Volume 19, No. 2, June 2009
Utilization of Digital Media for Professional Development of Teachers
Some Insights from Turkey
Ayse Kok
Ph.D. Candidate, University of Oxford
Abstract
The
account given in this paper is related to the experiences of foreign language
teachers involved in the pilot study undertaken in a high school in
Introduction
Electronic
portfolios (e-portfolios) are
gaining an increasing importance in the educational landscape of the 21st
century as they provide today’s learners with the freedom to gather and
reflect evidence of their learning progress. As Ali (2005) states,
e-portfolios are readily and conveniently used in most classrooms as they are
highly motivating for the students who are encouraged by exhibiting their
work.
Definition
& Classification
Barrett (2000)
describes e-portfolios as’(those that make) use of electronic technologies
that allow the portfolio developer to collect and organize artifacts in many
formats (audio, video, graphics, and text). A standards-based electronic
portfolio uses hypertext links to organize the material to connect artifacts
to appropriate goals or standards. An electronic portfolio is not a haphazard
collection of artifacts (i.e., a digital scrapbook or multimedia presentation)
but rather a reflective tool that demonstrates growth over time’.
Rather than being
a personal web page an e-Portfolio is a network application that provides its
creator with administrative functions for managing and organizing files
created with different applications and for granting access rights (Greenberg,
2004). With the convergence of text, sound, graphics and video into a common
digital format and the reduced technical barriers for production, a
substantial online archive such as the digital portfolio can be maintained
(Greenberg, 2004).
The underlying
logic of e-portfolios is derived from the contemporary courses where students
are urged to revise and resubmit their assignments after peer assessment (Ali,
2005). These assignments reach the teacher after several careful drafts. Ali
(2005) asserts that the portfolio approach is developed from this concept of
reflective practice. According to Greenberg (2004) different types of
e-portfolios can be categorized in terms of when the work is organized
relative to when the work is created. This results in three types of
e-portfolios:
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The showcase e-Portfolio: Organization occurs after the work has been created.
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The structured e-Portfolio: A predefined organization exists for work that is yet to be created.
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The learning e-Portfolio: Organization of the work evolves as the work is created.
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The competency-based or outcomes-based portfolio: It may show samples of a student’s work collected as evidence of his/her skills and knowledge, which is relative to the curriculum or syllabi.
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The negotiated learning portfolio in which the outcomes of the negotiated learning processes are assessed through a portfolio.
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The biographic portfolio, which is a record of achievement. This type of portfolio may have a collection of work experience of a student which is collected over a period of time and arranged chronologically.
E-Portfolios
as Personal Development Tools for Teachers
Throughout
the literature, the value of e-portfolios as a resource for contributing to
the teachers’ technology skills and reflection on their teaching practice
has been emphasized several times. To exemplify, Milman (1999) asserts that
working with e-portfolios makes teachers get engaged in activities that not
only reflect sound pedagogical principles via integrating technology into
their classrooms but also support their own learning. So, the value of
technology as both a teaching and a learning tool becomes evident in
teachers’ transferring their enhanced technology literacy skills to K-12
settings (Cunningham and Benedetto, 2002). In a similar vein, Goldsby &
Fazal (2000) and Gatlin & Jacob (2002) also assert that teachers working
with digital portfolios are better able to create meaningful experiences using
technology in their lessons.
As
Furthermore, when
certification and a demonstration of skills are needed for career advancement
such as in K-12 teaching, an e-Portfolio can be an important way to present
and maintain information about accomplishments for professional accreditation
(Greenberg, 2004). In addition to presenting a wide range of evidence,
e-portfolios provide easier management of resources and enhanced flexibility
with regard to having access and providing feedback (Oduyemi, Kehinde, Ogston,
2006). As Oduyemi, Kehinde and Ogston (2006) assert that once the skills,
knowledge and values are identified, these can be mapped against those for the
future career development. Another important benefit of ongoing e-Portfolio
participation is the opportunity to maintain connections with peers
(Greenberg, 2004). Especially, within the context of K-12 teaching, where
isolation and the need for ongoing professional development have created
significant retention problems it has been observed that e-portfolios can
establish an ongoing community of practice that is sustained as teachers
pursue their careers (Greenberg, 2004).
Within the context
of constructivism, learning is achieved through knowledge construction that is
built upon the foundation of prior knowledge rather than the passive
transformation of information from one person to another (Vygotsky, 1978).
Because of its major benefits such as fostering critical thinking, reflective
practice and a questioning attitude, increased understanding of one’s own
learning process, as explained above, portfolios are essentially
constructivist tools, well aligned with modern educational theory, particular
the work of authors such as Vyogotsky (1978).
Bearing in mind
that humans acquire knowledge by actively organizing their experiences,
e-portfolios are indispensable tools for documenting one’s learning and
achievement of individual goals as they made one think reflectively about
where one is now and where one would like to go (LaCour, 2005).
