#llconf2014 visual arts e portfolios & relationships

Five „Visual Arts showcase‟ e-portfolios:
amplifying learner PRIVILEGE or reflecting paucity …
George‟s e-portfolio homepage
2012
Masibulele‟s e-portfolio homepage
2013
Gary‟s e-portfolio homepage
2012
Melissa‟s e-portfolio homepage
2013
Nathan e-portfolio homepage
2013
Melissa‟s deviantART homepage
20132014/04/16 Prepared by @travisnoakes 1
@travisnoakes
PhD in Media Studies student,
University of Cape Town,
Centre for Film and Media Studies.

Medium being studied.
The online portfolio exhibition super-genre has been used by many visual
creatives since 2003, when self-publishing digital portfolios online
became easy, efficient and inexpensive (for the well-resourced).
Carbonmade.com CGI Society
DeviantArt
Example Number of portfolios*
Deviantart 13 000 000
Carbonmade 393 450
Cgisociety 184 784
* Stats taken from these websites on the 16th of August, 2011
Behance

Profile
description
Profile
image
About button Portfolio
title
Contact
details
Areas of
expertise
SkillsFooter
Artist. Date.
Folder
Name,
Description
Artwork
Title
Description
Tags
Client tags
1 ‘Home’ page
template
3 ‘Artwork project folder‟
page template
2 ‘About’ page template (artist‟s profile)
Carbonmade Artist. Date.
Availability
for freelance
graphic
Digital self-presentation and portfolio self-curation using Carbonmade
as one‟s „virtual curator‟
Work button
Creative’s
name
Portfolio title
Footer
Artist. Date.
Footer
Artist. Date.
Prepared by @travisnoakes2014/04/16 3
4 ‘Search page
results’ template
IDENTITYSHOWCASE ARTWORKS &
Folders of
digitised
artworks
Carbonmade banner logo

SPECIALITIESRESEARCH ROLES &

Fieldwork: 2010 - 2013
My three year action research project explores 29 learners‟ e-portfolio use
at an elite independent secondary school and at a less well-resourced
„Arts and Culture focus‟ government one.
Government school in AthloneIndependent school in Rondebosch

Action research supported sustained e-portfolio appropriation
by independent secondary school learners (2010 – 12)
@school
• One-laptop-per-learner
• ICT training (school intranet)
• Scanners and cameras
• Wireless access
• Poster design in Visual Arts
• E-portfolio syllabus integration
• ICT support
@extra-curricular
• Extra-mural societies
• Learners often better resourced at
home than at school (flip the class)

Aligned with a „National Curricular Statement‟ module.
Appropriated to help learners improve their
„Management and Presentation‟ skills.
• „Visual Arts showcase electronic learning portfolio (e-portfolio)‟ meta-genre
taught for two weeks each year;
• Ultimate aim is to support matric-exhibition preparation.
Screenshot of “Hui”‟s Carbonmade
„homepage‟, November, 2010
Screenshot of Hui‟s Carbonmade
„homepage‟, December, 2011
Screenshot of Hui‟s Carbonmade
„homepage‟, May, 2012
Prepared by @travisnoakes2014/04/16 7

Two years later, action research on online portfolio use by
government secondary school learners began (2012 – 13)
@school
• One Khanya computer lab
• No ICT training for Visual Arts learners
• 1 scanner and teacher cameras
• E-portfolio curriculum for volunteers
@extra-curricular
• Frank Joubert art school
• Three learners preferred to use faster
internet access on their mobile phones
in the lab
• Only three learners had regular home
internet access to do e-portfolio work

Requirements for e-portfolio creation & related classroom issues
Easy to underestimate the resource changes which e-
portfolio creation and maintenance requires…
Requirement
Uninterrupted
power
Fast, reliable
network
Accessible
software
Black out
Copper cable theft Local broadband cable failure
Software virus infectionAppropriate
hardware
No swop-outs
International broadband cable failure
Intermittent power
Timeous ICT
support
Router failure No traffic shaping
Expensive to license sufficient copies UnstableDifferent by OS
Suitable
pedagogy No or insufficient policies
Missing drivers
Battery failure
No guidelines No roadmap
Slow warranty resolution
Stopgap implementation
Old, slow and unstableUnder-specification
UnavailableProblem detection Notification
No incentives
No „teaching-with-technology‟ supportLimited budget
Difficult to get a new password
„New wine in old bottles‟ approach
Different GUI by browser
Additional scanners and cameras
Inexperience with freeware
Problems experienced at research sites (2010 – 2013):

