First, some housekeeping. I used this online random selection tool to choose the winner for our Hour of Code. So congratulations to Andrea Heller on being the winner of the $10 Dunkin gift card! Next year, I'd love to see some more of you try this out, especially as our children get better and better at coding from all the fun gadgets on the market. Also, try the random picker sites for randomly selecting volunteers in your classes.
It's that time of year when everyone is looking back on 2017 and looking forward to what's in store for 2018. So let's do just that.
First, I'd love to share a list (I love lists) from one of my favorite resources for educators: Common Sense Media's Best EdTech of 2017. It's organized by subject matter and grade level and free/paid/platform, etc, so it's great for finding a new tool.
Second, let's discuss and reflect on portfolios for students. We could write a book on the definition and purpose of portfolios, but I want to talk specifically about portfolios for students as they move through K-12. First let me pose some questions to you:
- If you were (or are) implementing portfolios in your class and you wanted them to continue until graduation, what tool would you use?
- What would this portfolio contain?
- How would you connect what students are learning in your class to other subject areas?
- Who would select the best elements to include in the portfolio?
As you reflect on these ideas, you may already have assignments or methods in mind. If you work at the secondary level, your students may already be able to share some ways in which to make it work or in which they see the cross-curricular nature of their education (my words, not theirs). As students enter high school and they start to choose career pathways, how would the elements of their portfolio reflect the skills and knowledge base of the pathway they chose?
I want to delve more into this topic for future posts, but I would love to hear and learn more from anyone in the district who is already using portfolios of any kind! I would also love to discuss this topic if you have experiences from children in other districts. My son is in 2nd grade and he brings home a million papers! I feel like I'm creating a portfolio when I choose what to keep. Does anyone else have this experience?
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