Abstract

   Portfolio assessment has become increasingly popular over the past several years as a way of highlighting student achievement.  Involving students in their assessment encourages them to take responsibility in their own learning.  When students are given the opportunity to reflect on their work, they are gaining the skills needed to understand themselves academically.  According to Richard Stiggens, the author of Student-Involved Classroom Assessment, "Students who learn to evaluate their own achievement become better achievers through the process.  They maintain contact with their own evolving strengths and weaknesses" (Stiggens, 2001).
    One aspect of portfolio assessment that often prevents teachers from implementing them is the lack of space to store the portfolios.  A solution to this problem is the use of electronic portfolios in the classroom.  By using e-portfolios, students can store their work on a disk.  E-portfolios are also an excellent way of combining the process of collecting student work and using the latest technology to present that work.
    My first introduction to e-portfolios began as a two hour presentation delivered by Dr. Helen C. Barrett, a nationally recognized leader in electronic portfolios.  Through the Office of Educational Technology at the University of Illinois, teachers were invited to attend a mini-lecture about the purpose, uses and advantages of creating e-portfolios for themselves as well as their students.  Dr. Barrett has been involved in Educational Technology and Staff Development in Alaska for the last thirteen years.  She has also been involved in educational technologies at the state and local level.  Dr. Barrett travels around the country presenting lectures about the development of electronic portfolios with learners of all ages.
    James Peterson, technology director for Bloomington District #87, is considered a local expert on electronic portfolios.  He has attended several of Dr. Barrett's workshops, and he also indicated a desire to speak to teachers in the Mahomet-Seymour school district about implementing the use of e-portfolios with students.  Much of his knowledge comes from attending Dr. Barrett's lectures and implementing e-portfolios in his own district.
    This professional development activity will have teachers learning how to create e-portfolios with their students.  Through a workshop presented by James Peterson, using information based on Dr. Barrett's research, teachers will learn the following:  importance of portfolio assessment, reasons for using electronic portfolios, contents of e-portfolios and ways of creating e-portfolios.
       Jim Peterson has indicated that he would assist teachers at Mahomet-Seymour Junior High at no charge, so funds will mainly be used to pay for substitutes in order for teachers to receive two days of release time to work on this project.
 