Lots of data from four years of fieldwork…
1. E-portfolio lessons (30 independent and 12 government lessons);
2. Screenshots of e-portfolios at the independent school (in 2010,
2011, 2012) and the government school (in 2013);
3. Screenshots of Carbonmade‟s graphic user interface;
4. E-portfolio and out-of-class questionnaire feedback (from all 29
learners);
5. Individual interviews with 16 learners and both educators;
6. Research journal notes.

My PhD‟s main research questions
Question 1.
What choices do Visual Arts
learners make in response to
formal e-portfolio curricula?
Question 2.
How do Visual Arts e-portfolios
and the genres of participation
they reflect relate to the
possibilities and constraints of
learner circumstances?
11
For research updates, go to
travisnoakes.co.za or follow
@travisnoakes on Twitter
Prepared by @travisnoakes2014/04/16

Potential contributions to knowledge
 Explore learners‟ digital self-representation using e-portfolios and the specific
relationships they manifest;
- Describe how learners reproduce, transform or resist the self-representation as Visual
Arts learners through choices in response to an emergent ‘Visual Arts e-portfolio
showcase’ meta-genre over up to three years;
- Describe the varied cultural fields and disciplinary identities that learners
choose to portray and develop over two to three years;
- Describe the Social Semiotic aspects of learners’ choices in relation to an emergent,
disciplinary identity;
- Highlight the important role of affect in digital self-representation through e-portfolios;
- Highlight the neglected role of personal media communication ecologies (considerations
for BYOD, mobile phones, broadband speed, et al.)

The long and winding theoretical road of my PhD…
✖ Usability testing
✖ Diffusion of Innovations Theory
✖ Use-In-Practice Methodology
✖ Social Network Theory
✖Activity theory
✖Genre and Multimodality
Social Semiotics (genre, content analysis of resources used in multimodal choices)
Cultural Theory (Symbolic Interactionism, [(habitus) + (capital) + field] = practice)
Media Theory (describe digital self presentation & personal media ecologies)
Prepared by Travis Noakes April 16, 2014

Positive
disposition
to a
core visually
creative self and
complimentary
aspects of
identity
To achieve Visual Arts showcase e-portfolios requires many relationships
student_site.
carbonmade.com
Positive about the
constraints of a
„freemium‟ service:
- 35 images, max.
-Very limited „aesthetic
self‟
-No social networking
Positive relationship to the
prescribed „virtual curator‟
software
Self presentation (about page)
1. enabling students to practice creating disciplinary
presentations of self
Self curation of an oeuvre (folder and homepage)
Curricular > drawing, painting & design mediums
Extra-curricular > sculpture
Disciplinary > Visual Arts learner
Other visual cultural interests
Non-disciplinary > other subjects, hobbies,
relationships, likes and dislikes
2. enabling students to digitize and self curate their
creative productions
Appropriation > inspiration, youth interest
Positive
relationships to their
educator‟s
pedagogical
priorities
Access to
high levels
of economic,
cultural, social
and symbolic
capital
Relationships tp
internet and ICT for
digitisation -
knowledge, access,
use and support
Relationships in
accessing
and using
varied medias
Holistic ID & creative showcase
= Tangible symbolic capital
Privacy concerns > undesirable audiences
Reputation concerns > undesirable comparisons

