I am the learning zone and e-learning manager at Deeside College. I work with an extremely dedicated group of people with a passion for taking the student forward and developing real world skills. The students too are a wonderful group, with varying needs and abilities – they have a real sense of fun and enjoyment whilst learning and many are surprising adept at using technology.
For me I see the greatest improvements in learners when they develop their own digital abilities and they are able to control their own use of technology.
As part of National Colleges Week I thought it might be useful to share with you a little about how we have not only improved our learners’ digital literacy, but how us as teachers have also benefited too.
As teachers we were keen to break down barriers and increase access to IT and digital devices. We wanted to open up IT and not only help our students develop skills to benefit them in the future, but also to help us as educators develop new digital skills and understanding.
Having looked at some options the ‘In-folio’ project at JISC TechDis appeared to be the ideal vehicle for channeling a digital literacy project. ‘In-folio’ is an e-portfolio developed specifically for students with learning needs; it was clear, adaptable and allowed significant flexibility in how it could be used.
For us it was important ‘in-folio’ fulfilled the needs of both our curriculum team and the students. When we were looking at this we were also introducing online Personal Learning Plans (PLP) across the college. In-folio allowed each learner to have their own PLP which could be a shared by the tutors, so ‘student goals’ could be identified and progress monitored during termly meetings.
The ‘in-folio’ system is now in use and over 150 student profiles are loaded onto tutor pages ready for rollout across a whole group of colleges in Wales who we have been working with. The students each create a personal profile with photographs and update information about their hobbies and interests. They create other tabs as their course requires and build up image collections, a ‘scrap book’ of images and photographs which they can then add to.
Another development is that our students now also work together with other colleges on a joint newsletter and create file which are uploaded to their ‘in-folio’ as evidence of their participation.
I’ve found it incredibly rewarding working together, contributing and using technology independently and creatively. Feedback in these early stages is very positive with ease of use highlighted again and again. This system removes barriers and allows students to own their development and develop their skills through this ownership – ultimately with some excellent results!
I hope you’ve found this helpful and if you are interested in running a similar project in your college I would suggest contacting your local JISC’s Regional Support Centre for more information.
Excellent post Patrick and really interesting to hear how different institutions are using In-Folio. I particularly like the collaborative nature of the work with other colleges which is then evidenced in the students In-Folio accounts.
I have been involved in working with some Scottish FE colleges who are using In-Folio in some really interesting ways and I plan to share your article with them. It is excellent to see how a ‘community of practice’ is emerging with the different ways that people are using In-Folio with learners.
If you are interested in hearing what tutors and students thought of In-Folio, you can read more about the Scottish FE Colleges In-Folio pilot here – http://tiny.cc/InFolioPilots .
Pete this is a great case study and we at TechDis are delighted that the college are using Infolio to increase the skills of both the learners and staff. I really like the idea of using a Personal Learning Plan with InFolio that allows students to monitor their own targets and objectives. It has become clear to us that different colleges have used Infolio for a wide range of objectives such as person centred planning, accreditation or as a record of achievement. If you look at the case study that Margaret McKay has highlighted the 5 colleges in Scotland used it successfully in 5 very different ways.
Both Deeside College, the Scottish Colleges and many others are using a version of InFolio which is hosted by JISC TechDis. In this way we are able to offer training and support as needed. It is such a delight to see students using the system to record and share their experiences of college, work and leisure. So thanks again Pete for sharing the unique way that Deeside College are using a very flexible system.