e-Portfolios - Some Encouragements in the UK

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SSoommee rreeaassoonnss ffoorr eennccoouurraaggeemmeenntt

The holy grail is a personal digital portfolio, where you can store your accomplishments and have them verified by your mentors, teachers,or employers, and then take

it all with you wherever you go.

Lowendhal (In Gartner, Dec 2009)

Raymond J Tolley

February 2010

Graphic from Dreamstime.com

Some Encouragements for UK Education R J Tolley Feb 2010

SSoommee eennccoouurraaggeemmeennttss I hope that some of my other writings do not paint a total picture of ‘doom and gloom’ pervading UK education. Many good things are happening. In fact the combination of so many different initiatives, all within a relatively short time make for exciting reading:

BBuuiillddiinngg SScchhoooollss ffoorr tthhee FFuuttuurree The Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme is perhaps a prime example. As their website states:

Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is the biggest-ever school buildings investment programme. The aim is to rebuild or renew nearly every secondary school in England. There are also some similar programmes for Primary schools.

As Hannah Jones wrote in the Independent (Feb 11th 2010):

To describe Building Schools for the Future (BSF) as a learning journey is an understatement. Everyone involved, from learners through staff, school leaders, stakeholders and contractors up to policymakers and politicians, has had to innovate, monitor and change. If anyone has had an easy ride, they have kept quiet about it. School capital projects, whether they are new-build or remodelling, are now recognised as life-changing opportunities, not just for the individuals who attend those schools, and those who work there, but for the communities and regions around them.

R J Tolley Feb 2010 Some Encouragements for UK Education

Or again, on the same day Ellie Levenson also wrote:

Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is perhaps the most ambitious known scheme of its kind. Launched in 2004 by the then Department for Education and Skills, £2.5bn-£3bn of capital investment is being spent on the programme each year to renovate or rebuild every school in England. The intention of the scheme is to ensure every child goes to school in a building suitable for 21st-century teaching methods and technology, and to make the buildings suitable for use by the whole community. The 200th school is due to be completed this summer.

JJIISSCC -- TThhee JJooiinntt IInnffoorrmmaattiioonn SSyysstteemmss CCoommmmiitttteeee Wikipedia states that, ‘JISC supports United

Kingdom post-16 and higher education and research by providing leadership in the use of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) in support of learning, teaching, research and administration. JISC is funded by all the UK post-16 and

higher education funding councils.’ What is not mentioned is the outstanding calibre of the work. Concerning e-Portfolios JISC has certainly pulled together the best researchers and writers in order to present a comprehensive set of definitions and workgroups for the HE sector. The JISC InfoKit is extremely informative and helpful. Despite the fact that their work is specifically focussed on the HE sector we can learn much which is equally applicable to all sectors of education and beyond. My only hope is that JISC will direct more of its support in the future to looking at how the research work of the universities will consider the place of e-Portfolios in the wider communities and particular mainstream education. Many of the teacher training agencies are encouraging their trainees to explore e-Portfolios but as yet we have to see any clear thinking about how the e-Portfolio will change Teaching and Learning.


LLeeaarrnniinngg PPllaattffoorrmmss oorr VVLLEEss It was some five years ago that Becta announced their expectation that by Spring 2008 ALL schools would have a VLE up and running and that by 2010 with support for an e-Portfolio . Well, things might have gone a bit slower than expected on the VLE front but we are nearly there! With in excess of 40 VLEs to chose from an all of them providing different services and shades of interoperability, it’s not surprising that things have gone slowly!

Perhaps the one encouragement that I gain from the above melée is the hope that costs may be kept to a minimum. However, I do know of at least one school that is now with its fourth supplier in as many years! So, now with all schools having a functioning VLE we can look forward to good ‘virtual’ involvement with such things as on-line reporting, pupils accessing their work as and when they wish, enhanced collaboration, feedback from tutors etc. Above all, we are now all set up through the Home Access Programme to implement a good e-Portfolio strategy!


TThhee HHoommee AAcccceessss PPrrooggrraammmmee Now we have VLEs in schools, the Home Access Programme particularly encourages me:

Home Access is the government programme which will help to ensure that more children in state-maintained education in England have access to technology at home to support learning. The programme was born out of the recognition that there are still a significant number of learners who lack access to a computer and the internet at home. The programme will benefit over 270,000 households that currently lack access by March 2011 and initially the programme will target learners in years 3 to 9 inclusive. All Home Access packages have been specially designed to provide learners and their families with a safer online experience. Parental control software, comprehensive How to guides and anti-virus software are all pre-loaded onto every machine.

As expected, the drive to supply low-cost packages in large quantities, the increasing acceptance of Open Source Software, the steadily increased understanding of mobile computing, along with an almost monthly reduction in component prices and sizes of component has generated a highly competitive market.