Cultural
Theory
Making is connecting
Formal education
Cultural fields
Habitus
Social trajectory
Disciplinary identities
Classification
Evolution of disciplinary
identities -
anchored or
transitional
Genres of-
participation
Creative
production
Friendship
and Interest
driven (cross-over)
Feelings
Choices for reproduction, extension,
resistance and negation
Genre
Visual Arts
showcase e-portfolio
meta-genre and sub-
genres
Online portfolio
super-genre
‘Presentational
modality’ choices
(truth to super-genre
versus sub-genre)
Restricted language
Trajectory versus
traversal
Personal
homepage genre
Prescribed sub-genre
Learners’ sub-genre
response
Disciplinary self
re-presentation
Self- representation
(front stage)
Frames
Non-representation
(backstage)
Ongoing SSMC
objectives &
choices
- Relationships
- Anticipated outcomes
- Audiences
Visual Arts learner
ID projection objectives
Communication
ecologies
Social shaping
Curricular
appropriation
Resource intensive
fields/genres of
participation
Affordances of
‘participatory culture’,
‘Maker culture’ and
‘Connected Learning’
as constraints outside of
richly resourced
contextsAmplification of
distinction
Informal
appropriation
Formal media
communication
ecologies
hardware
software
bandwidth
S
C
H
O
O
L
S
E
L
F
Selfhood
Forms of capital Educational and SymbolicEconomic, Social and Cultural
Different contexts
Time
Theoretical perspectives combined to describe 14 case studies in detail
Taste and distinction
Digital self representation
(collpased

Links from ‘drawing, painting or design' to other genres of creative production/ Visual Culture fields

Content analysis to frame 29‟s learner‟s multimodal choices
1. Defined constraints of the „virtual curator‟; the possible fields learners could enter.
2. Listed choices for all 29 learners in the fields for their e-portfolios at the end of
curricula, each year.
3. Did a content analysis that aggregated choices into Social Semiotics‟ representational
(i.e. oeuvre and identity) and communication (i.e. contact and copyright) categories.
Question 1.
What choices do Visual Arts learners make in response to formal e-portfolio
curricula?

„Selfies, self and group portraits‟ (IS field site)

Content analysis: representational aims
Digital self presentation
1.Almost all learners chose to use a genuine identity („core self‟)
2.GS students show more variety (three pseudonyms and one philosophical statement)
3.Long self-descriptions of IS learners (9 -33 sentences) vs. GS (1 – 9 sentences)
4.Greater extra-mural involvement featured by IS learners (esp. in sport and
cultural productions)
5.Differences in (sub-) genres featured in profile pictures between sites
6.Five GS learners did not upload portraits, two IS learners didn‟t.
Showcase oeuvres
a)> 19 images uploaded (and > 3 folders created) by average IS learner.
b)< 14 images uploaded (and 1 folder created) by average GS learner.
c)Resource-rich media used by 15 IS learners and 4 GS learners
d)Graphic design and videography media often serve IS „distinction‟
e)Sub-genres often serve as GS markers of „distinction‟
f)No third-party artworks sampled by GS learners.
g)Four IS learners linked to other portfolios, one GS did

Content analysis: communication aims
Communication
1.A school email address is a marker of distinction;
2.13 students are keen to do freelance work (7 IS, 6 GS);
3.15 students did not add copyright statements and only six used
the prescribed format.
Overall…
Visual Arts pedagogy and assessment strongly shape learners‟
choices;
There is a wide variety in what individual learners do; no
common „object‟ since learners source objectified cultural capital
developed in many visual cultural fields;
Limited use of irony or parody;
Few examples of „participatory culture‟;
To achieve e-portfolio showcase design (versus bricolage)
requires extensive resourcing.

Genres of participation in creative production
by independent school learners

Five varied examples
Self-representation in Visual Arts e-portfolios

Five examples
George‟s profile image (2013)
Masibulele‟s profile image (2013)
Gary‟s profile image (2013)
Melissa‟s profile image (2013)
Nathan (2013)

Learners' identities and relationships in Visual Arts e-portfolio design
Learners' relationships in class, and outside it, are important
contributors to their self-presentation in e-portfolios as Visual
Arts learners or performances in other roles.
I explore a cross-section of five e-portfolio examples from 29
learners. I describe the varied relationships and identities
their designs reflect.
Understanding these aspects is relevant for helping address
a gap in research literature. It is also important for educators
to cater for in their design of e-portfolio syllabi.

