Student Digital Portfolios

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Student Digital Portfolios

• A Model for Authentic Assessment
• based around the Essential Learnings

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Background

• November 2000 - David Niguidula (Coalition of
  Essential Schools USA) presented in ACT
• See The Digital Portfolio A Richer Picture
  of Student Performance (David Niguidula 1997)
• http//www.essentialschools.org/pubs/exhib_schdes
  /dp/intfram.htm
• Became an ANSN national project with AEU support
  in 2001
• Clusters of schools established nationally for
  sharing and collaboration

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Background
Educators have been working to incorporate
technology into the reporting and assessment
process

• "Portfolios can empower students and teachers to
  reflect upon the teaching and learning process."
  (Herbert, 1992)
• "Written, audio or video records compared over
  time, are a powerful tool for increasing the
  learners sense of a control over their own
  academic success." (Stiggins, 1995)
• Putting a digital portfolio system in place
  requires a great deal of planning and reflection
  as to what a school wants to accomplish
  otherwise, digital portfolios can be just one
  more gimmick that a school adds to its list of
  projects. (David Niguidula, 1997)

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What is it?

• Simplistic Levelit is not
• just a digital version of traditional folios
  (ROD) of student work passed from year level to
  year level
• Sophisticated Levelit is intended to be
• a medium for authentic reflection and feedback
  about student work ongoing assessment
• a tool to provide student and teacher with
  prompts to write/talk about learning and
  understanding
• a dynamic repository for a rich variety of
  multimedia digital samples eg video, sound,
  images etc.of student performance/products
• one way of making explicit links to the ELs
  framework

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Purposes
The project aims to.

• engage teachers in action based research into how
  ICTs multimedia technology can contribute to
  meaningful ongoing assessment (portfolio-based)
• Use the Essential Learning Framework as an agreed
  set of goals (the main menu/structure) for the
  Digital Portfolio to determine what we want
  students to know and be able to do

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Circular Head ClusterDigital Portfolio

• Trial Project

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Circular Head Cluster
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Edith Creek Primary
Classes Three classes Teachers Three full time
teachers new to the school this year All teachers
involved in the project as part of a whole school
approach
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Smithton Primary
Classes 450 children in 18 classes Teachers 25
teachers Two teachers involved in the project
with the support of an AST3
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So Why Digital Portfolio?

• Records of Development were not meeting our needs
• Too unwieldy
• Falling participation rates from parents at
  interviews
• Benefits were outweighed by investment in time
  and commitment
• They were add-ons they were not integrated
  into the teaching/learning program and were not
  contributing to children's understandings.

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2. An interest in self evaluation and goal
setting and a strong belief that this could
impact on teaching and learning in a way not yet
realised.
Enter..
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3.Preparation for new curriculum

• New ways of assessment

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• Staff and students were highly skilled in IT

• Efficient network in place
• Ready access to computers for all students with
  one computer for every four children in primary
  classes
• School culture of innovative use of ICT
• All staff supportive and collaborative .

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• Really strong Cluster with a history of working
  together on a
  range of professional learning

• Smithton Primary a project school for curriculum
  consultation
• Smithton High had been a lighthouse school
• Both Smithton Primary and Edith Creek Primary
  were recognised leaders in integration of ICT
  across curriculum
• Potential to work on the project K - 12

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Management of the project has brought together

• The National Schools Network
• E-magine ( Phil Walker Trudy Durkin )
• TELI (Brian Webberly)
• District Office
• Innovations Online Project
• Curriculum Consultation

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• The digital portfolio project is utilising
  multimedia technology to enable students to set
  goals, and to evaluate and demonstrate their deep
  understanding and thinking.

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Current educational research resulting in the New
Curriculum Framework, highlights the need for
students to have a deeper understanding of
concepts studied, develop higher order thinking
skills and be able to direct and evaluate their
own goals and learning. These dispositions are
vital for learners to have purposeful futures
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In 2001we achieved

• 1. Understanding of the concept of a digital
  portfolio ie. Its purpose, relationship to the
  Essential Learnings and quality samples.
• 2. Intense Professional Development to
  familiarise staff with the technology
• 3. Opportunities to share understandings and
  ideas.
• 4 The first template was developed.

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In 2002

• The template was reviewed and accepted by
  stakeholders
• All teachers aimed to trial the template with
  five students and evaluate the selection criteria
  for work samples entered, through collaborative
  assessment
• Because of childrens enthusiasm, this proved
  impractical and teachers worked towards providing
  a digital portfolio for all students.

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In 2003

• Teachers continued to develop the use of the
  digital portfolios and to refine all aspects of
  using multi-media.
• Support materials were developed to assist
  schools eager to begin using digital portfolios.
• Teachers continued to refine their own skills.

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In 2004

• Two teachers at Smithton Primary have continued
  to use digital portfolios and to refine all
  aspects of using multi-media.
• Three new teachers at Edith Creek were trained in
  the use of Digital Portfolios and are
  enthusiastic about their use
• Funding ceased at the end of 2003
• Expressions of interest from e-Magine for schools
  wanting to become involved in using Digital
  Portfolios

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Our continued focus
. Maintain the intention that digital portfolios
must be an integrated part of the
teaching/learning program. . As students move
through from early childhood and primary years
they will develop the skills to manage their own
portfolio. . It is a child centred approach to
assessment.