More about Technology in the Classroom

As some of you know, I teach at a project-based charter school. Rather than final exams at the end of the year, all students have what we call TPOLs, or Transitional Presentations of Learning. These required, rubric-based presentations to faculty, parents and peers are intended to offer the students a chance to reflect on and demonstate how they have grown as individuals and learners over the course of the year. (Our students are used to reflecting on their work and the "process"; self-assessment and reflection are part of every major assignment or project they complete.) The TPOLs are based on digital portfolios, or DPs, that the students create and update by adding assignments and projects they have completed in their classes. Their DPs must include links to a personal statement, a resume and to each of their classes. For each of the projects they include on their "class pages," students need to include a description, an analysis and a reflection. These project become the "evidence" they present during their TPOLs.

I am really enthusiastic about my students creating a digital record of year-long learning and having the chance to reflect on how they have grown by sharing concrete examples of their work with members of their school. During the TPOLs, the students' goal is not to demonstrate how much content knowledge they have gained from a particular project; rather, it is to think seriously about the process of their learning. In this spirit, we encourage students to share both successful and challenging learning experiences (for example, working in groups, using new technology, prioritizing parts of a project and managing their time etc.) During their TPOLs, the students must reference specific grade-level and school-wide learning outcomes and explain to what extent they believe they have achieved them.

As a classroom teacher, my responsibilities include helping my students create and periodically update their DPs (although most of them know far more about DreamWeaver than I do) and to preparing them for their TPOLs (by thinking about questions such as: How does one reflect on growth and learning? What do the learning outcomes "mean" to them? What makes evidence relevant and persuasive? etc.) It is a lot of work and takes up a great deal of class time. In theory, I am all for what seems to be a comprehensive form of authentic assessment; I am anxious to see how it turns out in practice.