ePortfolios

Folio thinking is a process of engaging in the collection, organization, reflection and connection that allows for a person to dive deep into understanding about one’s learning experiences, what they mean, and how the artifacts relate to one another. While assessments, such as quizzes and tests, can provide quick feedback to a teacher to see if their students are understanding the topics that were covered in class, they do not provide the reflective abilities of a portfolio. Portfolios not only show a students ability to create materials and show a deeper level of understanding for a topic, but it also allows for the student to reflect on their learning and to think critically about what they have learned and how it has affected them personally. 

Personally, being able to articulate what I have learned and providing evidence of that learning with a collection of artifacts would be more meaningful to me as a learner than being told what specifically to do every step of the way as it would allow the student to reflect on their learning, decide what is an accurate representation of the various types of artifacts needed, and provides the student with an opportunity to truly dive deep into their understanding of ETEC concepts. I feel that this allows for students to think critically about their learning and has them reach a higher level of Bloom’s Taxonomy. I would prefer the option of being able to articulate what I have learned because it allows me to process my learning and truly gives me a space to show what I think has been my best work and explain not only why, but how it meets to criteria of an artifact for academic, professional and other experiences.

Paper portfolios have a lot of cons, such as the ability to lose an artifact, having to keep up with here it was placed, and storing it somewhere safe so that it could be found at a later point if it is needed.
Electronic portfolios provide many positives, including the ability to not have information lost, being able to include a variety of multimedia components such a word processor documents, videos, and other digital creations as needed. Some cons of ePortfolios include: too many additional bells and whistles which make the portfolio distracting or confusing to follow, some people may have technical difficulties with accessing your portfolio if they do not have the correct software or hardware, and it may be inconvenient for someone to access the electronic information that is presented.

I tested out three types of eportfolios: Weebly, Google Sites, and Wikidot. My least favorite of the three is Wikidot, as it lacks a lot of features that allow for customization and it’s simple look is uninteresting. The platform does not feel as user friendly as other platforms, and I found it challenging to figure out how to add additional materials to the wiki and create new pages. I would have to spend a lot of time playing around with it to understand how it works, and It isn’t as straightforward as other sites. The next one that I tested out was Weebly, and I felt this was more user friendly and easier to follow along, however I don't really feel that it is appropriate for a portfolio, it felt more appropriate for a business page to be created with this tool. The final one that I tested out was Google Sites, and I found this one to be the most user friendly. It was simple to figure out how to create pages and add information, a variety of links, files, and images can be added to a post to share a variety of materials with others, and I felt that the appearance of the website truly feels like it is in ePortfolio. The site can be easily created and you can choose from a variety of themes to begin, and as you go you can customize it to what you are wanting to accomplish.

As a teacher, if I wanted my students to create an ePortfolio, using Google Sites would be appropriate. I am an elementary school teacher, and I felt that it would be simple for students to quickly learn how to use this took and they could easily attach files from their Google Drive. It is also helpful since we use Google products as a way for students to save and create files for class. Students would initially need a lot of help with setup and they should have a deep understanding of the expectations of the ePortfolio prior to beginning to create it. The teacher should model examples of work that is appropriate for an ePortfolio, and work that would not meet the qualifications. Once a lot of modeling and direct teaching on how to use and create an ePortfolio has been done, students should begin to create and use an ePortfolio. It would be wise for the teacher to schedule check-ins with the ePortfolio to ensure that they are still set up correctly and to allow for the student to have a discussion about why they decided to place an assignment in a specific category to allow for reflection and a check for understanding.

An assignment that would be an example of a substitution that I would assign for my class would be a writing assignment using a word processor, such as Google Docs and upload their final draft from Google Docs to our Google Classroom.  

Content:  As we move through the writing process, students would initially begin by writing a report about a book we read in class, Charlotte's Web. After they have had a chance to brainstorm, plan, write a first draft, and peer edit and revise, students would then take their piece and type it into Google Docs to write their final draft. They would then upload their final draft to their ePortfolio.The TEKS that this final step covers is 4.11E: The student uses the writing process recursively to compose multiple texts that are legible and uses appropriate conventions. The student is expected to: E) publish written work for appropriate audiences. 
Pedagogy: Students would need previous experience practicing typing an essay on Google Docs prior to completing a final assignment. After assigning some formative assessments and having students respond to questions and playtest how to use it, this would be assigned to the students. The teacher would be hands-off and not providing assistance (unless stated in an IEP or 504) with transposing their written, edited drafts into a final document.
Technology: Some students are more familiar with using Google Docs, so while I need to prepare the students so that they are familiar with how to use the technology, once they have had some opportunities to practice, this would be a familiar tool used in the classroom that students would use frequently to share their written work. 

A second assignment that would be assigned would be having students complete a book talk with students in another classroom via Zoom. 

Content: Students complete a book talk with students from another class in Zoom. Students could use any tool (some examples would be a prezi, google slides, or Nearpod) to present their book to another class. The students in the group would work collaboratively to create this tool to share with the other class. Students would then share a Padlet with the other class where those students can post questions about their book and the students can respond to the questions posted. The TEKS that would follow this lesson are 4.6 The student uses metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts. 

Pedagogy: The students would need time read the book, to collaborate and create their tool to present to the other class, and to be prepared to present. They would have to identify how they would complete the work together. The teacher would be moving around from group to group to help facilitate discussions and provide support as needed, but ultimately the students are providing the conversation and the work, and the teacher is merely there as a facilitator to ensure that conversations and work are being completed, but ultimately that the students are creating all of the work on their own.

Technology:  As the teacher, I would need to have different classes lined up to work with each class, and I would have pre-taught a variety of tools that could be used to complete their presentation and they would have had opportunities to create using a variety of tools prior to their final assessment. This would be an end of year project that culminates the use of a variety of skills they have learned throughout the academic year. Students must not only be familiar with the specific tool that they choose to use to create their project, but also with how to use Zoom and be able to share their presentation with another class virtually. 

Overall, the initial setup of an ePortfolio can be daunting because you not only have to decide what categories need to be in an ePortfolio, but what assignments can be completed that would fit accurately into those categories. They provide an excellent opportunity for reflection on the work completed for class, and it gives a way for the student to self-assess their work and decide if that project was truly something that they put their best effort into and if it accurately represents their understanding of the task.