Episode 7: Writing Portfolios that WOW!

Districts with G-Suite for EDU have everything they need to build successful student portfolios with Google Docs, Google Slides, or Google Sites. In previous episodes, we focused on ways student produce digital evidence of active learning by creating, collaborating, communicating, and thinking critically.  Today we share ways students can create digital portfolios to organize and publish their evidence of learning using their choice of Docs, Slides, or Sites.
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Why build portfolios?

• They are the real D.E.A.L.!  Portfolios represent the work students produce, their Digital Evidence of Active Learning
  • Creativity - student express their personalities in a variety of ways
  • Communication - written or recorded reflections communicate process & growth
  • Critical Thinking - construction, selection, reflection
  • Collaboration - Hmmm - class portfolios! Group research projects!

 

• Adding writing samples directly to a portfolio on a regular basis throughout the year will result in a wealth of student work as well as amazing evidence of growth.

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📝Google Docs & Portfolios

It makes sense to open this episode discussing the potential for using Google Docs as a portfolio platform. Most people typically associate writing with Docs. So, discussing how it can be used for student portfolios is a perfect place to begin.

• Any content area in any grade level. Learners from K-99 can use Google Docs!
• Any level of learning or tech-savviness
  • Beginners might benefit from using Voice Typing
  • More advanced might Add images, page breaks, headers, footers, table of contents
• Easy to SHARE with others either in school domain or with a wider audience for collaboration or publication (as are files created in all G-Suite Apps)

Consider using Google Docs on a regular basis to build a single portfolio of work in one document.  It could be as easy as opening the Google Doc, adding the date at the top, and composing a short piece of writing.  Use the same document again and again. By adding a new entry at the top of the same document and including the date, a portfolio of growth is built without much effort. Each new entry will move the previous entry down and by the end of the unit, semester, or year  a portfolio will exist. Voila!  Get started with Google Docs portfolios with:

• Learning Logs
• Respond to Reading
• Journal a day
• Quick writes
• Best work - work to improve - work that correlates with standard mastery.

Tech it up a notch by  adding tables & horizontal lines.  Get even geekier by changing the text styles to include headings and a table of contents. 

For those who are already using Google Docs as portfolios, please share your experience in the comments below to give us Somethin’ to Tech About in future episodes. 

🔑Resources:

• Google Docs Portfolio Template
• Readers Response Template​

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💻Google Slides & Portfolios
What if your students want to get creative with the layout of a portfolio?  What if they want to move their content around easily?  What if students choose to include video in the portfolio? 

Google Slides may be the tool to fit the need....

• Organize easily - use one slide per topic/artifact/date
• Customize layouts - Add photos or student artwork (Creativity) with a reflection box to the side
• Include video evidence from YouTube or Google Drive
• Allows for student choice (critical thinking) for bringing in their creativity

Tech it up a notch!

• Hyperlink to existing slides, files, websites​
• Save as PDF or E-Book
• Publish on a Google Site as an automated slide deck
• And brand new to slides is the ability to add audio so students can now add their voice for narration!  Or install the add on - Audio Player for Slides (as of December 2019, no longer available)

In the classroom, consider these ideas to begin using Google Slides as a tool for building student portfolios:

• Collaborative portfolios -  students could create a class portfolio where each student completed one slide
  • Unit of study
  • Novel study
  • ABC Book
• Individual portfolios -  students follow a template or guideline to showcase their digital evidence of active learning throughout the year.  
  • Math folios 
  • Art journals
  • Pictures Prompt Journal (from episode 1)
  • Google even shares a portfolio template in Google Slides 

How are you using Google Slides to build Portfolios with your students?  Leave a comment on below and give us Somethin’ to Tech About!

🔑Resources:
Mathfolio Template
Google Slides Portfolio Template
AudioPlayer for Slides - Chrome Extension (no longer available)
Twisted Wave - Online Audio Editor

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🌎Google Sites & Portfolios
Whether digital evidence of active learning is built in or outside, G-Suite,  Google Sites is so robust that students can add, embed, and organize content easily from practically anywhere! 

Features we like:

• Organize content by pages for easy end-user navigation
• Versatility in layout and ability to add content.  
• Insert, or embed practically any file from Google Drive or other apps onto a webpage in Google Sites
• Themes support student creators - build a professional website with little  of website standards
• Page elements are easy to add and edit
• Rearrange page elements by clicking and dragging
• Publish within school domain or to the world

Classroom Application:
Collaborative sites

• Small groups of students in 3rd grade with Miss Lucas collaborated to research, solve problems, and showcase their work with Google Sites.   Portfolios included
  • photos of their projects
  • reflections on successes (or number of attempts)
  • research on their topic.  

Individual Sites

• At Coastal Middle School, Kathryn Sukkestad students built Science learning logs while fifth grade students  in Donnie Jones's class created Sites to showcase their learning focused on social studies standards. Both teachers supported students as they created portfolios to showcase growth in learning over time.  The potential exists for students to apply for high school or community clubs with a Google Site containing digital evidence of active learning collected from each grade level. 

How are you using Google Sites to create Portfolios with your students? We would love to hear from you and will share your experience in a future episode!  
Complete our form on www.somethintotechabout.com and give us Somethin’ to Tech About!
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