Technology Play Testing #2 - ePortfolios

On Portfolio Assessment:
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​Portfolio assessment takes into account the whole of what a student has learned.  Think that the reflective nature - having to self select artifacts that the learner feels are accurate examples of their knowledge - makes this type of assessment very powerful. There is a disconnect with assessments that are based on recall. I don’t know that students connect so much with that. But I think there is a place for those types of assessment. Essays, research papers and presentations are all things that work nicely as artifacts for portfolios, so while I see them as their own types of assessments, they will play an important part for many learners in building a portfolio.

As a graduate student, the more meaningful type of assessment would be the portfolio concept. Providing evidence of what I know and have learned throughout my experiences provides a fuller picture of me as an educator and a learner. It’s absolutely the more relevant way to be assessed. That said, the truth is that I prefer quizzes and tests. I like to just get it done, get a score and move on and things like creating portfolios take a lot longer. However, because I understand the rationale, it’s not so bad.

On ePortfolio Tools: 

I looked at a few tools for creating an eportfolio.

• myeFolio - Seemed very easy to use. The portfolio was very easy to follow on the screen and had ways to edit on an iPad. The portfolio examples I saw were not particularly attractive, but they were clean and informative. The price was $9.99/year
• Digication - By far the worst looking eportfolios I saw. These were very bland and were essentially websites with picture gallery pages. I didn’t delve too much further because I wasn’t impressed. The price was $20.00/year for students and $34.95/ year for educators.
• Pathbrite - This tool was my favorite of the dedicated eportfolio sites I looked at. While the sample portfolios were cluttered on the front page - it looks like Pinterest without the orderly rows - you could select which areas you wanted to view and the page filtered to show only the related artifacts. Once I got into the program, I saw that you could make orderly rows. Visually, it was the most impressive. The interface to create the portfolio was easy to use, had a google login and was free.
• Wix - I’d used Wix before when my photography students were attempting portfolios. It didn’t go great, but it was definitely more of a problem with the lesson design. My students didn’t have much issue with the software. That said, looking at it again, there are almost too many options. One thing that dedicated software for an eportfolio affords is streamlining. Because the purpose is clear, you don’t have to make so many decisions to create the outcome you’re desiring. With a website, you really have to do more envisioning where things will go.
• Weebly - I’ve obviously used Weebly before and I decided to go with Weebly again for my eportfolio. I wish I could say something profound here, but the truth is that I don’t like to reinvent the wheel. I know how to use it and I think I can make it work. One affordance Weebly has over Wix is that it is more streamlined. While I have more options than I would on Pathbrite, it’s not overwhelming, which I think is important because the content is the point.

If I were asking my students to create an eportfolio, I would choose Pathbrite. It gave them a simple way to upload artifacts and provide explanation and reflection for those pieces of evidence. As far as content goes, I see it applicable in all areas. I don’t really see eportfolios as being content specific. I think that particular tool is a good blend of technology that isn’t overwhelming, but supports students students in curating their learning and providing meaningful reflection on what the experiences meant. Another key thing is that the final product looked good. I taught 11th and 12th grade students primarily and they placed a high value on what the end product COULD look like. They didn’t always live up to their full potential in the creative process, but it would be important to them that they could create something that was pretty sleek.

My eportfolio link: kaleahhicks.com