ePortfolios as Authentic Assessment
In an effort to increase the degree to which student assessment is authentic in my classroom, as well as increase motivation and pride in their work, I have taken to implementing ePortfolios as a means of final assessment of students. This also helps me to accomplish my professional goals of maximum integration of technology in instruction and assessment, as well. It is my hope that students will create ePortfolios as 9th graders that they can then update and enhance throughout their high school careers.
What is an ePortfolio?
E-portfolios are a valuable learning and assessment tool. An e-portfolio is a digitized collection of artifacts including demonstrations, resources, and accomplishments that represent an individual, group, or institution. This collection can be comprised of text- based, graphic, or multimedia elements archived on a Web site or on other electronic media such as a CD-ROM or DVD. An e-portfolio is more than a simple collection—it can also serve as an administrative tool to manage and organize work created with different applications and to control who can see the work. E-portfolios encourage personal reflection and often involve the exchange of ideas and feedback. (Lorenzo & Ittelson, 2005, p. 1)
Contact information
- Email address: HarrisR@dearborn.k12.mi.us
- Official website address: http://techcoaches.dearbornschools.org
Integration of ePortfolios into classroom instruction & assessment
Have students write a journal entry with a specific topic or prompt. Students should reflect on their learning of the first few days of biology.
Have students enter Mahara, subscribe to the appropriate group(s) for class, and begin to form networks among students who share the same classes.
Students will make a Mahara page including specific content that they are currently learning. They will have the freedom to design and format the page to suit their preferences.
Have students write their Learning Targets for biology as PLANS, to be shared on their biology ePortfolio page at a later time.
Creative Commons license
Authentic Assessment in Biology (and Beyond) Using ePortfolios v.2 by Robert Harrison is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported license.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from Robert Harrison.
Google Apps
ePortfolios
My goals for student eportfolios
It is my goal that student ePortfolios...
- be a canvas on which students can display their best work
- be a vehicle of self-reflection for students
- be a means of self-evaluation for students
- be a means of authentic assessment in biology for me as their teacher
- help students set meaningful goals for themselves and hold themselves accountable to their own self-imposed completion dates
- allow students to view the work of other students
- be an open forum in which students can have collegial discussions
- be a central location in which students can showcase all of their accomplishments, build their resume, and prepare for learning beyond high school
- be a cross-discipline and cross-level arena for students to build their academic identity with the ultimate goal of life-long learning