Eportfolio Tools
Sixteen years ago as I wrapped up my final semester for my Bachelor's of Science degree I began assembling my enormous 3 inch white binder with a picture window in the front. I used the Microsoft Office XP program in the computer lab on campus because it had a color printer attached and created a table of contents, my teaching philosophy decorated with cute clip art, and a number of other random tidbits I had learned in my education classes. The crowing glory was artifacts from lessons I had taught in the child development lab and the counting book I created using baby blue card stock and bear stamps! This was my portfolio that I would use to take into interviews with principals as I hunted for a teaching position. Little did I know then that this portfolio was not me as a teacher or a person, but merely a collection of work I made for a grade.
Eportfolios now have the biggest advantage of being digital. Anyone, anywhere can access your portfolio. It sure beats the traditional binder with papers assembled into neat page protectors.
Eportfolios, like non-digital portfolios still aim to deliver the same message; a collection of evidence to show you as a learner. Students, professionals, and life long learners can all benefit from a showcase of evidence tailored especially for them.
When I began exploring Eportfolios it was more out of necessity. Last year, our school district rolled out the new T-TESS evaluation system. Included in this new evaluation was an opportunity for teachers to be appraised not just on a specific 45 minute lesson, but to showcase evidence of learning using an Eportfolio. On campus we have a Technology specialist that meets with teachers to design lessons and model new ways to approach technology. Not knowing much about digital portfolios I set up a meeting with her for help on creating an Eportfolio. After looking at several types of digital tools, like Weebly and Wiki I decided to use Google Sites. Knowing that my school district is a Google Apps for Education and that all students are now being required to have an Eportolio made my decision easy. The new format that Google Sites is using for Eportfolios is also so user friendly, even for the ones of use that would still care around a 3 inch binder!
Using Google Sites also has some affordances that are very important to me. Most important, Google Sites can be made public or private to fit your needs. The privacy laws state that information is not shared or sold to third parties. As a GAFE school, I can create an Eportfolio using the same tools and features as students in my classroom. Google Sites can also be used as assessment; both formal and summative.
When considering having students use an Eportfolio in first grade my eyes twitch a little. In the past we have used See Saw as our Eportfolio. It is very user friendly for 6 year olds and parents have easy access. Now as I begin to research more about Eportfolios I am beginning to think that this school year I may still use See Saw but link that data into Google Sites. Giving first graders a jump start into Google Sites, when they will be required to use it next year, might be a best practice. I would of course begin slow, like starting with lots of modeling and practice on how to log into Google using their school provided email. Then as I model how I created my Eportfolio my students can at the bare minimum create a homepage. For more extension activities I would allow students to extend beyond just adding a home page to their portfolio.
I have included a snip below that my school district uses as an Eportfolio rubric for students in grades 3-5.
https://sites.google.com/nisdtx.org/brookewoods
References:
*EPortfolio Wordle. Digital Image. https://hacklibraryschool.com/2012/03/30/eportfolio/. 30 March 2012.
*Rubric Grades 3-5. Digital Image. www.nisdtx.org
Using Google Sites also has some affordances that are very important to me. Most important, Google Sites can be made public or private to fit your needs. The privacy laws state that information is not shared or sold to third parties. As a GAFE school, I can create an Eportfolio using the same tools and features as students in my classroom. Google Sites can also be used as assessment; both formal and summative.
When considering having students use an Eportfolio in first grade my eyes twitch a little. In the past we have used See Saw as our Eportfolio. It is very user friendly for 6 year olds and parents have easy access. Now as I begin to research more about Eportfolios I am beginning to think that this school year I may still use See Saw but link that data into Google Sites. Giving first graders a jump start into Google Sites, when they will be required to use it next year, might be a best practice. I would of course begin slow, like starting with lots of modeling and practice on how to log into Google using their school provided email. Then as I model how I created my Eportfolio my students can at the bare minimum create a homepage. For more extension activities I would allow students to extend beyond just adding a home page to their portfolio.
I have included a snip below that my school district uses as an Eportfolio rubric for students in grades 3-5.
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| Credit: Northwest ISD ePortfolios |
Below is my link to my beginning stages of my Eportfolio. This will be developed over time as I begin to collect, select, reflect, and connect within this learning journey.
https://sites.google.com/nisdtx.org/brookewoods
References:
*EPortfolio Wordle. Digital Image. https://hacklibraryschool.com/2012/03/30/eportfolio/. 30 March 2012.
*Rubric Grades 3-5. Digital Image. www.nisdtx.org
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