Thank you for opportunity to talk about MP, the Mahara hosted instance for NZ schools and for my debut online presMy name is P HP I have been Teacher of French in secondary schools and I am now a MyPortfoliotrainorHow that happened will hopefully become clear to you with this presentation! I will focus on the training and growth of the MyPortfoliocommunity as a teacher and trainerhttp://myportfolio.school.nz/user/pascalehp/mmmup-2013
MP is a Shared web hostedMahara instance April 2013 tenanted by 1256 institutions 57 134 users have logged in at least once9612 groups285 299 pagesMyPortfolio receives the latest Mahara updates as they arrive thanks to the awesome behind the scene work at CatalystNZ MoE sponsored development of some features and each time MP Community of users involved and surveyed on what they d like to see on MPThe taster sessions were created to grow awareness of the space advertised by mail out to all schools and offered free of charge to any school that wanted to have a go. It ran on the basis schools got together in a geographical area so that they could investigate the next step together.
NZ has a diverse stunning and unique landscapeNZ schools pretty much mirror this: they are diverse, unique and all have something amazing. Primary intermediate, secondary public, integrated private special character kurakaupapa enjoy a high level of autonomy in their runningYou would be right to wonder if the taster session programme > one size fit all? The overall intent with Taster session was to grow a large community of users and create a critical mass that would in turn make use of MPs functions to grow their own understanding and usage of it.In MP tasters participants would discover a space for reflectionthe Use of forums in discussion group for questionsThe shared pages tab for resources and ideasAnd New ways to grow collaboration with colleagues across schools on a common theme
A few figures to help you situate my journey as a MP trainer since June 201113 MP days ws atLgtchrs conf and cluster meetingsStaff from 48 schools met at Taster sessions18 day workshop in various secondary schools that have requested more indepth supportThat warranted the creation of 74 pages to show tell and answer FAQ Thankssss for public pagesMembership of 37 groups inc class groups where I am invited for feedbackI have 168 friends 532 direct messages from other users that I am trying relentlessly to redirect to group forums325 forum posts to ask and answer questionsA large community finding its way and way of being in a shared online space!
Taster sessions : 2 main opportunities for me professionally -develop and deepen my understanding and experinece of eP generally speakingDiscover a passion with working with teachers as learnersFun and the ah ah momentsTaster sessions > script focus on reflection but teachers want first to know how to get started with their studentsChose to rethink the delivery of the taster so that teachers could use it as a model to get their students started:Brainstorm eportfolio and picture what it is, allow time to voice the purpose , the why looking at an eportfolio, then play with the features: Create a group, get all to join, personalise profile, make a page, share it to group, leave comment, reflect on journal on what has been learnt and identify next stepReflection at the heart of the eportfolio approachMany learning curves, different digital abilities, range of equipment and infrastructure but every time we d get there after 90 min and all could see that Shared pages meant shared learning. that group forum would be great to communicate with a class that sharing across schools had potential for collaborationUse of forums > learning curvesSharing across schools> huge potential to break down sector and subject areas silos.
And I Learnt and explored alongside the teachers I trained as the communication could go on, direct messages and wall post allowingWhen I first looked at MP I initially was looking at a storage and a space to organise sound and video files for Language students, for a practical solution whereby they could manage their own evidence of learning and package it for their high stake assesmentI am now immersed in the eportfolio approach and that it enables to make learning visible sharable and rewindable! MP has multifaceted use in any institution, it facilitates users making sense of their own learning process. This is now a core reason for its discovery and use, but it needs to be scaffolded with what users know prior, want to make of it, and what their context allows for.
When the ws is over teachers go back to students, timetable, assessment, appraisal, learning programmes , it is their core businessIt does take time for them to connect that what they ve experienced in the myportfolio workshop is in fact helpful for all aspects of their core business. that myportfolio enables collecting selecting reflecting on any evidence of learning be it their students’ or their own!The role of the trainer is to plant the seed!
And it is planted on usually fertile soils, teachers are receptive and engage They are guided in their profession with NZC context >vision , effective pedagogy that encourages sharing, Principles of assessment for learning, teaching as inquiryMyPortfolio support the intent and the principles of all the documents guiding practice in NZ schoolsTeaching and learning is the focus, MP is the space > a space for all learners teachers and students alike!
NZ schools are diverse and use of myportfolio also reflects this diversity!More Examples of use and a space for Q and A http://myportfolio.school.nz/user/pascalehp/mmmup-2013Who are the users and what do they use it forFor all schools Primary theme developed in consultation with primary teachersPotential for continuity primary secondary is huge for the learners secondary student tech project work, MP has been themed with the institution banner
SecStudent careers portfolioCareers NZ have developed a collection of templates to help with this in schools and it is being trialled now. The capability for a future employment eportfolio is definitely one worth exploiting.
A sec teacher s collection as a plan to this term’s workWith a Focus on ThinkingCollection is copied into the class group pagesA screenshot taken on my phone, and mahara 1.6 (the current MP version) displays beautifully
Teacher template formal for Languages formal assessment (Portfolio of evidence)Same thing collection available to the group where each copy the pages to make theirs, upload their files and share with the teacher
With access to student pages and files, in negociation with the student, the teacher collects and arrange the evidenceto send to NZQA for moderationSubmitting moderation online packaged on a page and shared with the moderator with the secret URL is a recent development that is supported by the NZQA. This drives interest in different learning areas in secondary in particular
You recognise here the shared pages tabTeachers use MP to gather evidence of working towards their professional goals, for their appraisal. the RTC outlined by The New Zealand Teachers Council the professional and regulatory body for registered teachers provide key indicators.Shared pages > effective bank of resourcing on a topic that matters to all!PRT> same process for initial registration with TCStudent teachers in Colleges of Education
The biggest group DiscussionsSpecialty groups across schools : particular pedagogy, learning area and also many students created ones that I might not want to be a member of!Special interest groups NAPP reflection space> potential for future support top down!
MP adoption presents some challenges- Internet access, access to device, levels of support for tech within the schools vary- Stages of adoption of elearning, planning for it,understanding and interpretation of the intent of the very broad guiding documents vary as well- And NZ schools have choice and lots of it.MP: one amongst other elearningsolutionsamongst other options LMS, googleapps, ipads in schools etc . - I know it definitely not a case of either or,MP works perfect as an aggregator, it is not a work space. and is complementing moodle for instance.But in reality it often becomes either/or when there is limited time, capability and funding for Professional learning - another challenge is that the Moe funding for community support stopped last June. The momentum created via the taster sessions has not being built on following an effective strategy- and the contract for funding for MP as we know it is finishing dec 2013 and to date no decision has been announced about its future This currently impairs effective planning and leadership.
The bigger the challenge the bigger the opportunity I hear you say. There are now more Opportunities than ever to bring MP to the fore of school leaders' attention:- BYOD policies are being introduced in many schools and MP is an effective space for users to manage their own files and share them when and where appropriate- using MP allows teachers and students to develop their digital competence alongside each other- focus on the principles of Assessment for learning make MP a practical solution to document the complexities of learning to learn A few concrete steps could consolidate MP in NZ schools- continued online support by experienced users via forum and webinars- the creation of a contextualised help menu to complement the existing excellent Mahara Manual- documenting implementation in a range of schools and making them case studies available to all.The implementing of MP at a National scale, even in a small country like new zealand present huge potential to drive a transformation of pedagogical practice, allowing the creation of new tasks and relationship that where not possible prior.And help create along the way a generation of more self directed learners!