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Essential Questions
Essential Questions
• What is the best way for students to create digital portfolios?
• What is the best way for students to create digital portfolios?
• What tools might best support the creation and sharing of digital portfolios?
• What tools might best support the creation and sharing of digital portfolios?
Key Ideas
Key Ideas
• Think critically about what you and your learners need in a digital portfolio tool prior to making a selection.
• Think critically about what you and your learners need in a digital portfolio tool prior to making a selection.
• Digital tools enhance the portfolio process by allowing students to reflect using different media and to share with an authentic audience.
• Digital tools enhance the portfolio process by allowing students to reflect using different media and to share with an authentic audience.
Activate Your Thinking: Your Dream Tool!
Activate Your Thinking: Your Dream Tool!
'Assessment: A Complicated Landscape' is a recent blog post by one of our team members that discusses just how much is going on currently across our schools when it comes to assessment. In a tongue and cheek way you could probably play buzzword bingo if you go through a Twitter feed or at a future PD event!
The landscape of assessment tools is just as complex. Companies across the globe and even in our own backyard have created tools that have student apps and parents apps, gradebooks, rubrics, the list goes on. As you reflect on your learning thus far we invite you to dream big as you evaluate our lists of tools in a moment...What would your ideal tool look like? What would it facilitate? What features would it have? Check out our list of options HERE via Mentimeter and RANK YOUR TOP 3 in order of importance.
"How can you make sure that every student who walks on graduation day is well googled by his or her full name?"
"How can you make sure that every student who walks on graduation day is well googled by his or her full name?"
~Will Richardson
Acquire Some Ideas - Tools!
Acquire Some Ideas - Tools!
There are variety of options when it comes to tools that help facilitate the collection of evidence and student reflection. Below is a non-exhaustive list of some of the most popular digital portfolio tools used in SD23. Please not that not all of these tools are supported (cost, professional development, privacy & security) so schools and/or individuals will need to address these issues as needed.
There are variety of options when it comes to tools that help facilitate the collection of evidence and student reflection. Below is a non-exhaustive list of some of the most popular digital portfolio tools used in SD23. Please not that not all of these tools are supported (cost, professional development, privacy & security) so schools and/or individuals will need to address these issues as needed.
Overview: Seesaw is a robust tool to communicate student learning. Allows students to capture and share their learning with teach and parents. Students can explore a variety of powerful and intuitive tools (like draw+record, collage, video, and more!) to show what they know in the way that works best for them.
Pros:
Ease of use, great for primary students
Connect families to see student work and celebrate progress. Up to ten family members can stay in the loop using the Parent and Family app (iOS, Android) or on web
Built in creativity/communication tools to help students make their thinking visible.
Choose from thousands of engaging activities to use seamlessly within Seesaw. Search by grade level, subject, and keyword to find activities made by teachers like you
School dashboard to oversee and track learning across classes (premium version)
Cons:
Only works via the Chrome browser
Limited features and time length (5 min. max) in free version
Very limited gradebook options
Editing capabilities are minimal
Data stored in the USA unless a premium school account is purchased.
Price: Seesaw for schools $7 per student per year / per year. Free version available (limited functionality).
Access: Seesaw has a web aplication https://web.seesaw.me/. There is also a mobile app available forboth Apple and Android devices. For Chrome users, there is also a Chrome browser extension available in the our Chrome Web Store.
Overview: Google's suite of free productivity tools for education. SD23 teachers and students have access to all of these powerful cloud-based tools with their District supported Google account. Two of these tools, Google Slides and Google Sites, have are excellent starting tools for educators looking to empower their students to reflect on their learning using digital portfolios.
Google Slides is a simple to use, yet powerful slide presentation tool. Google slides is a great starting place for a digital portfolio because it allows teachers to create a template and share it, creating an editable copy for each student, using Google Classroom. Students have the ability to get creative and link or embed various types of media within any slide. Google Slide portfolios are inherently private and shared between the teacher and student, but can be shared with parents or others through email and/or link sharing.
Google Sites is a basic website creation tool. Google sites allows students to learn the basics of webdesign as they are creating their digital portfolios. Google sites is a very basic web site creation tool that allows for some level of customization with limited available layouts and templates. Teachers can create a Google Site template for students as a starting point or allow students to create their own vision for the site. By default Google sites are private and not published to publicly on the web.
Pros:
Ease of use, simple tools to learn
Flexibility
Allows for some level of student customization
Direct integration with other Google tools like Drive, Photos, and Classroom
Cons:
Requires parental consent for students < 13 years old to have an activated District Google Account
Sharing of portfolios typically is done through email
On and iPad, requires a standalone app that students must sign in to and log out of
Price: District provisioned account. Free to all SD23 staff and students
Access: Must utilize a District Google Account
Examples: At InnovateED19 in Penticton our team partnered with Mark Wells (ASM) to create the following learning on 'Student Agency with GSuite Digital Portfolios.' Inside this resource are some great digital portfolio examples you can explore!
Overview: myBlueprint was originally brought to our District as a tool to support careers exploration. The tool evolved to include a simple student portfolio called "All About Me". All About Me is being discontinued as the platform has now evolved into a standalone digital portfolio tool called "Spaces". Spaces has been designed to be a one-stop hub for to showcase a students' learning journey. Empower students to showcase an reflect on their work and share their learning beyond the report card. Focus on the process, progress, and product of learning. Students can journal, capture media, and reflect using built-in drawing tools, video/audio recording, and emotions.
Pros:
Ease of use
User-friendly platform
Built-in tools for text, photos, videos, audio recordings, and file uplaods
Safe / Data stored in Canada
Cons:
Very few options for customization
Editing capabilities are minimal
Price:
Spaces Free - available for teachers looking to use portfolios to capture and document student learning.
Spaces Pro - ($1000 per school, $3 per students) available for Admin and Districts looking for a solution for portfolios and standards based assessment.
Access: Via the Spaces Edu website - ca.spacesedu.com
Tool Reflection
Tool Reflection
Before launching into a digital portfolio tool or making a purchase (individually or as a school) we strongly recommend experimenting with a handful of tools. In addition, reach out to our department for some recommendations and we can likely connect you with someone around the district who might be already be using the same tool you're considering.
Given what you have learned thus far around the tools of the trade. What tools might you consider using? What information have you already heard around specific tools that might help others? Enter your responses HERE via Mentimeter.
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