Justification

    Recently, teachers in the Mahomet-Seymour school district have been examining the role students play in their own assessment.  Through this examination, many teachers are realizing that students do indeed have to take on more responsibility in recognizing their own achievement.  Using portfolios to address this need, is one way students can become more responsible in their academic development.  In addition, providing students with the available technology to create their portfolio will increase their motivation to continue with the project.  Research by Janet Schofield indicates that, "The most commonly and consistently found effect of the instructional use of computers...appears to be an increase in motivation and closely related constructs such as interest [in] and enjoyment of school work, task involvement, persistence, time on task and retention in school," (Schofield and Davidson, 2002).  Consequently, "...students who are more interested in what they are doing will learn more, a desirable outcome" (Schofield and Davidson, 2002).
    With the addition of a new computer lab being assembled this fall at the junior high, teachers will have the opportunity to take their students and explore the internet, use word processors or even create Power Point presentations.  Because all students will now have access to computers, this will be a perfect time for teachers to begin creating electronic portfolios with their students.  Even though I would like to see the junior high teachers begin implementing this project, there is no reason why students as young as kindergarten couldn't start too.  For the lower grades, audio can be used to speak their reflections.  Thus, I can eventually see every teacher in the Mahomet-Seymour district benefiting from the expertise of Dr. Barrett.
    According to Dr. Helen Barrett, an e- portfolio is "a living history of a learning life" (H. Barrett, lecture, February 7, 2002).  E-portfolios allow students to collect and organize artifacts in many different media types such as audio, video or graphics.  By using hypertext links, students can easily organize their examples of work.  Contents of an e-portfolio could possibly include:  an autobiography, grade level goals, interest/hobbies, experiences, examples of work, or I-movies.  Contents can vary in an e-portfolio, but one feature is imperative to include, reflection statements.  According to Dr. Barrett,  without the reflection statements, the e-portfolio is considered just an on-line scrapbook.  Creating an e-portfolio can be quite easy.  Students can use basic technology such a word processors, Power Point, Adobe Acrobat or web page software.   Dr. Barrett uses three appropriate metaphors to justify the use of e-portfolios in a classroom.  First, she compares the portfolio to a mirror because it's a way for students to look at themselves and build identity.  E-portfolios are also a map because they're considered a way of navigating and making sense of work.  Lastly, Dr. Barrett describes e-portfolios as a sonnet because they are a structured document with a specific beginning, ending and length (H. Barrett, lecture, February 7, 2002).
    In order for teachers to successfully implement e-portfolios in their classroom, it is necessary for teachers to receive release time to do it.  As mentioned in Bringing the Internet to School, lack of time impedes teachers' implementation of technology in their lessons (Schofield & Davidson, 2002).  By providing teachers CPDU's and release time to complete a PDA on e-portfolios, more teachers would be willing to spend the time learning how to incorporate these into their teaching.  In addition to spending more time if release time was given, teachers would also become more dedicated to the project if given the time to create their own curriculum.  According to several studies conducted by Bacharach, Bauer, & Conley, 1986; Cororan, 1990; Dawson, 1985; Rosenholtz, 1987, "When teachers themselves formulate and implement the strategies they will use for achieving program goals, commitment to specific reforms as well as to their work in general may increase"  (Schofield and Davidson, 2002).
    Introducing e-portfolios to the 12 language arts teachers at the junior high through a professional development workshop, will assist them in guiding their students to become critical thinkers about their own work.  In addition, guiding students through the technological aspect of creating e-portfolios will provide a technology enriched environment for their students.  Teachers will also meet the following goals by participating in this professional development activity:

A.  Satisfy re-certification requirements by providing teachers CPDU's

B.  Address goals of the Illinois Learning Standard of integrating technology into the curriculum

C.  Satisfy the district goal of developing alternative assessments
 

Implementation

   This professional development activity of implementing electronic portfolios in the classroom will eventually target teachers in K-12 classrooms, but for the 2002-2003 school year, only language arts teachers at Mahomet-Seymour Junior High will be affected.  In addition to 6th, 7th and 8th grade language arts teachers, special education teachers who teach language arts in a self-contained  setting will also be participating.  Most importantly, after having discussed this proposal with each language arts teacher, I have received full support for my endeavors in seeking a workshop on electronic portfolios.    Once the 12  junior high language arts teachers have been trained and have gained experience in helping students create e-portfolios, they will be able to act as consultants for other teachers in the district.
    Language arts teachers at the junior high were chosen to participate in this PDA for several reasons:

• Junior high language arts teachers have their classes blocked giving them 76 minute periods compared to the 38 minutes in other subject areas.
• Junior high teachers will be receiving a computer lab in the fall enabling all students to have access to computers.
• Some junior high language arts teachers are already implementing portfolio assessment in their classrooms.  Digitizing this process will enable students to gain more experience in using technology.
• Language arts teachers tend to create portfolios compared to other curricular areas due to the large amounts of writing projects.

1.  Presentation of electronic portfolios conducted by Jim Peterson, technology director for Bloomington district #87 and local expert in e-portfolios.

2.  Creation and organization by the junior high language arts teachers of materials to prepare for implementing e-portfolios in the classrooms.

3.  Creation of e-portfolios with volunteer students in order to gather examples for other students.

    In order for teachers to gain knowledge about electronic portfolios, Jim Peterson will educate teachers about the following:  importance of portfolio assessment, definition of e-portfolios, benefits of e-portfolios, development of e-portfolios, tools to develop e-portfolios and examples of students' e-portfolios.  Using information based on Dr. Barrett's research, Jim will be able to provide teachers will some basic knowledge of e-portfolios in order for them to begin implementing them in their own classrooms.  The following information was obtained from Dr. Barrett's web site at http://electronicportfolios.com/portfolios/encyclopediaentry.htm.  Jim Peterson will use the following outline as a guide to assist teachers in their quest for knowledge about electronic portfolio assessment.

