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Electronic Portfolios

Electronic Portfolios is one of the greatest ways to use technology to show students' growth toward meeting the California State Standards.  They show what a student has achieved, not through a  worksheet or a single piece of information, but through work samples gathered over time.  Student portfolios allow for individual creativity and ingenuity while still completing the same assignment as the rest of the class.

What is a Electronic Portfolio?  A electronic portfolio is a collection of students' work and growth toward the standards over a period of time - only instead of collecting worksheets to show this growth, everything is accomplished through the use of the computer.

What are the advantages of an electronic portfolio?  Well, there are many advantages.  Check out the following list to see what might apply to you and your students:

• They do not take up as much classroom space.  

• They are easier to organize and manipulate.

• You can scroll through a student's folder and choose what work samples would be significant to you or the parent.  You will not have 20 to 30 folders per class - only one computer.

• Electronic portfolios can include large projects with graphics as well as writing, creativity, and imagination.

• They can be an effective means of assessment when students verbally explain their work.  

• They assess a wider variety of skills than the traditional paper/ pencil assessments.

• They allow for student individuality.

• They provide more information about the student's capabilities than a number or letter.

What types of things would I include in an electronic portfolio? 

• Technology Curriculum Projects

  • Hyperstudio project

  • Kid Pix projects

  • PowerPoint projects

    • Any of the above software applications can be used to create projects.  Children could create a slide show and add slides to it once a month taking about 
      • different things they learned that month
      • reactions to a unit studied
      • personal goals
      • activities throughout the month
      • field trips
      • Scan work throughout the year
      • Pictures taken throughout the year
      • Why he/ she chose to write about or include certain items in their portfolio
• Work samples that were created by the teacher and saved as a template could also be included in a folder for each student.  
  • You be the Editor
    • Students might have to edit a paragraph.  Type in some DOL activities or other paragraphs.  They may copy the paragraph and make the necessary changes resulting in two samples for the page.  The original with errors, and the student's edited version.  
  • Focus on a ELA standard - spelling mistakes, word usage, punctuation, synonyms, etc.
    • Parts of Speech - have students locate specific parts of speech and mark them in a predetermined way.  For example:  make all nouns "bold", or "underline" all verbs.
  • Focus on a Math standard - basic facts, decimals, geometry, probability, algebra, etc.
  • Save poetry or stories that were completed with the computer in the student folder for comparison

  At the end of the year, you can create a CD with all of your students' work. The CD can be kept for your own portfolio as well as given to the students.  Parents loved receiving a CD will work completed by their child throughout  the year.