An electronic portfolio, or E-Portfolio, is a purposeful collection of artifacts and reflections saved on a CD, disk or website that demonstrates how you have met the current established standards for teaching art. The standards used on this E-Portfolio web site are based on the ten Wisconsin Teaching Standards, the National Art Education Associations Standards for Teaching Art, the INTASC Standards and the new WI PI 34 rules. These standards can serve as a guide or framework for your E-Portfolio.

Why create E-portfolios?

• To document your progress over time
• To identify patterns of growth in area(s) or competencies in art teaching
• To develop your skills in reflection and self-assessment
• To present a holistic picture of your skills and abilities as a preservice art teacher
• To provide stakeholders (parents, teachers, administrators, state licensing bodies) with evidence that you are prepared to teach art
• To provide evidence of your teaching competencies for initial, professional and master licensure
• To improve your teaching practices

In addition, preservice art teachers across many higher education institutions nationwide are now required to create electronic portfolio development as a requirement for graduation.

In the next few years, portfolio reviews will become a regular part of the initial, professional and master teacher licensing process. If you are a beginning art teacher seeking initial licensure, or an inservice art teacher seeking master or professional licensure, you will be required to develop an E-Portfolio to enable a professional review of the current status of your knowledge, competencies, and skills for teaching art.

If you are a cooperating teacher, you will likely be asked to review portfolios of your student teachers. If you are an inservice art teacher who is seeking NBPTS certification, an E-portfolio is the recommended that demonstrates how you have met your professional development plan (PDP).

If you compile your E-Portfolio according to the suggested guidelines on this website, it will contain evidence of your competencies that correlate with state and national standards.

Portfolio Contents: What is an artifact?

For Pre-Service Art Teachers:

Many of the artifacts that are in your E-Portfolio will be outcomes of your general education, studio art and art education courses. Some examples of these artifacts include, but are not limited to:

• Your current philosophy of art education
• Art curriculum lessons and units that you have written
• Art resources and teaching materials
• Digitized images of your students' works that relate to your art lessons and units
• Digitized images of your studio work
• Classroom management philosophy
• Research papers
• Edited video clips of teaching or critiques
• Audio taped statements
• Photographs of teaching and learning environments
• Letters of recommendation
• Evaluations, self and peer
• Teacher observations
• Selected art exhibitions
• Selected case studies
• Examples of role playing
• Selected journal entries

As you collect your artifacts and write reflections, you will engage in formative or on-going assessment. When you exit your art education program, you will engage in summative evaluation with your advisors and faculty.

For In-Service or Practicing Art Teachers:

Many of the artifacts in your E-Portfolio will occur directly from your teaching and your professional activities. Some examples of these artifacts include, but are not limited to:

• Your philosophy of art education
• Teaching license/Certification
• Art curriculum lessons and units that you have written
• Digitized images of your students' works
• Edited video or audio clips of your teaching
• Classroom management plan
• Professional Development Activities
• Photographs of you and your students
• Evaluations: self and peer, adminstrative, mentor
• Evaluations from parents--notes, etc.
• Awards, honors, recognition
• Evidence of coursework or graduate work
  

What kinds of portfolios exist?

There are several kinds of portfolios. An E-Portfolio that is required for licensure can be considered an assessment portfolio. This means that the aim of this portfolio is to assist you to improve your teaching practices. Improved teaching practices can occur through a process that allows you to assess your performance through artifacts and reflections. The process of developing an E-Portfolio includes opportunities for making judgements about your performance and setting new goals to improve your performance.

What does the portfolio process involve?

Based on Dr. Helen Barrett's (2000) process and theory for developing portfolios includes:

• Collecting artifacts
• Reflecting on artifacts; reflection gives meaning and value to artifacts
• Selecting [and editing] artifacts. Sufficient care must be taken to select and edit your portfolio so that it represents your best efforts in demonstrating your competencies.
• Connecting artifacts to reflections and organizing artifacts in meaningful ways
• Presenting artifacts and reflections in a digital format

What skills are necessary to develop an E-Portfolio?

• Developing technical skills necessary to create your E-Portfolio
• Learning appropriate software to create your portfolio (depends on your access, comfort level and programmatic requirements)
• Learning how to compile artifacts digitally through photographing, scanning, videotaping, editing videos, inserting videos
• On-going reflection, selecting, interpretation and evaluation of your E-Portfolio contents

Reference:

Barrett, H. (2000)

http://transition.alaska.edu/www/portfolios/iste2k.html