What Are Digital Learning Portfolios And How Can Today's Schools Utilize It To Their Advantage?

A digital learning portfolio is a collection of a student's work that showcases his or her effort, progress, achievements as well as competencies gained during his or her time in college. It could include electronic files, images, multimedia, inputted text, blog entries and hyperlinks.

According to TED Ed, digital learning portfolios should be interactive, in progress, multidisciplinary and easily shareable. To develop this type of culture in schools, teachers should create a standardized filing system, teach students about organizing files as well as responsibility and accountability.

The publication also shared four essential components of digital learning portfolios.

1. Create content - lots of it.

Teachers should encourage students to create as much content as they can before publishing. It is also important to emphasize on writing "DLP-worthy" entries. These should then be saved in a virtual folder where all the students' materials are placed.

2. Choose the best.

After students have created a lot of "DLP-worthy" materials, teachers should work with them in recognizing two or three of their best work. These pieces should showcase the student's mastery of a given topic or unit. The ultimate goal, the publication noted, is to let students understand what mastery looks like.

3. Enhance.

Teach students how to link to other resources and embed videos as well. After their best work has been identified, students should enhance these pieces by adding links, keywords, images and videos that supplement and support what they are trying to say. Oftentimes, students are better at explaining ideas and concepts to other students than adults.

4. Publish and peer feedback.

Once everything is set, content has been created and the best one has been identified as well as enhanced, students are now ready to publish their digital learning portfolios. Moreover, they should receive peer feedback. This final step's goal is to encourage the spirit of academic discourse through an online space where students can talk about their work.