Pathbrite Portfolio Learning Platform is a suite of web based applications designed to:

• change the way people teach, learn, and grow;
• deepen reflection, metacognition, and critical thinking;
• enable project based learning and peer collaboration; and
• improve course passing and graduation rates.

Heather Hiles, the founder and CEO of Pathbrite, explains the company’s mission and approach in this video.

At the heart of Pathbrite is a portfolio application designed to facilitate the key processes of collecting, selecting, reflecting, and presenting.  Ownership of the portfolio rests firmly with its developer who can use the application to:

• develop a personal profile;
• import learning artifacts, including: Docs, PDF’s, Audio, Video, and Photos;
• link to third party content, including: Google Docs, YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Linkin, Khan Academy;
• attach written reflections and comments to artifacts;
• construct, arrange, and reorganize portfolios to suit particular needs
• publish and share using email, social media, or copies of artifacts downloaded directly from  portfolios; and
• control access and sharing through password controls and privacy settings.

And because Pathbrite is a web based application, portfolio developers can use it to:

• access, construct and share portfolios across multiple platforms using multiple devices; and
• exploit the added affordances of mobile technology: portability, touch screens, and icon control.

In 2013, Pathbrite launched its Portfolio Learning Platform as an extension and expansion of the portfolio service.  This new suite of applications maintains the core features of the portfolio application while adding a learning management component. Teachers and institutions can now develop courses, customize learning outcomes, develop and assign tasks, build custom rubrics, monitor student progress, and report student achievement.

Pathbrite’s growth from a portfolio application to a portfolio learning platform sets it apart from other companies who provide learning management systems. Many of these systems have focused on the needs of teachers and institutions. They include portfolios as tools for assessment and reporting and ignore the important features of student ownership, reflection, and involvement. Staying focused on learners could prove challenging for Pathbrite and its users. The company tackles this issue head-on by engaging in a steady stream of professional development and providing a significant level of support to its users, including: a blog, eBooks, webinars, videos, and an email help desk.

I recommend Pathbrite for students, teachers, and administrator interested in portfolio development. Its policies and procedures are consistent with the Child Online Privacy Protection Act (USA) and the Freedom of Information Act (Canada). Its approach to teaching, learning, and personal growth is solidly grounded in educational research. The application is easy to use, well within the reach of most individuals, and provides the support and tools necessary to realize the benefits of portfolios.

“In the remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa, less than 20 percent of the population has access to any type of formal financial institution. Yet access to financial services is a key aspect of development, as credit and savings allow households to invest, save and respond to shocks… Since 2005, a new technology—mobile money—has become available in over eighty countries worldwide. Mobile money (m-money) is a product that allows clients to use text messages to store value in an account accessible by the handset, convert cash in and out of the stored value account, and transfer value between users… M-money offers a new potential mechanism for increasing the financial inclusion of the world’s poor (Aker, J. & Wilson, K. 2013. Can mobile money be used to promote savings ? Evidence from northern Ghana. SWIFT Institute Working Paper No. 2012-003).”

According to Killian Fox, “half of Africa’s one billion population has a mobile phone – and not just for talking. The power of telephony is forging a new enterprise culture, from banking to agriculture to healthcare”. His article Africa’s mobile economic revolution, posted on The Observer website, provides stimulating insight into the use of mobile phone technology in Africa and its potential to move some nations from their dependency on foreign aid to vibrant, healthy, and independent economies.

Two case studies provide first hand descriptions of how mobile money is affecting the lives and livelihoods of Ugandans.

Case Study 1: A Mobile Money Micro-Economy                          

Case Study 2: Farming with a Smartphone  

Iqbal Quadir provides more insight into the topic and examples from Bangladesh in his TED Talk: How mobile phones can fight poverty.

A few years ago I had the good fortune to live and work in Tanzania. It was a mind blowing, paradigm shifting experience and one I am sometimes asked to share. Aside from the many personal stories, my experiences reflect the observations made by Fox and Quadir. Foreign aid does not work and cellphones were everywhere. Foreign aid provides short term relief that ends when the money stops flowing or when the foreign managers leave. And although first world economies contributed to Tanzania’s problems, first world solutions only exacerbate  them. A long term solution rests with the Tanzanians. It must make sense to them. It must address their needs as they define them. It must work for and in their culture and economy. In a country with poor infrastructure, cellphones seem a good fit and everyone used them to text. Our landline washed away during a monsoon and a cellphone with a calling card was the only way to call Canada. Even the guides in the Serengeti text to coordinate safaris! And when it came to money management. our bank was a locked bureau drawer. You have to admire the ingenuity to adapt technology to a cultural and economic landscape for which it was not originally intended! We could learn something from these growing economies. RBC, BMO, and CIBC take note!

Not one to leave things to the last minute I have started laying the ground work for my Individual Authoring Project (A3). I have launched a new website mportfolios.org which I intend to develop as we move through the course. I’d appreciate your taking a few minutes to check it out and to post some ideas or questions you have regarding mobile electronic portfolios (mPortfolios). Thank you.

Electronicportfolios.org is the creation of Dr. Helen Barrett a leading researcher and proponent in electronic portfolios (ePortfolios) and more recently in mobile electronic portfolios (mPortfolios). This site, which links to a mobile version, provides comprehensive information on the purpose, development, and use of mobile electronic portfolios in education. The site links to and is supported by Dr. Barrett’s biography, a catalogue of her publications, and a list of answers to frequently asked questions. The content of the site is current and contact information is provided for Dr. Barrett.  The following sections are particularly useful:

Presentations in SlideShare: This set of slides accompanied Dr. Barrett’s presentation at the SOTF Conference in October 2012. It provides a comprehensive introduction to and description of mPortfolios and of their evolution from ePortfolios.

mPortfolios with iOS Devices: This set of resources and activities accompanied Dr. Barrett’s online course “The Future of mPortfolios (m=mobile) for Lifelong Learning”. And while the course is no longer active, teachers will be interested in this detailed, set-by-step process for implementing mPortfolios.

This site also recommends specific processes and tools for creating, collecting and sharing portfolio artifacts but falls short of recommending applications which combine all of these functions. ePortfolio and mPortfolio specific applications are available. They provide a useful base for the construction of mPortfolios, support the process for individuals who are less confident in their use of technology, and should have been included.

The “why” and “what” of mPortfolios are well addressed by Electronicportfolios.org. And even though the site’s explanation of ”how” needs some updating, it is an excellent resource for teachers who are considering mPortfolios.

Week 1 – Orientation 

Hi. My name is Don Adams and I am not quite sure how to introduce myself. This kind of has me chuckling as I prepare to welcome a new class of Kindergarten students tomorrow morning. I wonder if they have the same sense of excitement and anticipation I feel right now.

This is my fourth MET course. My interest in mobile technology and its application to learning is fairly recent. I do have a classroom website and a professional blog but I am not a great participant in social media. Up to now I have been a dedicated, hardwired PC user (both me and the machine).

My interest is in electronic portfolio development, specifically mobile electronic portfolios (mPortfolios), as I see some real parallels between use of social media and their development. Also, mobile devices have some real affordance for my young students. And so I am ready to push the boundary of my understanding and teaching.

On a more personal note…I am a thirty year teacher having taught Kindergarten through Grade 8. I am the .1 Literacy/Numeracy/Technology Mentor and ‘Keeper of the iPads’ at my school. I have taught abroad, held most of the teaching and administrative positions available in elementary schools, and have worked in private practice as a child and family therapist. I am a husband, father, and grandfather; my granddaughter was in the Kindergarten class across the hall last year!

I anticipate a fun time working with all of you on the course. I just hope someone will share their crayons.