TThhee BBeeccttaa iinniittiiaattiivvee ffoorr PPaarreennttaall EEnnggaaggeemmeenntt Niel McLean, Executive Director, Becta, the government agency for technology in education discusses (November 2009) how technology supports a new relationship with schools. In his introduction he writes: "Good parental engagement is fundamental

to children’s learning and closely linked to increased attainment. One of the more effective ways for parents to engage in their child’s learning is to maintain good communication with a school, learning more about their


child’s progress whilst also helping to identify any development or performance issues early on."

A significant part of this strategy is bound up with expectations concerning ‘on-line reporting’ and, perhaps more contentious and still to be refined, ‘real-time reporting’. This is clearly bound to the school’s VLE and thus each MIS and is worthy of a report in its own right. However, I do not believe that this strategy is therefore in opposition to good e-Portfolio practice.

TThhee ee--LLeeaarrnniinngg FFoouunnddaattiioonn I have no brief to write about the e-Learning

Foundation except in terms of my own impressions of their work over a number of years. Possibly even before Home Access was a glint in Becta's eyes, the e-Learning Foundation was delivering a much needed service to schools, families and other needy institutions.

Their low-cost lease-buy scheme has enabled many schools to deliver home access and encourage independent and collaborative learning. They have developed a clear expertise in this field and are thus able to draw the highest quality speakers to their conferences. Not only that, they have a number of very useful videos which may be extremely useful for promos at parents/governors meetings etc. To quote their website:

But over 1.5m million of the most disadvantaged schoolchildren in the UK are still living on the edge of our digital society with home access to a computer and Broadband a seemingly inaccessible dream. The e-Learning Foundation aims to reduce the effect of this “Digital Divide” by working with schools, parents and other stakeholders to ensure that all children have access to the learning resources that technology can make available, when and where they need them, both at home and at school.


TThhee RReeggiioonnaall BBrrooaaddbbaanndd CCoonnssoorrttiiaa In addition to all of the above, the UK is in the exceptional position of providing good broadband access to every school via the JANET backbone which serves all Higher Education establishments and the regional Broadband Consortia (RBCs). The RBCs are consortia of local authorities established to procure cost-effective broadband connectivity for schools in England. There are 10 RBCs covering 139 of the 150 local authorities (LAs) in England - the remaining LAs having made their own broadband arrangements. JANET also connects to Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

TThhee NNaattiioonnaall DDiiggiittaall RReessoouurrccee BBaannkk This is yet another initiative which, although not directly related to e-Portfolios shows something of the liberated thinking in the UK concerning the sharing of digital resources for educational purposes. As Gary Clawson, its CEO, states:

In an unprecedented public sector collaboration, over the last 12 weeks more than 120 Local Authorities have agreed a process of sharing millions of pounds of publicly funded assets. The assets in question are digital learning resources that have been developed to enable teachers to deliver personalised learning to millions of UK learners. Since 1997, in excess of £5billion has been invested into ICT development in schools. The Building Schools of the Future program (BSF) as well as continued investment through the Harnessing Technology grant makes ICT a highly significant public expenditure. Yet return on that investment will not be fully realised if the


equipment and infrastructure does not carry digital learning resources relevant to the national curriculum. As an Open Source project NDRB will be highlighted on the Cabinet Office website as an example of "doing more for less".

The NDRB has also established a formal partnership with Spain and through EDRENE expect to federate with most of Europe (currently a group of some 37 international major ‘actors’).

TThhee HHaarrnneessssiinngg TTeecchhnnoollooggyy GGrraanntt This government funded initiative, is clearly documented by Becta and states:

The use of computers and the internet is now an everyday feature of most young people’s lives and those of citizens generally, including most parents. In this context, there are exciting opportunities to harness technology to improve and develop services in response to the needs of children, young people and parents. This is what Harnessing

Technology funding is intended to support.

Where technology is used well, evidence demonstrates significant benefits for children and young people and for school improvement. Various sources of funding available to schools for technology (including, for capital investments, the Harnessing Technology grant) are important in supporting developments that will deliver real benefits. The Harnessing Technology grant is the principal source of capital funding for technology in schools, with £639.5 million being distributed through this funding stream between 2008-11.


VViittaall, again, may not be immediately recognised as part of the e-Portfolio scene but is yet another

example of the vibrant activity going on in the UK. Alongside other CPD providers, agencies and employers, Vital will work with specialist technology teachers (of IT, Computing and ICT), as well as all practitioners

seeking to use ICT to enhance learning across the curriculum. Vital is open to all

staff in schools and sixth form colleges across England, and will support the development of a range of forms of ICT CPD. These include courses, more informal CPD activities (called '15 minute CPD'), and peer-peer interaction. To quote from their website:

Vital is underpinned by a belief in supporting educational professionals to share their expertise and reclaim ownership of teaching as a discipline. We recognise that the only way we can succeed in our mission is to work with the profession, other providers and the wider community.