The
Context of Study
Being a developing
country located in the
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Inadequate ICT infrastructure including computer hardware and software, and bandwidth/access
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A lack of skilled manpower to manage available systems and inadequate training facilities for ICT education
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Resistance to change from traditional pedagogical methods to more innovative, technology-based teaching and learning methods, by both students and academics
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The over-dependence of educational institutions on government for everything has limited institutions’ ability to partner with the private sector or seek alternative funding sources for ICT educational initiatives
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Lack of effective co-ordination of all the various ICTs for education initiatives
One of the leading
secondary schools teaching in English in
The
e-Portfolio Study at TVO
Being
inspired by the innovative use of technology for improving the teaching
service and realizing the potential of emerging learning technologies, TVO’s
management was willing to embed the use of e-Portfolio technologies into the
teaching experience in order to contribute to the teachers’ success. Due to
budget constraints it was decided to use generic tools such as word
processing, HTML editors, wikis or any other commonly used Web 2.0 tools for
developing e-portfolios rather than customized systems that involve servers,
programming and databases (Barrett, 2000).
Since the
e-portfolio to be developed could be categorized as a learning portfolio the
teachers were required to include a picture of themselves or a video created
on their own, a short resume, a table of contents, good examples of
coursework, lessons related to field experience, hobbies and interests and as
well as their own reflective notes within their e-portfolio as Ali (2005)
suggests. Depending on their preferences, the teachers could also work with
PowerPoint by linking diverse types of media such as video clips, audio clips
along with other work samples. Most of the portfolios resembled Web sites in
design and included a cover that served as an index guiding readers to
supplementary files.
One
of the challenges during the e-portfolio implementation was that a common set
of definitions for standard competencies for teachers across various subjects
has not been adopted yet in the Turkish educational system. Nevertheless,
essential competencies that can predict the success of the foreign language
teachers have been identified by TVO’s Foreign Languages Coordinator.
Working
as the digital learning consultant in school, the researcher was assigned to
teach the introductory course about e-portfolios. When introducing
e-portfolios to the teachers at the beginning of the term, the content and
organization of the e-portfolio depending on its aim was made clear. Since a
lack of enthusiasm and commitment from teachers is likely to adversely affect
their engagement with the development process of e-portfolio, an effort was
made to convince the teachers of the benefits of e-portfolios. The researcher
introduced the requirements for the portfolio project and provided
technological support for teachers as they worked to complete the
requirements.
During
the introductory course, the following issues were discussed as Lane (2007)
suggested.
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Basic technology instruction, such as how to use the e-portfolio tool, scan and format images for the Web, and perform other basic tasks;
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Models of effective and ineffective e-portfolios;
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Engagement with a variety of media, with discussion of which type of media is best suited for demonstrating particular skills;
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Opportunities to share e-portfolios with peers;
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Discussion of intellectual property issues;
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Evaluation criteria adapted to evaluating Web-based materials.
Once the
portfolios were developed at the end of the school term, a peer review took
place so that teachers could learn through their peers’ comments (Ali,
2005). Towards the end of the term, the extent to which the e-portfolios were
presentable was also evaluated by both the Foreign Languages Coordinator and
the researcher using various assessment models found on the Internet.
Methodology
This
qualitative study investigates the experiences of the teachers utilizing
e-portfolios for their personal development in a high school in
To
look more closely at the process of portfolio development, a qualitative study
investigating the experiences of these 24 teachers was conducted. Data was
collected via teacher interviews and field observations. Teachers enrolled in
the introductory course participated in a focus group interview after
completing their initial draft of the portfolio. The focus group interview
lasted 45 minutes and centered on the decision-making process. A second group
interview was also conducted by the researcher at the conclusion of the class,
asking open-ended questions related to choice of media, and possible future
revisions. These interviews focused on the process of developing the
portfolio, reasons for developing the portfolio beyond the requirements, and
changes they would like to make in their portfolio over time.
According
to Patton (1982), the fundamental principle of qualitative interviewing is
providing a framework within which respondents can express their own
understanding in their own terms, and for which open-ended, rather than
closed, questions should be used as far as possible (Patton, M., 1982).
Patton’s
style of qualitative interviewing is referred to as the standardized
open-ended interview’, through which questions are asked in the same way and
order, with a minimum of probing by the interviewer (Patton, M., 1982). Use of
probes were preferred by the researcher in order to allow the informants to
answer more on their own terms (Patton, M., 1982), so the interviewer seeking
at the same time both clarification and elaboration on given answers was more
free to probe beyond answers (Patton, M., 1982).
Results
Teacher
responses covered a range of opinions, with their diversity illustrated by the
qualitative feedback from the open-ended questions:
“In
my opinion, we should not be expected to be computer literate, that will be
unfair in some instances.” This
response was typically related by mature-age teachers with notably lower ICT
literacy than the other teachers. Yet, with guidance and training, all
teachers were able to produce e-portfolios readily in the weeks following the
initial assessment. Another challenge for these teachers was their
different opinions with regard to whether they should only include their
experiences relevant to school or any other qualifications such as
professional memberships or achievements in sports.
