Student Teachers Make Wiki-Portfolios In yet another way to set themselves apart from other recent education graduates, Nevada State College student teachers presented web-based portfolios for the first time at the end of 2011’s fall semester. This marked the first time that NSC student teachers created web-based portfolios for their culminating project and has since been added to the curriculum for future classes (students also completed portfolios and presented them at the end of the Spring 2012 semester). In creating the web-based portfolios, students reflected on their professional growth through degree coursework and their student teaching assignment. The projects also highlighted the students’ accomplishments and demonstrated their readiness to join the teaching profession. During an event to highlight this project, the student teachers shared their web-based portfolios with faculty, staff, and guests, before participating in panel discussions focusing on their professional growth and the development of these portfolios. A reception followed to celebrate the completion of student teaching and their degree requirements. The student teachers aligned their portfolios with Danielson’s Framework for Effective Teaching and included many samples of course assignments, student teaching work samples, classroom photographs, videos, resumes, and other artifacts. The creation of the portfolios also allowed the students to demonstrate their technology skills utilizing many resources, such as YouTube, Jing, PowerPoint, and Glogster. These web-based portfolios are expected to enhance the student’s employment opportunities. Students will be able to send interested employers the link to their web-based portfolio. Their initial contact will move beyond the traditional cover letter and resume. The web-based portfolios will also be used by the School of Education to assess the effectiveness of their Teacher Preparation Programs.
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