eportfolios for VET - 16/10 afternoon sessions

Richard Wyles from flexible learning network in NZ speaking on "regional & sector eportfolios".
started with youtube video on eportfolios at solent university . myportfolio.schools.nz & myportfolio.ac.nz for tertiary are service for portfolios system based on Mahara. Detailed origins of Mahara & explained it's many goals including flexibity to accommodate a variety of models of learning, learner centred (learner decides what to add, who sees what etc.), personal learning environment, includes social networking for learner communities, has blogging tool, resume builder.

It is open source so has a strong developer community including peer support via forums, wikis, training content etc.original funds from TEC in NZ but has had $$ contributed from many other international institutions plus now supported by a host of Mahara partner. Also provided examples & listed ongoing development going on with the myportfolio platform.

Next up, eportfolios communities of practice;local, national & global - from Gillian Hallan, Queensland University of Technology. she spoke on how eportfolios COPs may assist each other in moving eportfolios forward across different sectors and into the future. Especially important as eportfolios move from early adoption into the mainstream. study undertaken to find out what eportfolios COP would actually need in the for of support & the attributes of a successful COP should have. findings from the Australian eportfolio project - report out oct. 2009
majority of eportfolios use in Australia are in the higher Ed. sector (70%) with only 10% in the VET sector. There is a strong need for COP to be available for the VET sector. In the study, most people wanted the COP to be used to share pedagogy, or disciplined based, assess technology / tools etc. needs of new & seasoned (over 2 years) eportfolio practioners differed. Seasoned practioners more interested in sharing ideas about 'resources'. critical success factors seems to be having a funded facilitator, member engagement and diversity of community activities. Main challenges were using the technology, facilitator workload and community engagement.

Virtual presentation from University of nottingham - Kirstie Coolin, Stuart Wood & Kat Wehrheim on eportfolios to support lifelong learning did not run due to problems with audio not getting through.

Last session of the day, eportfolios for lifelong learning: the benefits for Australia by Jerry Leeson from education.au Everyone should have a right to have a eportfolio. Presentation covered review of SICTAS report'eportfolios beyond education & training', better support for lifelong learners & the focus on the ACE sector.
SICTAS research reveals eportfolio used globally beyond traditional formal ed. including supporting workers facing redundancy, career development (careers wales & myfuture - Australia - www.myfuture.edu.au), workforce development & planning, continuing professional
development, lifelong learning, articulation of skills & experience & development of competencies in ICT.Not formal sector fit into industry or regional. Small number of large scale implementation exampled by careerswales,( www.careerwales.com )
netherlands (the future that works), nedcar , efolio minnesota ,europass.

How can lifelearn learning be recorded? especially for people who began their formal learning long before digital arrived. Is your digital evidence enough? does if show 'all of someone's learning? Web is not a good place for employers to be researching job candidates! dependent on what the intend of your web identity is. Challenges for lifelong learners & eportfolios include uncertainty about reflection (how, when, how much?) there might be multiple portfolios accumulated over time, stuff disappears before they are archived, ACE sector could be a potential user of eportfolios.

Allison closed the conference with where from here? We are in an era of innovation in order to meet the challenges of the future. where does learning happen, where we value learning, much of learning happens outside of formal learning, eportfolios need to be one way for people to collate the learning they undertake through their learning lives.