This is a draft of my final paper for CSE 689 at Western Oregon University.

1. Danielle Hayden
10/22/17
CSE 689
Introduction to Electronic Portfolios
Before this week, I had no clue what an e-portfolio was or how it could apply to my
career. I had just signed up for a course because I needed a CSE credit in order to earn my
Masters of Arts in Teaching and renew my license in June. After this week, however, I have
learned that e-portfolios would be a great way to enhance my work as a high school mathematics
teacher both in and out of the classroom. The purpose of this paper is to explain what e-
portfolios are, discuss how they are used today, list important elements of e-portfolios, and
describe how I plan to use them in my profession as an educator.
According to Lorenzo and Ittelson (2005), “[a]n e-portfolio is a digitized collection of
artifacts, including resources and accomplishments that represent an individual, group,
community, organization, or institution” (p. 2). In other words, e-portfolios are electronic
archives in which a person or group can share, reflect upon, and interact with their work. Many
people mistake e-portfolios as online resumes or social networks, but they are not the same.
While Barrett (2010) asserts that the “lines are blurring between e-portfolios and social
networking”, she notes that there are distinct differences. Barrett (2010) continues to state that
“the major difference between the two is extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation”. What she means by
this is that e-portfolios are intended for continuing learning and growth, while social media sites
are generally fueled by extrinsic factors such as earning “likes” or sharing stories about one’s
personal life. E-portfolios, on the other hand, are fueled by intrinsic motivation such as the

2. desire to share knowledge and skills with others in order to analyze and build upon one’s
knowledge and skillsets.
E-portfolios generated by the intrinsically motivated can serve many purposes. Lorenzo
and Ittelson (2005) list the six major functions of e-portfolios as “plan[ning] educational
programs; document[ing] knowledge, skills, abilities, and learning; track[ing] development
within a program; find[ing] a job; evaluat[ing] a course; and monitor[ing] and evaluat[ing]
performance” (p. 3). In other words, educators can share information with others, track their
growth, find a job, and reflect upon their work. Barrett (2010) adds, “e-portfolios are used
primarily in education to store documents and reflect on learning, provide feedback for
improvement, and showcase achievements for accountability or employment”. This is a
powerful tool, especially for those who wish to better their practice by publishing their work,
reflecting upon it, and interacting with others who might have new ideas and perspectives to
contribute.
After reading Lorenzo and Ittelson (2005) and listening to the videos on Moodle, I found
that the key components of an e-portfolio are artifacts, reflections, and interactions. Some types
of artifacts that an e-portfolio may include are photos, videos, audio clips, links, etc. Along with
each artifact, an e-portfolio should have notes, comments, explanations, and reflections. Finally,
as Lorenzo and Ittelson (2005) posit, “e-portfolios are best done in a published format, like a
website, because they create a large potential audience, and therefore increases both motivation
and attention to quality” (p. 3). This implies that e-portfolios are meant to be a social learning
experience in which information is shared, challenged, and built upon through interactions with
others.

3. I would use e-portfolios in three different ways. The first way would be to display my
work as an educator with the intention of advancing my career or interviewing if I decided to
change schools. This kind of e-portfolio might include a mission statement, my educational
philosophy, my resume, stored lesson plans, videos and recordings of myself teaching, photos of
student work, professional development, research, and contact information. Not only would this
portfolio demonstrate my work as an effective mathematics educator, but also it would convey to
potential employers that I am competent with technology, I am organized, and I am passionate
about my work.
Another way I would use an e-portfolio would be to highlight my action research project
that is required for my degree. I could create a website in which I could share my research,
reflect upon my work so far, provide links to related books and websites, pose questions and
thoughts for further investigation, and open a forum for feedback and interaction with others.
This way, my project does not go to the Western Oregon University library to die; rather, it
flourishes and continues to grow in an online community.
Finally, I would use e-portfolios would be with my high school students in order to
promote 21st
century literacy. More specifically, I would choose a specific platform such as
Weebly or Google Sites and I would teach my students how to use that platform. Fortunately, I
have a class set of Chromebooks that my students have access to for this type of project. I try to
incorporate engaging activities as much as possible into my mathematics classrooms, and I think
that including a digital aspect such as an e-portfolio would enhance my students’ learning even
further while increasing their digital literacy. Rather than always making posters, writing papers,
and giving presentations in class, I could have my students create and share artifacts online. This
way, their projects do not get recycled and their presentations are not forgotten the next week.

4. Through this kind of project, my students will earn exposure to a variety of technological tools
and resources while creating, sharing, and continuing their learning.

5. References: