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What we can learn from British Columbia

Students need more than academic skills in order to make successful transitions beyond their experiences in the classroom. How can teachers help students experience authentic learning and keep a record of the growth over time? Teachers and students can use portfolios and e-portfolios. Portfolios are not new on the education scene. Many researchers have long lauded the benefits of amassing evidence of student work. E-portfolios operate along the same lines. The only difference is that e-portfolios make use of technology resources to make the process more effective and efficient. British Columbia has an impressive procedure for making use of this tool. If you're still hungry for more resources check out Dr. Barrett's wealth of information.

Assessing Readiness and Use of Technology

Hey, technology directors, I just found something that might be useful to you. Read this:

"In today's era of high stakes accountability and with the recent economic downturn, educators across the country are expected to demonstrate a "return" on technology investments. That translates into a need for an educational technology strategy that gets results - in the form of higher student performance. Profiling Educational Technology Integration, or PETI, includes a framework aligned to No Child Left Behind, Title II D (NCLB IID), as well as a suite of tools designed to assist states, districts, schools, and researchers in profiling their progress with technology over time, documenting both readiness and effective use."

I found this at the State Eductaional Technology Directors Association web site. SETDA is an organization that includes includes educational technology directors and staff from the state departments of education of all fifty states, the District of Columbia and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.