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Eportfolio!

  • Writer: Deborah Fischer
    Deborah Fischer
  • Aug 7, 2022
  • 6 min read

D. Fischer August 2022


When compiling an Eportfolio it is important to reflect on one’s self and the lesson planning which has been made and used with the students. I work with kindergarten students -so an organized ‘flipped classroom’ model lesson plan design has been created for each week of lessons. A flipped classroom model has students learning about the unit content with a short informational video, then the students come together as a whole group, small group, or in pairs to apply the knowledge learned with active and collaborative learning projects and activities (Creative Educator, 2022; Study.com, 2022; & ViewSonic, 2021).


Within a flipped lesson, the teacher shares and/or constructs informative and enjoyable videos to entice the students into the thematic topic. Using the anchored instructional model (Kurt, 2021) I take pleasure in creating an opener video that helps students take part in a mini-class discussion, brainstorming, or game to enter into the thematic unit. An opener video also helps lay the first building blocks of content for what the students will begin to explore as the week takes off.


I then build informative learning boards which help students and fellow teachers bring the learning videos, materials, and content onto a classroom’s interactive whiteboard. A learning board can consist of several activities where students can choose, click and begin a lesson. Having students with multiple intelligences and learning styles in the classroom, learning boards should consist of a wide variety of lesson activities that can support students in literacy, math, kinesthetic, nature, music, art, and more (Armstrong, 2009).


Using the ASSURE model (American College of Education, 2022) teachers can build learning boards by having an:

A. Analysis of the students in the classroom

S. Standards that are well identified with learning objectives

S. Selection of lesson resources and strategies put into place

U. Use of resources and strategies made

R. Requirement of students taking part in the lessons and an

E. Evaluation of the class learners has been created with feedback and reflection


Teachers can also align content and objectives with useful technology using the ABCD model (American College of Education, 2022). This model begins with having:

A- Audience- be sure to understand who your audience of learners are

B- Behaviour- what behavior is expected of the students to gain learning goals

C- Condition- is the technology in a good condition for the students to reach objectives

D- Degree- what knowledge degree shall the students reach with the lesson (beginning-mastery)


Another helpful model of learning to support curricular design is the use of the 5Ps model (American College of Education, 2022). When creating lesson planning and materials, teachers can follow the 5p’s by 1) Previewing the resources available, 2) Preparing the classes lessons 3) Preparing the learning environments for the students, 4) Providing for the children appropriate experiences for learning and exploration, and 5) Practice your sessions before instructing the students.


Here are some elements of a kindergarten thematic unit Hooray We are Going on Holiday!


Hooray, We’re Going on Holiday

Entry Point Lesson Week 1



Hooray, We’re Going on Holiday

North America Lesson Week 2

Link to Learning Board:


Hooray, We’re Going on Holiday

North America Lesson

Example Lesson Plans







Here is a Digital Story Telling Assessment of a Kindergartener's Hooray We are Going on Holiday Learning Journal

Objectives and Assessment Rubric

An assessment rubric was created to assess the student's progress through the unit 'Hooray we are Going on Holiday.' The assessment rubric entails all International Primary Curriculum (IPC) Objectives needed and the 3 International Society for Technology Education (ISTE) standards which have been targeted for the unit:

Ways Learners were Engaged in Content with Digital Tools

Kindergarten students were given various technology items to engage in their learning during the Hooray We are Going on Holiday unit. Students were given learning boards from me which encompassed the complete learning lessons. These learning boards could be projected onto an interactive classroom whiteboard or at home on their family's home computer using a website link. The learning boards consisted of several website links that tapped into many learning styles for multiple intelligences- for example, visual and audio presentation videos, music videos, crafting videos, e-books, online video games, and more. Students could also use websites such as Google Earth to locate specific countries and landmarks. Also, students could use virtual tours of famous places to explore, such as a tour walking into the Great Pyramids of Giza, over the Great Wall of China or on a Safari through an African savannah.


Digital Story Telling Product Description Integrating Technology Tools

After collecting artifacts from the student's journey, a Google Slide presentation was created, showcasing photos on each slide. Then a screencast was made over the slide presentation using my voice to express what the student accomplished within the unit. Finally, a video was created and uploaded onto YouTube as an unlisted, nonpublic link. Parental permission was also granted.


