Digital Portfolios for Professional Development
Teachers Can Use Technology for Evidence of Growth and Success
Sep 12, 2009
Portfolios are a common way for students to collect standards based evidence of good work in order to show development over time. Digital, or electronic, versions allow students to do so by using technology. Teachers can also use digital technology to collect and display their professional growth towards teaching standards. An electronic portfolio for professional development can be used not only as a record of improvement but also to collect and show records of successful lessons.
Portfolios as Long-Term Records of Professional Growth
A portfolio can be used to collect evidence of professional growth and show how a teacher improves their skills and knowledge over time. As with collecting artifacts for a traditional portfolio, digital records can be collected daily and then browsed through at a later date for examples of how specific standards or goals have been met. The process of collecting and sorting also provides a physical means for the teacher to reflect about their teaching practice.
Digital records of professional practices and growth can be a foundation for setting new goals. Reflecting on what has and has not been successful provides a means to connect these to where the teacher wants to focus for improvement. Taking time for reflection can make the goal making process more meaningful and directly affects the life-long learning of the teacher. Reflection also turns the act of developing a portfolio into professional development.
Digital Records of Successful Lessons
The process of collecting evidence of teaching and learning can also result in a portfolio that contains digital records of successful lessons. Though many portfolios focus on growth, this type provides examples of success that would be useful when interviewing for a new teaching position.
Successful lessons can be kept in several digital formats. One is the lesson plan itself, including copies of student handouts, rubrics, and assessments. Another is to collect digital photographs of students engaged in the lesson, or to record the lesson as if for a podcast. Student assessments and project results can be collected as well, either a copy of the students' digital files or by scanning or taking a digital photograph.
Using digital technology to record lessons and keep evidence of professional growth can be a convenient method to create a portfolio. Since many items that can be used already are created using digital means, it becomes an exercise in professional reflection to determine which items to include in the digital portfolio in order to demonstrate growth towards goals, understanding of standards, and evidence of success in the classroom.
For more information about podcasts, read Classroom Uses of Podcasts.
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