Folio thinking
As a graduate student with specific professional goals in mind for the degree I am pursuing, I believe it would be more meaningful to use folio thinking to demonstrate my achievements and knowledge foundation. The classes I have taken and am taking are all designed to help the student practically apply the skills toward the goals they are working to. Therefore, the knowledge in context that I have learned is aligned with my own motivation and direction. Indeed, this is also the method I would prefer to use to demonstrate what I have learned. I am taking this courses with my own goals in mind and my own goals and context are what motivate me to use this knowledge. I also believe that it is beneficial for the instructors and department heads to understand how students are using this knowledge so that they can adapt their presentations. There may be unexpected ways in which students are using this knowledge that the professors may not have encountered before.
Technology affordances
I believe electronic portfolios have the benefit of being fluid over physical portfolios. A physical portfolio must be presented as a finished product. Though you could add to your portfolio over time. The eportfolio can be edited and adjusted more easily as the owner needs. I tested wikis, websites (Wix), and PebblePad (an ePortfolio vendor). My preference for ePortfolios is websites, but for the purpose of this post, I’m going to focus specifically on wikis later on. Wikis have the benefit of not only being an assemblage, but also collaborative. They aren’t particularly customizable and I don’t know many professionals who would look through a wiki and think it was modern. ePortfolio vendors like PebblePad have the benefit of data tracking for the Universities they partner with and are highly customizable, but only for the people given permission to utilize that system. Websites are both customizable and usable in the professional world - the preferred choice of companies for evaluating the work of a potential hire. I appreciate that Wix has the benefit of a built in blog section, but also a separate portfolio area, as well as, analytics and the ability to either use a built in theme or customize yourself. This is the clear winner for me.
If I were a teacher, I think it would depend on context whether I would use wikis or websites. I recall using wikis in my German classes in college and one benefit that wikis have over websites is the ability to collaborate among your peers. Depending on the learning goals and outcomes, the collaborative nature of the wiki might be preferred at least for some instructional methods over the website. A website certainly has more longevity and applications than a wiki. I also believe there is the option to learn more tech knowledge (coding - CSS or HTML) with a website. A social constructivist approach aligns better with wikis due to the collaborative nature, yet a liberationist or constructivist approach would be best served with websites.
Examples of student work:
For the wiki as a collection of work on a theme:
Content: Some learning objectives for using the wiki as a collection of student work would be 1. The student will describe and explain through essay format their chosen topic history and current context. 2. The student will connect this theme with their previous work and reflect on how they researched and prioritized information.
Pedagogy: I believe this to be an integrative approach, because the student must research and write on their chosen topic, however, they must also reflect on their process.
Technology: The wiki will be able to both showcase the work (product) and the reflection on the work to maximize the self-awareness demonstrated in the eportfolio format. This works well as a formative and summative assessment since the learner can build the wiki throughout the course.
For the wiki as a medium for collaboration
Content: Some learning objectives for using the wiki as a collaborative assignment would be 1. The student will appraise the work and input of their peer group and 2. The student will modify and develop the information and writing within the group’s assignment/topic.
Pedagogy: This is a collaborative approach - all learners in the group are contributing to the learners of others.
Technology: The wiki format allows the students to modify and provide feedback within the tool. This also allows the teacher to observe the collaborative process which is not always available in other group assignments. The instructor can clearly identify within the wiki who has made contributions and who hasn’t.
Below I’ve linked a video to help explain wikis and the possibilities with using them in the classroom from CAS TV’s channel. Enjoy!
Comentarios