Ever wondered how Digital Portfolios can revolutionize learning? Buckle up, because I’m taking you on my journey from clunky binders to online spaces where your work shines! Ditch those dusty relics clogging up your bookshelves and transform into a digital storytelling ninja as we explore the endless potential of cloud-based portfolios. Get ready to unlock the future for your students with this not-so-secret weapon in your educational arsenal!

My Journey of Digital Portfolios

Remember those days when each school year commenced with a hefty 3″ 3-ring binder equipped with dividers? Maybe you were a Trapper Keeper type of person… Ah, middle school. This was the time when we diligently stuffed our binders with papers that represented our year-long learning. They became our messy companions, bulging with a mix of achievement and chaos (at least mine was chaos, organizing came much later for me).

Once I started going through the Teacher’s program at Johnson State College, we were required to create a portfolio if we want our teaching license (a requisite in Vermont, and possibly in Massachusetts as well, though my experience pertains to the former), memories of those middle school binder struggles resurfaced. As someone who was tech advanced, I wondered if there was a superior method to exhibit my work.

This was when Digital Portfolios entered the scene, during the early stages of our Educational Technology evolution. The educational institution I attended started to guide all of us to adopt the idea of a digital portfolio. They taught us to use Microsoft Word as the platform. Crafting a digital portfolio in Word 2006 posed challenges, mostly because I had yet to become more familiar with all of the tools of Microsoft Word. Once completed, I could commit it to a CD-RW (for the uninitiated, envision a cassette akin to recording Casey Kasem’s Top 40 and replaying it until the next week’s edition and then record it) and refine it over time. Burning the portfolio onto an inexpensive disc stored within a case allowed me to present and leave my educational portfolio to prospective employers and keep the originals. This was way more cost effective then going to Kinkos or Staples and making 100-page copies to leave behind with a fresh binder.

Welcome to the Future

Fast forward to today, we can do this in the cloud and send links whenever we want. A Digital Portfolio is essential a place to house artifacts that can show student accomplishments and growth over time. By using a Digital Portfolio program, you can keep all the work organized and easy to find. The nice thing is that you can start at a young grade (check out the podcast with Cheryl Elias where we talk about students using SeeSaw from 2018. The interview starts around the 17-minute mark) or use it to help your high schoolers stand out to the college they want to go to.

The merits of Digital Portfolios are aplenty. Celebrating students as lifelong learners, involving parents in their academic journey (yes, they get a peek too!), a continuous feedback loop, and highlighting the process of learning. These are just a few benefits. The beauty of Digital Portfolios are not just static repositories, you have the ability to update them at any time and you, as a teacher can even use the portfolio as assessment tools.

Let’s ditch the dusty binders and scratched CDs and embrace the world of Digital Portfolios! This revolution isn’t just about convenience; it’s about the adaptability, updateability and the limitless potential of sharing your work to the world. On the next blog post I’m going to spotlight a fantastic tool called Wakelet Portfolio. You’ll discover how this platform can help you showcase your achievements, ignite creativity, the ability to take your work with you and unlock how digital storytelling is possible with this tool. Intrigued, let me know your thoughts in the comments below!