Innovation Proposal

 

To whom it may concern, 

 

As we begin this new chapter of our educational journey, I would like to propose an innovative and exciting new idea to add to our campus. Albert Einstein once said, “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge (Innovative).”  Being able to combine those two will bring amazing things to our learning community. 

 

Our school has done an excellent job of using the Student Led conference method for years. It allows the students to show their parents their own school work and even lets them reflect on their behaviors and learning. We often find ourselves scrambling for a good way for students to be able to share this information. For the past few years it has been in a premade template that allows the student to fill in the blank on each page. Even though this method is effective enough, it does not show their creativity or their growth throughout their education. 

 

I would like to introduce electronic portfolios, more commonly referred to as ePortfolios, to our students. The benefits of embracing ePortfolios can be seen in many different ways. It would increase student empowerment and engagement. They would be able to share the work they are most proud of in a unique way that the student would be able to create on their own. We are a campus that has embraced the growth mindset. Through ePortfolios a student will be able to see their growth throughout the years, and their journey will be physically apparent, allowing them to build confidence in their learning journey. It would also provide a more holistic look at the learner showing not only their scores, but also their projects, achievements, and personal growth. Future teachers could also use this information to build a more personalized learning approach for the learner. I believe that it will also be an excellent opportunity to increase student and parent engagement. Students will enjoy sharing their learning and work with their parents in an easily accessible portal that will encourage questions and positive feedback. Lastly, having students work on ePortfolios throughout the years would give them more opportunities to build their digital literacy skills. We will be able to bring what they are learning in computers once a week into the classroom to be reinforced and built upon.

 

My goal this year is to use my classes as a pilot group for ePortfolios. We will need to learn the basics of Google Sites to get started and I am hoping we can get some assistance from our computer teachers with this. They will have the beginnings to share with their parents by their conference in November and then a more comprehensive ePortfolio to share at Open House. They will then be able to add to this ePortfolio in 4th and 5th grade. 

As we take this new idea into consideration, we are on the edge of being able to provide our learners with the opportunity to truly be a part of their learning journey. We are a school that prides itself on our students being able to “all belong, all learn, all lead”. I believe this will be a beautiful chance for all three. I am looking forward to discussing this further with you and I am excited for the opportunities and growth ePortfolios will bring to our students. 

 

Sincerely, 

Lauren Blasdel 

 

101 Excellent Educational Quotes for teachers and students - Innovative Teaching Ideas. (2023, August 15). https://innovativeteachingideas.com/blog/education-quotes/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CNo%20matter%20how%20good%20teaching