Digital Portfolio Reflection

Portfolios as a Reflection

I have always liked the ideal of portfolios as a way to show students their progression in their writing.  At one time I brought up the idea to my department that we should start the portfolio in the 9th grade and continue it to 12th grade.  It started out strong and now we no longer do it.  It makes me sad because it would be such a good idea to show students how far they have come. I think they would put into perspective what students have learned from 9th grade to 12th grade.

I do think I will implement a digital portfolio in my classes.  I like the idea that students can use the technology to keep projects, papers, and other class assignments.  Like we have done in this class I would have students either  embed or add the assignment to a blog and then reflect on that assignment. I would also add a part where other students would be required to comment on other student’s blog posts.  I think it would be a good final assessment for students to create a screencast of the blog posts as an overall reflection of the work they have done in the class.  This way they can verbalize their strengths and weaknesses on the assignments they have completed over the semester. I have read so much during this class about self-reflection and teacher comments that this would be a good way to do both.  For students, “...[self-assessment] is in fact an essential component of formative assessment” (Black and Wiliam, 1998, p. 143). I think it is important for them to step back from just recieving the “grade” to reflect on what they have LEARNED! Students could record their self-reflections about the assignments and then I could give them comments on their progress during the semester. For Teachers giving feedback can, “... [maintain] student motivation and self-confidence while not ignoring student errors” (Shepard, 2000, p. 11). Students, although they don’t always say it, appreciate feedback on what they have done.  They want to improve and know HOW to improve so it is important for teachers to do this for their students.

My CMS is Schoology and I did see this summer where Schoology was offering a digital portfolio option.  I was so excited, until I investigated further and found that you have to have the paid version of Schoology to get the portfolio.  I did Tweet my frustrations to Schoology when I found out! So, I will have my students use some type of a blog for their digital portfolios as a way of keeping what they have turned in during the semester.  But more importantly I want students to have a positive digital image and a school portfolio is a perfect way to do that.  At the beginning of the year I always give a lecture about having a positive digital image as they head to college.

Bibliography

Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (2010). Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 92(1), 81–90.

Shepard, L. A. (2000). The Role of Assessment in a Learning Culture. Educational Researcher, I 29(7), 4–14.