Just when I had thought I had gotten my head around my blog I’m introduced to this new concept of an e.Portfolio. After watching the prescribed clips of how Mahara works, I embarked on the journey of setting up my new account via Net.Spot. This proved to be quite easy as I navigated myself through the process and before I knew it I had created yet another profile of myself and an active e-learning blog. For some reason I could relate more easily to the Mahara website design as I think it holds clear links to both MySpace and Facebook networking sites which I have engaged with in the past.
One benefit I immediately associate with Mahara is the learning opportunities it offers to both me and my learners. Firstly, Mahara would be an effective interface by which I could communicate with other learning managers in regards to sharing insights, tips, information (websites) and other useful facts specific to the trade of teaching.
As iterated by SRI International (2009) embedding technology into classroom pedagogy is an effective means by which to ensure that students actively engage in the learning.
By students establishing either a class or individually monitored blog, it would offer endless learning opportunities. This would be in terms of the students having a wider access to resources and knowledge and more actively engaging with the learning process. I would love to see students writing up a class blog in terms of sharing the knowledge they have just learnt or chatting with students/industry professionals from other schools/sites in regards to curriculum content. It is this cooperative approach to learning that looks beyond the physical classroom walls that needs to be adopted if we are to better provide for the needs of our learners.
Reference:
SRI International 2009, Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students: Change in Student and Teacher Roles, viewed 1 August 2009, http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html.
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