Let’s be real. Microsoft has been given a bad rep. When you say you work in PowerPoint or that you are collaborating on a Word doc together on the web, people expect you to work in an office type setting and using dated tools from when they grew up. Well they couldn’t be more wrong!
MicrosoftEDU tools are powerful and robust and can be used in so many ways beyond just typing and presenting. Sway is one of the newer programs added to the Microsoft 365 line up and it may be one of the most powerful. Microsoft understands the importance of telling a story while also focusing on content, and has harnessed the power and technology of AI to help students effortlessly demonstrate their learning through web design.
But in addition to demonstrations of learning, Sway can be a power tool for students to use to curate and reflect on their own work throughout the year in the form of student portfolios. These can be as simple or as advanced as you wish depending on the age of your learners and the subject area(s) you are looking to include. Regardless of how you set them up, portfolios allow students to document aspects of their learning that do not show up well in traditional assessments.
Empower Students with Sway
There are many features you can use to create student portfolios in Sway and these features can be used differently depending on how you set up and organize the content.
Headers: These provide an easy way to organize content in a Sway portfolio. Headers could be arranged by subject area, content and learning goals, or to produce a time order of months, quarters or learning semesters.
Text Cards: Text cards provide students with the ability to add in dates, times, and any other commentary or reflection on the work being added. Text cards could also be used to add in content goals or learning objectives within subject area headers for additional organization.
Images: Students have the ability to add in images directly from their learning day, or images of things they created in class that may not stay around. (ie: writing on a white board, a STEM creation, or something created outside of the classroom) Students can also take screenshot of things they work on online if link sharing is not available.
Grouped Images: This is great for images related to each other and is good for saving space in the portfolio. The ability to stack them and scroll through leaves lots of options for what and how students add to demonstrate their learning.
Links: When using EdTech tools we always look for link sharing. Applications like Flipgrid, AdobeSpark, Buncee and many others provide links you can copy and paste to share work with others outside of the platform.
Videos: In Sway, students have the option to upload videos from a device, but they can also record videos directly into the platform. This option is nice because it gives students the option to reflect and share thoughts on their work in real time.
Types of Portfolios
There are several different types of portfolios students can create and it is important to think of why you want students to create them prior to choosing the type best for your specific learning environment. Once you decide on the type of portfolio, then you can move on to organizing them using the features in Microsoft Sway.
Working Portfolio: This type of portfolio gets its name based on the content it holds. This type of portfolio holds work from students that is still “in the works” by the student. It is more than just a holding tank of work, but rather is guided and organized by specific standards and learning goals. The work displayed and curated doesn’t have to necessarily be completed or even a student’s best work, but rather it is a place where students can reflect and have evidence of work that demonstrates both their strengths and weaknesses as learners. Students curate a sufficient amount of work in order to provide ample evidence of their achievement in each particular category. The purpose of having a working portfolio is mainly to benefit the students. By working on the portfolio and reflecting on the quality of work contained there, the student becomes more reflective and self-directed.
Display or Showcase Portfolio: This is probably the most common type of portfolio used in schools. A showcase portfolio consists of students’ best work and the purpose of these portfolios is to demonstrate the highest level of achievement attained by the student. The work they include should make them proud. These types of portfolios are even more beneficial when they are kept over time, from year to year, showing growth over time. They generally consist of academic content, but they can also include the achievements of students outside of the classroom too. Since this type of portfolio holds a student’s best work, it is often shared with parents and others outside of the classroom setting.
Assessment Portfolio: Assessment portfolios are used as a means to document what a student has learned over a specific period of time in direct correlation to a set of standards or skills specified. The content of the curriculum, then, will determine what students select for their portfolios. For example, if the curriculum specifies narrative, informational and persuasive writing, an assessment portfolio should include examples of each type of writing. Often these types of portfolios are used to demonstrate mastery of content in specific learning areas. In an assessment portfolio, the content matters and it must demonstrate and document what students have learned.
Portfolios come in different forms and may be used for different purposes. They help us be used to curate, document, showcase and celebrate learning. Regardless of their purpose or audience, they have the power to transform the learning environment in the classrooms where they are used. But don’t be fooled—the magic of portfolios lies not in the portfolios themselves, but in the process used in creating them and the learning documented within them.
Looking for other ways to make teaching and learning relevant through the use of technology? Check out our book The InterACTIVE Class!
