Digital Portfolio

I’m using Lacie’s blog posts and some of these general posts to document how I’m instructing Lacie and what we accomplish each week.  I created separate Classrooms in Google Classroom for each of her subjects: Theology (Faith), Western Civilizations (History), Fine Arts ( Guitar), Latin1, Language Arts (Composition, Grammar, and Vocabulary), Literature (British Literature), and Algebra 1.  Every assignment completed is posted to Google Classroom.  For example, each week Lacie and my husband, Rob, have a 30 minute guitar lesson.  I post the lesson and tasks, such as which chords were introduced.  (BTW I need to remind Lacie to practice. Every. Single. Day.).

Note I said I post completed assignments.  Lacie corrects her work until I’m satisfied with her answers.  All of the Algebra problems must be corrected—actually she does more practice on topics she missed.  History and Theology work must be written in complete sentences with details.  Sometimes, I require more than her Kolbe syllabus requires just because I think it’s important.  For example, one question had the answer Juda (Judah).  I insisted she use Genesis to write all 12 sons of Jacob by wife or the wife’s servant in birth order.  Why?  The twelve sons represent the twelve tribes of Israel.  I think that is important.

Why have a blog when I can just post grades in Classroom?  The blog can report Lacie took her elements test for Chemistry five times before she earned 100%.  (It may be six or seven times.  She hasn’t earned 100% yet.). The blog is a record-a digital portfolio.

Your child may be an experienced home-schooler. She may use a blog to keep a reading log.  I have used the blog as an instructional tool.  My kids in Physical Science teach Newton’s Law problems by video and post them to my YouTube channel.  I’ve had Chemistry students post lab demonstrations to You tube, too.  Kids love it.  If their information is inaccurate or they forgot to add the units of measure they retake the video before it’s posted.  In fact, this gave me an idea.  I’m going to have one of the kids make a video on Bowling for Density to post on my science blog.  See why I blog?