Day 20: Showcasing work

How do you curate student work–or help them do it themselves?

 

     Today's prompt puzzled me. I have not used the word "curate" for anything that has to do with student work. It makes me think of museums and serious exhibitions, but if "curate" means to show off student work, I will continue what I started yesterday and talk more about the electronic portfolio.
      In my classes students mostly curate their own work, with a little bit of my help, when they showcase it on their Google site. For world languages the e-portfolio is ideal because all the different skills can be integrated. When I started my career as a teacher most of the work that was exhibited was written work. It was hard for students to share their oral progress without resorting to direct one on one communication. Now my students create screencasts, videos and podcasts. I film their oral presentations and make them reflect on so much more than their language skills. They feel that they have an audience and they  have to adapt their creations to that audience.
     The Google site can also become a tool for joint reflection and comparison. It's easier for a student to see how their work differs from that of a classmate. Or what one students creates can be a good product for another student to check their passive skills. Younger students can listen to the older students' podcasts to improve their comprehension.
     Sometimes I do organize real exhibitions. My French 4 students are currently doing screencasts on French paintings.  They will hang the paintings in the hallways with a QR code, so it looks like a real exhibition and visitors can scan the QR code and get all the info they need about the painters and paintings.
    Technology has made curating student work much easier and more accessible for everyone. It also prepares students for the real world in which whatever they produce can be shared with the world almost instantly.