Dr. B. Tangney & Mr. T. Savage
The project is concerned with the use of the Portfolio in professional development through facilitating critical-reflective practice. In particular, the use of a digital/electronic portfolio as a means to enhance portfolio preparation and development will be investigated. A prototype artefact will be prepared to explore the use of digital portfolio preparation by users with limited ICT experience.
Rory O’Toole is a Deputy Principal in a co-education post-primary school in Leixlip, Co. Kildare. He has completed a B. Tech (Ed.) in Thomond College, Limerick. At NUI Maynooth, he has completed the Higher Diploma in Educational Management and the Master of Education programmes. His interests are in curriculum development and teacher professional development and ways in which these processes can be supported by ICTs.
The immediate benefit is the identification of future avenues of research for the M.Sc. (IT in Ed.) dissertation.
The main area of educational research to which the current study will contribute is that of the use of the portfolio in reflective practice. The rational for the study comprises a number of inter-related strands:
1. Undertake a review of literature on the use of the portfolio in supporting reflective practice.
2. Modelling the portfolio: Developing a model of the professional portfolio.
3. Developing a prototype artefact (digital portfolio aid) and testing the effectiveness of the prototype in the promotion of reflective practice in teaching.
4. Evaluating and reviewing the model.
Outline how you plan to incorporate the 4 strands/ 2 spheres of the course.
The proposed project will be contribute to current theories of professional development in teaching, reflective practice, and how reflective practice and professional development may be enhanced through the use of ICTs.
The project will necessitate the design, development, deployment and evaluation of a digital artefact. It is envisaged that the artefact will be necessitate (a) the design and development of relational databases and (b) the use of a ‘rapid development’ application (such as Visual Basic) to create the interface and reporting elements of the artefact. In addition, the design of the artefact should allow for future deployment into a local area network or the Internet.
An important element of the research undertaking is the development of an artefact that will encourage teachers with limited ICT experience to use IT in the area of lesson preparation and evaluation.
The research on the use on portfolio in professional development and the possible role of a digital portfolios will be set in a context of national and international research in these areas. In particular, the project literature review will examine the use of the portfolio as an aid to professional development. The study will have particular regard to ‘reflective practice’ as a model of professional teacher development.
Project Stage |
Date |
|
1. |
Submission of Meta Project proposal, selection of supervisor, amendments to project proposal, drafting and approval of final Meta Project Description |
22nd April |
2. |
Preliminary work on relational database design and development. |
27th April |
3 |
Completion of literature review on Reflective Practice and the Professional Portfolio in professional development in teaching |
5th May |
4 |
Completion of design and development of relational database and interface. |
11th May |
5 |
Deployment and testing of artefact (digital portfolio aid) in school setting |
18th May |
6 |
Reporting of study findings. |
25th May |
7. |
Submission of completed project |
31st May |
Will your project be connected to other existing work or work in progress in the M.Sc.? If so please outline the larger study, those involved in the work and your expected contribution.
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