“It
was quite fun to put together the e-portfolio. The assessment of this course
also makes things less stressful on us.” Once
the requisite publishing skills had been mastered, teachers enjoyed the
capacity to individualize the e-portfolios, and in general, invested
disproportionate time in graphics representation, despite the fact that it was
not rewarded in assessment. Moreover, those teachers who had used
digital media within their e-portfolios admitted that the digital media indeed
made a difference for them since it resulted in a robust learning experience.
“I
think it is an amazing way for preparing job applications in the future.
Learning about my personal strengths and weaknesses via the online portfolio,
I can work now on my weaknesses.” Similarly, one teacher mentioned that
by being encouraged to identify their own strengths, they would take the
responsibility of developing them further and hence get engaged in a genuine
life-long learning. Moreover, one teacher stated that “the
good thing about e-portfolio is that it is your own and you don’t need to be
like someone else. You can write about yourself in a structured way.”
One
of the challenges was how to write online when preparing e-portfolio. One
teacher stated that “It was difficult how to translate your ideas about your thoughts into
the right words on the web page, but once you get used to it you can put your
real life examples which may be helpful for your other colleagues”. Yet,
despite this challenge of selecting the right words, one teacher stated that “once
you start to reflect and record your experiences you think that you feel
motivated to enter a new experience into your portfolio.”In a similar
vein, two teachers stated that they can provide others with an understanding
of the person behind the resume by giving more detail about who the person is.
The
course participants were also encouraged to link single video or audio clips
to several different categories or competencies as defined by the TVO Foreign
Languages Coordinator when appropriate. To exemplify, audio recordings of
their educational background were linked in two e-portfolios to the teaching
standards requiring the effective use of technology. As one teacher said,
“What better way to convey to others my background than to let them hear my
resume in my own words?”
Furthermore,
three of the e-portfolios included some video clips of the teachers’
interaction with their own students during their fieldwork, and these teachers
believed these clips to be the most important component of the portfolio.
Additionally, teachers included assignments completed for various classes and
materials generated for use in their teaching events, linking them at certain
points to corresponding competencies defined by their coordinator. Depending
on how much the teachers got involved in preparing their e-portfolios they
pursued different paths. To exemplify, those teachers who were just beginning
the process often included PowerPoint presentations they were using throughout
their lessons. One third grade teacher mentioned: “As I continued to work on
my e-portfolio, I wanted to reflect my own personal beliefs and values as a
teacher.” As participants continued to revise and refine their work, they
felt more motivated by the desire to reflect their teaching philosophy.
Although
at the beginning of the e-portfolio development process, the teachers would
like to know exactly how their e-portfolio should look as if the contents were
set in stone, they eventually got accustomed to the unpredictable nature of
this e-portfolio development process. After the initial evaluation of their
e-portfolios participants were told that they should think about the portfolio
as an ongoing process as well as revise the content frequently via utilizing
the flexibility of the digital media.
Conclusion
This
research suggests that e-portfolios may be a valuable tool for teachers’
ongoing professional development, which is a dynamic and multidimensional
process rather than a transmission of knowledge from one generation to the
next.
Being
versatile teaching and learning tools e-portfolios were utilized at TVO to
showcase the professional skills of the teachers. Versatile means that e-portfolio
has been used as a technological solution that delivered some major outcomes
in making teachers develop both a competitive advantage over their colleagues
and reflective lifelong learning skills. Although at the beginning of the
development process, there was a resistance from teachers against this new
digital media they eventually started to view it as expressing their
authenticity. Depending on their level of technology literacy, their medium of
expression ranged from PowerPoint presentation to videos of their classroom
sessions. By viewing each other’s e-portfolios the teachers also got
motivated about learning how to embed these different mediums within their
websites. As a result, their web publishing skills increased as well.
Moreover,
it is the researcher’s belief that by getting accustomed to the use
of e-portfolios, educators may be also more wiling to teach their students to
utilize the Web both as a place for formal learning and to communicate
effectively with professional and social audiences later on throughout their
professional careers. In the case of TVO, a full-scale implementation of
e-portfolios has not been possible, yet at least a culture of digital
documentation has been fostered by encouraging teachers to practice developing
simple websites, or storing their content online as Siemens (2004) asserts.
Despite
the positive results of this small-scale research study certain questions need
to be answered. To begin with, due to the fact that the participant size was
small it would be challenging to know how to use the e-portfolios for larger
programs since it would require an immense amount of time for interaction
between the teachers and related staff as well as resources. Besides, the
potential of e-portfolios to further advance the careers of teachers as they
receive accreditation in their work should be further investigated. Finally,
the extent to which the flexibility and freedom in e-portfolio design is
possible at the earlier development stages needs further investigation.
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