Electronic Portfolio Lesson 1

What is an Electronic Portfolio?

Target Population

Grade Level: Middle School (6-8)

Population Characteristics: This lesson was designed for an average size class of learners who have demonstrated the ability to work responsibly with computers. The class has had previous experience using computers and has shown excitement when incorporating computer use in their learning experiences. The group has spent time developing critical thinking and reflective skills and has shown immense progress in these areas.

Lesson Groupings: Whole class discussion.

Objectives

Students will be able to…

Describe what an Electronic Portfolio is.
Explain the importance of Electronic Portfolio’s.
Understand examples of different items that might be included in an Electronic Portfolio

Timing

This lesson will take one 45 minute period.

Materials

Smartboard
Examples of Electronic Portfolio's
Electronic Portfolio Worksheet

Scope and Sequence

Introduction

I will begin the class by giving the students 2 minutes to write down everything they know about Electronic Portfolio’s and why they think EP’s are important. After the students finish answering the questions we will discuss their answers together. I will make a list of the answers the students provide for each question. I will show the following excerpt from Helen Barrett (Lesson Plan 1 Excerpt) and discuss with the class what the excerpt tells us about Electronic Portfolios. I will review and summarize with the class what EP's are and why they are important. See Teachers Notes (Teachers Notes Lesson 1) (20 minutes)

Examples of Electronic Portfolio's

Next, I will show the class some examples of Electronic Portfolio's found on the internet. While we are viewing the EP's the students will be filling out a worksheet with information about the different Electronic Portfolio's we view. After we look at the different EP's, we will discuss the major components of EP's and what makes each EP unique. See Teachers Notes (Teachers Notes Lesson 1) (25 minutes)

Examples

Wrap Up

At the end of class I will ask the students if they have any final questions about Electronic Portfolios. I will also ask them to write down two reasons why Electronic Portfolio's are important and two components of Electronic Portfolio's we saw in the examples. For homework, the students will be asked to think about what documents they will plan on including in their individual EP as well as how they plan to make their EP unique. Students must bring electronic copies of their chosen documents for the next class. They can save these on floppy disks or flashdrives (or a school database if possible).