BLOG-BASED PORTFOLIO FEEDBACK LOOPS

10/27/2016

Do your students have a difficult time pushing past their first draft or prototype after it’s been reviewed and tested? Portfolio blogs can capture real-time project decision making and feedback.

Overview

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Digital portfolios are becoming the industry standard for resumes. Portfolios originated from the art, design and engineering fields and have been an essential part of demonstrating creativity, competency and problem solving to clients and employers. Education oriented blogs like Edublogs, Weebly for Education, KidBlog and digital portfolios like SeeSaw can provide a secure place for students under 13 to publish and comment on their work.

Another industry standard in art and design is the process book. The process book is similar to a student project journal and shows a collection of ideas, research, materials and design process. It is typically kept by a student or team from the inception of a project with periodic check-ins with the professor, mentor or colleague.

Process Book Examples

As STEAM and PBL (project based learning) has increased in the k-12 arena there is much to learn from design and engineering programs from universities such as the Savannah College of Art and Design and the Stanford D-School.

Blog-based project portfolios combine the process book and the portfolio in one place and its power is two-fold:

It allows for students to document their process and thinking in real-time as the project is taking shape. 
It provides an open commenting feature which captures authentic reflection and feedback from teachers and peers.

Students’ thinking and problem solving benefits greatly from blog-based portfolios especially during the prototyping-testing-improving cycle.

http://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/inf536reflections/files/2015/06/design-thinking-map-1otf7yw.jpg

During this cycle research, craft and critical thinking skills are applied to the design of any project whether it be writing a script for a play or designing a web application. But it is reflecting back on the feedback and decision making which propels a project forward. Feedback and decision making often become lost due to:

poor record keeping,
lack of reflection time after an activity, and
project stress.

By building in a culture of real-time recording of project process, feedback and decision making students and teachers do not have to rely on memory and can leverage homework time through using a visual medium that is cloud-based and collaborative.

To create a blog on Weebly watch this video then start your
Blog-Based Portfolio Now!

Please share your comments on the following question...
“How will blog-based portfolio feedback loops affect future projects in my classroom?”

32 Comments

Belle

11/1/2016 12:47:43 pm

I think that this will transform the reflection process in my classroom. Students will be immersed in this process consistently and constantly. I plan on incorporating this ASAP.

Scott

11/1/2016 12:47:56 pm

I think the blog based portfolio feedback loops will offer flexibility in the classroom as well as a great way to track student progress.

Keith Jackson

11/1/2016 12:48:02 pm

Great job!

I'm going to use this with the Battles of the Revolution...

T Andrews

11/1/2016 12:48:51 pm

This can be a great instructional tool which maybe used in my class. I can really use additional help in creating the blogs to help enhance my portfolios.

Najula Jackson

11/1/2016 12:50:18 pm

i really enjoyed the process and idea. Allowing the students to document their own learning through a blog is truly a way of turning the learning over to them. We are teaching them to own their own learning and take pride in what they do!

Poston

11/1/2016 12:50:41 pm

Blog-based portfolio feedback loops will be helpful in future projects by giving students more ownership of their work. I think that this will be motivating for lots of students since their work will be continually captured and shared. This is an awesome space for student work to be showcased!!

Danie Marshall

11/1/2016 12:50:49 pm

I learned a great deal during this workshop, namely the power of competition and collaboration. I enjoyed going through the design process and as an Ela teacher I could apply this activity in many ways. Specifically when I have students work on projects. This can be used as an awesome way for them to keep themselves in line while being reflective learners. Kudos!

Jazmine Dinkins

11/1/2016 12:51:12 pm

Incorporating blogs in my classroom will be a digital way that teachers and students can capture the process of a particular project. The blogging atmosphere encourages collaboration, organization, critique and revision. I know that using blogs will lend itself to a more organized way to capture what my students are doing.

Burton

11/1/2016 12:51:26 pm

What a great experience! Today displayed how simple a blog can be created and utilized in a classroom. This activity correlates with the ISTE standards. I enjoyed that the teacher acted as a facilitator while the students were heavily involved in this activity.

Brittany Clark link

11/1/2016 12:51:51 pm

As someone who has blogged in the past, I love considering the applications for blogging in the classroom. I think this is something that my students would love. Thanks for bringing it for our consideration for future projects.

