Mahara and Professional Development

Andrew Csizmadia

a.p.csizmadia@newman.ac.ukNewman University College

15/7/09

Content

• Newman University College– Excellent reputation for teacher

training

– Grade 1 in recent Ofsted inspection

• Newman University College one of 50 successful institutions to secure TDA funded research project to investigate the usage of eportfolios to support trainee teachers

• Usage of eportfolio is a TDA ICT entitlement for teacher trainees

Content

• Purposeful sample group selected

• PGCE KS2/3 ICT

• Comply electronic Qualified to Teach Status Standards folder

– 33 standards

– Each standards required at least 3 pieces of evidence to demonstrate competence

• eportfolio to act as a repository for digital assets for lesson plans and associated resources

Choice of e-Portfolio

• Repository for digital assets

• Collaborative tool

• Reflective tool

• Customisation

– Social network groups

– Different views for different audiences

• Hosted externally

• Incorporates newsfeeds

• Integrated with Moodle

Creation

Blank Page

& No Structure

Template Page

& Structure

Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug

Initial

Questionnaire

Final

Questionnaire

Reflection

School

Experience I

School

Experience 2School

Experience 3

Blog

Capture Learner’s Voice

• Longitudinal study – over a nine month period• Utilising Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis• Grounded Theory used to analyse qualitative data• Statistical Analysis used to analyse quantitative data

Communications

Collaboration

It’s good to share resources and see what your peers have done

and share ideas

.. Resources can be shared with colleagues

Tutors can check your work and resources

can be shared

Confidentially• Created different views

– Student to student

– Student to tutor (Academic / School based)

• Student determined who they could invite as friends to view their e-Portfolio

• Awareness of impact of what is posted

One student excluded all from

viewing their e-Portfolio including

their tutors

.. blogs can be misinterpreted

sometimes

.. students need to be aware that

people can and will take action against

such issues

Culture

• Placements operate as a tripartite partnership

– Student

– HEI

– School

• All require ‘buy in’ to be successful

Student

HEISchool

..excellent intervention support tool

Competence

• Ensure that students are able to:

– compress files & folders

– zip files & folders

– upload files

– navigate around Mahara

– invite friends and assign them the correct view

Guidance& support

Evidence & demonstration

Communication & interaction

Information & experience

Thinking & reflection

Curriculum Mapping

Considerations

• The following are comments made by the students:

A drag & drop action would make it more

simple

.. allowing you to upload multiple files

People need to be aware of upload

speeds

.. Could set a root folder so when you are

uploading it looks at that folder

Double clicking on folders would result in folders moving

around

Continuation

• Newman University College have decided to continue to work with the system following the pilot study

• All students and staff will have accounts

Other Research

• Potential other research includes:– Investigating how trainee teachers develop as reflective

practitioner using an e-portfolio?– What is the relationship between e-portfolio and assessment– Defining a framework for e-portfolio– How effective is an e-portfolio as a formative assessment tool– Defining an e-portfolio culture

Recommendations• New skill, takes time• Integrate e-Portfolio into course from the start of the

academic year• Integral assessment component of the course• Induct students and staff in how to use an e-Portfolio

efficiently & effectively• Inform students of issues of:

– confidentially– copyright

• Information - produce paper based/video guidelines for students on how to:– compress work– zip work– unload work– create views

Any Questions

LinksMahara site(http://sites.google.com/site/soundsgooduk/)

eportfolios – Newman(http://kc-dev.cf.ac.uk/mahara)

References• Console, G., De Laat, M., Dillon, T. & Darby, J. (2006). JISC LXP:

Student experiences of technologies, Final report of the JISC-funded LXP project, Southampton: University of Southampton. www.jisc.ac.uk/elp_learneroutcomes.html

• Creanor,L., Trinder, K., Gowan, D., Howells, C. (2006). LEX. The learner experience of e-learning. http://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/LEX%20Final%20Report_Augugust06.pdf

• Hughes, J. (2008). Letting in the Trojan mouse: Using an eportfolio to rethink pedagogy. In Hello! Where are you in the landscape of educational technology? Proceedings ascilite Melbourne 2008. http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/melbourne08/procs/huges.pdf

• Murray, C. (2006). E-portfolios Along the Lifelong Learning Cycle: Difference Between Use, Pedagogy and Context. www.elp.ac.uk/downloads/ieee%20ELP%20paper.pdf