It is my hope that I can convince the leaders of Vital of the profound impact that a good e-Portfolio system will have for learners, staff and institutions in the coming days.

PPaassssppoorrttffoolliioo Nottingham’s Connexions, a careers counselling service, has developed their Passportfolio service to meet the needs of youngsters in both Nottingham and the wider area of Nottinghamshire. Although from my critical stance Passportfolio does not meet the wider e-Portfolio needs of the learner it is a very good tool and is being well promoted throughout the district of Nottinghamshire. It is well worth browsing their website in order to gain a better understanding of the range of activities and support that Passportfolio provides. As an example of e-Portfolio thinking it is one of the best products being used in our Secondary schools.


MMOOSSEEPP ‘More Self Esteem with my e-Portfolio’ is certainly a phrase to be remembered. I have always claimed that the learner, however young, should be capable of proudly presenting their e-Portfolio with the exclamation, ‘This is ME!’ As the MOSEP home page announces:

MOSEP is a European project, funded under the Leonardo da Vinci Programme 2006-2008 (Pilot Projects). The aim of the project is to develop a set of measures for the use of e-portfolios in different contexts in order to strengthen the self-esteem of young learners. MOSEP addresses the growing problem of

adolescents (aged 14 to 16) dropping out of the formal education system around Europe. Students of this age find themselves at the transition phase in their lives where they have to choose between going into upper secondary education or entering vocational training. It is a

time when they have to make decisions and need to be supported in making the best choices for their future careers.

My friend and colleague, John Pallister, as quoted in the MOSEP report, certainly proved in his own school that e-Portfolios were a source of real motivation for young students to feel that they were representing themselves. Parents’ Evenings, for instance, went much better when parents were able to see their child’s e-Portfolio. Certainly, when I visited his classes in action there was a clear sense of involvement in what they were doing.


IInn CCoonncclluussiioonn The previous paragraphs indicate a convergence of many technologies which demand a massive amount of In Service Training. In terms of e-Portfolios, however, the training as such is relatively simple, particularly if using eFolio ! What is perhaps more important is that teachers, administrators and pupils alike grasp hold of the new collaborative learning strategies. In another article I question whether we are as yet ready to recognise that the old didactic methods are gone for ever, no longer,

‘‘TThhee SSaaggee oonn tthhee SSttaaggee’’ but rather,

‘‘TThhee GGuuiiddee bbyy tthhee SSiiddee’’ and

‘‘TThhee FFrriieenndd ttoo tthhee EEnndd!!’’


WWeebbssiitteess MMeennttiioonneedd iinn tthhiiss PPaappeerr Becta 2008 Emerging Technologies (VLEs) http://emergingtechnologies.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=etr&catcode=ETRE_0001&rid=14162 Becta 2009 Harnessing Technology, http://localauthorities.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=fd&catcode=la_fu_02 Building Schools for the Future, http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/resourcesfinanceandbuilding/bsf/ EdReNE, http://edrene.org/about/index.html Eva de Lera, The Joy of e-Learning, http://maximise-ict.co.uk/The_Joy_of_e-learning-Report.pdf JISC on e-Portfolios, http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearning/eportfolios NDRB, http://www.nen.gov.uk/news/25/the-national-digital-resource-bank.html Schools and Change, http://www.slideshare.net/maximise/schools-and-change The Becta initiative for Parental Engagement, http://www.becta.org.uk/engagingparents The e-Learning Foundation, http://www.e-learningfoundation.com/ The Home Access Programme, http://www.homeaccess.org.uk/ The Virtual Learning Environment: http://maximise-ict.co.uk/VLE-PLE-01.htm VITAL, http://www.vital.ac.uk/


About the Author:

Ray Tolley has been a teacher of Design & Technology and problem solving since 1963 and of ICT since

1981. Since retiring his company (Maximise ICT Ltd) has continued to supply staff support and more

recently has developed eFolio particularly for the UK market. For further information about eFolio

check out the links below.

Ray Tolley FEIDCT, NAACE Fellow, ACIQ, MBILD

ICT Education Consultant

Maximise ICT Ltd

P: http://raytolley.v2efolioworld.mnscu.edu/

B: http://www.efoliointheuk.blogspot.com/

W: http://www.maximise-ict.co.uk/eFolio-01.htm

E: [email protected]

Winner of the IMS 'Leadership Regional Award 2009'

Images from Dreamstime.com & FlickR

Cartoons from MS ClipArt

eFolio examples by the author

e-Portfolios - Some Encouragements in the UK

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