Introduction to Portfolios and Artifacts 

Teacher Education E-Portfolio of Educational Experience

 1. What is an E-Portfolio?

The E-portfolio is a digital portfolio that contains artifacts    (electronic products) produced by the candidate while in the teacher education program at LSSU.  The artifacts are designed to allow candidates to demonstrate their growth as educators. 

Possible ARTIFACTS:

 video clips              digital photos               computer skills                            

student assessments   lesson and unit plans             reflective journals

2. Using an E-Portfolio throughout the LSSU Teacher Education Program

 Upon formal admission to the School of Education and beginning with the TE 301 course, a candidate subscribes to the commercial web-based E-Portfolio environment called TaskStream: Tools of Engagement     (www.taskstream.com) and maintains an account throughout the TE program including the internship. It is in this account that the candidate meets the requirements of the E-Portfolio.

Teacher candidates use E-Portfolios 1) to promote the integration of teaching theory and pedagogical knowledge into teaching practice; 2) to link required course work to the professional teaching standards of the Entry Level Standards for Michigan Teachers (ELSMT); and 3) to improve technological proficiencies.

 The e-portfolio digitally stores the candidate’s work and learning during the teacher education program. The faculty of the LSSU School of Education can use E-Portfolios as a tool for assessing a candidate’s understanding and application of course concepts and skills. This portfolio can later be used with potential employers when job hunting, and can be developed into a digital portfolio that candidates can use throughout their teaching career,

3. What kinds of artifacts    (electronic products) does the teacher candidate produce for E-Portfolio?

 Beginning with the TE 301 course and throughout the planned program, teacher candidates will develop skills at writing lesson and unit plans.  These lesson and unit plans will be among the first artifacts included in E-Portfolio. Also included in the e-portfolio is documentation of field experience in the school setting. Written critiques of educational software and critiques of journal articles from professional education journals are other required artifacts.

 Reflection on artifact:  For every artifact uploaded to E-Portfolio, the candidate writes personal reflection statements that address how and why this evidence meets one or more of the ELSMT professional standards. Reflection is a critical component in the E-Portfolio.

   REFLECTION ON ARTIFACT

4. How will the artifacts in the E-Portfolio be evaluated?

 Artifacts (unit and lesson plans, journal critiques, field experience requirements, etc) in the E-Portfolio will be evaluated as part of the TE course in which they were created. The instructor of the course evaluates the artifact(s) using a rubric aligned with the ELSMT.  Not all course requirements are  artifact requirements; but the evaluation of the artifacts by the instructor will verify that candidates will have added the artifacts  each semester.

 5.  Tracking the Artifacts by the School of Education

 All E-Portfolios must be maintained in TaskStream, kept current and complete by the candidate starting with TE 301 and throughout the teacher education program.  At critical points in the planned program the candidate must present the completed TEEPEE:  1) at time of application to student teaching/internship; 2) to begin student teaching/internship; and 3) at time of application for recommendation for certification.

6. How do I get my TaskStream account and start?        

Go to TaskStream’s website (http://www.taskstream.com) to enroll as a college or university student.  (See Beginner’s guide for directions on setting up an account.) If you have any questions, call the TaskStream’s mentoring services department at 1-800-311-5656.

 AT THE Taskstream Site: Follow the directions on the Self-Enrollment Guidesheet for the program indicated below.

a) Individuals pursuing teacher certification through LSSU (enrolled in TE 301 through TE492) sign onto using the Teacher Certification Guidesheet, this includes all student teaching interns.

b) Only individuals in the Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction graduate program enroll using the Graduate Guidesheet

7.  How much does TaskStream cost?

 All  portfolios must be maintained in TaskStream, kept current and complete by the candidate starting with TE 301 and throughout the Teacher Education program. It is up to each candidate to decide on the subscription plan.  (Please note that a 5-year subscription is less than the price of a standard college textbook.) 

 * 5 months

TASKSTREAM EMPLOYMENT PORTFOLIO

Employment Portfolios
Catherine is moving to a new state and looking for employment as a high school science teacher. Using the Task Stream Web Folio Builder, Catherine creates a standards-aligned portfolio of her best work to share with prospective employers. This portfolio, designed to demonstrate her teaching proficiency, includes lesson and unit plans, recommendations from colleagues, as well as digital photos and videos of her teaching experiences. She also includes a copy of her resume in the portfolio. Catherine publishes her portfolio to the Web (in four simple steps) and emails prospective employers a link to the portfolio.

Electronic Portfolio to Monitor Professional Growth
George is a teaching candidate at a college of education. He is completing an electronic portfolio as a requirement of graduation and certification. The portfolio is organized by teaching standards (the template for the portfolio was designed by his elementary education program), thus there is a web page designated for each standard. George writes a reflective statement as to how and why he demonstrates competency of this standard and he submits artifacts to serve as evidence of his competency. As George completes the requirements, he submits each page for evaluation. A faculty member evaluates George’s submission and releases an evaluation report to George. The administrators in George’s program can aggregate assessment data across standards and disaggregate the data by cohort or program.