MYTH BUSTERS " It is just another thing to do, and I'm too busy already". Using an ePortfolio can save time. Students manage: all their own work-­‐ written work, including drafts and reworking oral work, including video clips submission for assessment Teachers have more time to: conference give feedback/feedforward work one-­‐on-­‐one, or with groups teach, assess and make assessment decisions "I'm not good with computers, I'll never be able to teach my students how to use it" The teacher does not need to know everything about how to use an ePortfolio. Students are used to computers and social media, and are technologically savvy. They will be quick to understand and use functions, and the more able will be able to help those who take a little more time to get the hang of it. It is true that an infrastructure and some expertise are required in the initial set-­‐up. Your school needs an "administrator". Your tech support person or ICT/DGT teacher could assist. Then, there is an array of assistance available: * on the first page of myportfolio.school.nz you will find a series of self-­‐help video clips * there are on-­‐line forums where you can ask questions " The language classes in my school don't have access to a computer lab" Many students and their families do not have a computer. Access to computers is an issue in many schools. Ways to overcome this: * work on an ePortfolio does not need to be done in school time -­‐ students can work on their ePortfolio at home * if possible, make access to whatever computers there are in your school more available e.g. before school, at lunchtime, after school * written work can be done using paper and pen and scanned on “But what about authenticity?” http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/assets/NCEA/Resources/information-­‐for-­‐students.pdf Every school has their own authenticity policy. Check the Achievement Standards,, the Conditions of Assessment, and the Clarifications of Standards on the Language specific page on the NZQA site to make sure your school policies fit in with the recommendations of NZQA. Standards http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/assessment/search.do?query=French&view=all&level=01 Conditions of assessment http://legacy.tki.org.nz/e/community/ncea/conditions-­‐assessment.php Clarifications http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-­‐
standards/qualifications/ncea/subjects/french/clarifications/ "We don't have enough video cameras" Most students have a phone and this can be used to capture video. A little research may be required to convert the file, but for the most part this has already been done for you and can be accessed at “All sorts of files” under the Essential Technical Stuff tab. "What if the server crashes? All the students work will be lost!" Servers do sometimes crash, even in your own school, but it is rare that all work is lost. It is not a lot different from a teacher losing some exam papers, or essays or the CD not recording a track. Sometimes things do happen. But most things are salvageable. MyPortfolio has a very robust server and a back-­‐ up server and to date, there has not been an issue. "Other students will get online and wreck another student's work" MyPortfolio is extremely secure. Students control their pages and they control who they give access to. Should a student decide to give access to their peers/others, these other people cannot edit the student's page, they can leave comments and feedback. A GROUP setup does give editing rights to members of the group. This can be useful for collaborative work. Students may need computer etiquette explained; and every school has a cyber safety policy. "MyPortfolio wont be free forever" MyPortfolio is currently funded by the Ministry. It is guaranteed free until 2013. Whatever system you use, there are some key considerations to take into account: * security * cost * transferability across sectors e.g. primary, secondary, tertiary, life-­‐long * assessment/moderation