Collecting Portfolio Artifacts
Early in your career you should start collecting samples and materials that reflect your knowledge, skills, and accomplishments. These items are called artifacts. Don't save everything! Collect only the highest quality material and then store it properly in your working portfolio for safety and easy retrieval. You will not use all of the artifacts you collect. In fact, you should include no more than 10 artifacts in a presentation portfolio. However, it is important to keep more materials accessible so that you can choose from them to customize a presentation portfolio successfully.
The following two segments list of the kinds of artifacts you might include. (Remember that in addition to artifacts all presentation portfolios will also include your resume, letters of recommendation, references, professional memberships and affiliations, a statement of your career objective or goals.)
Artifacts for an Instructional Designer
- Multimedia projects developed
- Articles
- Workshops & training sessions conducted
- Planning documents
- Letters of accommodation
- Presentations
- Tutorials
- Websites, blogs, podcasts
- Work with volunteer associations and professional organization
Artifacts for a K-12 Teacher
- Model units, instructional plans
- Written material such as handouts created for workshops
- Blogs & websites
- Curriculum guides (even if co-authored)
- Letters from administrators, students, parents
Storing your files properly will keep them safe and make them easy to retrieve when you are putting together you presentation portfolio.
Here are some hints on storing artifacts.
- Keep digital files on a secure medium such as the hard drive on your personal computer or in your home directory on the university file server.
- Designate a Zip disk or a CD-RW as a back up in case your original files are lost or damaged.
- Digitize hard copies of your artifacts.
- Collect screen captures of web based materials
- Use a scanner to convert pictures to digital images.
- Convert written material to either Adobe Acrobat (PDF) or a text file.
- Digitize video segments.
- Develop and store sound files.
