Exploring and Evaluating ePortfolios

The experiences with portfolios varies among the members of this class. Some have no portfolio whatsoever, others have a portfolio focused only on technology and others have addressed other areas of the curriculum through the lens of level 1 technology and student teaching. For this course everyone will minimally address the CTC Professional Level Technology Standards. However, some people will want to develop a portfolio that goes beyond the technology standards. (National Board Certification).

Be sure to follow each step, however skim each section and determine whether your portfolio as it stands incorporates these considerations. If it does, go on to the next step.

(The purposes of this assignment are to develop a general plan for a portfolio, to introduce mind maps and to introduce rubrics.

Preparation for Portfolio Building

Steps to begin a portfolio:

Step 1: Determine purposes/audiences of portfolios

Step 2: Initial look at portfolio examples

Step 3: Mind map of elements of portfolios: Begin or add on relevant areas

Step 4: Use a rubric to hone in on details of three portfolio examples

Step 5: Revisit mind map: Add new ideas to your mind map, modify for your portfolio

Step 1: Purposes/audiences:

An ePortfolio may have multiple goals and multiple audiences, such as

Students

• Learner centered: learner’s capture, organize, integrate, develop further and reuse the results of their formal and informal learning experiences over time, as well as allowing students to take advantage of this accumulated information to plan and assess the progress of their learning careers with peers, faculty advisor and future employers.
• Interdisciplinary: Allows for the program to be greater than a list of courses; involves topics or themes that cross traditional discipline or area boundaries like physical science, humanities, and social science.
• Holistic: integrates intellectual, social and emotional aspects of undergraduate learning and life-long learners regardless of the paths they follow.

  
  Faculty/Administrators

• Program goals: create opportunities to assess whether we are meeting goals
• Individual courses: document and reflect including comments by colleagues or others.
• Institutional accountability to stakeholders: fosters institution-wide reflection, learning and improvement.

  
  Beyond the Institution:

• Students: continuous learning through further portfolio development
• Employers, graduate schools and others: assess the work of students applying to them.

Step 2: Portfolio Examples

You are at the beginning of a new journey. Your destination will be a portfolio. At this point you may find yourself wondering what a portfolio is and how does it connect with your school experiences.

Here are some categories of portfolios with some examples underneath. that may stimulate your own creativity and serve as models for your own unique project. As you journey through these portfolios, begin a list of elements or examples that appeal to you or intrigue you. Look at different ways that portfolios are organized. Within each of these categories you will need to determine who is the audience.

Undergraduate portfolios:

http://www.kzoo.edu/pfolio/outstanding.html
Outstanding portfolios Kalamazoo Undergraduates. Excellent categories for personal growth

http://coe.ilstu.edu/portfolios/students/slselve/resume/
starts with a resume but has excellent links (at the bottom of the page) showing student’s artwork

http://www.mehs.educ.state.ak.us/portfolios/portfolio.html
good examples of undergraduate portfolios, also has “portfolio help pages”

Career portfolios:

http://www.uiowa.edu/%7Eedplace/portfolio/index.html
student teacher’s example

http://members.tripod.com/newsome815/Portfolio/
student teacher’s example

Elaine's Portfolio PDF Criminal Justice

After graduation/personalized portfolio:

http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/8429/
Look particularly at attributes, activities

http://www.musespace.com/welcome.html a personal portfolio

Arron's Bike Portfolio PDF

 

Children's Portfolios:

http://kids-learn.org/

 

Multiple Resources on Portfolios: Helen Barrett's Website. We will be using this format: 1) statement of standard, 2) reflection on how you have addressed the standard, 3) linked artifacts supporting the standard and your reflection and 4) and projection to the future (how will you incorporate this standard? Extend or elaborate? Learn more?

 

Step 3: Mind Map Assignment

Create a mind map of the common elements of portfolios.

What is mind mapping? Why use mind mapping? What are some different formats for mind mapping?

http://www.jcu.edu.au/studying/services/studyskills/mindmap/index.html
http://www.mindmapperusa.com/your.htm
http://www.inspiration.com/vlearning/index.cfm

Add "other" elements: Go with the flow---add your own ideas that may be different than what you see.

Step 4: Rubric Assignment

Sample ePortfolio rubric, another example.

Hone in on new ideas. Choose three portfolio examples and evaluate them using rubrics above.Use this information to respond to the portfolio discussion.

Step 5: Revisit Mind Map, draft 2

After having applied a rubric to several portfolios, you should have some new ideas for a portfolio. Modify your mind map.Upload your mind map to Taskstream.

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