Takeivia

11/1/2016 12:52:17 pm

I think this is an excellent tool to implement. Students have an opportunity to take on roles, maintain their roles, and document via writing, pictures, and videos. I think our students are familiar with vlogging on a personal level so bringing this to the classroom would be ideal.

Thank you

Alison Shelton

11/1/2016 12:52:36 pm

I really like the portfolio process; it provides a wonderful way to chronicle the process and highlights awesome ways to incorporate the use of narration, photo staging/capturing and of course the reflection process.

Awesome PD Session - can't wait to implement!

cassandra

11/1/2016 12:57:25 pm

I really like the way this feels like a closing to a lesson. This component is arguably one of, if not the, most important parts of learning. However, and unfortunately, it is often neglected in the course of a day. This requires the same kind of thought processes that a good closing would ask students to do. I love the idea that it can come at various points in a lesson and not just at the end. I also love that it can happen multiple times throughout a day. I can see many benefits this kind of attention to reflection could produce. I am excited to see how this works.

Obiwo link

11/1/2016 01:51:57 pm

I like the idea of having students work in groups to document their PBL projects. As a third grade teacher, I think that blogging will help our students develop their typing skills. Students could do daily or weekly post about something new that they've learned.

Grace Magley

7/11/2018 09:35:28 am

I love the idea of students using a portfolio process to reflect on their work. I believe it is important that it is a part of the learning process.

7/11/2018 09:36:20 am

I love how these allow students to look reflectively at their own work. A skill most students are not skilled at or really dislike doing because of difficulty

Sandy Lemon

7/11/2018 09:37:44 am

Feedback loops in blog form would be a great resource to consider as an option for realtime feedback for students during projects. By making the journal online, students can access the feedback/provide feedback outside of class as necessary.

Beth Spoon

7/11/2018 09:40:26 am

My students love to comment on each others work using google, but this is much more streamlined, and allows students and teachers to continually reflect on work.

Michele

7/11/2018 09:41:20 am

Digital Portfolios will allow my students to organize their work, submit them to me and receive feedback throughout the course of their work more efficiently.

Judy

7/11/2018 09:43:26 am

Blog based feedback is a an example of "making thinking visible" and keeping on on-going real time record of student thinking and progress through the project giving you more opportunity to give feedback.....resulting in higher quality projects

Amanda

7/11/2018 10:04:58 am

A journal and blog is so helpful to document the process students go through in a project. This journal can include tasks completed, tasks to do next, reflection on things they struggled with, collaboration successes and difficulties, and strategies to work through their struggles.

Stacy Gauthier

7/11/2018 10:13:41 am

Portfolios can help children self assess because in the process of selecting items for them they are forced to flesh out their best work from their growth work.

Suzie

7/11/2018 10:18:11 am

This sounds like an engaging and current practice for students to demonstrate their thinking.

Allison

7/11/2018 10:21:48 am

Blog based portfolio feedback could help students doing projects in my classroom by getting immediate and direct feedback that could help them focus their project and give them more opportunities to revise/edit throughout the process.

Joe

7/11/2018 10:40:50 am

Digital Portfolios are a great way for not only teachers and professionals, but students to recognize growth. Being able to have large projects all in one place along with reflections is extremely helpful for students.

Meaghan

7/11/2018 10:42:21 am

I like using a digital journal for students to document their process and build in features for feedback from peers/teachers and reflection.

bill bowen

7/11/2018 10:43:43 am

I really like the "Process Book" idea. it is very similar to an engineering notebook.

7/11/2018 10:44:19 am

Portfolios are a great tool to use to assess progress throughout the year and reflect on ways to improve.

Lydia

7/11/2018 10:44:31 am

I think it will make feedback more efficient because digital feedback is easier to create and quicker to disseminate.

Erin

7/11/2018 10:46:14 am

It would allow for more people to view a post simultaneously.

Lisa

7/11/2018 10:47:38 am

This is an excellent form of reflection and feedback.

Stephanie Gosselin

7/11/2018 10:49:48 am

A blog journal will guide students in their daily work as they reflect on the steps they have completed and their thoughts on the project. The process will allow them to see their own growth over the timeline of the project.

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