Electronic Portfolios for Reflective Learning

An instructional case created by Ashley Keegan

Intent

Electronic Portfolio's can be used to serve a number of uses in the classroom. For this particular case study, Electronic Portfolio's are used as an assessment tool and as an opportunity for students to be reflective about their own learning. Additionally, by creating portfolio's electronically students will have the ability to develop 21st century skills by using technology throughout the process.

For this case study, the Electronic Portfolio's will be begun early in the year to allow student's to reflect fully on their own learning. Teachers should use the portfolio's consistently as an assessment tool as students contribute to their own portfolio's.

The case study is sequenced so that student's understand what Electronic Portfolio's are and why they are important before they begin to create their own portfolio. After student's have a basic understanding of the uses and importance of Electronic Portfolio's, the student's will develop ideas about what should be included in their Electronic Portfolio's. Next, student's will have the opportunity to create their own Electronic Portfolio's. After the student's have created their own EP's, they will reflect on the work they chose to include in the portfolio. Finally, to wrap up the beginning stages of the Portfolio's the students will work together to create a rubric for assessing the Portfolio's. They will have the chance to grade their own Electronic Portfolio.

It is important to understand this is the initial stage of implementation of Electronic Portfolio's. Teachers should continue to give students chances to add artifacts to their portfolio's and provide reflective prompts for the portfolio's. Although the students grade their Electronic Portfolio in this case study, both teachers and students should understand this is an ongoing process as the year progresses.

Please review the Teacher Role for this case study.

Needs Assessment

Instructional Problem

How to use Electronic Portfolios into a Middle School classroom setting.

What is to be learned

Students will understand the importance of Electronic Portfolios as a tool to monitor their own learning and how to self-reflect on their work. They will learn how to create an Electronic Portfolio, select work for the portfolio, maintain their portfolio and use the portfolio to reflect on their learning. They will understand how to create questions to encourage their own reflection, as well as answer those questions.

About the learners

Users of this case study will be Middle School students using Electronic Portfolios in their classrooms. Learners are interesting in increasing the awareness of their own learning processes and increasing their own self-reflection. Learners are also interested in learning to create and maintain Electronic Portfolios.

Instructional content

This case study will show students how Electronic Portfolios are used in classrooms. Mini lessons will provide students with lessons on why Electronic Portfolios are important, how to create an Electronic Portfolio, how to choose documents for the portfolio and maintain the portfolio as well as how to create and answer self-reflective questions about their own learning. Other lessons will include presenting and discussing rubrics.

Goals

Middle School students will understand why Electronic Portfolios are impotant and how to use their Portfolios to become more self-aware of their own learning.

Peformance Objectives

Students will be able to:

1. Identify the importance of Electronic Portfolios for student learning
2. Create an Electronic Portfolio using Google Sites
3. Select different types of work to be included in Electronic Portfolios
4. Compile various works over a long term period of time to create Portfolio
5. Develop questions to guide student self-reflection
6. Answer self-reflective questions

Purpose

By using the lessons provided in this case study, students will be able to use Electronic Portfolios in their classrooms. The students will be introduced to the use, purposes and creation of Electronic Portfolios, as well as how to understand grading rubrics and how to engage in a self-relfective processes.

Learning Outcomes

After reviewing this case studies students will be able to:

1. Understand how and why Electronic Portfolios are used in classrooms
2. Create an Electronic Portfolio using Google Sites
3. Plan how to maintain personal Electronic Portfolio over a long term period of time
4. Develop and answer self-reflective questions
5. Understand how Electronic Portfolios will be assessed

Prerequisites

Enabling Prerequisites

1. Basic understanding of what Electronic Portfolios are
2. Basic understanding of what self-reflection is
3. Basic understanding of rubrics as an assessment tool

Supportive Prerequisites

1. Basic computer proficiency
2. Basic knowledge of website creation
3. Completed works to start Electronic Portfolio
4. Ability to save completed works to a floppy disk or flashdrive
5. Willingness to be honest, reflective and thoughtful about personal work
6. Willingness to maintain portfolios

Lessons

1. What is an Electronic Portfolio? Electronic Portfolio Lesson 1
2. Start your individual Electronic Portfolio. Electronic Portfolio Lesson 2
3. How to maintain your Electronic Portfolio. Electronic Portfolio Lesson 3
4. Assessment of your Electronic Portfolio. Electronic Portfolio Lesson 4

References

• Life in the Lab. [[1]]
• Grade 8 Portfolio. Marielle 8-17. [[2]]
• Kevin McIntyre. Teaching Portfolio. [[3]]
• The Electronic Portfolio. [[4]]
• The Authentic Assessment Toolbox. [[5]]
• Teacher Tap [[6]]
• Helen Barrett Paper [[7]]
• Creating Electronic Portfolio's [[8]]
• Electronic Portfolio's [[9]]
• Understanding Rubrics [[10]]
• Technology [[11]]