Throughout the past few months, I have had the opportunity to look deep within the world of technology and its many affordances within the classroom. As I sit back now, with my Google Classroom creation in its final stage, I see how important it has been to build a place for students to be able to house their work in a space accessible to them. This what makes a digital portfolio such an important tool in learning and one in which I will always incorporate into my lesson plans. As we move students from grade to grade, and scaffolded learning processes build, it is important for them to see how they got there as well as their end goals. The usage of digital portfolios will only aid in this process.
As an English Language Arts teacher, students in my classroom are continually revising and revamping their pieces. Many times we will begin a work only to come back to it with a fresh perspective and new mindset. By being able to offer students the technological advancement of having a digital portfolio they no longer have to worry about such things as lost work or recreating a new piece, with their portfolio the work is always there and “waiting” for the next step. Much like I created in my CMS assessment, I see students in my classroom using digital portfolios as a way to revise, refine, and reflect on past works.
Not only this, through the use of digital portfolios students are able to see the learning process unfold and gain footing as an independent learner. As we have read with Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick (2006), “to develop systematically the learner’s capacity for self-regulation, teachers need to create more structured opportunities for self-monitoring and the judging of progression to goals” (p. 207). Digital portfolios allow students to do this. Furthermore, the use of digital portfolios pairs perfectly with research done by Hattie and Timperley (2007), as they help “set further appropriately challenging goals as the previous ones are attained, thus establishing the conditions for ongoing learning (p.88-89).Keeping in this belief system, as we move students into a new era of technology it only seems right to allow them the ability to use a CMS such as Google Classroom and Apps for education to help achieve learning goals through the development of their own digital learning portfolio.
It is with this that I will continue to find new ways in which to engage my students through the creation of their own digital portfolios. Due to the many the affordances it brings to the overall learning experience, whether it be creating a space to house all of their work or giving them the ability to use it as a source to connect with other students in regards to peer-to-peer editing or group project work, digital portfolios will forever have a place in my classroom.
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback . Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81–112.
Nicol, D., & Macfarlane-Dick, D. (2006). Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 199–218.
Kluger, A. N., & DeNisi, A. (1996). The effects of feedback interventions on performance: A historical review, a meta-analysis, and a preliminary feedback intervention theory. Psychological Bulletin, 119(2), 254-284.
Nicole D. Seymour: Thoughts on the Journey & Evolution of an Educator 