ePortfolio for International Cooperation ePortfolio and Digital Identity Oct 23rd, 2008, Maastricht, Netherlands Théo Bondolfi and Samantha Slade

ePortfolios helping cooperation and capacity building How can ePortfolio processes contribute to international development and cooperation?

IT and development 1. United Nations Millennium Development Goals for 2015 2. Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) 3. Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness (2005)

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC, vvww.deza.net)‏ Commissioned a study to gather information on 1) ePortfolio processes that could be of interest for them and to external organisations and 2) for developing synergies of ePortfolio training

Web presence/Digital identity “ Organisations that have worked in isolation, can be projected into a global space encouraging trans-national sharing, networking, collaborating, innovating. The World wide web has tremendous potential to give civil society in developing countries a global audience, to help NGO's and local non-for profits connect to each other”. http://wiki.kabissa.org/ttgo/start

ePortfolio definition An ePortfolio is an online environment supporting processes that allow an individual, group or organisation to reflect and document and present who they are - their strengths, activities, experiences, challenges, goals, competences, values etc. and in so doing to become lifelong learners, learning organisations or learning regions.

Digital Identity and ePortfolio

Areas of impact of ePortfolio processes 1. Empowerment 2. Learning deep and complex issues 3. Accomodating non-formal and traditional learning 4. Professionalisation of a field of work 5. Transregional or trans- organisational information sharing and collaboration

1. Empowerment Flickr.com - A shift from trainer/teacher centric learning/CPD to learner centric approaches. - B ringing the under-represented developing country voice into the mainstream. - Developing creative, innovative, networked individuals, organisations and regions taking responsibility for their personal and professional well-being and development. By Hamed saber, Flickr.com

2. Supporting deep and complex learning - Create leaders who confront the root issues of crisis management, health issues etc. able to uplift their communities and impart vision and purpose - CPD for capacity building is more than a cursus, it's effectively being able to contribute to sustainable change. Flickr.com

3. Expanding types of learning - Capture and support formal, informal and non-formal learning in a structured and integrated way. - Facilitate the reflective practitioner, giving value to traditional knowledge... Flickr.com

4. Professionalisation of a field - Unite a professional field and develop a sense of professional identity, pride and value that is crucial to maintaining committed professionals in their line of work - Critically reflect on one's profession and develop a long-term vision of your career or organisation.

5. Trans-organisational/regional collaboration - Collect and collate activities demonstrating one's competence, to bring together the mass of knowledge usually either tacit or dispersed. - Develop an evolving knowledge base supporting induction, continual improvement, sharing, partnerships .... By Steve Jurvetson, Flickr.com

The study 1. Activities 2. Agencies 3. Example 4. Interview themes 5. Timeline and results

1. Activities Ynternet.org foundation for eCulture is researching and interviewing developing agencies and civil society organisations to identify and better understand different best practices that map onto these 5 areas of impact.

2. Some agencies/initiatives we are exploring - Kabissa, A network of African civil society organisations - Dgroups, Development Through Dialogue - Action Aid International,The knowledge initiative - Mount Royal College, International Community Development Certificate - Commonwealth of Learning - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - Agence Universitaire de la francophonie - Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions (SPIDER)‏ - Ginks Ghana Information and Knowledge Sharing Network PRO-FEMMES - Europass

3. For example... Cooperation.net hosts 6 000 ePortfolios

3. And another example... ICT for development - Personal research portal

5. Timeline and Results The study will be completed early 2009 and results will be available on the web in English and French with a Spanish summary into an OBSERVATORY OF ePORTFOLIOS INITIATIVES FOR COOPERATION THROUGH THE WEB VISIT WWW.YNTERNET.ORG/EPORTFOLIO If you know of any initiatives/agencies that should be included in the study, please let us know

Preliminary findings 1. Partnerships 2. Digital ease 3. Culture of transparency

ePortfolios, digital identity and cooperation? ePortfolios can contribute to working towards sustainable social and economic development. ICT needs to be optimized to connect, share, network, collaborate and innovate, supporting transnational integrated long term and scalable partnership approaches.

Conclusion There is an urgency to have judicious, skilled, aware, at ease internet users and internet using organisations who find their voice and take it publicly, address the complex and significant issues they are working with, tap into their local learning traditions, develop a sense of meaning and professional identity, and further their networking and knowledge sharing. ePortfolios and digital identity are new models with incredible potential to support just that.

Conclusion There is an urgency to have judicious, skilled, aware, at ease internet users and internet using organisations who find their voice and take it publicly, address the complex and significant issues they are working with, tap into their local learning traditions, develop a sense of meaning and professional identity, and further their networking and knowledge sharing. ePortfolios and digital identity are new models with incredible potential to support just that.

Théo Bondolfi and Samantha Slade Ynternet.org This presentation is available online at: slideshare.com/sam5

References Millennium Development Goals http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/ Global Alliance for ICT and Development http://www.un-gaid.org/ The Paris Declaration http://www.oecd.org/document/18/0,2340,en_2649_3236398_35401554_1_1_1_1,00.html