In our ePedagogy seminar “Didactical Analysis of a Virtual Learning Environment” the method of ePortfolios shall be used to support and to document the (learning) process. During the course every student is supposed to put a draft for an essay online. This is to be peer-reviewed by the others. These annotiations should be taken into account and worked into the final version of the essay. So at the end the process of development including conflicts and problems can be followed.

So our first task was to put up an ePortfolio including our CV and our aims and interest.
This caused - at least under some of the students - a discussion about transparency concerning personal things like (study) interests and CV. One student - using a weblog as portfolio - had a strong feeling of discomfort now having a blog and writing down certain information about herself: “I really want to have this thing private and not open to the whole computer-world.” Although her blog is password-protected and only open to the participants of the seminar.

In my opinion using a blog that is only open to a seminar-group creates a kind of class-atmosphere, where everybody in the classroom can here what you say about a topic. So what is the difference between a face-to-face seminar with discussions and real-life presentations of the students? What is it, that discomforts?

One difference is the record of the thoughts in written form - normally there is no complete record of every word in a seminar, only the private notes or a protocoll. By writing in a blog different communication media are used - there is a focus on the visual sense. The communication takes place without interaction. The statements can be reconstruced by the author as well as by the reader (central perspective epistemology, See Michael Giesecke, 1998: Der Verlust der zentralen Perspektive und die Renaissance der Multimedialität (The loss of the central perspective and the renaissance of multimediality)). And yet in the process of formulating a statement demands more considerations. In an oral discussion statements are mostly spontanous, there can be direct interaction like inquiries and the possibility of reconstruction is not given to that extend.

Regarding the whole process of a seminar this possibility of reconstruction for author, reader and peer-reviewer can be taken as a chance. It supports the comprehension of conflicts. Becoming aware of a conflict evokes discernment. Following the variation theory and Oliver & Trigwill (Martin Oliver & Keith Trigwell, 2005: Can ‘Blended Learning’ Be Redeemed? E-Learning, Volume 2, Number 1) discernment is the basis for learning to occur. It would be worth discussing this point of the impact of ePortfolios on the learning process more extensively… I try to put up a wikipage on this topic…

But back to my initial question, the discomfort. One main reason might be the obligation to put a CV online. What is the use of implementing CVs into the learning process? In my opinion there is no learning process but a preparation on how to sell oneself on the global job market - presenting oneself in a straight-forward way with a linear CV and clear goals with everything you do. This is one point where I would assume transparency to end and surveillance to start - related to the panopticon. This is a tool to discipline yourselve and the others by surveilling the learning process of the peers having their CV and their aims in mind - and knowing to be surveyed by peers and coach.

And still, it should be up to every student how much he or she wants to present to the pbulic (even if the public is limited to the seminar’s participants). But it is also up to the students to express this discomfort to the coach of the seminar - and to provoke a discussion on it.