Digital Portfolios * Balancing Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment

Tomorrow afternoon, a team of Harold Martin School teachers (Dot Helm, Deb Jones, and Terry Grady) will join me and David Niguidula of Ideas Consulting in presenting our work with digital portfolios at the elementary school level. Here's a summary of our journey...

The third grade teacher logs on to her home computer in mid August as she prepares her head and heart for the upcoming school year. She will have 21 diverse students in her class, and she is both apprehensive and excited about the challenge that awaits her. She knows that to be successful in the fall, she will need to review her students’ previous records. However, instead of trudging through 21 cumulative files, she is able to point and click her mouse on each student’s digital portfolio on a specific Internet web site, which includes brief videos of her kids reading appropriate text, images of writing complete with online rubrics, digital pictures of art work and music files.

For the past four years the Hopkinton School District has been implementing digital portfolios as a way to balance the quantitative requirements of assessment with the qualitative benefits of examining and archiving student work. We are utilizing the Richer Picture software developed by Ideas Consulting of Barrington, Rhode Island as our main tool to meet our portfolio objectives.

WHAT GOES IN A DIGITAL PORTFOLIO?
Truly anything that can be on a web site can be in a digital portfolio. We began with digital videos and photos and now we have scanned writing complete with rubrics to display progress as well as music files and plenty of digital pictures of art work.

OUR PROCESS
At Harold Martin School, we developed a committee made up of administration, teachers, and technology professionals who have designed the professional development and charted the course for this initiative. After our first year piloting the program, we embarked on a slow and steady plan to institute the digital portfolio concept into the culture of our school. The timeline we designed was practical and we were able to establish “buy-in” from the majority of our staff. Our goal in the first year was to produce two digital videos of students reading a comfortable text, once in the fall and once in the spring.

Our timeline in our first year:

• September: Technology staff attended teachers’ grade level meetings demonstrating the procedure for taping students.
• Last week in September: Our computer lab manager gave a Digital Portfolio intro to each class in the computer lab.
• October 11-25: Teachers facilitated the video taping of students with a member of our Technology Staff helping out. I secured a substitute teacher who went from classroom to classroom as each teacher videotaped her students according to a schedule. Each class took about an hour and a half to videotape.
• October 26/27: We used two back-to-back early release days for reading video viewing time. Our reading staff helped facilitate the process so that teachers could glean information from the videos that would help in their instruction.
• January 8-12: Using Survey Monkey we surveyed the staff as to the effectiveness of support, professional development and how the initiative is proceeding.
• February 12-23: Teachers facilitated the second round of taping, but this time they required very little tech support.
• March 29-30: We will use this time for a more concentrated viewing of the second round of reading videos. We have developed a specific checklist/rubric of reading behaviors that will guide teachers as they assess each child’s video.

THE EQUIPMENT NEEDED
In addition to the software that we chose to use from Richer Picture, the cost of the equipment needed was relatively nominal. To record the videos, we use a dedicated Mac iBook G4 loaded with QuickTime Pro, a Mac mini-camera that clips on the top of the laptop and a small USB Microphone, which does a nice job picking up the audio. To upload writing, we began using a scanner, which is certainly more conventional. The we discovered that taking pictures (Jpg’s) of the writing was simpler. The best technique at the time was to set up an easel at a 90-degree angle to the floor to minimize the “Star Wars” affect when the distance between the camera lens and the subject is not equal. Then, we set up the digital camera on a tripod and click away. Now we use an advanced copy machine in our school and a parent volunteer to scan and upload our student writing pieces to a folder on our local server. To input text, develop rubrics, design each student’s page, and upload it, all you need is a web browser and an Internet connection.

OLDER CHILDREN
For students below third or fourth grade, the portfolios are truly designed by teachers. However, beyond that grade level, students can begin to have a strong role in developing their portfolios themselves. This can provide relief for what can be a labor intensive pursuit by a teacher of younger children. We are looking at eliciting the support of a cadre volunteers in Hopkinton and training them to handle some of the recording and uploading. There are ways to maintain confidentiality, especially with written work by using codes to identify writing and having teachers fill in names later.

THUS, WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF DIGITAL PORTFOLIOS?

