First, let's talk about student led conferences, which are the neatest things to be a part of. A student led conference is a time for students to showcase their learning by choosing their best pieces of work. Students get to create presentations that show everything they have learned and share them with their parents. The cool thing about these is that the teachers are just their to monitor and assist when needed. Student led conferences are designed ALL for the students to do on their own. They boost student confidence by letting them be the decision makers in their presentations. They get to decide what they want to share with their families. Students can create posters, powerpoints, google slides, and more to share their work. Most schools will let the students prepare their material for the conferences during class time. In my practicum experience, my cooperating teacher let her students practice on each other. They would pick another student up from the door, and then they would practice their presentation like they were talking to their parent/guardian. This is a great way to get their nervous jitters out of the way, and the students love being able to show their work to their fellow peers. This has a tremendous impact on student learning because it motivates them to do better on their assignments. Yes, they get to choose what they want to show, but they still have to produce quality work to show to their family. Many students are more motivated to work harder and produce quality work when they know their families are going to come and see it. The only cost of student led conferences is the time that it may take out of regular class time to create the presentations. However, I am firm believer that you can turn any negative into a positive so find ways to incorporate prep time for these during the day. Use it as an early finisher activity, small group center, or end of the week activity.
Now, let's talk about digital portfolios! They are online collections of student work samples. Many of these portfolios are created using classroom apps such as Seesaw, Class Dojo, and more. Digital portfolios can be used in student led conferences because they will already have the student's work displayed in an online format. The great thing about digital portfolios is that students get to choose what they want to put in them. They get to show what is important to them, and it is also a great tool for students to use for reflection because they can easily see where they have improved. In the classroom, teachers can allow students to upload work from the day onto their digital portfolio. The teacher will monitor the portfolios to make sure only academic related material is being uploaded. The benefits are vast, but mainly students are learning how to use technology to build a portfolio of their learning. The cost is that it may take time to teach students how to create these portfolios, but once the students have mastered it, the teacher is only there for technical support.
Overall, student led conferences and digital portfolios are incredible supports to use inside of the classroom. They give students choice and a voice! They promote creativity, motivation, and confidence. One new thing that I learned was the tool Fresh Grade. I had never heard of this tool before, but it allows students and teachers to collaborate together. Teachers can create engaging lessons that students can upload work and reflections for. The portfolios can be shared with the families so they can monitor the growth. I would love to use this tool in my own classroom as a way for students to have a digital portfolio that they are proud of. I would love for the parents to have access to this so they could see how their child was learning and growing. I would also like to use this in case the school I am at has student led conferences. Student could use their Fresh Grade portfolio during their student led conference. Overall, I could use this tool to create fun and engaging lessons for my students.
Check out this video to see an example of a student led conference in action!
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