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sabato 31 dicembre 2016

New Year Resolutions



Thanks to the many teachers and educators who have helped me discover a new world- Twitter is the source of my  CPD and I have been learning so much.

First of all, I will continue follow them and learn from them.


Second, I will share ideas and what we have been doing together.


Thirdly, I will work online by doing some courses  which are run by  EVO 2017







Fourth, I will continue writing and thinking about what I have been doing.




Fifth, I will finish my MOOC on   DIGITAL STORYTELLING and  I might decide to work on the project run by the University  in Milan  next year.



      And  finally  my best   Wishes for  the New Year 

Made with GlitterPhoto.net

Happy New Year 01

By ItsLassieTime (Self; from item in my collections) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

giovedì 29 dicembre 2016

E-Portfolios- EMMA MOOC

This year I discovered a European  website - called  EMMA- which  provides  MOOCs, many have to do with education and learning. It is a useful website which can  enhance our learning and help us develop as teachers and life-long learners.
EMMA is an innovative platform that provides free  MOOCs.  Some are self-paced - this implies that we can choose when to do the MOOC. I could enroll to do the  MOOC about  E-Portfolios  before  the summer  but only in December  I could work on the lessons  as I was busy while working at school.  If you  do 70% of the activities you are given a certificate of attendance.
The course online was released in 2015 but they offered a " Self-development course" in 2016 too:


We had to watch videos, reflect on what we had seen and think about our ideas about  ePortfolios.


The link to the Mooc https://platform.europeanmoocs.eu/course_eportfolio_self_development_st
will show you what the main content of the course was about.

Lessons were presented by providing an introduction, videos and a lot of links and documents online.The tutors made a list of sources for each lesson and I must admit that  I bookmarked them as I am going to check them later.
The overall framework was clear and well-organized. I must admit that  I have been given a great introduction to what is now required at work,at school and at university too.










Definition of  e-Portfolios 

EPortfolios have been used for showcasing learner work and to support formative or summative assessment processes.                                                                                  
Now  ePortfolios offer many more  possibilities like storing, archiving, thinking, reflecting, storytelling, collaborating and publishing about one's learning experiences.                                                                                  








E-Portfolios can show your achievements, your reflections and  what you have been doing as part of  your professional development

http://www.plymouth.edu/eportfolio/view/view.php?id=3715

Helen Barrett 's  presentation was an interesting source as I could enter the world of  E-Portfolios:

E-Portfolios as Digital Stories of Deep Learning from Helen Barrett on Vimeo.

More resources about what  E-Portfolios can be found by following  these  links :  

E-Portfolios can be used in different ways:
- to demonstrate the skills and competences  - a good example  is the  curriculum vitae
- to reflect  as a teaching  tool- good examples  are blogs  where technology is used a  collaborative learning  tool 
- to enhance or improve  formative and integrative  assessment
                                                                    CASE STUDY



Different  Perspectives
                                             The Learner  Perspective



The Instructor                                                  

https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/instructor-perspectives-on-eportfolios

                                            The  Employer









CPD  and  E-Portfolios

This is an interesting use of Portfolios and I think that we will be required to use them in our profession: this is what I have been doing when I do MOOCs online and in many cases I have been asked to reflect online and share my reflections after attending some conferences online.    






                                         ePortfolios Ownership

We can have  different types of  Portfolios:
- Individual ePortfolio 
- Institutional / Organization ePortfolio
A good example  is   the European Language Portfolio
- Individual ePortfolio within an institution/organization
I am already familiar with  the European Language Portfolio:


http://www.coe.int/en/web/portfolio

The Structure
The structure of an e-Portfolio can vary depending on the perspectives and aims.
Google Apps can be used :https://sites.google.com/site/eportfolioapps/overview/process



Some guidelines can be found online  http://sites.elmira.edu/portfolio/guidelines



Web 2.0 Tools and Social Media can help you develop and construct your E-Portfolio: 


Eifel2011 monam web2 from Helen Barrett

Helen Barrett has shared a lot of information about  Portfolios:

http://epac.pbworks.com/w/page/12559686/Evolving%20List%C2%A0of%C2%A0ePortfolio-related%C2%A0Tools


Professional  Development




In  Education   ePortfolios offer the opportunity to create and manage an online space of digital artefacts that provide evidence of competencies and abilities acquired over a specific period of time.                                                                                                                                                        
They should support  growth and change .                                                                                       


My Reflections and what  I would like to do in class with my students

First  think about modern tools which can be used by them: Google Apps and in particular  New Google Sites can be used to showcase their  artefacts.                                                                                  
 Here are some interesting Tutorials:   I have just started my new website and  I must admit that it is very easy. I might therefore support my students  but I am sure they will be successful.                                               


                                                                               

                                                                                         
Second think about  creating a class site for presenting the class activities : I have found an interesting website created by an Italian teacher who has worked on this activity which is worth sharing:        http://classe4eupercoto.weebly.com/ http://classe4eupercoto.weebly.com/  
                                                                         
More ideas can be found by reading  this slide created by  Shelly  Terrell:                                                                              


Eportfolios for Meaningful Student Learning from Shelly Sanchez Terrell


As a teacher  I will continue   blogging ....................................


As a teacher I will continue  blogging and I will  write about my profession and for my  CPD as  education  requires reflecting on what we do in class, what we have learnt and how we can improve our methodologies:






More resources about   e-Portfolios online:


Click here to open this binder in a new window.

venerdì 23 dicembre 2016

Christmas 2016



                                    MERRY CHRISTMAS!




Time for Christmas and time for holidays and thinking about the best ways we can better our way of working in a difficult situation for educators and also for the country.
While I was working online I came across some good documents which I could use in class with my students.

Videos online: classic tales


Useful for watching and viewing a story and learning new words.


A  Christmas  Carol by  Ch. Dickens- from  https://archive.org/details/christmascar00dick

A reading task which can be carried out while watching a  film about this famous story by Dickens.





Watching a video advertising about  Christmas


Watching advertising can tell us about a country and its traditions.

Watching a video about making  " Panettone":



Watching how to make a special dessert in Italy while comparing  what other countries have to celebrate  Christmas or other special festivals.

Royal  Christmas traditions in the UK





Learning about  Victorian England and the tradition of  Christmas.

Visual History of Christmas Traditions Infographic by Balsam Hill



Christmas is celebrated in a multitude of rich and cherished traditions. This illustrated timeline, brought to you by Balsam Hill Christmas Tree Company, captures the flow of some of the most popular Christmas traditions and figures throughout Christmas History.