• I just make my Observations and then with a few clicks I can produce ALL my Learning Records and Digital Portfolios
• It compresses my images automatically (a huge time-saver because I used to have to do this myself manually!)
• I can quickly access last semester's data
• I can make a single observation and apply it to the whole class and it automatically inserts the students name and all the rubric comments (wow!!!)
• The folios look fantastic and can be produced in seconds

A customised InquirySys solution has been developed for Lutheran Education Australia,South East Region, to form the basis of their Learning with Purpose (LwP) learning and teaching management system.

Curriculum planning and ARR modules based on the Victorian Essential Learnings Standards (VELS) curriculum framework has been created in InquirySys to provide a standardised system for Region schools and is being trialled in seven school settings.

Not unlike the IB curriculum framework, the VELS curriculum framework needed a high degree of customisation to successfully streamline learning practices to be appropriate for the cultural context of each school community.

InquirySys has already been shown to be a platform flexible enough for deploying an Intranet based system for any school or education system. A partnership has been formed between Folios International and Lutheran Education Australia, South East Region, to facilitate implementation/deployment, support and marketing in the future.

The solution has also replaced an earlier attempt to develop a system using similar technology and other administrative tools based on MAZE.

I absolutely love the versatility of Folio Maker, from both my experiences at Haileybury and now as Curriculum Coordinator at Patterson Lakes Primary School.

If at any stage, during production of a new version, you may like an opinion or feedback from a teacher’s/coordinator’s perspective, please do not hesitate to ask.  I am always interested in increasing technological power in the classroom and the value of reflection and thinking in children.  You should see the “Computers On, Learning On” program I have designed for my classroom, to encourage reflection and celebration of learning, on a daily/weekly basis, to support the Digital Portfolio pedagogy?!

Monique Corcoran

Curriculum Coordinator

FolioMaker implementation for John Paul College, Queensland, Australia

Staff members were faced with the challenge of compiling a digital portfolio that would capture the inquiry based learning journey of the Prep students. It was envisaged that a folio would provide a series of anecdotal observations - backed by multimedia artifacts - which would combine to demonstrate for parents the child's progress along the learning journey.

Folios International became our partners in designing and delivering the Prep Portfolio in 2007. In close collaboration with the Folios International development team - a fully customised solution has been deployed which incorporates the Learning Statements from the Queensland Curriculum. Folios International have been able to integrate the reporting process into the folio development and teachers are able to systematically observe, monitor and comment on student progress. The data collated in the folio updates the teacher's record keeping and generates the personalised report for each student. This report, which forms part of the digital portfolio, is mapped against Education Queensland's Learning Statements.

All of this information is delivered to parents in an attractive user friendly web based format. Feedback from parents has been overwhelmingly supportive with parents commenting particularly on the quantity of information that is presented in the folio. The folio has helped to build communication bridges between the classroom teacher and the parents and parents have commented that they are able to revisit milestones in their child's learning journey through the folio.

Teacher enthusiasm for the development of the digital portfolio has been positive and they are unanimous in their support for its continued use in 2008. Simple features including the automated updating of records; the ability to manage the customisation of rubrics; the integration of all media types including sound, graphics and movie files; the ability to update multiple records concurrently - all combined within a user friendly interface have made the folio an essential professional tool to support teaching and learning in the Prep classrooms.

Folios International have committed to the development of enhancements to the Prep Folio and have actively sought feedback on the use of the product from staff. The emphasis on customisation, flexibility and integration ensure that the Prep Folio will continue to be our premier reporting tool in our Preparatory Years classrooms.

Jan MacNamara

Information and Learning Technologies Co-ordinator

John Paul College