Electronic Portfolio: Preparing for the Future

As students progress through middle and high school in Newport News Public Schools, they will select a Career Pathway to help build skills necessary to transition from high school to post-secondary opportunities or the workplace. During their years in middle and high school students will have the opportunity to develop a 21st Century Electronic Portfolio, which will enable them to organize career goals, academic information, work samples and other documents that reflect the student’s activities during the middle and high school years.

The Career Readiness Skills below should assist you in choosing your best work to include in your portfolio. The Career Readiness Skills should be continuously practiced in your academic achievements, student and community activities to maintain continued success and growth in accomplishing your academic and personal goals.

Speaking & Listening
Problem Solving
Work Ethic
Positive Attitude
Independence & Initiative
Self-Presentation
Attendance
Teamwork

What is an Electronic Portfolio?

An electronic portfolio uses electronic technologies, which allow the student to collect and organize portfolio artifacts in many media types (audio, video, graphics, and text). Students will organize documents and work samples around their selected Career Pathway, to include a reflection statement on their collection of artifacts and reflection on the portfolio as a whole.

What are the benefits of an Electronic Portfolio?

Through the use of a student portfolio, a mobile student has a way to condense, update, and keep important information in an easily transported format.
Students will be able to collect documents or other items from a course to demonstrate understanding and completion of a course requirement.
Student information that is easily understood, maintained, transported, and transmitted helps both students and parents in presenting their needs, wants, and wishes to many audiences.
A student portfolio, much like a professional portfolio, can contain general information as well as more specific items that present a complete a picture of the student.
Portfolios can be used as a general file from which to pull specific information to match a particular need (e.g., a listing of volunteer activities for a community award).
Items stored in a portfolio format will make it easier for potential high schools or colleges, scholarship organizations, or potential employers to get an overall picture of a student in a format that is polished and refined.
Portfolios can be kept in an electronic format which is easy to maintain, change, and update. Items can be scanned or otherwise converted into a digital format (e.g., digital photos). Students interested in sports or drama may wish to include video footage to capture their proficiencies and talents. An electronic format makes information easily available to schools, counselors, organizations, colleges, and employers.
Many colleges now request that a portfolio be presented with an application. Employers like to see first-hand the proficiencies of a student; a portfolio can easily provide that information.
Scholarship and financial aid organizations all require certain information for their applications. Using a portfolio can cut down on countless hours of repetitive writing and compiling of information.

Why create an Electronic Portfolio?

Demonstrate Your Skills in Different Ways - an electronic Portfolio not only demonstrates your qualities as you would list on a résumé, but also shows your skills and abilities. Electronic portfolios also help you understand your talents and foster self-presentation allowing you to make informed career and life choices. The portfolio will be a collection of information that enables self-awareness and making smart choices. By creating a digital format, you can present a video or yourself working on a project, making a speech, or document your success.
Target Your Skills to a Specific Audience - After you begin to create your portfolio, you can easily pull out, or extract, different pages to create special mini-portfolios that target the specific needs of a job, business, college/university or scholarship. For example, if your school counselor wants a small sample of your work to provide to potential universities, scholarship committees or employers, you can create a smaller sample from your original portfolio.
Ability To Be Updated And Shown Several Time Without Showing Signs Of Wear - an electronic Portfolio allows you to update items quickly and maintain current and up-to date information without destroying or damaging items in the portfolio.
Deliverable in Several Formats - You may deliver your portfolio in person, by e-mail, or through the Web. You can also take your Electronic Portfolio with you after graduation to maintain and expand upon as you enter college or the workforce.

What should you include in your Electronic Portfolio?

Think about the story that your portfolio will tell about you. Your portfolio should include items in the following categories (download the checklist):

Student as a Planner: Career Plan, Transcript, and a Personal Statement, Career Assessment, Reflection Statement*
Student as a Learner: Course work entries, Industry Certifications, Dual Enrollment, Reflection Statement* of Entries
Student as a Citizen: Citizen Summary, Personal Entries, Summary of Community Service, and Summary of School Activities, Reflection Statement*
Student as an Employee: Résumé, Letters of Recommendation, Job Shadowing/Internship/Mentoring documents, Character Reference, or Volunteer/Work Experience Evaluation, Sample Job Application, Reflection Statement*

*A Reflection Statement should be included to support each of the four areas of documentation (Student as a Planner, Learner, Citizen and Employee) using the Reflection Questions template.

How do I start my Electronic Portfolio?

There will be templates and information available to assist you with the organization of your Electronic Portfolio. Your teachers will be available to help, also. You can start your portfolio by putting forth your best effort on your assignments in class because these items can be saved and placed in your Electronic Portfolio. Remember that sample coursework entries will be included in the portfolio, too.

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Electronic Portfolio: Preparing for the Future