Digital Portfolios-A New Type of Assessment

     An electronic portfolio is an alternate to standardized testing.  Teachers sometimes turn away from the standardized testing because it does not reflect actual teaching practices in their classroom or some other abilities students may possess.   Standardized testing never provides students with feedback on their work.  They never have a chance to reflect on their completed assignments.  E-portfolios give students a place to store work and teachers a place to check it.  Students are not required to "turn in" papers and teachers are not required to "collect" them and take home the major piles of completed work.  Students store completed work in a electronic portfolio and teachers can check the work from anywhere, comment on it, and return it to the student, without never handling a piece of paper.  One advantage to e-portfolios is teachers can provide detailed feedback to the students.  The North Carolina End-of-Grade tests do not provide this immediate instructional feedback to students.  Students get raw scores but never get the opportunity to actually see the questions/objectives missed.  The students miss out on the important step of learning---reflection.  This technology allows students to learn from the feedback of the teachers and promotes reflection and resubmission.  Some teachers are not comfortable with this approach because they feel it is a bit more time-consuming than sending bubble sheets through a scanning device.  Also, the only requirement is a computer with internet access, not a red pen and a massive stack of papers or a stack of bubble sheets and a scanning device.  

     E-portfolios could be utilized in almost any class.  English teachers could have students submit book reports or a persuasive commercial using certain types of advertising propaganda.  Social studies teachers could have students submit travel brochures for places they have studied.  Science teachers could have students to submit lab reports or podcasts of findings of a lab experiment.  The possibilities are endless with this type of technology.  The major issue with e-portfolios in our district would be getting teachers to get on board with this new type of technology.  

Ahr states that a digital portfolio system "utilizes the strength of an entire learning community , connecting its understanding, creating dialogue and reflection; thus building a rigorous understanding of specific learning standards."  This statement sums it up for me.  This approach provides aspects that the standardized testing does not.  Throughout the planning and creation of the actual electronic portfolio system, the Rhode Island public school, WACTC, and eduPorfolio.org realized that the process is a "continual reflecting process" and must be part of the "school culture".  Successful digital portfolio systems require the continual cycle of planning, implementing, giving feedback, reflecting, and improving. 

Wacky for Webquests

      Bernie Dodge created a magnificent interactive tool when he devised the Webquest.  This type of technology is utilized in many classrooms in promoting a hands-on approach in teaching and exploring topics.  Dodge stresses in his article, “Five Rules for Writing a Great WebQuest” that the five guiding principles can be represented by the word FOCUS. 

F = Find great sites.

O = Orchestrate your learners and resources. 

C = Challenge your learners to think.

U = Use the medium.

S = Scaffold high expectations. 

Teachers need to be sure when designing a WebQuest that they find good information on existing websites, organize the students and the informational websites, create challenging activities, use the medium, and scaffold high expectations for your students.  This type of activity promotes higher order thinking skills and helps meet the needs of 21^st century learners. 

          Possible webquests could be created in any classes from Music to Language Arts  to Physical Education.  In English Language Arts, webquests could be created on parts of speech.  In Social Studies, the Holocaust may be a great topic for a webquest.   In Physical Education, students could be presented with a webquest on football fundamentals.  They variety of topics is so immense.      

In a webquest, students are presented with a task in which they must complete activities using websites and construct a product representing their learning and exploration.  Some teachers may be hesitant about utilizing webquests in the classroom because of the loss of control of the instruction.  Teachers become facilitators of instruction instead of deliverers of instruction.  Webquests promote student responsibility for learning. 

 

 

Digital Storytelling Brings Stories and Students ALIVE

After reviewing Banaszewski’s article, I feel that digital storytelling would be an asset to any classroom.  The inclusion of iMovie helped the students feel as if they were directors/producers of their own stories.  Banaszewski’s stated, “I got students to share in a way that quickly instilled a positive classroom environment and empowered students’ voices” (pg. 2).  Digital storytelling would be of great assistance in writing in all classes.  Pre-writing or planning could also be completed via another software program as Inspiration or Thinking Maps.  Some hesitant teachers need to realize that presenting information or telling stories can be created and delivered in more ways than the traditional pencil/paper approach.

            Before utilizing this type of technology, teachers need to be sure that students can use the digital storytelling software and can also scan and upload images, perform pod casts, and locate music of public domain.  Digital storytelling could be used in English to tell a special memory or in lieu of a book report.  In Social Studies, students could create projects telling of a slave’s life or describing a battle in the American Revolution.  In Science, students could create presentations that tell about scientists’ contributions even from the scientist’ point-of-view.  In Math, students could create a story on how to use the quadratic formula correctly or create a multiplication rap.  The possible classroom uses are endless.  If teachers would incorporate such meaningful activities in class, these 21^st century learners would benefit greatly.