March 2005 — Exclusive

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Electronic Portfolios and Dimensions of Learning

By Frederick Conway

The infusion of technology in all academic areas makes it evident that schools of this new millennium will look quite different from the schools of the past. I feel electronic portfolios will be how students create and store information. This technology will bring new ways for students to document their progress through the course of a year, and even throughout their entire educational journey. So one might ask, why electronic portfolios? The answer is simple: Electronic portfolios will allow students to not only sharpen computer skills, but also give them a wider media to express their knowledge. Students are able to document knowledge through the traditional written text more powerfully by incorporating video clips, audio and animation. These new enhancements will challenge students to think more creatively and critically as they develop their portfolios. The following will show a direct link between electronic portfolios and the dimensions of learning.

Attitudes and Perceptions

Students usually have a positive attitude toward anything related to technology. They are not intimidated by computers and generally find them fun to explore. Their attitude has been enhanced by the introduction of the computer video game. The following five components help enhance positive attitudes and perceptions as they relate to the development of electronic portfolios:

  1. Give students the academic freedom to help develop what makes a good portfolio, and include developing slides that apply to their own interests and goals.
  2. Students will soon realize their portfolio is personal and unique, because they determine how it will look and select what enhancements to include.
  3. The process of developing this complex product should be broken down into small parts to ensure understanding.
  4. Provide individualized sessions for comments from the teacher.
  5. Provide sessions that give students the opportunity to view and evaluate portfolios from their peers.

Acquiring and Integrating Knowledge

Students are highly engaged in learning procedural and declarative knowledge throughout the development of their electronic portfolio. I will begin with procedural knowledge.

Constructing Models. The teacher and students should frequently "think aloud" to build an initial model, and regularly verbalizing their thoughts while demonstrating the process. Initially, this should be done solely by the teacher. However, as the students gain more confidence, give them the opportunity to verbalize and demonstrate what they know. Students may soon be able to develop their own creative flowcharts to guide them through the process.

Shaping. Soon after students verbalize and create their own flowcharts, they naturally move into the next phase: shaping. Challenge students to seek other ways to achieve the same end result of a procedure ("tricks" and "shortcuts" are the terms used in dimensions), while pointing out common errors and pitfalls. Students should be allowed to share their tricks or shortcuts as they discover them, so everybody can see and begin to internalize, which is the next phase. Also, allow students the opportunity to apply this knowledge to other academic areas.