Teacher Portfolios
“The Computer as an
Educational Tool:
Productivity and Problem Solving”
©Richard C. Forcier and Don E. Descy
Portfolios
 Purposeful
collection of
documents and artifacts that
demonstrate achievement of
specific standards and illustrate
growth over time
Portfolios (Continued)
 Are
clearly organized
 Cite specific standards
 Include artifacts that illustrate
the achievement of those
standards
 Include reflection on each piece
 Are never complete
Trends in Education
 Self-evaluation
 Students
choose goals.
 Students reflect on learning.
 Students gauge their own
progress.
 Demonstration of higher
cognitive and organizational
abilities
Portfolio Advantages
 Show
learning process over time
 Value an individual’s unique
learning route
 Capture complexities and
authenticity of school life
 Stimulate reflection on one’s
own professional development
Wolf (1991:129)

“In ways no other
assessment method
can, portfolios provide a
connection to the
contexts and personal
histories of real
teaching and make it
possible to document
the unfolding of both
teaching and learning
over time.”
Portfolio Examples
 Evaluation
portfolios
 Employability portfolios
 Professional growth portfolios
Portfolio Goal
 To
illustrate that students are
aware of their own learning
process and development as
teachers, and that they are able
to reflect on and demonstrate
that process
Why Portfolios?
 Authentic
assessment tools
 Showcase student achievement
 Exhibit artifacts that
demonstrate student mastery
 Utilize student reflection
 Allow for student feedback
Why Portfolios? (Continued)
Help to set goals
 Can store artifacts in many different
formats
 Allow easy cross referencing
(hyperlinks)
 Easily updated
 Easy computer access
 Exercise higher-order thinking skills

Two Themes
 Portfolio
development (four
stages of development)
 Multimedia development (five
stages)
Portfolio Development
 Collection
 Selection
 Reflection
 Projection
Collection
 Purpose
of portfolio and
audience will influence type of
artifacts to collect.
Selection
 Decide
which artifacts to use
that best demonstrate goals,
objectives, and standards
Reflection
 Reflect
on each piece
 Evaluate growth
 Reflect on how the piece fits into
the entire portfolio
Projection
 Review
reflections on learning
 Look ahead and set goals for the
future
Multimedia Development
 Assess/Decide
 Design/Plan
 Develop
 Implement
 Evaluate
Assess/Decide
 Choose
audience
 Goals of presentation
 Tools for final presentation
 End user needs
Design/Plan
 Organization
and design
 Determine best artifacts (to
demonstrate mastery)
 Proper software for digitizing
and storage
 Presentation sequence
Develop
 Artifacts
digitized
 Organize into sequence
(hyperlinks)
 Find best way to present material
 Personal reflections linked to
artifacts
Implement
 Record
on storage medium (zip
disk, CD-ROM, Web)
 Present to audience
Evaluate
 Effective
presentation?
 Demonstrates growth over time?
 Documents and artifacts support
standards?
 Are artifacts reflected on
individually and in context to the
entire project?
Software Programs
 Microsoft
Word
 PowerPoint
 FileMaker Pro
 Netscape Communicator
 Microsoft FrontPage
Commercial Programs
 Portfolio
Builder
 Grady Profile
 Portfolio Assessment Kit
 SuperSchool’s Electronic
Portfolio
Suggested Portfolio
Outline
 Contents
page
 Teaching philosophy
 Aims of portfolio
 Themes
 Conclusions about learning
 Evaluation of creating portfolio
Reflection
Look back at classroom experience
 Decide on course of action
 Try something out in class
 Reflect further on that action
 Conclude what was learned
 Make new action plan based on
results

Portfolio Checklist
General contents
 Aims
 Themes
 Evidence
 Reflection
 Presentation and organization
 Conclusion

General Contents
 Demonstrate
time?
development over
Aims
 Stated
clearly?
Themes
 Varied?
 Show
learning?
 Apply to aims?
 Supported by artifacts?
 Conclude with action points for
the future?
Evidence
 “Internal”
(reflection)
 “External” (feedback from
instructors or learners)
 Adds authenticity and objectivity
Reflection
 “Depth”
 Explore
reasons for events
 Analyze advantages and
disadvantages
 Justify eventual choice of action
Presentation and
Organization
 Well
organized
 Easy to follow
 Evidence accompanies theme.
 Evidence is relevant.
Conclusion
 Summarize
what was learned
 Draw conclusions on process
 Make action plan for future
learning
Benefits of Portfolios
Students capture work indefinitely.
 Students gain increased technology
skills.
 Students gain confidence in skills.
 Students more easily assess abilities
to direct future learning.

Works Cited




Forcier, R. C., & Descy, D. E. (1996). The Computer as an
Educational Tool. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson
Prentice Hall.
Companion Website: www.prenhall.com/forcier
Barrett, H. C. (2000 April). Create your own electronic
portfolio using off-the-shelf software to showcase your own
student work. Leading and Learning With Technology,
27(7), 14–21.
Tanner, R. (2000 January). Piloting portfolios: using
portfolios in pre-service teacher education. ELT Journal,
54(1), 20–30.