TEACHING IN COLOR

Dear Teachers and Administrators of FRSD,

Currently, at the elementary level, students are expected to show their knowledge of content and standards through various assessments, projects, and assignments. Those items then get graded, potentially discussed, and sent home to either be thrown away or kept in a box in the basement. For the most part, students do not see the value in these assessments and are not taking ownership of their learning. These papers are never referenced again, except for the occasional viewing at home to bring back memories.

What if there was a solution to this? A solution that gave students choice and ownership while valuing the importance of reflection and connections in learning. The solution is here, and it is digital. Students can create ongoing, ever-evolving ePortfolios to reflect on their learning, connect their learning (to themselves, prior learning, and the outside world), and document their learning with evidence. This empowers students to recognize their learning and take control over it.

I am proposing to pilot the use of the ePortfolio in my classroom in which:

• Students use their pre-established Google accounts to create a free website using Google Sites. They will have choice in the design and content of their ePortfolio, but it will be private within the FRSD domain.

• Students use Chromebooks and iPads already available in the classroom to develop and evolve their ePortfolios.

• Students reflect, connect, and learn by posting evidence of their learning with a write-up. This can be done for any subject (cross-curricular) and can be a project on its own (e.g. a writing in Google Docs), a picture of an assignment/project (e.g. a picture of a three-dimensional solar system model), or a description (describing a learning experience that cannot otherwise be documented, such as a conversation).

• Students would use their ePortfolios throughout their time at FRSD and beyond graduation.

The ePortfolio will travel with the students throughout their years of schooling. This allows students to revisit their learning and make connections to current learning. Additionally, teachers are able to see what prior knowledge students enter their classes with, which creates connections between grade levels and the education system as a whole. Because the ePortfolio belongs to each unique student, each one will be different in its design and contents. Students are able to show ownership of their ePortfolio and their own learning process, creating intrinsic motivation and developing twenty-first century skills.

I look forward to ditching the basement box while empowering learners to reflect, connect, and learn through the use of ePortfolios. I ask the FRSD administration to support this plan by allowing me to use one Panther Power per week for ePortfolio development and to consider the adoption of ePortfolios district-wide based on my findings. I ask the FRSD teachers to be open to this exciting opportunity and inquire about my findings in my pilot program. Together, we can build life-long, twenty-first century learners through the use of ePortfolios.

Sincerely,

Brooke Josephs