When I think of a portfolio, I think of physical/paper-based (ummmm, yes, I’m showing my age). Me, walking into an interview with my large black, zip around binder which consisted of my resume, references, examples of my work (growth or reflections not included) and whatever else I thought would be useful (like chocolate, just kidding). After being enlightened through this class (Intro to Educational Technology 524), the assigned readings, and Dr. Dondlinger’s explanation of ePortfolios, I began to understand that there is more to a portfolio than just showing what I’ve done. With an ePortfolio, you can demonstrate personal reflections of your work in learning and growth and in some cases for assessment of formal education. Also, ePortfolios can help you to become engaged in your education, show your work in a creative way, enhance your learning, and receive helpful feedback from your instructors and peers.
Batson states, “We can move from this very thin and veiled domain of grades based largely on tests to the colorful, detailed and informative domain of evidence-based learning (EBL).” I agree very much with Baston’s comment. In my opinion, test/quiz scores are not an accurate form for assessment because when you pull life situations (homeless, no food in the house, no sleep, drugs, etc.) into the picture or have test anxiety (ME!), it can cause a score that is not a true demonstration of what a student knows. If you use an ePortfolio for an assessment, this allows you to assess the student’s work and understanding through written reflections. “Many departments, programs, colleges and universities, and K-12 systems are awakening to a realization that there is a better way to measure student achievement, a better way to assess and evaluate, and a better way toward accountability than mere letters (grades) based on mere test scores.”
Comparing physical portfolios to ePortfolios could be a preference, but in this day and age, ePortfolio would be the way to go. Using an ePortfolio would benefit you and help with organization and presentation. You wouldn’t need to make multiple copies to share with everyone at your interview, they could just pull your ePortfolio up and review your information.
I explored several ePortfolio platforms. Carbonmade was the first one I explored. I don’t feel it will be a fit for me because the number one thing is that it charges. Plus, it is more for the visual arts. I was not able to explore FolioSpaces because even though it is free, they actually wanted you to create an account first and I didn’t want to create an account. I explored Google Sites (didn’t even know about this and I use Google all the time). I also explored Foliotek. This seemed like a very friendly platform and similar to WIX. It gave you the proper pages and all the instructions you needed for each page you created. The affordances were user friendly and it was not confusing or difficult to know which tools to use for each page. The only downfall was it cost after 30 days. Google Sites was another platform I explored. It seemed very simple and self-explanatory, and since I am familiar with Google Drive and some of the other features (Google Slide, Doc, Sheet, and more) I thought I might use it, but I decided not to because I wanted to use something I was not as familiar with so I could become more familiar with using. My final choice was Wix. I created my blog on Wix and liked it pretty well. The affordances are friendly and they have video tutorials. Just click the help button and a variety of videos pop up for you too choose from according to the help you need. It has everything you need to create your ePortfolio. *Since this assignment, I have switched over to Google Sites because it is more convenient to upload my work.
For my students, I would have them use Google Sites as their ePortfolio. The reason I chose this was because they are familiar with Google Classroom, Google Doc., Google Slide, etc. The affordances are all in one place on the right. There are six theme choices and each theme has a choice of three font styles. I think less choices for students are better because less time trying to decide on themes, fonts, pictures, etc. and more time on reflecting. “ePortfolios, as tools, allow students to have their own set of management tools that they control and own so their learning is longitudinal instead of episodic”, states Batson in his article titled “A Profoundly Disruptive Technology”.
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