K-12 Online Conference

I watched the archived presentation "Whither ePortfolios" by Drew Buddie. I selected this presentation because I thought it would be about digital writing portfolios, something I would eventually like my students to create. However, Drew Buddie has a different focus. He discusses the benefits of ePortfolios, the technology students can use for this, and the challenges teachers may face accepting this type of publishing. He argues that students have the choice to publish the work they want others to see, something that does not necessarily happen with a classroom bulletin board. He shows various sources for creating these portfolios, such as Glogster (I was happy to see this because I have used Glogster with my students this year). He argues that publishing work in this way allows students to receive feedback that they would not receive without ePortfolios. While I haven't read "Bloom's Digital Taxonomy," Buddie mentions it in his presentation, which sparked my interest in the upcoming reading assignment. He demonstrates how Moodle can be combined with something called "Mahara" as a place where students can create ePortfolios. There are obvious benefits to watching this presentation online. First of all, I watched in my pajamas in the comfort of my own home. However, what I really enjoyed was that I started watching a couple of the other videos and stopped them because they didn't seem very interesting or relevant. Walking out of a presentation is rude, and it just doesn't seem like an option. I truly like this option with online conferences. However, I believe that I am more engaged when watching a presentation in person.