# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
New Google Sites is finally out! This is a great option for creating a class website and sharing resources. Since New Sites is essentially a new product it does not have all the features of Classic Google Sites, but be assured more features are coming. What I particularly like about using Google Sites is the easy integration with Google Drive. There are many excellent website choices including Wix, WordPress or Weebly but if you are a Google Classroom and Google Drive user, Google Sites might make the most sense.

Google Sites

A class website is essentially a digital way to communicate with students and/or parents and/or the community about what is going on in your classroom.

When permissible, post pictures of the awesome things going on in your classroom.

Post announcements.

Insert infographics with helpful information.

Provide links to tutorials, embed support videos, etc...

Embed Google Docs used in class.

Create pages on the Site to explain the parts of the lesson.

Link to assignments in Google Classroom

Link to Google Classroom

A Google Classroom feature I really like is the "Copy link" to an assignment. In the Stream locate the assignment you wish to link to. Click on the 3 dots (more options icon) in the upper right and choose "Copy link." The link to this assignment is automatically copied to the clipboard.

Hyperlink

Creating a page on Google Sites to outline a lesson or activity allows for a pleasing way to present information to students visually. Direct students from the new Google Sites to Google Classroom by hyperlinking text. Highlight a selection of words that students would click on to link to Google Classroom. Use the link icon in the floating toolbar (or use Control K) to hyperlink the text. Paste, Control V, the link to the Google Classroom assignment. Note that if someone is not enrolled in the class they are unable to access the assignment. It is safe to link to Google Classroom assignments on a public website since only the students enrolled will have access after clicking on the link.

Google Classroom

On the flip side, link to a Google Sites page from Google Classroom. Create a page on Google Sites to layout the lesson for students.

Remember to Publish the Google Site after making updates by clicking on the purple "Publish" button.

After publishing the Google Site click on the arrow next to the "Publish" button to "View published site." Copy the link to the page you created on Google Sites.

In Google Classroom use the link icon when creating an assignment to link to the Google Sites page.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2016

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
New Google Sites + Google Classroom - Teacher Tech

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
New Google Sites is finally out! This is a great option for creating a class website and sharing resources. Since New Sites is essentially a new product it does not have all the features of Classic Google Sites, but be assured more features are coming.

# data[].attributes.body
High level students can take the assignment and run with it, while the teacher has the opportunity to help the ones who are struggling.  This allows all learners to increase their knowledge of the subject or assignment.

# data[].attributes.body
1. Pick one article.
2. Click to read.
3. Respond to at least two of the questions below by adding comments directly underneath each question.
4. To add your post/question double-click anywhere on the blue.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The New Teacher Advisor

Teachers and administrators have been making a move from traditional paper-and-pencil type tests to alternate forms of assessment. Teacher observation, projects, essays, and other more creative ways of evaluating student achievement have gained a larger following within the classroom. Although its use has declined, one type of assessment tool that can be used very effectively is the student portfolio. Portfolios remain quite popular in education coursework and with administrators evaluating senior teachers. Why, then, do so many classroom teachers forego the use of portfolios as assessment tools?

One reason might be that the portfolio is a very subjective form of assessment. For anyone uncomfortable without a grading key or answer sheet, subjective evaluation can be a scary task. Secondly, teachers often are unsure themselves of the purpose of a portfolio and its uses in the classroom. Third, there is a question of how the portfolio can be most effectively used to assess student learning.

The following suggestions will help you come to terms with those three factors and allow you to utilize student portfolios to evaluate the learning occurring in your classroom.

Set a goal, or purpose, for the portfolio. Your goal should be tied to how you plan to use the portfolio. Do you want to see student improvement over the long term or a mastery of a specific set of skills? Is it important for you to see the scope of student learning over time or do you merely want to collect samples of student work to pass along to the next teacher? Are you looking for a concrete way to show parents the amount of work completed and their child's improvement over time? Take some time to think about what kind of data you want to collect and how you plan to use it.

