An e-portfolio is an electronic format for students to:
It enables students to represent information in different formats and, depending on the software, take the information with them between schools.
"It is the learning that really matters. Creating an e-portfolio involves skills essential for 21st century learning – organising and planning material, giving and receiving feedback, reflecting, selecting and arranging content to communicate with a particular audience in the most effective way."
e-Portfolios "are a way to generate learning as well as document learning" (Basken, 2008 ).
An e-portfolio can reflect a student's learning process and progress. Using a digital portfolio to track learning journeys supports formative assessment to improve future learning outcomes, is personalised with the student's own voice, and is a useful tool to inform student-led, parent, and teacher discussions.
e-Portfolios allow the student, their peers, teacher, and parents to share the learning process as each participant can contribute in real-time to enhance current learning while also promoting further learning. A digital portfolio supports:
The creation and management of an e-portfolio provides students with opportunities to build digital fluency, using technologies to create, select, organise, edit, and evaluate their work.
e-Portfolios are student-centred. Students can take increasing responsibility for their own learning by recording and reflecting on their learning in an e-portfolio. They are free to choose what specific work examples are included and to reflect on their learning.
e-Portfolios foster student engagement, motivation, and control. When students have choices in how to learn they are more engaged and motivated to move beyond knowledge acquisition to build deep understanding, make connections between the learning that occurs in different contexts, and use knowledge to create.
The purpose/s for an e-portfolio in your school will determine what tool is selected, how the tool is used in your classroom, the criteria for making entries, and how feedback/feedforward is provided.
You can use e-portfolios for:
Linda Sweeny and students explain the process for setting up Blogger for students to use as an e-Portfolio at Te Kura o Tiori Burnham School. They describe the benefits of collaborating and sharing their work with peers, whānau, and teachers.
Russell Street School teacher, Jacqui Innes describes the process and benefits of planning explicitly with students how and what to share on their e-portfolios.
Work together with parents, students, and teachers to make a schoolwide decision on who will view student work and how they will access it. This will depend on the tool you select for your e-portfolio.
When selecting a specific tool consider:
Look through the school stories and snapshots of learning to see what other schools are doing.
e-Portfolio and blogging tools for recording and showcasing evidence of achievement, managing development plans, setting goals, and creating online learning communities.
The Ministry recognises that e-portfolio tools are an important teaching and learning resource.
MyPortfolio provides a personal learning environment to record and showcase evidence of achievement, manage development plans, set goals, and create online learning communities.
Currently registration is free for New Zealand Schools. MyPortfolio works with any Learning Management System (LMS) supplied by the Ministry’s vendors.
Digital portfolios for any classroom. Seesaw enables students to independently document what they are learning at school.
A blogging service for educators and students, powered by Wordpress.
A blog publishing service owned by Google that allows for multiple blogs.
An and open source content management system (CMS) that allows users to create blogs and websites.
Google sites are part of the G Suite for Education. When you create a new site, it’s automatically added to Drive. Sharing permissions can be restricted so the site is either public or accessible only to people you want to share it with.
e-Portfolios are part of this NZ-based LMS. There is an initial setup cost for this tool along with a monthly hosting fee.
Nick Rate's presentation explains:
Teachers must ensure the underlying pedagogy of establishing students as lifelong learners with the skills to self-monitor and evaluate drives how e-portfolios are used. The technology or device used does not replace the learning. The technology is a vehicle to accomplish effective learning outcomes.
Rate, N. (2008) Assessment for learning and e-portfolios: What are the formative benefits of e-portfolios?
Whānau connections are a priority at Park Estate School. This report details their inquiry into strengthening learning partnerships via Seesaw digital learning journals. It includes their inquiry questions, literature review, findings, and recommendations.
Music students at St Peter’s College in Palmerston North used e-portfolios to record their reflections, compositions, and understandings.
Students from Mount Roskill Grammar School engaged in shared learning with their peers and subject teachers for NCEA Level 3 English using MyPortfolio.
Student ownership of learning at Fairfield Intermediate School in Hamilton was supported through MyPortfolio.
Suzanne Baldwin and Lizzy Harrison, Burnside High School, addressed the needs of 13 target learners by making learner agency a core focus for their inquiry.
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Associate Principal and Senior Team Leader at Te Kura o Tiori Burnham School, Linda Sweeny, explains the process for setting up Blogger for students to use as an e-Portfolio.
Rob Clarke principal of Burnham School describes the benefits of using e-portfolios in the school community to connect with parents.
Waerenga o Kuri student, Herepo Wynyard talks about how the involvement of her whānau both online (through her e-portfolio), and face-to-face at school has encouraged success with her learning goals.
Wairakei School teacher and her student explain why blogging encourages students to produce better quality work because it is being seen and commented on by an authentic audience.
Hillcrest Normal School teacher, Michelle Macintyre shares how technology has enabled parents to be involved in different ways with students' learning.
Renee Strawbridge (DP Mt Biggs School) explains how they use Seesaw to connect parents and whānau with student learning.
Blogger has been used to trial e-portfolios at Kimi Ora. ICT lead teacher Jess Hall shares the process she went through to select Blogger, and introduce it to staff and parents.
James Rea, Deputy Principal at Russell Street School , explains the purpose and content of their e-portfolio documentation.
Nic Mason, teacher at Russell Street School , and his students describe the process, some of the tools, and the learning they gain through creating blog posts.
Russell Street School teacher, Jacqui Innes, describes the process and benefits of planning explicitly for what students will share on their e-portfolios.
Teacher, Jacqui Innes from Russell Street School describes how students individual e-portfolios and the class blog serve different purposes but work in conjunction with each other.
Deputy Principal Miranda Makin explains the benefits of using e-portfolios for students participating in the Impact Projects .
Parents of Hampden Street School students explain how blogging and e-portfolios help them stay connected with their children's learning.
French teacher Sarah Collett and two of her students, describe the usefulness of using a wiki to create and enhance authentic language learning experiences.
Staff and students from Apiti School discuss the benefits of using e-portfolios to share student learning with parents and the community.
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A collection of videos with educators discussing e-portfolios within an educational context.
This search result provides links to principals' sabbatical reports and other useful information on e-portfolios from the Educational Leaders website.
Effective practice with e-portfolios: Supporting 21st century learning
A comprehensive synopsis of the main drivers, purposes, processes, perspectives, and issues around e-portfolio use. Published by Jisc, 2008.
Assessment for learning and e-Portfolios
This efellows research report, written in 2008 by Nick Rate, explores what teachers can do to maximise the formative learning benefits of online e-portfolios.
A site for children who blog and their parents to gain information, inspiration, and support. It was founded by a blogging mum, with help from her two blogging children.
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