One of the FAQ's that I found to be particularly informing of e-portfolio's was question 6: what do I put in an e-portfolio. The doctor responds that the content of a portfolio is largely dependant on its target audience:
"Barton & Collins (1997) have identified four types of evidence that can be placed in an educational portfolio: – Artifacts: documents produced during normal academic work– Reproductions: documents of student work outside the classroom– Attestations: documentation generated about student’s academic progress– Productions: documents prepared just for the portfolios. These productions include: – Goal Statements: Student’s personal interpretations of each specific purpose for the portfolios – Reflective Statements: Students write as they review and organize the evidence in their portfolios – Captions: Statement attached to each piece of portfolio evidence, articulating what it is, why it is evidence, and of what it is evidence. "
This gave me a much clearer idea of what I was to put inside of my portfolio. The way Doctor Barrett introduced the various subjects, (artifacts, reproductions, attestations, productions, and goal statements) made it much more simplistic in thinking of an outline for my project. I'm still having a hard time distinguishing between artifacts and reproductions (From my understanding, they are both reflections of academic accomplishments. The difference being that the former was initially created for an academic institution, and the latter pertains to personal accomplishments outside the realm of such institutions). They seem to be very much intertwined, but that is possibly because I haven't started thinking about these terms with regards to my own personal work.
Knowing this outline, I feel like I am more knowledgeable about both the format and content of an e-portfolio. To start creating mine, I would look for my most prized academic achievements both inside and outside the class room. Then, I would look for forms and documents that back up these claims of excellence, such as transcripts or teacher recommendations. Barrett’s last comment on “Captions” clued me in; this part of the portfolio is meant to back up your evidence. Knowing this, I think that I’ve changed my mind slightly about what an e-portfolio is. At first I thought it was a way for an individual to express their personality and accomplishments in an easy to distribute, easily replicated format. However, now I think of an e-portfolio as a concise and neat way to organize one’s achievements in a way that is recognizable and veritable by others outside your field of interest.
In the next few sections the content will vary based on the intended audience; the creator of the portfolio addresses to viewers their goals and purpose in the future.
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25 points. I'm relieved to hear that you found the FAQs useful -- since some of your peers just abhorred them! Your choice of Questions may be part of the secret: what goes in an ePortfolio is a much tougher question to answer than it first appears to be. I think the difference btwn "artifacts" and "reproductions" is simply a way to distinguish between "school-projects" and "personal projects" produced outside a school setting. Whether that is an important distinction depends on audience, just as the good Dr. B says.
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