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Increasing linguistic and technological proficiency through E-Portfolios

Anita K. Saalfeld

NILA 2012

Oct. 13, 2012

Omaha, NE

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Why e-portfolios?

  • Accessible for teachers and students
  • Helps students learn to use technology
  • Helps students keep everything organized!
  • Easy to assess progress over time
  • Allows students to be creative
  • Students can use them as evidence of language proficiency when looking for jobs (post-secondary)

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PLATFORM: Google sites

Benefits:

  • No advanced tech knowledge required
  • Different page templates ideal for uploading files, maintaining blog, etc.
  • Student privacy (Google Apps for Education: FREE!)

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Applications

  • Writing class
  • Conversation class
  • What else?

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Implementation

  1. Create a model site.
  2. Create detailed instructions. A voice-over-PowerPoint video is great because you can include screen shots.
  3. Set a due date for the creation of the site or specific parts of the site.

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Possibilities

For students:

  • Blog
  • Reading journals
  • Videos
  • Voice recordings
  • Written homework assignments
  • Collaborative work (Google Docs)

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For teachers:

  • Google gadgets! (slide shows, course calendars, dictionaries, news feeds, radio feeds, etc. in the target language)

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More possibilities: Discussion

  • What are some more assignment types that would be ideal for an E-Portfolio?
  • What are some more possible benefits of having students keep an E-Portfolio? (for teachers and for students)
  • What are the potential drawbacks of an E-Portfolio? How might you minimize these?

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Tour of a Google site

https://sites.google.com/site/spanish4040/

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WHAT STUDENTS SAID

Statement

Average level of agreement (1=strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree)

Creating and maintaining the electronic portfolio will be useful for me in the future.

2.49

I would prefer a paper-based portfolio to an electronic portfolio.

3.76

I enjoy the opportunity to express myself in my blog.

2.24

I like the convenience of having all of my materials stored in one place on my Google Site.

1.59

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WHAT STUDENTS SAID

Statement

Average level of agreement (1=strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree)

I do not see the point of the portfolio requirement.

3.95

Maintaining an electronic portfolio is an effective way of keeping all of my work organized.

1.56

I feel more comfortable about my ability to use various online tools as a result of taking the course.

2.10

My E-portfolio accurately represents the type of work I'm capable of doing.

2.07

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WHAT STUDENTS SAID

Statement

Average level of agreement (1=strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree)

An E-portfolio is an effective way for me to record and assess my own development as a writer.

2.12

The E-portfolio is an effective way for students to improve their writing.

2.00

My E-portfolio reflects my personality, interests and experiences.

2.27

I would feel comfortable using my E-portfolio to show a potential employer my level of writing ability in Spanish.

2.48

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WHAT STUDENTS SAID

Statement

Average level of agreement (1=strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree)

I am more motivated to write better if I know people other than the instructor will read my writing.

2.56

I would prefer a traditional classroom environment with writing exercises using pen and paper.

4.12

I learned how to use a dictionary and online resources in a more effective way during this course, either by experience or by instruction.

2.12

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On the other hand…

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Some considerations:

  • What kinds of assignments will you give?
  • How many assignments will be posted to the site? (How often will you ask students to post? How long will you use it? A semester? A year?)
  • Is it worth the hassle of guiding students through setting up a Google Site? (Are the assignments something that could be completed on an easier-to-set-up site?)

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Questions, comments and discussion

  • What steps would you need to take to implement an E-Portfolio project in your class(es)?
  • What levels of language learning would be ideal for this type of project? For other levels, what other options could you use?
  • Would it be possible to implement this as a multi-semester/year project, as a sort of summative assessment?
  • How would students at different levels respond to this type of assignment? What are some things you can do to make it more engaging (and more of a learning experience)?

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¡Gracias! Grazie! Merci! Obrigada!