Giving Compass' Take:

• Here are five reasons why digital portfolios are critical edtech tools to support student learning amid school closures. 

• How can donors support edtech tools to improve distance learning for schools? Are digital portfolios accessible? 

• Learn how school districts can prepare for coronavirus. 

As educators sift through numerous edtech tools in search of meaningful ways to connect, engage and share with their students, the following questions are helpful to consider:

  • Can educators remotely share knowledge, create new lessons and deliver assignments to their students consistently, quickly and easily using this tool?
  • Will this tool enable educators to assess their students’ understanding and growth over time?
  • Does this tool increase student engagement, motivation and ownership at home and within the classroom?

Digital portfolios address all of the above concerns and more. They should be foundational to every school’s technical ecosystem—for both remote and in-class learning—and here’s why.

  1. They give students voice and choice
  2. They bring learning together in one place
  3. They support project-based learning
  4. They promote individual check-ins
  5.  They provide an alternative form of assessment

A digital portfolio encourages a lifetime of learning. Serving as a record of milestones and capstones across grade levels—a clear summary of personal accomplishments and academic achievements—it is an exhibition of one’s best self, to be shared with anyone of their choosing.

Read the full article about digital portfolios by Michelle Diaz at EdSurge.