Authentic Assessment, ePortfolios, & Career Preparation
Love this video clip
Randy Nelson on Learning and Working in the Collaborative Age http://www.edutopia.org/randy-nelson-school-to-career-video. He says that now he wants to see the proof in portfolios rather than the promise of a resume. By having students create artifacts of their learning, we are helping them develop an ePortfolio to show potential employers.
E-Portfolios are wonderful and for many of my students they initiate first contact. Of course, being able to write a proposal, or a response to a creative idea is also very important and I think we cover a lot of this by requiring students to closely adhere to the APA style as well as other aspects of their curriculum.
In the field of design in particular, showing a high quality professional-level portfolio is often more important than first reaching out with a resume. In this field, the resume should naturally be evidenced in the quality of the design. Often times employers in this field want to see the "goods"--the work itself before they spend further time investigating a candidate by reading a resume etc. It's extremely important to support students in creating high quality portfolio work that supports their career goals.
It is a dynamic idea and a hopeful way for some students with particular learning problems to address the issue of a resume. These students are armed with their own pride and papers and can show what they are capable of and they scream with potential. I have always felt a resume was too static but it does have its place in some fields of endeavor.
Thanks for sharing the link! I was unaware of the edutopia.org video series - really nice.
Thanks for sharing the link Jaclyn. I noticed the video is from 2008, but I am seeing more schools providing an area for students to create ePortofolios. It is a practical way to show creativity and proficiency in some areas. If I had the choice of seeing what you have done versus telling me what you have done in only in a resume, I would prefer to see what you have done.
