Tech & Learning - August 2008 - (Page 46)

HOWTO Build Better Tech-using educators know the many benefits of ePortfolios. They help get a handle on kids’ interests, difficulties, and strengths. Techno-loving student thrive on the real-time interaction. Administrators like that ePortfolios record student progress digitally, making a convenient shared resource between students, parents, and other teachers. Graphic arts and animation are obvious fodder for ePortfolios. However, teachers across the country also motivate kids through traditional subjects, such as math and reading, by creatively adapting ePortfolios in their classrooms. Here is a sampling of these innovative programs. By Sascha Zuger ePortfolios Escondido teachers create iTunes playlists to track student reading progress. ADDING UP TO SUCCESS Palie Cantu of the Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, in Bellevue, WA, noticed a recurring issue with her middle school math students. “They just weren’t using the paper space needed to work through the problems in an organized manner,” says Cantu. Trying to cram scribbles of calculations onto one sheet of paper resulted in careless mistakes that had little to do with the student’s understanding of the subject. Palie used Forest Ridge’s one-to-one program to create an interactive environment. Cantu e-mailed a “problem of the week,” chatted the kids through confusion with audio-accompanied graphic files, and supported vacationing students through distance learning. Cantu recognized the benefit of the elec- tronic progress report these actions naturally created. Then she decided to take it one step further. “I chose this year to have my 5th, 6th, and 7th grade math classes create an ePortfolio by using Microsoft OneNote 2007,” says Cantu. “OneNote 2007 helps my students keep their work organized and helps me keep track of their progress. It also supports a paperless learning environment. “Finding new ways to use technology led to new ways to learn,” says Cantu. “I would choose one student each session to be in charge of creating notes for the lesson.” This ensured students actively listened and digested the information. Parent-teacher conferences became a breeze. Cantu simply pulled up the ePortfolio, pointed out the problems when and where they occurred, and devised a cohesive plan with parents to correct the issues. Cantu hopes to create a system of ePortfolio sharing between teachers to ease transition years. MUSIC TO THEIR EARS Most students stash their IPods or Nanos with a groan at the start of each class. In some classrooms in the Escondido Union School District K-8, students do just the opposite as part of the iRead program. “The iPod and iTunes were obviously created for music enjoyment,” says Kathy Shirley, Director of Technology and Media Services for Escondido. “We have taken a consumer technology and used it in a way that is was not intended, but works beautifully in education for assessing reading fluency.” Shirley created a unique program using the iPod classic and nano, along with a third-party Belkin voice recorder, to record student reading fluency and comprehension practice. The student reads the passage into the recorder. The captured voice memo files, when synced with iTunes, are transferred to the Voice Memos playlist in iTunes to create a digital record, or ePortfolio, of their progress. “We have targeted our reading intervention classes, which contain students who are at least two grade levels below their current Forest Ridge math teachers use Microsoft OneNote to help students work through problems and track improvement. 46 | TECH & LEARNING

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Tech & Learning - August 2008

Tech & Learning - August 2008 Contents Editor's Desk News & Trends Q&A: Scratch That Best of NECC 2008 How to Build Better ePortfolios Focus on Digital Cameras Leader of the Year

Tech & Learning - August 2008

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