Primary Research Teacher Interviews
Interview Sample Group:
Teacher 1, Year 2, Talara Primary College
Teacher 2, Year 2, Talara Primary College
Teacher 3, Year 1, Talara Primary College
Teacher 4, Year 7, Talara Primary College
Teacher 5, Year 5, Mountain Creek Primary School
Teacher 6, Prep, Mountain Creek Primary School
Teacher 7, Year1, Coolum State School
Teacher 8, Prep, Buddina State School
Principal 1, Hermit Park State School
Dr Helen Barrett, Digital Portfolios Expert
Selected Interview Transcripts
Teacher 1 & 2, Year 2, Talara Primary College On the 28th July 2010
Do you use digital portfolios in your classroom?
No, that is something the Prep teachers do and I don’t think many of them do those anymore.
I think some of the Prep teachers make the students paper portfolios through the course of the year. But I don't know about the digital portfolios.
Teacher 3, Prep, Talara Primary College On the 28th July 2010
Do you use digital portfolios in your classroom?
No, we decided not to use those anymore as there was some concern about families without computer access being left out when the CD goes home at the end of the term.
We have a file of information and worksamples for each student that are shown to parents when they come to parent teacher interviews.
Teacher 4, Year 7, Talara Primary College On the 29th July 2010
Do you use digital portfolios in your class?
No. That is something only the preps use.
Have you seen this framework of different digital portfolios before? (the Digital Portfolio Framework)
No
Do you record your students work digitally?
Yes, in lots of different classroom projects. I have a group of year 5 and 6 Gifted and Talented students that I do a special program with. Once a week, for an hour they come to a special pilot project that involves them selecting any topic they are interested in, research it, create a presentation and deliver it to their peers. Each presentation takes about 10 weeks to prepare and most of the class have just started working on their second presentation.
How is the program going?
Because the task in a student centred and self paced, the class has all been very motivated. The first round of topics were OK, but many of the students selected topics that were more for ‘fun’. The students have all observed the value of the task now and have selected far more interesting topics.
This time we have topics like:
- creating a narrative based on the Victorian bushfires
- comparing the cost of each of the components of a computer and make it himself to buying one retail – which is cheaper
- making a Virtual Classroom for the schools Special Education Unit, which identifies and classifies shapes, colours and words
- researching to find the ideal size and body shape of an athlete in a range of different sports
The students research, create and present their topics to the class in a format of their choice. Students have been using the computers to create a Power Point presentation on their chosen topics. They use the internet, digital cameras, video cameras and scanners to compile their information and resources into a presentation. When they are finished they do the presentation for the class and all the students reflect on the content and mode of the presentation.
This is a pilot program by it has been very successful, so it will keep running.
I then observed this process as one of the students presented her work.
Teacher 5, Year 5, Mountain Creek Primary School On the 21st July 2010
Do you use digital portfolios in your classroom?
No that’s something that the Prep teachers do and sometimes the grade one teachers. It takes up to much time.
Do you record your students work digitally?
Yes, the students just created a Photo Story with the pictures that they took when they were on camp. It was their assessment for that unit.
Have you seen this framework document before? (the Digital Portfolio Framework)
No.
Could the assessment task you just told me about be a digital portfolio like the Digital Capabilities Portfolio outlined in this document?
It does sound like it would fit in there, yes.
Teacher 6, Prep, Mountain Creek Primary School On the 22nd July 2010
Do you use digital portfolios in your class?
No.
Do you record your students work digitally?
Yes, all the time.
Principal 1, Hermit Park State School On the 28th July 2010
Do you use digital portfolios in your classroom?
No, we stopped using those a year and a half ago. We now enter all the students’ data, information, results and work levels into One School. It was an involving process and created a double up in the work load.
What tasks and activities are being used in the classroom that record your students work digitally?
The students do online quizzes, use the digital cameras, create vignettes and make movies or animations. We have one program that was allowing students to create avatars of themselves and record their class presentation through the avatar. This was great for all the shy, NESB and indigenous students as they
Is that a form of digital portfolio?