Definition of electronic portfolios:  An educational portfolio contains work that a learner has selected and collected to show growth and changes over time; a critical component of an educational portfolio is the learner's reflection on the individual pieces of work (often called artifacts) as well as an overall reflection on the story that the portfolio should tell.

Benefits for students and/or teachers:

• minimal storage space
• easy to create back-up files
• portability
• long shelf life
• learner centered
• increases technology skills
• accessibility

• Collection:  Students learn to save artifacts that represent the successes in their day-to-day learning.
• Selection:  Students review and evaluate the artifacts they have saved and identify those that demonstrate achievement of specific standards.
• Reflection:  Students evaluate their own growth and their achievement of the standards.
• Projection:  Students compare their reflections to the standards and performance indicators and set learning goals for the future.
• Presentation:  Students share their portfolios with their family, teachers and peers.

• Defining the portfolio goals and context:  identifying the audience for the portfolio, the format of portfolio, the computer equipment and software to be used, the level of technology skills of the developer
• The Working Portolio:  identifying the portfolio artifacts, collecting and storing the artifacts, creating the design for the e-portfolio, using multimedia to add style
• The Reflective Portfolio:  selecting artifacts, writing reflection statements, identifying learning goals for the future
• The Connected Portfolio:  converting documents into format that allows hypertext links, navigating around the document using the links, inserting appropriate artifacts into document
• The Presentation Portfolio:  recording the portfolio, sharing the portfolio with appropriate audience

Based on the level of computing skills of the portfolio creator, students can choose from different types of software such as Power Point or Macromedia Director.  Jim Peterson will explain to teachers the options they have to present to their students, so students will be able to make appropriate choices when choosing software.

Teachers will have the opportunity to experiment with the different types of available software with the technology teacher's assistance.  Teachers will create a general format or template that students may use in order to create their own electronic portfolio.  Also during this time, teachers will create informational worksheets for students about the purpose and steps of creating e-portfolios.  In order for teachers to create these worksheets accurately, teachers will experiment themselves in creating an e-portfolio.  With Jim Peterson's assistance, teachers will have lessons in place that will assist students in the creation of their own e-portfolios.

Select students will be chosen to volunteer their time in creating e-portfolios.  Prior to the workshop day, students will be instructed to gather artifacts and create reflection statements from their previous year in school.  Teachers will use the instructional worksheets that were prepared the previous day as a way of presenting the project to the select students.  Teachers will seek student input in order to revise any instructions listed on the informational worksheets.  Each grade level will work with two students in the creation of their e-portfolio to be used for examples in order to instruct other students.  Those selected students will also serve as a resource to assist their classmates.

Evaluation:

    Many factors will determine the success of this professional development activity.  Teachers and students play an integral role in the process of creating e-portfolios.  The commitment of the junior high language arts teachers is vital if the implementation of e-portfolios is going to continue.  The 6th grade teachers play an important role because they will begin the initial process with the incoming junior high students.  6th grade teachers will need to ensure that all instructions are clear, so 6th graders will understand and become enthused about the process.  Motivating students is key because their enthusiasm will be the factor in determining whether or not the portfolio process will continue.  It will be the responsibility of the 7th and 8th grade teachers to continue and consequently wrap up the portfolio process.  In addition to teacher commitment, communication amongst the teachers is important to ensure that the organization of the portfolio remains consistent; however, students do have the freedom to add their own personal style.  In order to determine commitment amongst the teachers, informal dialogue will continuously occur after the two day workshop training session.  In addition to dialogue, teachers will also receive a survey after the two day workshop.
    The commitment and enthusiasm of the students is another factor to ensure success of the project.  If students are not motivated to use technology to create their e-portfolios, then the project will not succeed.  It is the goal for students, once they get introduced to the project, that they complete some work at home by adding links, working on slides, etc.  In order to determine the reactions of the student body, two students from each grade level will be chosen to create an e-portfolio during the workshop training.  During this time, students will be introduced to the project and will have the opportunity to create one for themselves.   The creation and completion of the e-portfolio will be the determining factor in the success of the PDA.  After the training session, students will have the opportunity to express their opinions about the process of creating an e-portfolio by completing a survey.  Through the survey results, teachers will be able to determine the opinions of the students and what revisions need to be made when presenting the project to the entire student body.
    Not only will the opinions of teachers and students be welcomed after the workshop, but it will also be beneficial to receive feedback once all students have created their e-portfolios for the first year.  In May, students and language arts teachers will receive another survey, so revisions can be made for the next school year.

