Make On-Line Portfolios Available to Parents - Secure and Easy

Wait!  Don't be afraid!  Trust me... this is so easy, I can't believe I haven't tried this until just now.

As teachers, we often want to collect samples of student work into a portfolio.  Traditionally, that means gathering some sort of folder-type organizer and occasionally selecting work to put into it so that we have something to share with the parents at interview time, or with an administrator or resource teacher, or even with the students themselves.

"Folders?" you ask.  "Sharing?"  So, we want a shared folder, right?

Exactly!

So, enter my good friend Google Drive (formerly known as Google Docs).  You have 30GB of storage there, where you can upload any kind of file.  You have the functionality to create and share folders.   That's all you need!

So, if you haven't already, check out my blog and accompanying video on using Google Drive.  It also explains how to share a document.  Folders are shared in exactly the same way.

So, very simply, here are the steps:

• Create a folder in your Google Drive for each student, and name it accordingly.  I create a master folder called "Student Portfolios", and then put the student folders inside it... one for Kelly, one for David, etc.  
• Collect email addresses from parents.  
• On each student's folder, right-click on it, select "share" and type (or paste) in the parent's email address to share the folder with them.  
• Check the box "can view", but I wouldn't allow them to have the "can edit" permission.  
• Click the checkbox to send them an email, and then click "Done." Now, anything you place into that folder is automatically shared with that student's parent!
• Now, you can photograph any written work along with the evaluations (rubrics, checklists, success criteria... whatever you think is relevant) and upload the photos to that folder.  Parents will have immediate access to the items you put in this folder from anywhere in the world!
• If your students are using Google Drive themselves, they can create a document and hand it in to you by sharing it with you.  You can then make a copy (right-click and "make a copy") and put that into their electronic on-line portfolio!

The students' work is privacy protected, as only the person who has access to the email address that was used to share it in the first place will have access to the folder!

Cameras in the classroom

There is much ongoing discussion about the use of cellphones in the classroom.  People reflexively dismiss the use of them with the ready retort of, "Why do kids need to phone people from class?"  Well, they don't, as a rule.  But when you consider the reality that many of us use our smart phones for a LOT more than just their phone features, it all starts to make sense.  In fact, I use my phone very rarely to make telephone calls.  Kids are using them for the same reasons we are - clock, reminders, calendar, flashlight, calculator, mail, social media, and quick, handy internet access.

One of the handiest things to consider the use of cellphones in the classroom for is the fact that they all have cameras.  In fact, there are very few now that won't even do video too.  Here are a few ideas for using cameras in the classroom:

• oral presentations for students to record instead of presenting them live.  If you don't like the first take, you can do another... and another... and another...  (IEP accommodations!)
• Be in two places at once!  Record your lesson and play the video, freeing you up to either monitor student progress, or even provide instruction in an alternate location.
• Recording and evaluating musical and drama performances.
• Documenting peer or teacher feedback.  Set it up to record, and get a chance to observe that group providing their peer feedback at some point later.
• Students can draw diagrams and make models to post to a blog, or they can even describe what the viewer is seeing in the format of a video.
• photographing the blackboard, paper notes, etc. for later recall.
• photographing student work for an electronic portfolio

These are just some more examples of some *very* simple things you can do to start integrating simple but authentic and useful technologies in your classroom.