I guess it is yes.
Teacher 1, Year 2, Talara Primary College
Teacher 2, Year 2, Talara Primary College
Teacher 3, Year 1, Talara Primary College
Teacher 4, Year 7, Talara Primary College
Teacher 5, Year 5, Mountain Creek Primary School
Teacher 6, Prep, Mountain Creek Primary School
Teacher 7, Year1, Coolum State School
Teacher 8, Prep, Buddina State School
Principal 1, Hermit Park State School
Dr Helen Barrett, Digital Portfolios Expert
Selected Interview Transcripts
Teacher 1 & 2, Year 2, Talara Primary College On the 28th July 2010
Do you use digital portfolios in your classroom?
No, that is something the Prep teachers do and I don’t think many of them do those anymore.
I think some of the Prep teachers make the students paper portfolios through the course of the year. But I don't know about the digital portfolios.
Teacher 3, Prep, Talara Primary College On the 28th July 2010
Do you use digital portfolios in your classroom?
No, we decided not to use those anymore as there was some concern about families without computer access being left out when the CD goes home at the end of the term.
We have a file of information and worksamples for each student that are shown to parents when they come to parent teacher interviews.
Teacher 4, Year 7, Talara Primary College On the 29th July 2010
Do you use digital portfolios in your class?
No. That is something only the preps use.
Have you seen this framework of different digital portfolios before? (the Digital Portfolio Framework)
No
Do you record your students work digitally?
Yes, in lots of different classroom projects. I have a group of year 5 and 6 Gifted and Talented students that I do a special program with. Once a week, for an hour they come to a special pilot project that involves them selecting any topic they are interested in, research it, create a presentation and deliver it to their peers. Each presentation takes about 10 weeks to prepare and most of the class have just started working on their second presentation.
How is the program going?
Because the task in a student centred and self paced, the class has all been very motivated. The first round of topics were OK, but many of the students selected topics that were more for ‘fun’. The students have all observed the value of the task now and have selected far more interesting topics.
This time we have topics like:
- creating a narrative based on the Victorian bushfires
- comparing the cost of each of the components of a computer and make it himself to buying one retail – which is cheaper
- making a Virtual Classroom for the schools Special Education Unit, which identifies and classifies shapes, colours and words
- researching to find the ideal size and body shape of an athlete in a range of different sports
The students research, create and present their topics to the class in a format of their choice. Students have been using the computers to create a Power Point presentation on their chosen topics. They use the internet, digital cameras, video cameras and scanners to compile their information and resources into a presentation. When they are finished they do the presentation for the class and all the students reflect on the content and mode of the presentation.
This is a pilot program by it has been very successful, so it will keep running.
I then observed this process as one of the students presented her work.
Teacher 5, Year 5, Mountain Creek Primary School On the 21st July 2010
Do you use digital portfolios in your classroom?
No that’s something that the Prep teachers do and sometimes the grade one teachers. It takes up to much time.
Do you record your students work digitally?
Yes, the students just created a Photo Story with the pictures that they took when they were on camp. It was their assessment for that unit.
Have you seen this framework document before? (the Digital Portfolio Framework)
No.
Could the assessment task you just told me about be a digital portfolio like the Digital Capabilities Portfolio outlined in this document?
It does sound like it would fit in there, yes.
Teacher 6, Prep, Mountain Creek Primary School On the 22nd July 2010
Do you use digital portfolios in your class?
No.
Do you record your students work digitally?
Yes, all the time.
Principal 1, Hermit Park State School On the 28th July 2010
Do you use digital portfolios in your classroom?
No, we stopped using those a year and a half ago. We now enter all the students’ data, information, results and work levels into One School. It was an involving process and created a double up in the work load.
What tasks and activities are being used in the classroom that record your students work digitally?
The students do online quizzes, use the digital cameras, create vignettes and make movies or animations. We have one program that was allowing students to create avatars of themselves and record their class presentation through the avatar. This was great for all the shy, NESB and indigenous students as they
Is that a form of digital portfolio?
I guess it is yes.
