FreshGrade

Learning portfolios are great! They enhance parent-teacher communication and give the parents a window into the classroom. They become the portal where learning is documented and celebrated! But what program to use?


5 years ago, I waded in the idea. I did not have any clue what options there really were, but I had found something that could work for me. I used Evernote! I would create a folder for each of my students, share that folder with that particular parent, and violà! The beginnings of a portfolio! I loved it! My parents loved it! My district....not so much.

You see, Evernote is a program with servers based in the US. For BC teachers, that's a big NO NO for student information (FIPPA). So, I went looking for an alternate. Then, two years ago, FreshGrade walked into my life and I have not looked back!





I can honestly say, I'm a FreshGrade fanboy! If they would give me a flag, I'd run around my school district waving it. For those of you who haven't used it yet, FreshGrade is a Canadian-based (servers in Vancouver) online portfolio program to enhance Parent-Teacher communication. It goes way beyond that, adding in a user-friendly Gradebook as well. It supports, text, image, audio, video, pdf, weblinks, etc! It is also mobile friendly with apps for iOS and Android.

We see our students perform greats tasks everyday and can usually only share that with parents by writing them about it or telling them about it after school. However, imagine the power of having a video of that learning, sharing that with the parents on their child's portfolio along with all their other accomplishments. This is power of FreshGrade. Their portfolio becomes a living exemplar of their child's development and can also be a place where the students themselves can see how they are learning and growing.

This year, I have only activated the parents connection to the portfolios. I have not yet tried the student access (that will be something for next year). However, I encourage my parents to share FreshGrade with their children. After all, it is all about them!

If you haven't tried FreshGrade yet, take a look at it here! https://www.freshgrade.com/