Electronic Portfolios

Portfolios are a useful tool when assessing student performance and validate the hard work of both the teacher and student in ways that standardized tests can not. By providing work samples that show growth, true ability, and students’ thinking, portfolios provide a more holistic and accurate picture of a child’s achievement and ability. In addition to being more holistic, another advantage of using portfolios to assess students is that the students can be more involved in the evaluation of the portfolios. Instead of sending test papers off to be scanned, students can look through their own work and observe their personal growth, areas of strength, and areas for improvement.
With the internet, the benefits of portfolios is increased. Students are producing more work than ever using technology, so many of their best products are already digitized. Tools are readily available in schools to create digital versions of student work by using scanners, document cameras, digital cameras, or video cameras. When a teacher is focused on creating e-portfolios for students, the amount and types of technology being used and integrated into instruction are going to increase. This is just one of the benefits.
There are also economic benefits to e-portfolios. By the end of the school year, my student files are overflowing with work samples. Periodically I’m responsible for pulling work samples for conferences, IEP meetings, SBC-GE meetings, and any other meeting in which student performance is being discussed. I often find myself making copies of paper to share or send off to different departments for the county. An e-portfolio saves money on copies, space in my drawers, and time looking for examples.
This accessibility is another great benefit of electronic portfolios. Instead of copying papers and sending them everywhere, individuals can just pull up the documents online. Ahn (2004) mentions that multiple teachers can comment on an artifact within a document. This is extremely beneficial for all students. For example, a gifted student working on an independent study can post artifacts as he conducts his research. Along the way the regular education teacher can post questions or comments, the AG specialist can provide scaffolding, and a mentor from the community (or across the world!) can provide input as well. Through this practice of regular feedback and reflection, the focus of school shifts from completing an assignment to improving one’s understanding.
Ahn (2004) discussed the importance of developing standards for the products included in an e-portfolio. I think this is crucial because when students know what is expected, they are more likely to achieve at a high level. Clear standards can lead to more independence for students. When they know their work is being collected and assessed based on clear expectations, there is more incentive to do their best, especially when that work is easily accessible. Parents can be informed of student performance instantaneously using e-portfolios, or the portfolios can be shared during student-led conferences. When the responsibility for posting, evaluating, and sharing work is placed on the student rather than the teacher, the student is more likely to do his or her best work.
I really like the fact that when the work is posted online, it is continuously available. Even when students have an opportunity to reflect on an assignment after receiving feedback, it usually doesn’t appear again. With e-portfolios, students can look at their previous assignments as often as they wish. They can track their personal growth in a more concrete way because they can go back and see comments made by the teacher or their reread their own reflections about past assignments. A piece of work is no longer forgotten; it stays posted as a guide for future assignments.
Managing an e-portfolio does require a high level of comfort with using the internet as a storage and communication tool. Some teachers, parents, and students are apprehensive about this form of communication. It is also inaccessible to many people who do not have access to the internet regularly. One answer to this issue is the traditional paper portfolio. Artifacts can always be printed off for parents or other individuals who can’t access them online. However, one great benefit of having information stored online is that it can be accessed from anywhere that has internet access. A parent who does not have it at home, can go to the library to access information. Previously they would have to arrange a time to go to the school and meet with the teacher to access the student’s work samples. The internet can be limiting, but it more often the opposite.

Ahn, J. (2004, Apr.). Electronic portfolios: Blending technology, accountability& assessment. THE Journal, 31(9), 12-18.