Welcome to these action research pages. My name is John Marsden and I am a lecturer in couselling at the University Centre at Blackburn College. This September my project is to introduce students to Evernote and e-portfolios. This blog is a record of my project's three phases: development, implementation and results.
This is also an example of the kind of learning I want students to experience: learning that uses technology and multi-media to communicate ideas, enhance collaboration, encourage creativity and demonstrate personal and professional development. I hope you enjoy this blog and that you will add your comments at the bottom of this page.
Tuesday 20 May 2014
This page has been inspired by Nick, The Nerdy Teacher and his Epic Evernote Experiment. You can read his blog here and learn how Nick incorporated Evernote into teaching and learning.
Like Nick I want to keep a record of my 'Epic Experiment' - the shift from ring-binders stuffed with paperwork to beautifully organised e-portfolios in Evernote. So this blog is a piece of action research, or more simply, a record of my progress (triumphs and challenges) towards using Evernote in the classroom and encouraging my students to use Evernote as a study tool.
I hope my students will be enthusiastic about using this technology because action research is a collaborative process and learning how to learn effectively is an important part of any degree programme. That's the bigger goal here - embracing 21st Century Learning!
Wednesday 21 May 2014
Had a kind reply to an email I sent The Nerdy Teacher and it's changed my understanding of the e-portfolio and how students and tutors can share them. Here's what nick says:
One way to solve this problem is to create all of the notebooks for each student and share them with them. Then, both you and the student can edit the notes.
I hadn't thought of this. Done this way the portfolios live on my premium Evernote account and are accessed by my students via their free Evernote accounts. It saves them money whilst ensuring we can interact and collaborate easily.
I forwarded Nick's email from my Gmail account directly into Evernote and placed it in the project's notebook.
Friday 23 May 2014I forwarded Nick's email from my Gmail account directly into Evernote and placed it in the project's notebook.
Started to talk to colleagues at the University Centre about Evernote and e-Portfolios. Networks seem a really important part of modern learning - they always were - but today social media makes sharing and collaboration fun and easy. I promoted my Evernote Blog to UCBC colleagues on Facebook and got some positive feedback.
I then used Evernote Webclipper to take a screenshot of my Facebook page, used Evernote's annotation tools to mark up the screenshot, tagged it and placed it in the project's notebook. Finally I added 'contact Vic Newens' onto the to-do list I keep in Evernote.
I then used Evernote Webclipper to take a screenshot of my Facebook page, used Evernote's annotation tools to mark up the screenshot, tagged it and placed it in the project's notebook. Finally I added 'contact Vic Newens' onto the to-do list I keep in Evernote.
Later on my colleague and fellow Evernote enthusiast, Jo Neil, reminded me in a Facebook post that she already uses Evernote to host e-portfolios; and she has an excellent blog featuring her textiles work. Check out: Felt Like It
Sunday 25 May 2014
The end of a busy week and a significant day for my e-portfolio experiment. I have now created structure and a large amount of content for the e-portfolio I intend to share with my counselling students.
I have assigned it as a public notebook so you can view it's contents here:
https://www.evernote.com/pub/marsdentherapy/ucbce-portfolio
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| Jeremy |
My old friend Jeremy (a penguin fancier with a waddle) has been given editing rights to his own version of the e-portfolio so I can see what happens when someone unfamiliar with Evernote modifies a shared notebook.
I want to be as knowledgeable as possible about sharing and collaboration before September comes and soon I shall visit Jeremy and see how it looks on his laptop - a student eye view!
30 May 2014
I spent the day marking portfolios and giving feedback. It was a tricky process and highlighted many of the reasons I want to move to e-portfolios.
It was difficult to find stuff because each of these folders was packed with paperwork Some were so big they stretched to two ring-binders. One of the portfolios burst open sending A4 pockets slithering to the floor.
One or two of them were a little disorganised and having stuff in the wrong places made them more user unfriendly.
I wish I had seen earlier versions of these portfolios so I could have supervised their completion more closely and given more advice and encouragement to my students.
These portfolios have remained neglected until the end of the module and then there is a rush to complete them. This is followed by a rush to get them marked! How much easier and more beneficial it would be if I could access these files in an e-portfolio and give continuous, timely and constructive feedback throughout the year. The e-portfolio provides plenty of opportunities for formative assessment.
The picture adorning this blog post was taken by my friend and colleague Paul Heald on his iPhone. It was then emailed to my Gmail account and from there forwarded to Evernote. I used Evernote's annotation software, Skitch, to pixilate one of the names on one of the portfolios. From there I uploaded the photograph to my blog and retained a copy in my chosen Evernote notebook for future reference.
30 May 2014
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| John Marsden and a pile of portfolios |
It was difficult to find stuff because each of these folders was packed with paperwork Some were so big they stretched to two ring-binders. One of the portfolios burst open sending A4 pockets slithering to the floor.
One or two of them were a little disorganised and having stuff in the wrong places made them more user unfriendly.
I wish I had seen earlier versions of these portfolios so I could have supervised their completion more closely and given more advice and encouragement to my students.
These portfolios have remained neglected until the end of the module and then there is a rush to complete them. This is followed by a rush to get them marked! How much easier and more beneficial it would be if I could access these files in an e-portfolio and give continuous, timely and constructive feedback throughout the year. The e-portfolio provides plenty of opportunities for formative assessment.
The picture adorning this blog post was taken by my friend and colleague Paul Heald on his iPhone. It was then emailed to my Gmail account and from there forwarded to Evernote. I used Evernote's annotation software, Skitch, to pixilate one of the names on one of the portfolios. From there I uploaded the photograph to my blog and retained a copy in my chosen Evernote notebook for future reference.
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