RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PORTFOLIOS AND BLOGS
Taking into account what a portfolio is, and according to the guidelines proposed by Geneese & Upshur to have one; it can be said that to follow a blog like we are doing in assessment class, is a similar exercise to have a portfolio interactively.
For example, our blog follows some steps mentioned in the portfolio guidelines:
- Students are told exactly what to do, and they know from the beginning how the work will be assessed.
- This exercise encourages students to review and share the blog with others.
- It allows to always adopt a positive, collaborative and supportive attitude, especially when making comments. On
Besides that, there are more positive comments about our blog, made by our classmates:
- It helps us to work with critical thinking.
- It makes us to be more organized and disciplined, due to we have some deadlines.
- It helps us to improve our writing skills.
- It permits that students write their opinions and make comments freely.
- It also allows students and the teacher to talk about things (related to the topics studied) that couldn't be mentioned in class.
On the other hand, there are some others things to improve, like:
- To plan blog conferences periodically that allow students to review their work with their teacher.
- To discuss some posts from the blogs in class, so it can be had a deeper control of the process.
In conclusion, it is necessary to know the importance of following a blog and having a portfolio in our classes. Discussions and conferences can be done to look for strategies to improve this exercise, which in an early future will be part of our lives as teachers.