Unequal landscapes in digital self presentation and portfolio publication
[(habitus) + (capital) + field] = practice)
1.Fields and Habitus (disposition)
videographer, fine art (drawing and painting) exhibition curator, fashion designer, anime illustrator,
visual arts learner
2.Economic capital
Type of school attended & medias & digitisation tools & home internet access & mobile phone access
3.Cultural capital
educator‟s syllabus & co-curricular societies & extra-mural learning
4.Symbolic capital
Educator assessment & social trajectory
5.Social capital
Staff-, parent-, classmate- & peer relationships

The e-portfolio‟s significance to Gary (case study 7)
„Who produced it?‟
Gary with feedback from his educator and some from parents
(both work in film) and peers.
„For whom was it produced?‟
Gary produced it for an assessment audience only.
„In what context was it produced?‟
Boarding house
„Under what constraints was it produced?‟
Gary was frustrated that he could not upload videos to the free
version of Carbonmade, nor customise his template to produce the
„aesthetic self‟ that he wanted.

Case Study 3. Gary‟s homepage
2011 2012
„So, you have the three, three portrait faces. So that
gave quite a cool effect and also... I don't know, Mr
Rupert said that he would prefer if it's like that and I am
not going to go against what he says, because I want
marks...‟ (Int CG1, 6 November 2012, R32).

Case Study 3. „about‟ page
2012
„I would say that most, or some of the artwork does express my interests
and if you look at my 'about page' there, there is a percentage of what is
me... like what my interests are. And if you can what their interests are,
you can see what they are like…‟ (Int1 CG1, 6 November 2012, R45).

Case Study 3. An „artwork project folder‟ page
2012
- George was keen to show the full range of his creative production and extended the sub-genre by
adding links to his videography and boarding house blog sites. However, he also did not pay
sufficient attention to detail and this resulted in multimodal disjuncture on some pages.

Genres of participation in creative production
by government school learners

Case Study 10. Masibulele‟s homepage

Masibulele‟s search result (case study 10)

The e-portfolio‟s significance to Masibulele (case study 10)
Masibulele with feedback from his GS and Frank Joubert educators and
some from his friends in class.
Masibulele produced it for „audiences from other countries‟ and „future
invigilators‟ and did not believe viewership was limited to his school. He is
keen for freelance work.
At school.
Access limited to breaks and e-portfolio curriculum lessons.
Access to other online portfolios services (i.e. Flickr) blocked in lab.
Costly mobile phone broadband access.

Case Study 10. Masibulele‟s about page

Case Study 10. Masibulele‟s SoiL folder

Case Study 10. Masibulele‟s Pencil/Sketch Work folder

Case Study 10. Masibulele‟s Different Medium page

Case Study 10. Masibulele‟s Clay Work folder

The e-portfolio‟s significance to Melissa (case study 14)
Melissa with feedback from her educator and some from peers.
Melissa produced it for feedback from artists who work in similar media and
she is also keen for freelance opportunities.
At school and home.
Accessed at school and at home.
Used Autodesk 3Ds Mac, Adobe Photoshop, Blender, etc.
She has four online portfolios (Deviantart, Behance and MyFolio)

Melissa‟s name search result (case study 14)

Melissa‟s peer‟s name search result (case study 14)

Melissa‟s homepage (case study 14)

Melissa‟s about page (case study 14)

Melissa‟s Sourcebook Work/Works in Progress folder (case study 14)

Melissa‟s Landscape and nature folder (case study 14)

Melissa‟s Extra Mural artwork folder (case study 14)

The e-portfolio‟s significance to Nathan (case study 9)
Nathan with feedback from his educator and advice from peers.
Nathan believed it could help him in; applying for Tertiary Studies in graphic
or interior design, seeking internships or receiving feedback on improving his
artworks.
At school.
Nathan would have preferred to reflect an aesthetic self through an „arty‟
template. Although keen to do freelance work,

Nathan‟s search page (case study 9)

