Assignment #4: Portfolio comparison/contrast

Portfolios, for me, began years ago. The use of portfolios as an assessment tool is not a new one, but now in the digital age, it has begun to reassert itself as an effective assessment tool. Back when I first began compiling a print-based portfolio, it was very difficult to gather all the needed pieces. Today, however, students of all ages can easily combine media types and develop well rounded digital portfolios.

I am speaking of working portfolios of course. Those used to gather artifacts to document a teacher’s or student’s progress toward meeting performance standards. I have experience using a working portfolio as an assessment tool for my students. The RI Alternate Assessment began as a print-based assessment portfolio, and then progressed to digital media as a way to generate the print-based assessment. I hope they move to completely digital soon because keeping track of all of the pages and corresponding artifacts can be difficult. Items can be lost or misfiled and cost the student a good score because of a paperwork error.

I have never had to build a showcase portfolio, which is used to promote oneself into gainful employment. I feel like I’ve missed getting in on the ground floor of a new technology, because now the trend is moving in the digital direction, and I have a very limited experience with the tools needed to even make the most basic presentation. It is one of the primary reasons I enrolled in a class with a focus on technology.