Why assemble a digital teaching portfolio? A digital teaching portfolio is a documented collection
of materials and resources that captures a teacher’s skills as
evidence of their teaching career. It
can help refine teaching skills, their effectiveness and philosophies. Career development and progression are seen overtime
through a variety of information. It
helps to see the inquiry, experimentation and reflection on a variety of
activities that have been accomplished over time. Assembling a teaching portfolio will help a
teacher grow as a professional instructor by compiling effective methods that
have been tried and proven.
There are many elements to consider when building a portfolio. You should start gathering components as you
accomplish them to make assembly easier.
Highlight the positive achievements but also remember that we are not perfect
teachers, and there is always room for improvement. Be truthful about what you have done as an
instructor. Choose your documents well
and have a cross selection of materials not just one subject or component. It should be set up with some outline and
explanation so the reader has a clear view of the contents.
The following are some of the elements our book suggests a
teacher e-portfolio should include:
Resume: This is a document outlining a person’s
background and skills. It provides information
regarding job experiences and education.
Philosophy: This should state why you are teaching. What would you like to accomplish as an
educator? What drives you to give
guidance to students?
Lesson or
Unit Plans and Reflection: This
is sample material already created and implemented. Work done on previous occasions and a
description of how effective (or not) it might have been. Include samples of students’ work and feedback
on activities. Post your reflection on
your approach and motivation behind the lesson plans and activities.
Academic
Courses and Research Experiences:
List of courses or workshop taken for professional development and comments
on their effectiveness. Also include any
organizations you belong to and for how long.
Teaching
Experience: This could
also include reports on colleague collaboration projects, as well as, teaching
awards received from universities or departments recognizing your achievements.
A digital teaching portfolio is a way to document a teacher’s
accomplishments, skills, and strengths.
It can offer an approach of self-monitoring and reflection on what you
have achieved and what you plan on achieving in the future. The process of setting up the teaching
portfolio will help set new goals for future development and growth. It is an ongoing project that requires new
input and updates when needed. As you
grow as an instructor, so will your portfolio with great ideas to excite
student learning.
Resources
Maloy, R.W.,
Verock-O’Loughlin, R.E., Edwards, S.A., Woolf, B.P. (2014) Transforming
Learning with New Technologies. Upper Saddle River: Pearson
http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/teaching-portfolios/
You developed a great summary of the ingredients of a typical online portfolio - what do you think about such an idea? Could you start creating one now and if so, what would you include in the accomplishments section and why? Remember that the focus of this blog post is to write reflectively with a focus on personalizing and extending your learning - not merely summarizing the concept. Interestingly, this chapter also highlighted the idea of reflection and how it deepens learning - our goal! :)
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