Next, determine how -- or if -- you will grade the portfolios. If your purpose is merely to collect work samples to pass along to another teacher or parent, there is no need to actually grade the portfolios. If, however, you are looking for an overall mastery of skills, you will want to grade the work collected. The most efficient way to grade a portfolio is through a rating scale. If you're looking for specific skills, you might begin with a checklist. That checklist will ensure that all necessary pieces are included. I use the following guidelines: Is the work completed correctly (mechanics), completely (information), and comprehensively (depth)? Each area is marked on a scale of 1-4. My scale is 1 = not at all; 2 = somewhat; 3 = mostly; and 4 = entirely.

Say, for example, that as a teacher of writing, I'm looking for examples within the student portfolios that show each writing mode covered during my course. Each piece then is determined to be correct, complete, and comprehensive based on a scale of 1-4. The three scores are averaged giving each piece an overall score. I then average all the scores to give a grade for the entire portfolio. A math teacher might be looking for samples showing various problems solved based on the skills taught during a particular unit or year. A social studies teacher might be looking for comprehension and understanding of major events during a specific time period. Each teacher must determine what skills or learning are to be evaluated through student portfolios.

It also is important -- especially if you plan to use the portfolio as a major grade for your course -- that you get another teacher to help with the evaluations. That ensures that your assessment is reliable. Teachers often cut some slack for less academically inclined students, while holding others to higher standards. That is especially prevalent in subjective assessments. By asking a teacher who is unfamiliar with your students to read over the work and assess it using your rating scale, you are making a more authentic evaluation. The two scores then can be averaged to get a final grade. That will show you and the student a more accurate assessment of their work products.

One thing to keep in mind is that, although many portfolios reflect long-term projects completed over the course of a semester or year, it does not have to be that way. You can have students create portfolios of their work for a particular unit. That portfolio might count as a project for that particular topic of study. The next unit might not include the use of a portfolio as an assessment tool. There is no need to collect work in a portfolio, give an end-of-unit test, and have students complete a major project in connection with the unit. All three activities are tools to evaluate student learning and its overkill for both you and the students to use all three. Choose the type of assessment that best meets the goals and objectives of a particular unit.

Finally, student involvement is very important in the portfolio process. It is vital that students also understand the purpose of the portfolio, how it will be used to evaluate their work, and how grades for it will be determined. Make sure students are given a checklist of what is expected in the portfolio before they begin submitting work. Take time at the beginning of the unit to explain the type of evaluation it is, so students clearly understand what is expected in terms of work product.

It also is important that you allow students a choice of what is placed in their portfolios. Although you might have a few specific pieces you require, permit students to include two or three pieces of their own choosing. Additionally, be sure to offer students the opportunity to reflect about the work included in the portfolio. What are their thoughts and feelings about each piece? Does it represent their best work or were they goofing off when they completed it? Why did a student choose a particular piece? What was his or her thought process in determining which pieces to submit? Those kinds of questions force students to actively think about their work and the portfolio as a whole rather than simply throwing any old assignment into a folder. Reflection provides further meaning to the assessment.

The portfolio is not the easiest type of assessment to implement, but it can be a very effective tool. Portfolios show the cumulative efforts and learning of a particular student over time. They offer valuable data about student improvement and skill mastery. Along with student reflection, that data provides valuable information about how each student learns and what is important to him or her in the learning process.

When starting the portfolio process, remember to keep it simple. Start with a single unit. Determine your goals and purpose for the portfolio. Create a checklist. Explain the process to students and encourage them to take an active role in the development of their portfolios. What you might discover is a very valuable and meaningful evaluation tool that effectively assesses student learning.

Article by Emma McDonald
Education World®
Copyright © 2011 Education World

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Student Portfolios as an Assessment Tool

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teachers and administrators have been making a move from traditional paper-and-pencil type tests to alternate forms of assessment. Teacher observation, projects, essays, and other more creative ways of evaluating student achievement have gained a larger following within the classroom. Although its use has declined, one type of assessment tool that can be used very effectively is the student portfolio.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Our digital world is transforming the way we learn, and today's teachers are tasked with the challenging job of sifting through the deluge of educational technologies and creating a meaningful learning experience for students.

