Section I: Preparing to Use Technology Chapter 4: Portfolios

Frameworks: What we know. . . What is a portfolio? Organized collection of artifacts or tangible products that verify a teacher’s professional growth over time. Serves as form of alternative assessment Used for authentic types of assessment that provide a record of growth over time Required for teachers in preparation Growing in popularity for practicing teachers 2

Basics: Professional Push Are professional organizations concerned with portfolios? Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) 3

Basics: Types of Portfolios Are there different types of portfolios? Working portfolios Large collection of work over a period of time Includes unit and lesson plans, presentations, videos, photos, etc Assessment portfolios Outgrowth of the working portfolio…subset of best work. Showcase portfolios Outgrowth of the working portfolio…used for employment 4

Basics: Components What types of elements comprise a portfolio? Artifacts Tangible evidence of successful achievement of necessary knowledge and skills Supporting documentation Documents that support the portfolio such as a table of contents. Reflections Contain the learning goals Reactions to the work and the success of meeting the standard 5

Basics: More about Artifacts What types of items are considered artifacts? Resume Transcripts Educational philosophy Unit plans Lesson plans Videos of performance 6

Basics: More about Supporting Docs What types of items are considered supporting documents? Table of contents Personal information Permission statements Credits 7

Basic: Going Digital Portfolios are going digital. Are there concerns? Advantages of digital Portability Accessed by larger number of people at once Digital can strengthen certain artifacts Many software options are now web-based Disadvantages Skill requirements (lessened by web-based) Support needed Equipment and software Time and energy Requirements of viewer

Basic: Digital Commandments Are there general rules to follow? When in doubt, don’t throw it out. Do it digitally. Be organized, not frustrated. Log it or lose it. If it’s nice, save it thrice. Be careful, not sorry? Pay heed to legal and security issues. Give credit where credit is due. Protect the privacy of your students and colleagues. Create and stick to a timeline. Kilbane and Milman (2003)

Adapting for Special Learners Are portfolios used with special learners? Used to show the progress of students who cannot participate in state level assessment. Part of alternative assessment for students with severe to profound disabilities (1%) Alternative assessment portfolio is a year-long collection of evidence of performance. Alternative assessment systems are required by IDEA and NCLB legislation for students with significant disabilities.

Voices in the classroom The Benefits of My Digital Portfolio Anissa L. Vega, MS Content Specialty: Math Former IT specialist in Georgia In this Voice, Anissa Vega, doctoral student in Educational Technology, explains that she began her portfolio in her teacher education program, used it for her job hunt and later for her performance review in her job as an IT specialist.

For more information Go to the textbook companion website: http://www.pearsonhighered.com/obannon2e Or http://web.utk.edu/~bobannon/preparing