eFolio Essentials:
Convenient Access to Free Training
for Students, Professionals
Submitted by Heather Holmes, PEPNet-West Outreach Specialist
PEPNet's new Just-in-Time (JIT) eFolio online training module offers transition tools to anyone, 24/7, at any location with Internet service. The video, a component of eFolio Essentials: A Series of Online Trainings, delivers content in American Sign Language (ASL), with English narration and captions, and is fully accessible to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Marcus Biggs, graduate, Alaska State School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing signs, "I understand," and says, "Having access to transition materials from PEPNet online is really awesome because it helps me to learn what I need to know and feel more prepared and confident."
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires schools to work with high school students with disabilities to plan their transition to post-school life. Tight budgets have made meeting this requirement difficult, especially for small and rural districts. PEPNet's iTransition-a free, online curriculum that helps students prepare for transition and life after high school-provides high quality transition training that can help meet IDEA requirements.
Four separate trainings and companion activities help students learn about themselves, their career goals, and the skills they need to be successful, while learning more about creating and using online materials.
iTransition's final component-eFolio-allows students to compile and organize the work completed in the first three trainings and is quite complex, requiring training for students and the professionals working with them. Until now, professionals needed to attend "live" eFolio trainings when and where they were offered. Though free, the trainings often required travel and time away from work. Now training for eFolio is available at the click of a mouse, at any Internet port, and at any time. This enables self-directed eFolio training for students, and/or inclusion of eFolio training in curricula developed by educators.
Courtney Westberg-Westmann, Counselor, Alaska State School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Anchorage and Student Steven Wahl view Steven's eFolio.
"When the students started using the online materials from PEPNet, I just watched as their eyes lit up!" says Westberg-Westmann. "They were absorbing everything like sponges!"
Using iTransition's eFolio component, students create a modern multimedia electronic portfolio that can contain resumes, letters of recommendation, transcripts, writing samples, audiograms, photos, and videos in a variety of formats. The style of the portfolio can reflect the student's personality and skills, and once created, a targeted Internet link can be sent to potential employers, schools, and friends.
Students can use eFolio as a self-advocacy tool to take control of their education and lives. Four students in Alaska used iTransition and eFolio to create their own websites containing information about college choices, standardized test scores, audiograms, communication preferences, and accommodations that work best for them.
Students enjoy creating these portfolios and take pride in sharing the completed products. This empowering creative outlet will likely provide a competitive edge in their job search or in applying to educational institutions.
View the JIT iTransition eFolio training at:
www.pepnet.org/justintime/efolio
www.pepnet.org