Digital Portfolio as a strategy for teachers professional development

Potential of ICT tools for graduate students portfolios: examples of differente kind of products and competencies achieved
Fernando Albuquerque Costa & Joana Viana Faculty of Psychology and Sciences of Education UNIVERSITY OF LISBON

Introduction
The use of portfolios in education is increasingly common and is considered a powerful mean at the service of renewal of educational practices, in respect to teachers (Cardoso, Peixoto, Serrano and Moreira, 1996), if understood as a metacognitive and reflective strategy about teaching about them (Galvo, 2005).

The diversity and potential of digital technologies that are at our disposal, today, let us try and develop new forms of organization, communication, access and building the knowledge, individually and in group.

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Digital Portfolio as a strategy for teachers professional development

From the articulation of these two scenarios, it becomes an added value the mobilisation of digital technologies we have access to the development of digital portfolios of students and teachers.

Taking as their starting point the analysis and evaluation grid of technologies, based on their educational and pedagogical potentialities for the development of electronic portfolios, proposed by Costa, Cruz and Ferreira (2006) (based on the model adapted from Laurillard, 1993), was developed this work, with the aim of providing examples of technologies that can be used in the development of portfolios and their potential from the education point of view.

Ultimately, the work seeks to lay tracks and contribute to the preparation and clarification of teachers on the development of digital portfolios and how you can take advantage of them, in educational practices.

This article is organized into three points: 1) starting point and methodology - which is presented the work with students in
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Digital Portfolio as a strategy for teachers professional development

higher education, 2) potential of social tools in the development of electronic portfolios - description and analysis of the educational potential of social tools in general and each one in particular; 3) final considerations - the main results and reflection on them.

1. Starting point and methodology

In a subject area of Educational Technology, the Science of Education degree, at the University of Lisbon, was proposed to students develop a learning project, based on the use of tools generally know as "social software" (Wiley, Martindale, 2004): weblogs, wikis, online communities (Hi5, MySpace), podcasts, tools for sharing (YouTube, TeacherTube, SlideShare, Flickr).

The proposed work to students organized in two phases. In the first, students had to study the characteristics of a "social software" toolls and their educational and pedagogical

potentialities, according to the analysis and evaluation grid1, with

Analysis and evaluation grid of ICT educational and pedagogical potentialilies

related to the type of strategies and specific objectives of the development of portfolios proposed by Costa, Cruz and Ferreira (2006).

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Digital Portfolio as a strategy for teachers professional development

the aim of identifying the educational potential of each tool when used in educational context.

In the second, students had to use the tool they had studied, developing a theme chosen by them, with the aim of putting into practice the potentialities that they had identified in each tool, in order to develop, promote and stimulate learning.

Despite the proposed work to pupils was not, initially, from the perspective of developing digital portfolios, during its realization that situation was emerging, leading us to believe that projects developed are electronic portfolios.

Thus comes from the analysis presented here, the pedagogical potential of the social tools according to the type of strategies and with the specific objectives of building portfolios. In the first, it presented a comprehensive analysis of each tool that articulates each social tool studied with each type of strategy for teaching and learning (preferably used to achieve objectives inherent in the development of portfolios).

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Digital Portfolio as a strategy for teachers professional development

Secondly, it examined the educational potential of each social tool in function of the four strategies and specific objectives. To illustrate the educational potential of each one are presented at the end of this article, in the annex, some examples of projects developed by students.

2. Potential of social tools in the development of electronic portfolios

Through the analysis and evaluation of the pedagogical potentialities of social tools, students identified and understood the strategies of teaching and learning that can be considered in their analysis. They have developed skills and competences described as corresponding to the main dimensions or focus of the learning objectives associated with the construction of electronic portfolios (Costa, Cruz & Ferreira, 2006): discursve strategy (communication, selection); participation); Interactive adaptative strategy

(evolution,

strategy

(motivation,

visualisation); reflective strategy (reflection, structure).

In table 1 it is possible to analyze all kinds of strategies that are present in the five types of social tools studied by students.
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Digital Portfolio as a strategy for teachers professional development

However, the symbols (+) represent the social tools where the specific objectives of each strategy are more representative. The tools for more easily achieve the learning objectives associated to the building of electronic portfolios.

Weblogs Wikis

Online communities

Podcast Sharing s tools

Discursive Strategy Adaptive Strategy Interactive Strategy Reflective Strategy

Table 1 - Type of strategies and specific objectives portfolios building present in each social tool.

The construction of table 1 resulted from the analysis of projects developed by students in each tool of social software, and the
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Digital Portfolio as a strategy for teachers professional development

identification of the educational potential of each tool, according to the objectives and type of strategies that could be developed by the students.

