Beginning with the 2013-2014 school year, all of Mr. Du Beau’s music students will begin using digital portfolios for scale and marking period assessments as well as music artifact curation. For those unfamiliar with digital portfolios:

Digital Portfolio: A digital portfolio is generally considered to be a collection of work (known as artifacts) that is managed or curated by its owner. In this case, you, the student, are the owner of the portfolio and will curate the portfolio according to assigned guidelines provided in class. Digital portfolios today exist in a variety of forms and on a host of different platforms. You will be using a platform that takes learning from being purely digital to being entirely mobile.

Artifacts: Artifacts can take many forms, including videos, images, documents, URLs, apps, audio recordings, etc.

Curation: Management or curation of your portfolio includes not only completion of assignments directly related to assessments, but also the results of your research around the internet or other non-digital media for information related to your discipline (flute or clarinet, soprano or tenor voice).

Platform: The platform chosen for a digital portfolio is unique to the requirements or needs of an individual portfolio or portfolio assignment. Examples of different platforms include Google Sites, ThreeRing, Evernote, Springpad, EdModo, Easy Portfolios, and Weebly. While each offers similar features, some are more robust than others. We will be using Springpad as our platform.

Mobile Learning: Digital or e-learning is simply that: learning that takes place in a digital environment, whether it is on the internet or within a stand-alone application. Mobile learning takes digital to a new level: with mobile learning, you have access to your information from any mobile or desktop device and can curate your portfolio from just about anywhere. Research has shown that the ability to work in a fluid, mobile environment leads to a greater interest in subject matter and ultimately a better understanding of it. You will be encouraged to curate your portfolio as you discover new and exciting things about your discipline whether from home, the car (if you’re not driving!), the park, or even the mall.

You will receive information on the requirements for your portfolio in September. For now, you can learn more about Springpad by checking out their notebook, Getting Started with Springpad.