Going Digital
Step 2: Discover the How
How Do You Go Digital?
Many are unsure of how to make the leap into digital portfolios. Going digital may feel too daunting given everything else on your plate. Here are three steps to help you get started. These are focused more on an individual teacher helping students get started with a portfolio, but with some changes, these ideas can be adapted to a large scale roll out across a specific subject areas, grade level, academic program, or entire school.
Step 1: Pick Your Platform
This is probably the hardest part. Unfortunately, there is no single platform that will work for all teachers or all classes. The most important thing to do is to evaluate your needs before you go searching for a place to park your students’ precious work.
You’ll want to consider:
- Ownership: Who can add or post things in the portfolio?
- Sharing: Who gets to see it? This is very important if you want your students to be able to direct potential employers there.
- Other devices: Will it work with the educational technology you already use?
- Cost: Some sites will require you to purchase additional space to upload audio, video, or any large files.
- User friendliness: If you don’t like it and they don’t like it, it won’t work.
Some ePortfolio Platforms
Google Sites
Evernote
LiveBinders
My Choice: Google Sites/ GAFE
Google Sites, the website generation application provided as part of any school system’s FREE Google Apps for Education domain, gives every student the ability to create as many websites as they wish. The beauty here is in the simplicity. The students are already doing their work in the Google universe; in Drive for the most part.
Add-Ons that Will Eliminate Headaches
Doctopus
- Create assignment templates and folders for students
- Get the Add-On
Kaizena
- Provide online effective feedback
- Get the Add-On
SiteMaestro
- Push out Site templates to your Students
Step 2: Have a Portfolio Population Plan
Once you know what you want it to do, and you know what platform you will use, it can help give the portfolio creation effort a structure. This will mean different things for different classrooms.
- Time-based: Students contribute a collection of their work at the end of each month or unit. They continue to reevaluate, add, subtract items throughout the year.
- Theme-based: Create portfolios bases on topics or themes that fit with your curriculum.
- Skill-based: Focus in on a specific skill, like writing or public speaking portfolios.
Step 3: Turn Over The Keys
- This depends on the age of your students. It may or may not make sense to create something that can ultimately take over. Not every teacher will be inclined to cede control of student portfolios, and it may not make sense for every class or every kid. However, if you can, you should.
- Portfolios teach students to evaluate and compare their own work, as well as how to compellingly present it. These are important skills that may come in handy sooner than you think. Some colleges and universities have begun to take more innovative approach to applications. Veering away from test scores, colleges are taking a more holistic view of the student. MIT, for example, already encourages prospective “artists, makers and musicians” to submit portfolios that showcase their talents and interests.
Presenter: Courtney Kofeldt
Technology Coordinator and teacher at PA Leadership Charter School
Email: kofeldtc@gmail.com
Twitter: @Ms_Kof