Making a Case for Digital Data Notebooks

In a technology article written about digital portfolios, Mary Daniels Brown addressed the importance of technology. She quoted Helen Barrett, assistant professor and educational technology coordinator for the School of Education at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, who stated, "the power of a digital portfolio is that it allows different access to different artifacts. The user can modify the contents of the digital portfolio to meet specific goals. As a student progresses from a working portfolio to a display or assessment portfolio, he or she can emphasize different portions of the content by creating pertinent hyperlinks.”

Barrett goes on to say that "a student can link a piece of work to a statement describing a particular curriculum standard and to an explanation of why the piece of work meets that standard. That reflection on the work turns the item into evidence that the standard has been met. In addition, a paper portfolio usually represents the only copy of portfolio content. When the portfolio is in digital format, students can easily duplicate and transport it." (Article by Mary Daniels Brown, Education World® Copyright © 2002 Education World.)

While this format is not appropriate for every situation, could the same insights prove meaningful for data notebooks? Our students must be prepared for the demands of the 21st Century and a world filled with advanced media and technology. Due to shrinking budget dollars, the implementation of data notebooks can be affected by limited paper supplies and copies.

Please use the Comment feature to let us know how your school is tackling the issues of paper and copies regarding data notebooks. We also invite you to share your ideas for creating and maintaining effective data notebooks using technology.