The analysis of the educational potential of each social tool will be presented below and examples of projects developed by students on each social tool can be found at the end of the article, in annexe.

2.1 Educational potential of weblogs and competencies achieved

According to the analysis presented in Table 1, the weblogs have strong educational and pedagogical potentialities, because the four basic strategies in the construction of portfolios are promoted and developed through the use of this social tool.

Weblogs allows communication among several participants; promote interaction and collaboration and in weblogs ideas can be expressed about the learning process. This way, we can say that in weblogs, the discursive strategy is present and this is developed.

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Digital Portfolio as a strategy for teachers professional development

The adaptative strategy is present because in weblogs students can register the learning process, difficulties and personal reflections. It highlights the efforts and progress in the acquisition of knowledge and skills.

Weblogs allows sharing opinions and getting feedback, through comments. Is possible to develop autonomy, it allows the management of individual learning, and the ideas to be represented in several formats: text, pictures, sound, video (interactive strategy).

Weblogs allows structuring the procedures of teaching and learning, and students self-reflection: acquisitions, difficulties, barriers, strategies (reflective strategy).

2.2 Educational potential of wikis and competencies achieved

As the weblogs, wikis are also the powerful tools of pedagogical point of view, especially when used in the development of digital portfolios.

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Digital Portfolio as a strategy for teachers professional development

The wikis promote communication, interaction and collaboration among several participants; allows sharing and knowledge exchange; and it is obviously the active participation in building the collective knowledge (discursive strategy).

The adaptative strategy is present because in wikis students can register personal knowledge on a particular topic and highlight the efforts and progress in the acquisition of knowledge and skills.

With participation in wikis, students can develop autonomy and management of individual learning; getting feedback (through comments); and they are involved in the learning process. The ideas are represented in several formats like in weblogs: text, pictures, sound, video. These are key features of interactive strategy.

According to the reflective strategy, wikis allows students selfreflection: acquisitions, difficulties, barriers, strategies; allows critical thinking and promote different ways to structure and organize our thinking.
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Digital Portfolio as a strategy for teachers professional development

2.3 Educational potential of online communities and competencies achieved

Students had development projects in online communities like Hi5 and MySpace. The reflective strategy is not very clear or obvious in the online communities studied, as are the other strategies, however can be developed in such tools.

Online

communities

like

Hi5

and

MySpace

allows

communication and interaction among several participants, through the forum and the blog; and promote the creation of a network of relationships (discursive strategy).

The online communities allow creating learning activities in accordance with the interests of students, and shows the involvement and commitment of students in the learning process (adaptative strategy).

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Digital Portfolio as a strategy for teachers professional development

According the interactive strategy, online communities (Hi5, MySpace, among others) allows to the students getting feedback (through the forum and comments on the blog); and the ideas to be represented in several formats: text, pictures, sound, and video.

The online communities offer different ways to structure and organize our thinking: through the forum or the blog, through the pictures, the videos or the text produced. Thus, the reflective strategy can be developed.

2.4 Educational potential of podcasts and competencies achieved

In podcasts, as in online communities, the reflective strategy is not very clear or obvious as are the other strategies, however can be developed in such tools. The same way, the discursive strategy is not promoted instantly in podcasts.

However, the podcasts are and allows new ways of teaching and learning. The podcasts are different forms of communication

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Digital Portfolio as a strategy for teachers professional development

between students and teachers, and between studentes and students (discursive strategy).

The adaptative strategy is presente because in podcasts it is possible to create learning activities in accordance with the interests of students.

Podcasts allows students getting feedback, through comments on the podcast website, allows the management of individual learning, and the ideas to be represented in several formats: sound, video, pictures (Interactive Strategy).

In the reflective strategy, podcasts just allows structuring the procedures of teaching and learning.

2.5 Educational potential of sharing tools and competencies achieved

Students had development projects in sharing tools like YouTube, TeacherTube, SlideShare and Flickr. The discursive strategy and reflective strategy are not very clear or obvious in the

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Digital Portfolio as a strategy for teachers professional development

developed projects, as are the other strategies, however can be developed in such tools.

The sharing tools studied are and allows new ways of teaching and learning: it is possible to share pictures, videos,

presentations or slides. Thus, it promoted the creation of a network of relationships (discursive strategy).

The adaptative strategy is presente because in sharing tools it is possible to create learning activities in accordance with the interests of students and diversified activities. Students can register the personal knowledge on a particular topic, through the videos in YouTube or in TeacherTube, pictures in Flickr, but especially through the presentations in SlideShare.

Sharing

tools

allows

students

getting

feedback,

through

comments on the videos, on the pictures or on the presentations; allows the management of individual learning, and the ideas to be represented in several formats: sound, video, pictures (Interactive Strategy).

