Development of Electronic Portfolios

What is a Portfolio? Systematic, organized, goal-driven documentation of your work Monitor growth in knowledge, skills, and dispositions Exhibit your efforts and progress Foster reflection on your teaching, professional development, and service Work in progress - evolves as you grow in your profession Snapshot of where you are at a particular time

Purposes of Portfolios Accountability Assessment Growth/professional development

Organization of the Portfolio Goals Standards Professional growth/accountability areas

Portfolio Media Paper portfolio Electronic portfolio Degrades over time Not very portable Might be disassembled to use items within your classroom Electronic portfolio Easy to organize, access, transport Documentation is reasonably “permanent”

Development Cycle Based on two bodies of literature: Portfolio development and multimedia development Development steps: Collection of Artifacts Selection of Artifacts Reflection Design of the portfolio Development/Implementation Evaluation Cyclical process of injecting and ejecting to update and keep portfolio manageable

Collection of Artifacts Primary activity Major considerations: Purpose, audience, and future use of artifacts Include relevant information about artifacts Sort by portfolio framework areas (major categories)

Collection of Artifacts Don’t leave collection/selection until the last minute Set up an electronic filing system Electronic folder Subfolders for each standard/goal area Be an electronic pack rat Save all documents you think might be included in the portfolio

Selection of Artifacts Examine what has been collected Select key artifacts Move other artifacts that you collected out of the “portfolio” folder Criteria for selection should reflect standards/goals around which your portfolio is organized Show growth/development/ achievement in goal areas Give consideration to artifacts already included for replacement

Reflection What are your experiences? What have you learned? How have you grown professionally? How have you met your goals? How will answers to the questions above guide you in self-assessment and in setting new goals?

Reflection Write abbreviated reflections for each artifact Summarize the artifact that documents the experience Label the artifact for meaning and value Discuss why the artifact is included and what it is evidence of Write an overall reflection for each standard/goal area How do the artifacts support growth toward meeting the standards/goals?

Design of Portfolio Outline for the portfolio Table of contents Portfolio matrix Select the media for publication Design the “look” and layout of the portfolio

Development/Implementation Archive the evidence Complete the digital conversions Develop portfolio “pages” from outline and table of contents Organize portfolio with hypertext links Complete hypertext linking to evidence Publish/present the portfolio

Evaluation Fine-tune the content Make certain all links “work” Ask peers to review for ease of use and completeness of content Use portfolio as basis for meaningful dialogue

Technological Considerations Design and Structure General “look” of the portfolio Template versus free style Personalizing the portfolio Standards/goals base for the content Descriptive information for artifacts Technology needs What are the technical skills needed? Where do I learn these skills?

Technological Considerations Software, hardware Selection (web authoring, PowerPoint, etc.) Template versus free style design Computer platform Digital equipment

Technological Considerations Legal issues Protection and security Copyright issues Storage Types (server, CD, disk, etc.) Cost