Learning Portfolio | Parsons First Year

This Learning Portfolio introduction lesson plan is a script that you can follow when teaching the Learning Portfolio. It has links to sample Learning Portfolios and video tutorials that will enable your students to successfully set up their Learning Portfolio, as well as teach them all the important reasons of how and why it is required.

Let’s begin:

Setting the stage - before you begin make sure you are signed into the Learning Portfolio. You can do this through my.newschool.edu - open the apps locker and from the dropdown menu select the Learning Portfolio and sign-in.

Script: Why we use the Learning Portfolio (also called a LP) at Parsons

• The Learning Portfolio is an online space for students to document and record their learning and experiences at Parsons. You will use the Learning Portfolio to make connections between your classes. It is a digital work space that your professors will not only view your work from their class but also the work you are creating in other classes.
• As artists, designers and strategic thinkers, you will need to tell the story of your work in writing and curated images. The Learning Portfolio is an excellent way to develop and practice this presence.
• The Learning Portfolio is necessarily different than a website because you will use it while in Parsons First Year to document and record your making and learning process. A website tends to show only the final artwork or project, not the process and explanation of how you arrived there.

Script: The most important thing the Learning Portfolio does is it allows you to document your making and learning process so you can reflect, look back on and think about how you made what you made, why you made it, and what you will do next.

[Instructors, tell students the following] Script: The Learning Portfolio template was designed specifically for Parsons’ students. I’m going to now explain why we want you to use this template while you are a first year student.

[Instructors: walk students through these specific parts of the Learning Portfolio]

Script:

• The Menu Bar: the wide black bar towards the top with menu items.
• The name of the owner of the Learning Portfolio is located (on the left in the Menu Bar). This can be your preferred name or any title you prefer to give your LP
• “Courses” is the first menu item on the menu bar. When you scroll over “Courses” a drop down list appears of all the classes you will take during your first year. Every time you make a post for a class you will select the name of that class so that it will be easy to find under the “Courses” menu. Here’s an example of what that looks like. This is Emily Li’s Learning Portfolio. When I scroll over “Courses” and select “Integrative Studio 1” we find all the posts she created for her Integrative Studio 1.
• “Topics”, the next menu item, allows you to curate or select posts that you would like to highlight. There’s an explanation and a “how to” use this menu item when you click on “Topics”.
• “About” allows you to share something about yourself as a maker and thinker, enabling you to personalize your LP.
• “Help” is where you will find links to tutorials that will help you with your LP
• Below the Menu bar are where the individual posts that you will create for each class and project, live.

Script: Now, scroll to the bottom of the Learning Portfolio space and you will find a large black box. Inside this box you will notice some additional ways you can customize your LP. Most importantly you will see “Tags.” “Tags” are another way that you can mark a post to organize your LP. Tags are just like the # (hashtag) used on Instagram. For instance, if we look at another student LP, Ken Chen’s, we can scroll down to his “Tags” and select the tag, “Videos.” Here you will find all the video projects that Ken wanted us to know about, highlighting his video making, editing and performance skills.

The other thing you will notice is that Ken has customized his Learning Portfolio. You can see the familiar black bar towards the top with his courses but you will notice, as I scroll down, that he has changed the general look of his LP without changing the important Parsons template that has all of his classes built in.

Homework Script: Now that we have familiarized ourselves with the Learning Portfolio, your homework is to use this link [send it to your students as an email or have it set-up in Canvas or if you use a course blog you can have it embedded in the blog] to a series of video tutorials that will walk you through setting up your Learning Portfolio. Once you have completed your LP setup email me the URL [by such and such date]. Also add your Learning Portfolio to your Canvas Bio page. Here’s a link with instructions on how to do this.

Alternate Script if students have an LP but have selected the wrong template: Now that we have familiarized ourselves with the Learning Portfolio, your homework is to use this link [send it to your students as an email or have it set-up in Canvas or if you use a course blog you can have it embedded in the blog] to a series of video tutorials that will walk you through changing your LP to the correct Parsons Learning Portfolio template. Once you have completed this and have the correct template in place email me the URL [by such and such date]. Remember to add your Learning Portfolio to your Canvas Bio page. Here’s a link with instructions on how to do this.

Concluding Script: If you have any problems or challenges in working with the Learning Portfolio you can always reach out to IT (Information Technology) located at 72 5th Ave. lower level. Phone: 212.229.5300 xHELP (4357)