Literature Research and Data Collection
After further thought about my key words posted in my previous blog, I began to narrow my focus to the B.C.’s core competencies (thinking, communication, personal/social), metacognition, and self-awareness. The e-portfolio was designed with the competencies in mind. Headings were identified as: About Me, School, and My Goals.
Ashley, G. C., & Reiter-Palmon, R. (2012). Self-awareness and the evolution of leaders:
The need for a better measure of self-awareness. Journal of Behavioral and
Applied Management, 14(1), 2-17. Retrieved from
In LIBE 477, the discussion on how to mold 21st century learners underlines the course content. Ashley and Reuter-Palmon’s study uses a 54 item scale to study students working collaboratively and to measure their level of self-awareness. The authors argue that with a strong sense of self comes a better knowledge of areas needing improvement, which characterizes solid leadership skills.
The scale used incorporates already established scales with key words like: creativity, emotional intelligence, metacognition, and socially desirable responding (Ashley & Reuter-Palmon, 2012). These key words connect with B.C.’s core competencies and many of the topics offered in the MBP Portfolio.
Lucas Educational Foundation, G. (2018, October 14). What's Metacognition-and Why Does it Matter? Retrieved September 23, 2020, from https://www.edutopia.org/video/whats-metacognition-and-why-does-it-matter
This short, but informative video for educators helps guide an introduction to metacognition, its definition in its simplest terms, and examples of what kind of self-talk it involves like “Can I apply what I learned in different contexts?” and “Do I need help or clarification?” I am already envisioning using the School section in MBP (My Blueprint) for reflective activities for math check-ins, inquiry projects, and research studies. In MBP, under “My Goals”students are able to set up goals, an action plan, and reflect throughout the process using video, audio, and written formats.
Newton, T. (2011). Embracing otherness, embracing myself [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.ted.com/talks/thandie_newton_embracing_otherness_embracing myself?
Actor Thandie Newton discusses her sense of self and coming to terms with her sense of “otherness”. Newton states “... that self becomes the vehicle for navigating our social world. But the self is a projection based on other people's projections. Is it who we really are? Or who we really want to be, or should be” (2011). She goes on to explain that to be authentic, a person needs to have a clear sense of oneness.
Giving students the opportunity to explore who they are, what they are interested in, their values, personal goals, and their thought processes creates a foundation from where they know the progress they have made from learning, problem-solving, making mistakes, and finding joy in their successes. MBP provides a digital and collaborative opportunity to explore their oneness. Because other teachers and parents can also view and comment (I have yet to discover if their peers can also comment from their accounts) there is instant feedback.
Hyland, N., & Kranzow, J. (2012). The E-Portfolio: A Tool and a Process for
Educational Leadership. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 23(2), 69-
91 Retrieved September 23, 2020 from https://web-a-ebscohost-
Hyland and Kranzow provide evidence of increased learner engagement and motivation when students use a digital portfolio. This article made me cognizant of whether of not my Grade 3s are going to “buy in” to using MyBlueprint. Just because a platform involves using a device does not mean students will create output that is a true representation of their understanding. I had used MBP during remote learning primarily for families to post work and provide feedback. Many students (or parents) preferred students to work by hand and take a picture of assignments. A few students that were given the independence, but not the initial guidance of how to use the program, to post their own work. I was receiving finger drawing from the Paint option of a stick figure rather than a thought-out, quality representation of an art masterpiece. This is just an isolated example, but Hyland and Kranzow’s article gives me more confidence that with proper teacher guidance and support, I will find more success with students on MBP as we are face-to-face and taking smaller steps together. Developing an e-portfolio also allows me to reflect on my own instruction: were the activities presented meaningful and engaging for students? What could I improve upon?
Images Used:
MyBlueprint.ca. (n.d.). Retrieved September 22, 2020, from https://myblueprint.ca/
ULC, B. (n.d.). Your own personal emoji. Retrieved September 22, 2020, from https://www.bitmoji.com/
References:
Ashley, G. C., & Reiter-Palmon, R. (2012). Self-awareness and the evolution of leaders:
The need for a better measure of self-awareness. Journal of Behavioral and
Applied Management, 14(1), 2-17. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=https://www-proquest- com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/1082324501?accountid=14656
Hyland, N., & Kranzow, J. (2012). The E-Portfolio: A Tool and a Process for
Educational Leadership. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 23(2), 69–
91.
Lucas Educational Foundation, G. (2018, October 14). What's Metacognition-and Why Does it
Matter? Retrieved September 23, 2020, from https://www.edutopia.org/video/whats-
metacognition-and-why-does-it-matter
Newton, T. (2011). Embracing otherness, embracing myself [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.ted.com/talks/thandie_newton_embracing_otherness_embracing myself?
