This section focuses on  the advantages of using electronic portfolios:

• foster active learning
• motivate students
• are instruments of feedback
• are instruments of discussion on student performance
• exhibit "benchmark" performance
• are accessible, can store multiple media,  are easy to upgrade and 
• allow cross-referencing / cross curricular  student work.
• provides a natural vehicle for the integration of technology  (see 21st Century Literacy Skills)

• e- Portfolios foster active learning

Effective instruction should be more than something "delivered" to students. Students become active learners only when they assume ownership and control of their learning. There is little reason for students to develop ownership of standardized test scores filed away in the office. Portfolios help students to set goals for learning, review their goals periodically, and assume responsibility for their own learning. They also allow parents to be informed partners in their child's learning.

• e- Portfolios motivate students.
Displaying their work to anyone on the WWW is much more motivating for students then producing for the teacher. Students like to display their work, and now the technology allows them to display their work to the entire world.

Electronic portfolios also encourage students to engage in periodic self reflection, a very important component of learning.

• e-Portfolios are instruments of feedback.

e-Portfolios allow for the evaluation on the efficiency of learning goals, the effectiveness of learning strategies, and the clarity of knowledge presentation. Put together, this leads to a system of feedback where several processes in the educational cycle may be evaluated simultaneously.

Not only do they provide feedback to students, but they also create a means for exchanging feedback between teachers, and the administration.

• e-Portfolios are instruments of discussion on student performance.

Portfolios may serve as concrete instruments for teacher-student, parent-teacher, and parent-student discussion. It is possible to gain a better understanding of a student's abilities by examining the student's work; thus, parent conferences take on a totally new definition through e-portfolios since portfolios can provide a more detailed picture of the student's achievements than test scores and letter grades. e-Portfolios allow parents to examine teacher expectations, Alberta Learning  standards, the students' achievements conveniently and efficiently.

• e-Portfolios exhibit "benchmark" performance.

Suppose parents, administrators or other teachers would like to compare their students' performance with those of students from other classes or schools, other years, other school districts. e-Portfolios provide an efficient method for displaying student work that meets high standards. No longer is student performance behind classroom doors, but out in the public for all interested to examine.

• e-Portfolios are accessible.

The major advantage of e-Portfolios over folders and notebooks is that they provide easy access to student performance. Students' learning products are readily accessible to students, parents, administrators, and other teachers over the WWW. This process introduces economy in storage, and ease of access from practically anywhere in the world.

 

• e-Portfolios can store multiple media.

Students' writing may be collected easily in notebooks and files. But what about samples of oral reading, a three dimensional model, artwork, a sketch, an animation? By using e-Portfolios it is possible to include examples of all these different media in a portfolio.

• e-Portfolios are easy to upgrade.

Like most information on the WWW, the organization and content of electronic portfolios may be periodically updated. As students progress though the school year, their work may be added to the portfolios. Student portfolios may even be extended over a few year

• e-Portfolios allow cross-referencing of student work
The dynamic nature of web-pages makes it possible to cross-reference student work in a meaningful way. Suppose a science project also contains samples of math problems the student solved while working on the project. Paper and pencil portfolios would require that copies of the same work would be filed under multiple headings. Using e-portfolios, it is possible to create meaningful links between all work that is presented

21st Century Literacy Skills

Building a Framework for 21st Century Literacies

"As we move forward into the 21st century, it is up to us to identify the essential elements of current multi-literacies and promote them, to address the special characteristics of each of today's media and technology, and to create the personal and institutional flexibility to change and learn as the world does."

Literacies at the End of the Twentieth Century

Rapidly changing technologies and growing diversity are dramatically reshaping how we live our lives. This is especially true in the classroom and library where most young people do not remember a time without the World Wide Web and technology has transformed the opportunities for learning.

More than ever, the ability to be information literate by defining an information need, accessing and evaluating resources in multiple forms, using information effectively, and creating content is critical for full participation in society. Likewise, cultural, media and visual literacies recognize that all information is constructed within a social, political, and cultural context and thus requires interpretation, sensitivity and awareness.

As educators transition from more traditional teaching methods to those that are inquiry based, students must self-direct their own learning, cooperate with classmates from diverse backgrounds, and think critically about the abundance of information made available through technological developments. Librarians face the same challenges with users as the Internet and other electronic media become the prevalent methods by which information is accessed. Young people without a constellation of 21st century literacy skills will surely be left behind. Literacies at the End of the Twentieth Century further describes many of the literacies we encounter everyday.

http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/21stcent/framework.html

Learning how to access and manage information, think critically, solve complex problems, and use technology effectively are essential skills for living and working productively in the 21st century.

The goals of the institute include helping teachers to:

• Address standards and basic skills utilizing authentic learning experiences
• Foster critical thinking and communication among their students
• Prepare students to become part of a learning/working community by fostering collaboration
• Teach information literacy skills (e.g., finding, evaluating and using information) in the meaningful context of inquiry-based learning
• Use technology to enhance student productivity and promote creativity
• Integrate technology into instruction through web searching, database construction, concept mapping and the creation of multimedia projects

What do e-portfolios foster?

• promotes the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to develop effective lifelong information awareness, seeking, management, and presentation strategies
• provides a natural vehicle for the integration of technology into instruction
• utilizes a variety of tools to help students understand the information they gather
• addresses the needs of  the  cross curricular learners: English-language/ science/social /tech learners,

Authoring  in the Media of our Times:  e-Portfolio Assessment