Technology in education has changed significantly in the last five years, with students now regularly creating digital projects using computers and Chromebooks in classrooms. To address how students can store and share their finished digital projects, teachers are instructing students to create e-portfolios - digital collections of their work that can be accessed online by parents. E-portfolios have many uses beyond education, such as for job applications and memory therapy for Alzheimer's patients. While versatile, e-portfolios' biggest application is in education, as students learn to create them at a young age and continue adding to them throughout their schooling.

1. How has technology in education changed in the last five years? If you walk into the
typical fifth-grade classroom today, you will see students spending time creating projects on
computers or Chromebooks. This is not a case of a lazy teacher; it is preparing them for the
electronic education trend. With that in mind, what are kids going to do with their finished
projects and how will parents be able to view them? My question can be answered by teaching
the students to create e-portfolios.
An e-portfolio is simply ”… a digitized collection of artifacts, including demonstrations,
resources, and accomplishments that represent an individual, group, community, organization, or
institution. This collection can be comprised of text-based, graphic, or multimedia elements
archived on a Web site or on other electronic media such as a CD-ROM or DVD.” (Lorenzo and
Ittelson, An Overview of E-Portfolios, 2005) By saving their digital projects on a website or
other media, it becomes possible for parents to view their child’s work at home. Even if there is
not a computer in the home, most houses have a smartphone or a gaming console that can
connect to the internet or play a DVD.
The beauty of e-portfolios is that their use is unlimited. They are not used as just an
education tool. Many universities now require students to keep their work in one. They are also
used for job applications, as we have started to move that direction in the Salem-Keizer School
District, or just simply for a fun project to commerate a fun event or trip. Helen Barrett made a
comment in her video about the use of e-portfolios that hit very close to home for me. Many
memory care centers are having families of Alzheimer’s patients create e-portfolios with pictures
of family, friends, and themselves to use as therapy. (TEDxASB, Helen Barrett, 2010)
While they are extremely versatile, the biggest use of e-portfolios is in education. As I
mentioned in my introduction, it is imperative that we are teaching our students how to create

2. them at an early age. The trend is not going away. Their portfolio will follow them throughout
their entire school career and allow them to refer back to projects they created for references
instead of having to recreate them at a later time.
Teachers are also using e-portfolios. They are great tools for developing professional
development or organizing various projects or lessons they have done with their classes. If you
search the internet for teacher web pages, most of them are set up as some kind of portfolio,
They are published to share information and ideas with other teachers. After all, one of the first
things we learn as teachers is to avoid reinventing the wheel. I do feel that it important to
understand what I call teacher etiquette. If you are going to search other teachers’ portfolios for
ideas, you need to share yours too.
There are some specific elements of a successful e-portfolio. In the YouTube video,
What is an e-Portfolio?, they state that three key elements are being electronic, containing
artifacts, and posting reflections. As I mentioned before, the fact that they are electronic and
able to be viewed in numerous ways is what makes them so convenient. There is no limit on the
amount of information you can add to them. The portfolios also need to contain artifacts like
pictures, videos, and presentations that support and demonstrate the skills of the author. It
should also contain a section for reflections such as a blog or other way to post their thoughts and
ideas. A blog can remain a live document and conversations can go on continuously about
specific topics the author is passionate about. I like a comment they made in the video and that
is that e-portfolios are as unique as the people who design them. Like snowflakes, no two will be
the same.
I am in the process of creating my own e-portfolio. I have multiple reasons for wanting
to do this. One is that it is an exit requirement for the graduate program I am finishing. I am

3. required to design a portfolio and include specific papers and projects related to my degree. I
will then present it to my advisors to show what I learned in this program. Another way I plan to
use them is to organize my teaching files. I have been in the field for 25 years and I have a lot of
things in files and drawers. I can take pictures or scan the paper items and store them digitally. I
also plan to go through my digital files and upload the keepers to that portfolio. The last way I
plan to use e-portfolios is with my students. I am already doing this by having my kids develop
essays and projects online. While they are currently saved in their district Google drives, what I
train them to do now will provide great material for them later.
E-portfolios are not going away. If anything, we are going to see them more and more.
I’m sure the day is coming when most employers will ask for an e-portfolio to be attached to a
job application, or a college requiring one to be attached to an admission application. They are a
powerful tool and can be used for anything.