My Thoughts and Questions About ASL e-Portfolios

1. I would like to write this blog about the relational background of my personal and professional quest for an autonomous identity as a deaf professor and the ways in which my representations of those social connections offer new possibilities for my own growth as well as my students' growth in American Sign Language (ASL).

2. I do not affiliate myself solely on any specific professional organization or discipline, my self-representation does depend on my commitment to teach ASL in pursuit of "social justice."

3. My understanding of teaching ASL can be expressed through reflections of my commitment with my students.

4. I need to ask questions whether my ASL e-Portfolio model perpetuate and preserve a new understanding of that idea  as grounded in ASL education.

5. To what extent does the cultural ideal underlying my understanding of ASL?

6. Does it inform my understanding of ASL held by me with my students?

7. If authenticity of ASL is not central, then what alternative understanding of ASL stands in its place, and what are its implication for how I use my ASL e-Portfolio?

8. How might my e-Portfolio model better support creativity of my students?

9. How do my students develop a sense of ownership over their own ASL e-Portfolio?

10. How can I ensure that evaluative procedures are fair to my students being evaluated?

11. How might I help my students articulate ASL acquisition and development in their e-Portfolio?

12. How well shall the ASL e-Portfolio rubric (work in progress) I use support their acquisition in light of their values, experiences, and relationships?


~Professor Carl

Reference:

Reynolds, N. and Rice, R. 2006. Portfolio Teaching: A Guide for Instructors. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Demystifying Five Myths about Grading Your ASL and ASL e-Portfolio

Grades are a very real part of your acquisition of American Sign Language (ASL).  Many of you associate ASL classes with being graded, which is a necessary evil when the time comes.

Examine the following five myths about grading in light of your acquisition of ASL.

Myth 1. I love giving grades on your newly acquired language skills; I find it easy to decid what the letter grade should be on any particular assignment, storytelling, or quiz. Actually I hate giving grades for your heuristic learning activities and often find it difficult to decide whether a passing grade is, say, a B- or a C+.

Myth 2. I value only error-free ASL.  When I listen to your ASL activity, I look mostly at parts of signs: handshapes, palm orientations, locations, non-manual expressions, and modifier movements. I am interested first in your ideas; then I look to be pulled by ASL and the train of thought.  That is what I want: to be engaged in your ideas.  If your ideas are lively and intelligent, I am not going to notice mechanical lapses.

Myth 3. I spend most of my free time correcting your ASL e-Portfolio. It is important to remember that a professor is a human being, too, with a wide variety of interests and a number of responsibilities.  This doesn't mean that you and your e-Portfolio aren't important, but it does mean that you need to make an impression within a very small window of opportunity.

Myth 4. A letter grade is the only way or the best way to assess your skills in ASL. I may offer advice, but the decision to accept it and implement it is yours.  Letter grades really don't initiate the kind of dialogue that is essential to the assessment of your ASL proficiency.

Myth 5. I am the only audience you need to think about. Your e-Portfolio may be shared, both in draft and final forms, with a number of people in your class and perhaps in other ASL classes.  You need to develop it for those audiences as well as for the evaluator or evaluators. With your written permission, I may use it for my professional presentation on campus or elsewhere. (Your name will be changed but your video cannot, which is something you need to think about.)

Keep those above myths in mind as you prepare your e-Portfolio.  They address a dilemma that I struggle with everyday: how to encourage you to develop your strengths and have a positive attitude toward ASL acquisition despite the fac that your work is going to be evaluated critically.

Good luck!

~Professor Carl

Reference:

Cambridge, D. 2010. Eportfolios for Lifelong Learning and Assessment. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass.

Developing Your ASL e-Portfolio

I received numerous emails asking about what is expected in your ASL e-Portfolio.  I shall attempt to discuss it critically, and I would like to emphasize that you be creative and independent in developing it.

Your ASL e-Portfolio is specifically  designed to benefit you as student of American Sign Language (ASL).  When you keep your ASL e-Portfolio, you are to collect, select, and reflect on learning materials and handouts to include in your e-Portfolio for your own benefit, not to prove to me that you should pass this course or receive a passing grade.

Although your ASL e-Portfolio may be revised for presentation or evaluation, you do have the freedom to determine most of the content and to develop the method of organizing it.  Your ASL E-Portfolio should demonstrate what is important to you and how you have acquired ASL.

Your e-Portfolio also promotes and sustains acquiring ASL, but at a certain point during this term, I will shift your attention from the learning process to the final product.  It is to showcase your ASL acquisition and education.

~Professor Carl

Reference:

Cambridge, D. 2010. Eportfolios for Lifelong Learning and Assessment. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass.