1. Section I: Preparing to Use Technology
Chapter 4: Portfolios

2. Frameworks: What we know. . .
What is a portfolio?
Organized collection of artifacts or tangible products that verify a teacher’s professional growth over time.
Serves as form of alternative assessment
Used for authentic types of assessment that provide a record of growth over time
Required for teachers in preparation
Growing in popularity for practicing teachers 2

3. Basics: Professional Push
Are professional organizations concerned with portfolios?
Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC)
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)
National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) 3

4. Basics: Types of Portfolios
Are there different types of portfolios?
Working portfolios
Large collection of work over a period of time
Includes unit and lesson plans, presentations, videos, photos, etc
Assessment portfolios
Outgrowth of the working portfolio…subset of best work.
Showcase portfolios
Outgrowth of the working portfolio…used for employment 4

5. Basics: Components What types of elements comprise a portfolio?
Artifacts
Tangible evidence of successful achievement of necessary knowledge and skills
Supporting documentation
Documents that support the portfolio such as a table of contents.
Reflections
Contain the learning goals
Reactions to the work and the success of meeting the standard 5

6. Basics: More about Artifacts
What types of items are considered artifacts?
Resume
Transcripts
Educational philosophy
Unit plans
Lesson plans
Videos of performance 6

7. Basics: More about Supporting Docs
What types of items are considered supporting documents?
Table of contents
Personal information
Permission statements
Credits 7

8. Basic: Going Digital Portfolios are going digital. Are there concerns?
Advantages of digital
Portability
Accessed by larger number of people at once
Digital can strengthen certain artifacts
Many software options are now web-based
Disadvantages
Skill requirements (lessened by web-based)
Support needed
Equipment and software
Time and energy
Requirements of viewer

9. Basic: Digital Commandments
Are there general rules to follow?
When in doubt, don’t throw it out.
Do it digitally.
Be organized, not frustrated.
Log it or lose it.
If it’s nice, save it thrice.
Be careful, not sorry? Pay heed to legal and security issues.
Give credit where credit is due.
Protect the privacy of your students and colleagues.
Create and stick to a timeline.
Kilbane and Milman (2003)

10. Adapting for Special Learners
Are portfolios used with special learners?
Used to show the progress of students who cannot participate in state level assessment.
Part of alternative assessment for students with severe to profound disabilities (1%)
Alternative assessment portfolio is a year-long collection of evidence of performance.
Alternative assessment systems are required by IDEA and NCLB legislation for students with significant disabilities.

11. Voices in the classroom
The Benefits of My Digital Portfolio
Anissa L. Vega, MS
Content Specialty: Math
Former IT specialist in Georgia
In this Voice, Anissa Vega, doctoral student in Educational Technology, explains that she began her portfolio in her teacher education program, used it for her job hunt and later for her performance review in her job as an IT specialist.

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