Education Investigation

Below is some of the dialogue that I have been entering into regarding the topic of ePortfolios:

• Since identifying my criteria I wanted to see what others thought of it and whether it would stand up against international perspectives. So I uploaded it to Helen Barrett’s Google discussion group “Researching Lifelong ePortfolios and Web 2.0″ (You will need to sign up to view the discussion.) It was great to see others share their research and viewpoints. The discussion became very ‘busy’ when the principle of “interoperability“, standards and views were expanded on. It was interesting to note that during the discussion, Helen Barrett believes the product I am looking for doesn’t exist:

• Nick Rate visited our school last week and shared his research. It was a great chance for my colleagues and computer technicians to see some ePortfolios in action and to hear the benefits they offer when they are used as an assessment tool for learning. Nick answered my questions regarding Wordpress MU and at this stage I find myself moving towards a commercial product as it seems it is the only way most of my criteria is going to be met.

• Over the last few days Ray Tolley has been introducing me to eFolio’s demonstration beta product xFolio. I am currently still exploring xFolio so will report on it later.

• On the 10th of February 2009 it was great to see the Ministry of Eduction here in New Zealand identify their “Learning Mangement System Development Partners” on the Google “MLE Reference Group”. The successful vendors are;
  1. Edtech with the “Ultranet” LMS
  2. Editure with “MyClasses”
  3. Catalyst with “Moodle”
  4. Dataview with “The KnowledgeNet”
  5. Spike@School with “Learning Caves”

So what is my next step?

1. Have a closer look at the LMS Development Partners the NZ MOE has established. Could one of these options meet the criteria? It certainly would be foolish not to seriously consider one of these options as the MOE are financially supporting the development of these LMS products.
2. Explore more of xFolio.
3. Review my criteria and rank them in order from “Must have” to “Could do without”.
4. Present my findings and recommendations to my School Management Team for their guidance and approval.

Picture Author:
Dialogue = http://www.nonformality.org/index.php/2007/02/questioning-intercultural-dialogue