What is a Portfolio?

What is the difference between a portfolio and a Learning Record?

A portfolio is a collection of your work that is a representation of your development as a writer, reader, and thinker over time. There are two kinds of portfolios: comprehensive and selective or representative. A comprehensive portfolio contains all student work, including notes, diagrams, peer responses, final revisions, and teacher comments. This portfolio provides important evidence that all assigned work has been completed. In the event of questions about a student's evaluation, this portfolio can clarify what work has actually been accomplished. From this portfolio, samples of student work are selected for a representative portfolio to include with the Learning Record. These samples should be taken over the entire period of time and full range of activities covered by the class. They should include examples of informal and formal work, drafts and finished work, comments written for other students, and any other kinds of work that will give readers a good sense of the student's activities and progress over the course of the class.

What should I include in the portfolio?

For the first portfolio you need to include your current version of your Learning Record, the final version of your first project, all stages of your second project, plus informal writing, which might include assigned writing, InterChanges, or email, and your observations as recorded for your Learning Record. You also need to include some examples of your comments on someone else's paper. For the final portfolio, include the final version of your online learning record, and any work over the course of the semester that you feel best reflects your learning. Students should include examples of informal and formal work, drafts and finished work, comments written for other students, and any other kinds of work that will give readers a good sense of the student's activities and progress over the course of the class. These samples of work are attached to (or linked to, in the case of Web LRs) the LR and a list of the items is provided in the Learning Record, together with a brief descriptive phrase or sentence. The Learning Record should NOT include ALL of the work the student has completed, but rather a REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLING.

How do I submit a portfolio?

Submit your portfolio the same way you submit other assignments. Put all of the materials you are including into a Mac folder titled " LR" (Williamson Portfolio, for example) and copy it into the proper class folder inside my teacher folder. The appropriate folder will be labeled "Midterm LR" or "Final LR."

What kind of response should I expect on my portfolio?

I will respond with a page or so of comments about the first portfolio plus an estimate of what your course grade would be if the class ended at this point. I will also make some suggestions for the second half of the semester.
For the final portfolio, complete the final portfolio assignment and turn in your portfolio to the teacher folder no later than 4:30 on the Due Date. I will email the response to the final portfolio together with your final grade within one week of the end of classes.