E-portfolios for Students

A portfolio is a sampling of the breadth and depth of a person's work conveying his or her range of abilities, attitudes, experiences, and achievements.

Five Steps Inherent in the Development of Effective Electronic Portfolios:
1. Selection: the development of criteria for choosing items to include in the portfolio based on established learning objectives.
2. Collection: the gathering of items based on the portfolio's purpose, audience, and future use.
3. Reflection: statements about the significance of each item and of the collection as a whole.
4. Direction: a review of the reflections that looks ahead and sets future goals.
5. Connection: the creation of hypertext links and publication, providing the opportunity for feedback.
(http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech111.shtml)

Guidelines for Developing a Digital Portfolio
- Set realistic goals about your design ideas and expectations.
- Study some models that you like.
- Allow for continuous improvement and growth.
- Make it personal.
- Make sure the content meets the needs and expectations of those who will be assessing your work.
- Create your portfolio in a site that you and others can access easily.
(http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech111.shtml)

The three most common types of portfolios are:
1. the working portfolio, which contains projects the student is currently working on or has recently completed.
2. the display portfolio, which showcases samples of the student's best work.
3. the assessment portfolio, which presents work demonstrating that the student has met specific learning goals and requirements.
(http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech111.shtml)

Editing and Storing Sites and Software
- Adobe PhotoShop; very popular software for graphics and photo manipulation.
- Picnik.com; very nice online editing software that’s compatible with Flickr, Myspace, Facebook, Photobucket, Picasa, and Webshots.
- Flickr.com; great place to store photos online. Easy to share with others, and they can give you feedback or follow the progress of your site.
- Artsonia.com; fun place to store your work in a portfolio as part of a school system gallery or museum. It can grow with you after school but probably won’t.
- Weblogs or wikis; can sign up for free and maintain from any computer with web access.