Digital Portfolios…
• Help to document what students need to know and be able to do.
• Can be used in parent conferences as conversation starters about student work product and progress.
• Are a tool for capturing, storing, and examining student work.
• Allow students to help explain their understanding of content, skills, and knowledge.
• May be a tool for us to drill down into specific learning outcomes and issues, e.g. examination of reading video to highlight a student's difficulties reading. Just this week, our speech/language pathologist utilized a reading video to analyze a second grader’s articulation which the classroom teacher had expressed concerned with.
• Can capture music, artwork and other 3 dimensional work.
• Highlights students’ academic and emotional behavior in areas outside of the classroom.
• Can be a strong tool for student self-reflection.
• Are more manageable that using paper over time.
• Provide “fly on the wall” information for parents in parent/teacher conferences.

THE FUTURE
We began utilizing digital portfolios at my school four years ago as a pilot with a variety of teachers who were brave enough to combine what they knew about solid portfolio practice with a technology challenge they had not faced before. This year, some teachers at Hopkinton’s Maple Street School, grades 4-6, will pilot the concept and grades 7-8 at Hopkinton Middle High School will focus primarily on using the portfolios to meet the new ICT Standards. A number of high school teachers will likely pilot the program as well without any mandate from administration.

With any school initiative, it is never the “splash” that is difficult to attain. The ultimate goal is sustainability. The future of digital portfolios at Harold Martin School will be successful to the extent that teacher leadership drives the project and it becomes a regular tool to assess student progress. Only then will digital portfolios become part of the fabric and culture of our school.

Jay McTighe and "Schooling By Design"

As part of my role as a Board member for the NH chapter of ASCD, I had the honor last month of interviewing well known educational writer and speaker Jay McTighe, co-author with Grant Wiggins of Understanding By Design (UbD). He spoke as part of our NHASCD conference series. Jay and Grant's latest work is entitled Schooling By Design (SbD) which brings UBD into a more systemic, school and district based view. I have always found Jay to be a humble, articulate teacher with a vision for what makes schools more effective. 

He recently spent time presenting workshops in Singapore and commented to me how teachers' level of pay and respect there far exceeds the norm in the US. In fact, while our standard of living is higher in the states, comparatively speaking, teachers in Singapore earn salary similar to their nation's doctors and lawyers. 

One of the great advantages of UbD and likewise SbD is that in a world of high stakes testing and No Child Left Behind, the curricular and instructional organization that comes from his model can really reduce the frenzied nature of our schools. Jay shared with me how we can slow down the pace and be so much more effective:

Yes, we can get sidetracked by the world. A friend of mine who has been a mentor to me has all of these sort of aphorisms. (By the way, it's Frank Lyman who is the creator of "think,pair, share" in the 1960s.) One of his aphorisms is "schools are like the intellectual rock and roll dance of death. It's frenzied." We need to slow down and have some minuets. Schools get so frantic, unreflective, and wild. We have to slow down and be clear about what we're doing and be able to reflect on it. In a sense, UbD helps to do that and give you clear focus and priorities. For instance, "here are three essential questions for the next six weeks guys. This is what we're focusing on", you put them on the wall and we're going to come back to them. 

We have to slow down and have some minuets. Perhaps that's a good metaphor for life and certainly for our schools. 

Much more of this interview will be included in NHASCD's newsletter coming out soon. You want to be a member of our organization? Shoot me an email.

Podcasting

Podcasts have become part of my lifestyle. In a world complete with overwhelming information, we have to find ways to restrain the knowledge that is shooting by us at lightning speed.  In fact, the ability to limit this info is a skill we are starting to teach our students. For me, podcasts allow me to narrow the focus a bit as I am able to keep up to date with tech news, national and international events and analysis as well as sports commentary during my hour commute per day. 

I am experimenting with Podcasts as a way to communicate with parents as well. I was pleased to speak to a parent a couple of weeks ago who gains much of his information via podcast and places the HMS Podcast in as part of his listening queue.  The equipment used to produce each podcast (or "netcast" as well known technologist Leo Laporte refers to them) is pretty straightforward. I use Garageband recording software, native to my MacBook, and a Shure SM-58 mic fed into an M-Audio USB converter. The mix-down happens right on Garageband and then I publish the podcast using iWeb to bring it up to the HMS web site. To publish to iTunes, I utilize Podcast Maker, an inexpensive software program. I can usually produce a 10-15 minute podcast in about an hour plus 15 minutes of prep time. I don't script out the content (who has time for that?) but I simply create some bullet points. 

