Resources

Electronic Portfolios

electronicportfolios.org
http://www.electronicportfolios.org

The electronicportfolios.org website is sponsored by Helen Barrett, a recognized authority on the use of electronic portfolios in educational settings. This extensive site, rich with information and links to other useful information, is a good first step in finding more information about electronic portfolios.

Resources on the website include:

• “At-a-Glance” guides with instructions on various aspects of planning and producing electronic portfolios. One of the most useful is a Stages of Electronic Portfolio Development guide.
• an Evaluating Electronic Portfolios page describing a series of steps involved in creating rubrics for assessing portfolios. Also included are several links to other rubric websites.
• a Research on Portfolios in Education page outlining the history of electronic portfolios in education. This page has an extensive list of references (both electronic and paper-based) to research focused on electronic portfolio use.
• a Teacher (and Student Teacher) Portfolios page with a long list links to examples of portfolios, online resources, and her own publications.

E-Portfolios for Learning
http://www.electronicportfolios.org/blog/index.html

Dr. Barrett also hosts a weblog devoted to her research, experiences, and discussions about electronic portfolios. This is a good place to go for information about recent and ongoing electronic portfolio research and projects.

ALI Portfolio Expert Showcase
http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1000156/

The Apple Learning Interchange has an online expert showcase on electronic portfolio development featuring Dr. Barrett. Most of the modules in the showcase feature streaming video clips with explanations of the ideas discussed.

The showcase includes:

• the stages in developing a good portfolio
• the use of electronic portfolios in standards-based assessment
• the role of reflection in developing electronic portfolios
• links to Internet resources focused on electronic portfolios
• guides for using various software applications to produce a portfolio

ERADC - ePortfolio Research and Development Community
http://www.eradc.org/

Among other information about electronic portfolios and the international e-portfolio movement, David Tosh, author of the ERADC website, offers links to research, projects and news related to eportfolios.

Site highlights include:

• a searchable database of e-portfolio projects with links to their websites
• a list of past and upcoming conferences and other events focusing on e-portfolios
• a weblog (hosted by David Tosh) with the latest information about his own work and communication with others in the e-portfolio research community.

Resources from the ePort Consortium
http://www.eportconsortium.org/Content/Root/resources.aspx#Projects

This is a group of over 350 higher education and IT institutions in 29 countries who work together to develop portfolio software and standards. They host a resources page with an extensive collection of links to websites, articles, and other electronic portfolio projects.

Under the Sea: The Electronic Portfolio and Me
http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/nhli/exhibits/1000567/Background.html

This Apple Learning Interchange showcase highlights a project designed to teach teachers about Personal Learning Portfolios and the technology their elementary students can use to develop them. Participants also learned how to plan the activity and assess the products and process of students' portfolio development. Resources include a lesson plan, a list of the national and state standards the activity is designed to address, and samples of rubrics for assessment.

Directions in Electronic Portfolio Development
http://www.citejournal.org/vol2/iss4/general/article3.cfm

This article, written by David Gibson and Helen Barrett and included in Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 2 (4), explores two kinds of tools for creating electronic portfolios: generic tools versus customized systems. They examine the affordances and limitations of each approach and advocate the integration of the two in order to meet the systemic demand for accountability/comparability while capturing the learner's invidivual experience and expression.

The Electronic Portfolio Boom: What's it All About?
http://www.syllabus.com/article.asp?id=6984

This article, written by Trent Bateson and originally published in the December 2002 issue of Syllabus magazine, has a nice overview of electronic portfolios and the electronic portfolio movement. Discussion includes the benefits and difficulties of developing e-portfolios as well as a list of useful list of online resources.

The Digital Convergence: Extending the Portfolio Model
http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm04/erm0441.asp

Written by Gary Greenberg and included in the July/August 2004 issue of EDUCAUSE Review, this article offers insight into the process of translating the use of portfolios from artists to learners in other fields. The author looks at the rise of digital media, the opportunities the digital format affords, and the challenges inherent in implementing digital portfolios. He includes an overview of different kinds of electronic portfolios (showcase, structured, and learning) and provides descriptions and examples of university programs that use each type.