Timeline:
 
 

Budget:
 

Budget Justification:

Facilitator (no charge):

Jim Peterson, a local expert in the development of electronic portfolios, has offered to give a 1 day workshop free of charge.  Jim received his master's degree from the University of Illinois in Curriculum Technology Education Reform (CTER).  Being a CTER student myself, Jim offered his services free of charge to assist fellow CTER students.

Personnel Involved ($1,960.00):

The following 14 faculty members will be involved in the 2 day workshop on the development of e-portfolios.  The presence of the two technology teachers is imperative to assist with technical questions.

6th grade language arts teachers:
H. Adreon
A. Knepp
A. Krueger
T. Millage

7th grade language arts teachers:
M. Biver
K. Hansen
A. Higgens
K. Pyatt

8th grade language arts teachers:
W. Highley
R. Leonard
D. McClughen
B. Patrick

Technology teachers:
M. Warunek
M. Woodall

Equipment (no charge):
 

• Computers-  Teachers and students will be able to utilize district computers to create their electronic portfolios.  The facilitator will also be able to use the district computer to present information during the training session.
• LCD projector-  The facilitator will be able to use the school's LCD projector to assist him in his presentation.

Supplies ($40.00):
 

• Paper and xeroxing costs will be provided by the district at no cost.
• Disks will be provided by the student as indicated as a requirement on their school supply list.
• Binders will be necessary for teachers to hold materials.  20 binders will be needed.

Food ($200.00):
 

• 15 people will be participating during the first day of the workshop.  A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided so teachers and facilitator can use that time to discuss issues that arise regarding the project.
• 14 teachers and 6 students (20) will be participating during the second day of the workshop.  Students will eat with the teachers in order to discuss issues concerning the creation of their e-portfolio.

Conclusion:

   Enabling teachers to participate in this two day electronic portfolio workshop will have a tremendous impact on students.  When teachers begin implementing e-portfolios in their classrooms, students will take on a more active role in their own assessment.  Enabling students to create their own e-portfolio will not only offer them opportunities for becoming directly involved in their learning, but e-portfolios will also enable students to use their technology skills.  Several positive outcomes will occur when teachers use portfolio assessment in their classroom:

• Diagnose student needs and reveal improvement
• Encourage students to take responsibility for their own learning, track that learning, gain sense of academic progress and self-worth
• Teach students to learn how to reflect on their work, identify strengths and weaknesses and plan a course of action
• Encourage students to practice useful reasoning and problem-solving skills (Stiggens, 2001)

References:

Barrett, Dr. Helen C. (February, 2002).  Presentation on Electronic Portfolios.  Champaign, IL.

Schofield, J.W. & Davidson, A.L. (2002).  Bringing the Internet to School.  San Francisco:  Jossey-Bass.

Stiggens, Richard (2001).  Student-Involved Classroom Assessment.  Upper Saddle River:  Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Internet Sites on Electronic Portfolios

http://www.coe.iup.edu/njyost/portfolios/links.html
http://www.mehs.educ.state.ak.us/portfolios/portfolio.html
http://www.essdack.org/port/
http://electronicportfolios.com/