Thinking and Learning Made Visible: Iphoneography and Portfolios

The following photographs were taken at St.George’s Golf and Country Club. Please note that ideas, tips, and tricks surrounding portfolios and Iphoneography listed below are property of Joanne Marie Babalis.

 

Today, I had the pleasure of joining fellow educators learn from Joanne Marie Babalis as she spoke about capturing great photos and rich documentation for portfolios. When I walked up to sign in, I was instantly inspired. Joanne has a way of making everything beautiful. I have known this by following her blog, Twitter and Instagram accounts for some time Her lemon flower centre pieces (LOLO Floral and Event Design @lolo_floral) caught my eye as I peaked in the presentation room while waiting to go inside. Taking a look around, I noticed pieces of her new role at Anne Frank Public School, artifacts and books from her recent trip to Reggio Emilia, and the colourful array of paint, markers and children’s work on display. It was magical.

 

Joanne first spoke to the way she structures learning portfolios in a Kindergarten classroom. I have been a DECE in Kindergarten for two full years now and I have already grown significantly in terms of how I approach portfolios. However, today’s workshop has given me some serious tips and strategies for planning what goes into student portfolios going forward.

• interviewing students monthly can seem daunting – attempt to interview a student a day in terms of giving feedback similar to keeping running records in order to get through all children
• use a tally chart to ensure all children have representation of curriculum areas in their portfolio (can do monthly or end of term)
• what goes in a portfolio can also go on a blog – written professionally and ready to go
• include running records, beginning assessments (fine motor), math interview, etc. because they show growth
• having a “Monthly Learning File Folder” gives children a place to keep their work and goes home monthly after ‘personal best’ pieces are taken out

She talked about interviewing children at the beginning of the year in order to really get to know them. Learning about students and their interests, etc. is a process and takes time. I loved her idea of asking them questions like, “Why are you special?” or, “If you were meeting someone for the first time, what would you say about yourself?”. The portfolio also included a family interview that helps educators in the room learn about the child through the family lens. It Alaska questions that relate to culture, work, favourite things to do as a family, etc.

At the end of the day, there is a sharing time where a few students are able to share their writing, or guided reading, etc. I appreciate this being structured a bit as I currently struggle with what is “sharing worthy” in our classroom and how it will benefit all learners.

There were a number of Iphone Apps recommended in order to enhance photos taken. We had some time during the workshop to explore them. Here are four of my favourites:

Pic Tap Go – wide variety of filters, add lots of light, crop appropriately to square (full, crop or float)

iSplash – turn photo to black and white and highlight colour of choice

Insta Editor – add filters, labels, speech bubbles, text, band aid (blemish our faces) etc

Vintique – add filters, text, vignetting and other settings

Joanne provided many tips that offered guidance when capturing photos of children, provocations, or learning environments. I often find it challenging to organize pictures both professionally and in my personal life. She said that if you didn’t get the right shot, then try again right away, referring g to special photos as “Once in a lifetime photograph” (Reggio Emilia). Also, she suggested to delete photos right away if you don’t need them as an important part of staying organized. I don’t think I am alone in saying I have an abundance of photos and no clue what to do with them ;)!

 

Joanne, thank-you for giving educators the opportunity to learn from you. Everything from the venue to the materials displayed was impeccable! It is unfortunate that I was only able to attend one of the four workshops presented this summer, but I look forward to future workshops. I can’t wait to share with my friends & colleagues the tricks and ideas surrounding photos and portfolios!