To check out the latest Podcast, head to http://tinyurl.com/67k9yg.

John Adams

Clearly, the goal of this blog is not to provide entertainment reviews but my family and I just finished watching (thanks to NetFlix) the HBO series John Adams. This seven-part series was based on the well known book of the same title by author David McCullough and Executive Producer, actor Tom Hanks. This is one of the best historical accounts I have seen of American history and according to the author, a very realistic portrayal. I began reading McCullough's book a couple of summers ago, never finished it, and now my youngest son Jacob is borrowing it.

Granted, our children experience way too much screen time but John Adams not only chronicles the lives of our early Patriots but conveys strong values about family, hard work, and commitment to principle. It takes some effort to locate quality entertainment for those cold winter afternoons, but this mini-series hits the mark.

Mini-Blogging

I have been experimenting with a new micro-blogging which was developed only last year. It's called Twitter, and each blog entry can only be 140 characters. I use it occasionally just to provide updates and information in small chunks, and a number of friends read my posts and I read their posts. It's being used by various organizations as well including President-Elect Obama's campaign, the LA Fire Department during the October 2007 California wildfires, and NASA to provide updates on their various launches. Of course, many people use it to convey information most of us would consider useless, but with any technology, there are always very positive applications. I can think of a few for parents, such as: delayed openings and cancellations as well as last minute announcements. 

Check out my Twitter at: http://twitter.com/wcarozza

Veteran's Day

Earlier this week we commemorated Veteran's Day very simply at HMS by having a hallway celebration, something we have done many times. At about 8:10 AM our staff and students proceeded out into their respective hallways and I went onto the intercom and gave a brief history of Veteran's Day. Immediately after that, our morning custodian and Vietnam Vet Rick Dyer led the school in the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by Mrs. Grady's third graders who led the school in a rousing version of My Country 'Tis of Thee. It was a simple observance as we have a couple of other patriotic celebrations throughout the year that are much more involved.

After a particular bruising political campaign, it was nice to be able to model for our students the importance of recognizing the sacrifice that our Vets have given, no matter what side you are on the political spectrum. 

My father was a World War II veteran, having served in the Asian theatre as a Staff Sergeant of a 25 man radio crew. I grew up with stories of a man who put his life on the line because he believed in his country. We may not agree on the validity of the war in Iraq, or the war on terror in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But I admire the bravery of these soldiers while I'm able to sit here in my comfortable house tapping on my MacBook. 

Years ago when I was teaching middle and elementary school, I assigned oral history projects to my students. Many sat down with WW II vets, hit "record" on the tape player and listened to life stories that seemed many galaxies away. Unfortunately, this Greatest Generation is fading away quickly, in fact, if my father was still alive, he'd be in mid-80s. I hope you have a chance to give your children the experience of meeting someone with the experience of serving their country in some capacity. 

The Election

An early memory for me was waking up early on the day after the 1968 presidential election. I desperately wanted to know whether Richard Nixon or Hubert Humphrey would become our 46th President and without even rubbing my eyes, I asked my father for the result as soon as he waked me up for school. Politics was a regular discussion topic at the dinner table and I wish my parents were still around so I could have had a politics-fest last night. 

One of the most encouraging aspects of the 2008 Presidential Election is the voter turnout. While still preliminary, it looks like the turnout may approach 64%, the highest since the Kennedy/Nixon election of 1960. Harold Martin School held its own mock election this week and the Town of Hopkinton was gracious enough to have "Kids Voting". Clearly, the state of the economy and the candidates themselves combined to get citizens out to vote. My two college kids voted absentee and they joined the largest group of citizens ever to vote in this non-traditional fashion. 

It's never too young to talk politics in your household. Sure, you will want to express your own political  beliefs to your children, but be sure to communicate the privilege we Americans have to be able to cast our vote and have it worth just as much as the most powerful person.