Teacher: Analisa Shinn

Date:
Class: Art 1
Grades: 9-12

Lesson: Building a Digital Portfolio

BIG IDEA: Portfolio

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
How can I best display my artwork in a digital portfolio? What elements would I need to showcase to make my portfolio
a good representation of me as an artist?

OBJECTIVES:
- TSW understand demonstrate their work with the elements and principles through visual examples of their
work, presented in an online portfolio
- TSW learn about the importance of showcasing their work and growth in art and apply that knowledge to the
building of their portfolio
- TSW evaluate their work by creating an artist statement

MATERIALS:
- One computer per student
- One camera per student (can be from smartphones)
- Portfolio Webpage Instructions

DIFFERENTIATION PLANNING:
If some students do not have their own phone, students may work in pairs or small groups, using only one phone.

TEKS:
- 1b, 1c, 1d – students will identify specific elements of art (line, texture, color, space); identify specific principles
of design (emphasis, balance, contrast); make judgements about expressive properties
- 2b, 2c, 2f – students will communicate a variety of applications for design solutions; understand that the easiest
way to avoid plagiarism is to use their own source photos; use an understanding of copyright and public domain;
demonstrate effective use of art media and tools
- 3a – students will compare/contrast a variety of historical and contemporary artists through their online body of
works/portfolios
- 4b, 4c, 4d – students will complete self-evaluations; construct a digital portfolio; select and analyze original
artwork

**Weebly is a very user-friendly website builder; however, to best instruct your students, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that
you begin by creating your own website/portfolio before starting this lesson.

DAY 1:
1. Have students compile their work completed in class through the year, then have them organize and
photograph all of it (for 3D pieces, consider multiple views where applicable).
2. Using their phones for taking the photographs, have them also complete simple editing to crop and enhance
contrast/saturation where needed.
3. Let students know that their editing should not enhance their actual piece, but should be done to create the
best representation of the piece possible.
DAY 2:
1. Using a computer lab or a laptop cart, have students research various artists’ websites.
2. Ask students to compare/contrast various artist webpages, then decide what webpage(s) they felt were the best
example of a digital portfolio of work and why (writing prompt).

DAY 3:
1. Using a computer lab or laptop cart, give students the instructions on how to create their digital portfolio.
2. Have students log on to weebly, then make sure that they are following the instructions to properly create their
portfolio.
3. Students will use their phone/USB cords or school emails to transfer all of their art images to the computers.
4. Once images are transferred, they can begin using them to build their portfolios.

DAYS 4-8:

1. Allow students to continue working on the building of their portfolios.

2. Your classes may not take a full five days to build their portfolios, but it is best to plan for that length of time.
3. The final step – once everything has been completed and proofed – is to publish their webpage. Once
published, their page will be accessible from any phone or computer!