On Digital Portfolios

First!


So the school I work at has been toying around with digital portfolios as a way of communicating student learning (CSL). Typically I teach sciences with a supçon  of Tech, this year it is all Tech all the time! While I miss my precious sciences, teaching all tech is giving me the tools and time needed to really shift my practice. Hence the digital portfolios.


I see the digital portfolio helping in a few important ways.
1) Forces me to force them to reflect.
2) Changes my focus from from the result to the process.
3) Provides me with tools to better communicate students' learning with parents.
4) Allows me to shift from a numbers based marking system to a standards based marking system (mastery?)
5) It shifts the responsibility for learning more to the student (growth mindset)


Details:

1) A portfolio without reflection is really just a collection of assignments and doesn't show learning anymore than a messy 3-ringed binder does. I am hoping asking students to reflect will

• Re-focus them on what they are actually learning
• Improve their problem-solving skills (habits of mind?)
• Give me a better sense of what they actually know, rather then trying to interpret it from an assignment. 

2)  I know that the process is where the learning comes from, but breaking out of 20 years of schooling (don't judge me) is hard, and I often find myself drifting back to "results, results, results". Focusing on the portfolios drags me away from that (kicking and screaming at times)

3) "Your child is getting 75%" doesn't tell parents much, and doesn't give them any way to help the student develop. "Your child is proficient in their critical thinking but still beginning in gathering ideas from group members" is a lot more useful (in my opinion at least)

4) I am not satisfied with how accurate my marking is in terms of understanding. I have had conversations with "A" students where they show very little understanding of the material, but the "C" student next to them can explain what is going on perfectly. I am unjustly penalising students that don't have test taking skills, and unjustly rewarding students that have "figured out" testing.  

5) I feel like a lot of my teaching has been "This is what you need to learn!" followed by "Prove that you learned it!" I much prefer "what have you learned, what else can you learn, what would you like to learn" I think this will help student develop a growth mindset (another new passion of mine).

More to come on digital portfolio fun!