hungry squirrel by Steffe on flickr

One of the new ideas for me out of the VET E-portfolio Showcase was the group e-portfolio.  In particular the use of the tool Ning for this purpose (although Mahara also offers a group e-portfolio).

My first impression of Ning as an e-portfolio was that it would never work. Nings work as online groups, usually closed (private or by invitation) where all sorts of online activity can occur for a group such as sharing materials.  They can work well as a social network, with profiles, avatars and functions such as chat and blogs.  However one cannot allow viewing from outside without potentially crossing  privacy boundaries.  However I had been overly influenced by the VET e-portfolios Roadmap and it’s associated standards - which rightly emphasise risk issues such as ownership and privacy.

One innovation project this year brings together a class of outdoor education students into a Ning.  The class is run from the Ning through links; and students use the forum tof discussion and upload materials for assessment.  A small but groundbreaking act was to invite prospective employers into the Ning.  These are local business owners such as bushwalking gear shops or mountain bike stores.  They contribute ideas to the discussion forum (for example about the forthcoming “low tech” hike) or offer places into free bike servicing workshops.  The result is that everyone wins, the students learn more and faster, the business can see who is doing what, they can connect; and there are potential jobs at the end, if not before, for the students.

Another context for group e-portfolios is that indigenous students are often not comfortable with self promotion - which may be implied by individual e-portfolios.  Instead they prefer their efforts cotribute to their community.  Ning and other  platforms (such as wikis) may provide the perfect environment for  group e-portfolios.