Laura Schilly

I started teaching in the fall of 2004. I still didn’t have a cellphone, my car door didn’t latch in the winter, but I was ready to change the world. I was handed a list of approved novels and short stories and directions for keeping student writing portfolios. The directions were more of a simply stated order: “Keep writing portfolios.” There were no other requirements and, most likely, no one would ever see these portfolios. Having completed high school four years prior and fresh out of college, my change-the-world-one-kid-at-a-time mentality took this order with a shrug and a quiet, “Okay.”

 

Meanwhile, I knew exactly what a writing portfolio was: a place where graded essays went to die. In spite of the manilla folders eroding away in a file cabinet and several attempts to improve upon the system, the importance of portfolios as evidence of student learning and growth has not diminished. And now, with the readily available technology and stress for 21st century learning, I propose that there needs to be a push for all students to create ePortfolios in their ELA classes that will be developed over their high school career.

 

In its simplest form, the ePortfolio is a “learner’s digital evidence of meaningful connections” (Harapnuik, n.d.). An ePortfolio experience is valuable in the way that “it makes learning visible, facilitating connective reflection, sharing and deeper, more integrative learning” (Eynon, Gambino, & Török, 2014, p.98).  With the implementation of ePortfolios, we will be taking the first necessary step to enriching our students’ learning. As a district, we are well aware that our students are being asked to leave high school as college and career ready individuals, but many lack the resources and skills. It is on us, as a community of learners and leaders, to be able to lead the way to prepare them for whatever is next. ePortfolios go far beyond serving as a showcase of student learning; the actual process of developing an ePortfolio provides an opportunity to learn so many other skillsets.

 

One of these skillsets is the creation of an online presence. Allowing students to create a domain of their own and have more control over their learning goals, grants them ownership over something they once had no control in. This sense of ownership will not only encourage learning and critical thinking, but it in turn, creates a much more authentic opportunity (Thibodeaux, Cummings, & Harapnuik, 2017). With authentic and meaningful learning experiences, students will not only be more engaged, but also more successful.

 

The very nature of ePortfolios provides an extremely reflective rich and metacognitive experience. As educators, we are always taking a moment to reflect on a lesson; it only makes sense we ask our students to do the same. As John Dewey, an influential pioneer in education reform pointed out, “We do not learn from experience; we learn from reflecting on experience.” The combination of self-reflection and ePortfolios creates a “powerful pedagogical tool that extends the ePortfolio far beyond a visual resume” (O’Connor, 2014, para. 2). Our students will have something to show their future college, employer, or military recruiter that goes well beyond the walls of the classroom and promotes their best possible selves.

 

Fourteen years into my career, I recognize an urgent need for change. My students are more engrossed in their technology and digital selves than what I have to offer. Why not tap into this fascination that seems to steal their attention? By introducing students to ePortfolios we will increase student engagement, teach them digital literacies, and prepare them for their next chapter. This is not something that can happen overnight, nor will this be an easy fix-all solution. However, by implementing the use of ePortfolios, our district will be taking the first step in the absolutely necessary education revolution.

 

References

Eynon, B., Gambino, L. M., Török, K. (2014). What difference can ePortfolio make? A field report from the connect to learning project. International Journal of ePortfolio, 4 (1). 95-114. Retrieved from http://www.theijep.com/pdf/IJEP127.pdf

Harapnuik, D. (n.d.). What is an ePortfolio [Blog post]. Retrieved from http:www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=5977.

O’Connor, M. (21 July 2014). “ePortfolios and self-reflection: Powerful pedagogical tools for learning.” Retrieved from https://teachingcommons.stanford.edu/teaching-talk/eportfolios-and-self-reflection-powerful-pedagogical-tools-learning.

Thibodeaux, T., Cummings, C., Harapnuik, D. (2017). Factors that contribute to ePortfolio persistence. International Journal of ePortfolio, 7 (1). 1-12. Retrieved fromhttp://www.theijep.com/pdf/IJEP257.pdf