With the capacity for ten-minute videoclips, this father saw the device as a ready-made story generator using his child as the actor and the audience.
The handset also went out with building apprentices as a tool for onsite assessment. In fact, tradespeople are early adopters of mobile technologies, so the teacher of building studies saw the potential for the collection of evidence of competence, and digital storage to replace the copious paperwork. One employer used the video feature to capture the house framing completed by his apprentice, narrating as he panned around the site. He preferred the digital device for several reasons. First, it was easy to find. As with most builders, he normally keeps the assessment paperwork in his vehicle to keep it from getting dirty, but his mobile device is always to hand. Secondly, it was easy to use, and thirdly it increased his literacy options. As he was not confident with written English, he felt that making a video clip took the pressure off having to write on paper.
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