Adding blogging as a means of sharing knowledge
I just read this article about the best tools to use with Portfolios and this article about the importance of portfolios with examples of tools to use. I agree that this list sums of the reasons for using portfolios as a learning tool.
Processes that are usually involved in portfolio creation are: collection, selection, and reflection. Each of these processes trains students in a number of skills. Together they provide students with the appropriate mindset to help them take responsibility of their learning and thrive as budding life-long learners. I argue that the use of blogs to write and showcase your learning, fits nicely with the idea of the portfolio. A blogpost can be published, read by others and the student can choose to submit certain blogposts for evaluation and grading. The history of having a blog three years of highschool also shows the learning process and how they have matured in their learning. I am including the benefits listed in the article here.
- Portfolios enable students to record their learning and document their growth over a period of time.
- They Provide students with a venue through which they can showcase their learning.
- They can be used as a tool for self-assessment, self-reflection and personal development.
- They help students focus on the process of learning rather than the end product.
- They promote deeper learning as students actively engage in the learning process.
- They develop students metacognitive skills (reflective practices) and help them take control of their learning.
- They empower students’ voice.
- They are a ‘method of self-discovery and confidence building’.
- They help students develop personal and academic identities.
- They assist students in locating their strengths and weaknesses and plan for future improvement.
- They invite teachers’ feedback and peers’s input.
- They help students develop their writing skills.
- A portfolio presents a concrete evidence of your work and achievements to prospective employers.