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Digital Portfolio as a strategy for teachers professional development

In the reflective strategy, sharing tools allows structuring the procedures of teaching and learning and offer different ways to structure and organize our thinking.

3. Final considerations
After review of the educational potential of each social tool and through analysis of the table 1, it appears that the online communities (Hi5, MySpace), podcasts and sharing tools (YouTube, TeacherTube, SlideShare and Flickr) have less potential as regards the development reflective strategy and specific objectives of portfolios building. In turn, the discursive strategy is less evident in projects that use the podcasts or the sharing tools (YouTube, TeacherTube, SlideShare and Flickr).

In summary, the weblogs and wikis are the tools with the most potential social teaching when used in the development of digital portfolios.

The projects created by students and their development process make clear that students have developed competences and skills, such as autonomy, learning self-regulation, reflection, discussion
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Digital Portfolio as a strategy for teachers professional development

and ideas exchange, collaboration, selection and organization of information. Competences and skills which correspond to the main dimensions or focus of the learning objectives associated with the construction of electronic portfolios.

Thus, the tools of social software, easily accessible today, are important resources in the construction of portfolios, with enormous educational and pedagogical potential. In addition, technologies are usually used by students with personal objectives and in differente contexts of the school.

It is therefore essential that teachers enjoy the technologies in order to innovate and improve its education, developing portfolios as a strategy for stimulating reflection on their educational practices and curriculum innovation.

The development of portfolios implies a greater awareness of each student on what he is learning and how he is learning, referring to the teacher a role of vital importance in the management of the process and in the effective support to the

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individual learning. It was thus that the work presented here was developed with the students.

Students were responsible for their own processes of learning. In turn, teacher became the coordinator of the development processes and activities, mediator and facilitator of learning, reflecting together with students on the way forward, resources and procedures required to the acquisition of the expected knowledge.

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Digital Portfolio as a strategy for teachers professional development

References
Cardoso, A.; Peixoto, A.; Serrano, M. C. e Moreira, P. (1996). O Movimento da autonomia do aluno. Repercursses a nvel da superviso. In Alarco, I. (organizao). Formao Reflexiva de Professores. Estratgias de Superviso. Porto: Porto Editora. Costa, F. A., Cruz, E. & Ferreira, R. (2006). Technologies may help thinking. In Associao de Professores de Sintra (2006). Digital Portfolio as a stratey for teachers professional development. (pp. 103-123). Available online:

http://www.fpce.ul.pt/pessoal/ulfpcost/digifolio/media/doc/digifoli obook.pdf Galvo, V. (2005). A utilizao de portfolio reflexivo na disciplina de Biofsica de um Curso de Fonoaudiologia. In SChaves, I. (organizadora). Os portfolios reflexivos (tambm) trazem gente dentro. Reflexes do seu uso na humanizao dos processos educativos. Porto: Porto Editora.

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Laurillard, D. (1993). Rethinking university teaching. A framwork for the effectiveuse of educational technology. London: Routldge. Martindale, T. & Wiley, D. A. (2004). The current state of weblogs for teaching and learning. Presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, Chicago, Illinois.

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Annexe

Examples of projects developed by students

Examples of products Weblogs

http://blogsnaeducacao.wordpress.com/ http://afiste.wordpress.com/ http://blogsnaeducacao.wordpress.com/o-nossovideo/

Wikis

http://esdomundinho.pbwiki.com/RECICLAGEM!! http://esdomundinho.pbwiki.com/Vantagens+e+De svantagens+da+Reciclagem!!! http://esdomundinho.pbwiki.com/Pol%C3%ADtica +dos+3+R's http://esdomundinho.pbwiki.com/Vamos+cantar

Online

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blo

communities g.ListAll&friendID=314679618

http://cienciaseducacao.hi5.com/ http://www.myspace.com/tic2 http://tecnologiaseduii.hi5.com/friend/profile/displ ayJournal.do?viewother=true&ownerId=182659739

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http://tecnologiaseduii.hi5.com/friend/182659739-Tecnologias--Profile-html
Podcasts

http://ip2odcasting.blogspot.com/2008/01/podcastenglish-for-kids-d.html http://podcastpodepode.wordpress.com/osceltasiberos-e-vikings/os-celtasiberos/final-daviagem/ http://vodpod.com/watch/455759-01-celtas-emcasa-do-luis http://voicethread.com/#u35321.b42289.i222631 http://voicethread.com/#u35321.b42289.i222618

Sharing tools http://grupodeabreu.wordpress.com/2008/01/13/his

toria-muda/ http://www.slideshare.net/PODCASTBEST/podcas t-ana-filipa-ines http://grupodeabreu.wordpress.com/2008/01/13/apl icacao-pratica-do-slideshare/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/14598882@N07/sets/7 2157603702955946/

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