Nathan‟s homepage (case study 9)

Nathan‟s about page (case study 9)

Nathan‟s visualart work 1 (case study 9)

The value of George‟s e-portfolio design to him
He identified the value of his e-portfolio as adding another
dimension to his art in supporting; sharing with audiences, organizing
artworks for display (Int2 EG1, 7 November, 2012, R124, R129)
while also revealing his artistic identity and the evolution of his
artistic creativity at school (Int1 EG1, 15 November, 2012, R50, R51,
R53).
He intended to use his e-portfolio as a drawing archive post-school:
He enjoyed drawing and contrasted his e-portfolio focus on drawing
to a friend, learner AK1, who had foregrounded photography; „But he
had always been focused on his photography and was very
passionate about it. Whereas I was more passionate about the work
that we had done and, like, presenting the work that I enjoy.‟
(Int1 EG1, 15 November, 2012, R79).

The e-portfolio‟s significance to George (case study 1)
George used feedback from his educator, plus some from parents
(both work in advertising), peers and friends.
George produced it to reflect his emergent identity as a fine artist
to his audiences.
Although George had successfully applied in matric for admission
to the Medical School of the University of Cape Town, his
admission could be withdrawn if he failed to continue achieving a
high subject average.
George „flipped the classroom‟ to work at home and overcome
slow Carbonmade use at school.
Did not publish extra-mural photography and many extra-mural
artworks.

case study 1. „about‟ page (2012)

Case Study 1. George‟s homepage
2010 2012
George adopted a unique design approach that differed from all his classmates in serving as a
metaphor for the „clean type of gallery look‟ he likes (Int1 EG1, 15 November, 2012, R66). He wanted
it to look simple, elegant and not to distract from the actual works (Int2 EG1, 7 November, 2012,
R113). He extended the Visual Arts showcase e-portfolio sub-genre through consistent application of
this metaphor.

Case Study 1. An „exploration of colour‟ page (2012)

Case Study 1. An „extra mural‟ page (2012)

2012
Case Study 1. „Sketchbook/sourcebook work‟ page (2012)
„I think a sketchbook almost forms the strongest basis of our art, especially at <school name>.
Even above other schools, we use sketchbooks so much, where at other schools might be
doing bigger projects at a larger scale, where we always have a sketchbook that we are
updating every week or every two weeks.‟ (Int2 EG1, 7 November, 2012, R126).

- Many learners struggled with the online concept of „ongoing design‟ (this explanation was
written in 2011, while his ‘about’ page featured the current 2012 revision)

Case Study 1. An „inspiration‟ page (2012)

Case Study 1. A „structure form light shade‟ page (2012)

Preliminary findings
Learners who create Visual Arts showcase e-portolios are NOT involved in a
liberatory process since their work manifests differences in levels of economic,
cultural, symbolic and social capital (Bourdieu, 1979). At worst, e-portfolio curricula
can reflect paucity and amplify distinction in digital self-representation, potentially
reproducing inequality in educational access (Bourdieu, 1993).
Richly resourced Visual Arts learners could resist their disciplinary representation
by featuring visual cultural fields not taught by their educator (such as videography
and photo-editing). By contrast, well-resourced government school learners
extended their classroom activities into related visual cultural fields (Manga
illustrations extended drawing).
The ‘Visual Arts showcase e-portolio’ design exemplar manifested high levels of
these capital forms. By contrast, bricolage examples typically manifested low levels
of capital in formal and extra-mural contexts.
Privacy is a serious concern, particularly for female learners. It affects the extent
of ‘genuine identity’ and type of contact details learners made available.

THANKS to supporters of my research project
National Research Foundation.
University of Cape Town,
Department of Film and Media Studies.
Dr Marion Walton & Digimobs SA &
SAME research group colleagues
Cape Peninsula University of Technology,
Department of Informatics and Design.
Prof Johannes Cronje
& TERPS MA & PhD Colleagues
2014/04/16 Prepared by @travisnoakes
Video screengrabs from
John Salt of
74

#llconf2014 visual arts e portfolios & relationships

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