Three Ways Learners Can Share Their Digital Stories

Once the digital story video is finished, teachers and students can share the story in many ways. The video can be uploaded onto the student's online learning journal (such as Seesaw) to share with parents directly. Students and parents can also post onto the video their reflections of the work with text thumbs up, smiles, or heart emojis. The video can be shared within an online class newsletter or blog as an example of exemplary work for all students, parents, and teachers to see within a grade level. The video can also be shared on the school's website as an example of learning within the school kindergarten.


Use Social Media to Promote Collaboration

Social Media tools can be used to promote collaboration between students and the school community. Seesaw is a great resource example for school classrooms. Seesaw is a learning journal experience where teachers and students can post learning artifacts to share with family, friends, and the school community. Teachers can also post lesson tasks from the Seesaw Activity Library or teachers can post their own teacher-made activities to support their lessons. From the thematic unit ‘Hooray, We are Going on Holiday- North America’ three Seesaw posts have been made. Each lesson has step-by-step directions, photos, and voice instructions to help the kindergarteners and their families understand the tasks. The last step of each lesson asks for students to post a reflection about their process and product to share with family, friends, and the community. Please see below:


Seesaw Lesson 1. Dream Catcher Craft

Seesaw Lesson 2. Pow Wow Dancing and Headdresses

Seesaw Lesson 3. How to Care for Mother Earth Posters

Challenges and Possible Changes in Creating a Blended Learning Course


To create a blended learning course such as this, time and energy were needed- and most importantly the need to know exactly the thematic unit a class is going to explore. It was a very big help having known ahead of time what thematic unit our grade level was to use and the approximate amount of weeks the students could explore the topic. A strong challenge would have been not knowing the thematic topic and the amount of time that could be allotted for learning. It was also a great support being given an adequate amount of planning time to build the learning boards and activities.


Changes that could be made to this course would definitely be needed depending on the specific nationalities and cultures my students in my class represent. For example, this year when learning about North America I had 3 students from the United States, so we focused on that region. When visiting Asia, I had two students from China- so we also focused on that region too. I also have the great opportunity to have parents come in and share their stories of their family's cultures. One year, during our Africa week, we had a parent from Kenya who came in and gave us a child-friendly power point about her Masai tribe and village. Her daughter was so very proud and we all learned so much.


So my biggest tip- would be to cultivate your blended learning lessons around your chosen thematic unit and your student's unique interests and needs!


Blogging for Students Too


A last tip to support this specific blended learning course- would be to have students continue their learning (after virtually touring the world) by sharing their own blog posts about their summer vacations! An element that could be added to a teaching blogging website could be an area where students and parents post a photo and text of what they have seen and done on their travels. This would truly continue the learning outside of the classroom!


References

American College of Education (2022) Module 5: Infusing Digital Technologies for Assessment Part 2 Transcript: ePortfolios for Learning, Collaboration, and Showcasing Achievement C16163 Technology Driven Curriculum and Social Media

American College of Education (2022) Module 3: Connecting Research to Instruction Using the ASSURE Model Part 1 Transcript: The ASSURE Model C16163 Technology Driven Curriculum and Social Media

American College of Education (2022) Module 3: Connecting Research to Instruction Using the ASSURE Model Part 2 Transcript: The ABCDs of Writing Objectives C16163 Technology Driven Curriculum and Social Media

Armstrong, T. (2009). Multiple intelligences in the classroom. Ascd.

Creative Educator (2022) Flipping the Elementary Classroom https://creativeeducator.tech4learning.com/2015/articles/In-Class-Flip

Fieldwork Education (2020) International Primary Curriculum https://fieldworkeducation.com/

ISTE (2022) Explore the ISTE Student Standards https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-students

Study.com (2022) Flipped Classroom Definition & Model https://study.com/academy/lesson/flipped-classroom-definition-model.html

ViewSonic (2021) 5 Flipped Classroom Activities for Elementary School Students https://www.viewsonic.com/library/education/5-flipped-classroom-activities-for-elementary-school-students/


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