In my 15 years in education, I've seen firsthand how opportunities and a little guidance can positively impact a person's future and change the life path they're following. In fact, as a result of serving on the San Francisco School Board, where I learned about the obstacles to education, I've seen how creating learning opportunities can impact a long-term digital identity.

Next-generation education portfolio platforms -- such as Digication, Pathbrite, Taskstream and Epsilen -- are one way for teachers to start early and educate students about how they can manage their own academic and professional accomplishments. From using portfolios for giving students educational feedback to the portability of transcripts and official academic documents, new opportunities exist for lifelong learning and sharing.

Based on my work with K-12 and higher education institutions, I've seen some amazing results -- teachers reporting huge leaps in student engagement and vastly increased peer-to-peer collaboration -- as a result of using online portfolios in the classroom. Given this, I've developed five best practices for implementing an education portfolio platform in any K-12 or college classroom.

1. Build in Opportunities for Peer-to-Peer Learning

Focus on the goal of increasing students' digital literacy by fostering a collaborative learning environment where some of the more tech-savvy students can guide and help others learn. These practices can generate trust, offer problem-solving opportunities, and deepen peer-to-peer learning on the educational lessons taught in the course.

2. Create Lessons That Foster Data and Knowledge Curation

Sifting through the endless hoards of information on the Internet is becoming a necessary skill. Students need to learn how to find reliable sources and how to conduct research in an organized and discriminating way. Eleventh-grade English teacher Amy McGeorge of Leadership Public Schools, a high school in the San Francisco Bay Area, began using next-generation education portfolios in the classroom to teach the literary classic Catcher in the Rye. She assigned a digital literary analysis and asked students to create an online portfolio that included what they learned about the characters. The results showed better-than-ever student engagement and understanding of the story.

3. Engaging for All Levels of Learners

One of the biggest challenges for today's large classrooms and high student-to-teacher ratios is offering high-performing students engaging activities that won't hold them back while the teachers focus on students who need additional support. Online portfolio projects are a stimulating activity that allows learners of all levels to deepen their knowledge on a subject matter or assignment while maintaining a common ground with their peers.

4. Develop Organization Skills and Plan for the Future

Instead of sorting through crumpled assignments in the bottoms of backpacks, students are able to login to their online portfolios and find everything in an organized manner. Using tags for common subject areas helps students sort through all of the information they have collected so that they can see the "bigger picture" and be reminded of all the work they have done in a specific area. I saw one example from a graduate level course at the University of Illinois in the School of Library and Information Science. Here, students were given the assignment of creating an online portfolio that showed digital materials reflecting theoretical concepts on gender, race and sexuality learned in the course. Not only did student understanding of the concepts far surpass the classes that weren't using online portfolios, but students also reported high levels of satisfaction with their ability to share their class portfolios with professional and personal contacts beyond the classroom.

5. Not All Online Portfolios are Created Equal

When picking an online portfolio, look for portfolios where the creators remain the owners of the data compiled. It's important that students and users have access to the content of the portfolio beyond the course or college education.

Using online portfolios successfully gives early adopters in the classroom the latitude to teach peers how to master the technology. Learning can be accelerated through the process of independently curating new knowledge and can also be extended beyond the classroom for a long-term collection of academic and professional successes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Five Ways to Use Online Portfolios in the Classroom | Edutopia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our digital world is transforming the way we learn, and today's teachers are tasked with the challenging job of sifting through the deluge of educational technologies and creating a meaningful learning experience for students. In my 15 years in education, I've seen firsthand how opportunities and a little guidance can positively impact a person's future and change the life path they're following.

# data[].attributes.headline
Q2: What is still rolling around in your head?

# data[].attributes.subject
Q2: What is still rolling around in your head?