Overview

DPME templates integrate two forms of portfolio organization, standards-indexed™ and standards-referenced™. These concepts are unique to DPME. Standards-indexed™ portfolios typically align artifacts to standards in a linear manner. A single artifact frequently aligns with only one standard. This system makes it easy for evaluators to assess the depth of fulfillment for each standard, and the emphasis is on the standards rather than the educator’s actual artifacts.

Standards-referenced™ portfolios use artifacts as the central element of the organizational system, which consequently emphasizes reflection. The portfolios are presented and subsequently linked to all relevant standards. The DPME format encompasses both standards-indexed™ and standards-referenced™ forms of organization. Any form of organization, however, is not complete without reflection. DPME provides prompts where teachers describe, analyze, and plan based upon artifacts and the experiences associated with them (Bullock & Hawk, 2001). Reflections provide background information and context of the artifact, describe what the teacher learned, provide insight into teacher candidate thinking, and encourage future planning based upon experience (Bullock & Hawk, 2001).

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Formats

xWord Template

The DPME xWord template is a portfolio template that uses two Microsoft Office applications. This template contains two files: a Microsoft Word file and a Microsoft Excel file. The unique features of this template format include “auto-fill,” which removes the repetitive tasks of copying and pasting artifact names throughout the template, and this template format allows for the possibility of aligning artifacts to multiple sets of standards. The Word file is a single document that ranges from 23-30 pages. The Excel file is a single worksheet that ranges from 5-20 tabs. The lengths of both of these files depend on the number artifacts a practitioner uses and the types of standards being addressed. Previously created hyperlinks/bookmarks allows for easy navigation between files.

Organization

The Word file contains approximately 25 pages: Opening Page, Standards Overview, and Artifact Pages. The first page is the Opening Page, which is where a practitioner outlines his or her educational philosophy and/or a welcome statement. Following the Opening Page is a Standards Overview Page that contains general definitions for the standards being addressed in a given portfolio. This page also serves as a navigation menu to view individual Standard Pages. It is also possible to have more than one Standards Overview Page depending on the amount of standard types. Approximately 20 Artifact Pages follow the Standards Overview Pages. Artifact pages can be directly accessed in this file by scrolling down, or these pages can be reached from the Artifact Matrix where standard/component alignment information is displayed.

The Excel file contains approximately 8 pages: Artifact Matrix and Standard Pages. The first page is the Artifact Matrix Page, which is the navigational hub of all DPME templates. The Artifact Matrix page also serves as a target for numerous functions that are placed on individual Standard Pages contained in the Excel file. Standard Pages take information from the matrix and copy it throughout the template. This copying can happen for one set of standards or multiple sets of standards without requiring repetitive typing or copying and pasting. No information will have to be entered on to Individual Standard pages. An excel function copies artifact names from the artifact matrix when an “x” is typed into an artifact’s row.

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Microsoft Word Template

The DPME Word template is a portfolio template that uses software familiar to most practitioners. After extensive testing, the Word format has been refined to meet the needs of various practitioner skill levels. This single document may range from 25-50 pages in length depending upon the standards being addressed and the number of artifacts being used. Internal hyperlinks within the document provides easy navigation between artifacts, standards and reflections.

Organization

After extensive testing and retesting, the pages in a DPME Word format were combined into a single Word document. This document may range from 20-50 pages in length depending upon the standards being addressed and the number of artifacts being used. It opens with the Opening Page that includes a photo of the portfolio creator and an educational philosophy. The next page provides a Standards Overview, which is followed by the Artifact Matrix that acts as the major navigational tool for the portfolio. The individual Standard Pages follow in succession. Finally, the Artifact pages are placed at the end of the document. The template is designed to accommodate 15 artifacts. This number of artifacts can either be lengthened or shortened depending upon a practitioner's needs.

Navigation

Combining all of these pages into a single document was done to increase the efficiency and speed of navigation throughout the materials. The extended length of this document does not mean that the reader has to scroll through all of these pages in a sequential order.

Microsoft Word incorporates navigational capabilities called Hyperlinks and Bookmarks. Hyperlinks allow a user to create links to other locations within the portfolio document, to other files, or even to websites. Most links are already provided in the template. You will find that clicking on blue underlined numbers or words will cause you to move to other places in the document.

Hyperlinks are included in the template through the Standards Overview Page and Artifact Matrix. Also, a navigation bar is located at the bottom of every page. It allows movement between three main pages: Opening Page, Standards Overview and Artifact Matrix.

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HTML Template

The DPME HTML template is for more technologically advanced practitioners who want to post their portfolios on a website. The DPME HTML template contains the same prompts and look and feel of the Microsoft Word template. Unlike the Word format, the parts of the portfolio are contained in separate files. Hyperlinks are provided on the Standards Overview and Artifact Matrix pages to enable simple navigation between files. Also, a navigation bar is provided that connects to the pages: Opening Page, Standards Overview, and Artifact Matrix.

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