The Mighty E-Portfolio

Technology has changed many aspects of our lives, including the ways in which we communicate with one another. Written communication has transformed into digital, electronic communication. With these changes, we have also seen the rise of the electronic portfolio. But, what exactly is an electronic portfolio? According to the Conference on College Composition and Communication website, electronic portfolios are a “thoughtfully arranged collection of multimedia-rich, interlinked, hypertextual documents that students compose, own, maintain, and archive on the internet or in other formats (e.g., CD-ROMs, DVDs).”

But, why do students need an e-portfolio? Well, first and foremost, print documents are becoming obsolete. I must say that this makes me sad. I know that digital texts save trees, are more environmentally friendly, and in some cases are cheaper, but I still like print documents. There’s something special about holding your paper or project that looking at it on the screen doesn’t compare to. However, digital texts are the texts of tomorrow, and this transition has already begun. So, the first reasons students should develop an e-portfolio is because our society is becoming more digital in many different ways, especially the ways in which we communicate.

Speaking of communication, the e-portfolio allows students and professionals to showcase their best work and projects for potential employers to see. The e-portfolio is like the new version of a résumé, except that you still need a résumé. Most people include their résumé somewhere in some form in their electronic portfolio. The e-portfolios job is to bring your résumé to life, displaying all of the great projects you completed while working or interning at the places listed on your résumé.

Since potential employers are the primary audience for an electronic portfolio, it is of the utmost importance that the portfolio itself exhibits your best quality work. Students should think long and hard about which of their pieces and projects to include in their portfolio. Employers aren’t interested in seeing every project you’ve ever done. They want to see a few pieces that highlight all the different skills you have.

Something also to take into consideration: E-portfolios not only need quality projects, but the portfolios themselves need to look visually appealing and professional. There are a million websites out there that will let you make a site for free. If you can’t afford it or don’t want to pay for it, make an e-portfolio for free using one of the many free sites out there. These sites will often provide you with a template for creating your e-portfolio. You can also customize these templates to your liking. Those of you who are HTML savvy may want to consider coding your own site. Anything you can add to your skillset is a plus, and HTML code knowledge is definitely in high demand right now.

So, what I’m trying to get at is the e-portfolio is extremely important because the contents of it and the portfolio itself are a direct representation of you and your abilities as a professional. Electronic portfolios show what you are capable of in a variety of ways. For example, The Conference on College Composition and Communication website also says, through e-portfolios, “Students make optimal use of the technological features of electronic writing, collaboration, and records-keeping, and consider the larger implications of making e-portfolios accessible on the Internet.” E-portfolios will help you get the job of your dreams, as long as it represents you in the best way possible.

So, what do you all think? How important are e-portfolios? What free sites have you heard of that are good for creating an e-portfolio? How would you integrate e-portfolios into the online composition course?

Works Cited
Bgblogging. Digital Writing. 10 Apr. 2008. JPG file.

Conference on College Composition and Communication. Principles and Practices in Electronic Portfolios. Conference on College Composition and Communication. n.d. Web. 10 May 2013.

Commenting and Conferencing—Looking at Students’ Work

For this week, our readings discuss the important of communicating with our students through written comments on their writing and conferencing. Before reading, I had several questions about communicating with students about their work: How much should we as instructors comment on our students’ work? How much time should we spend on each assignment? Is there a formula for how much time to spend and how many comments to leave on each students’ paper?

To answer these questions, I will consult Beth Hewett, author of The Online Writing Conference: A Guide for Teachers and Tutors. Overall, it seems as if Hewett feels that commenting on students’ work and writing is situational. Hewett says that answering a student’s question via e-mail may only take between two and ten minutes. However, Hewett also says that some student conferences may require more attention and be more formal, taking 30-40 minutes (134).

After taking this into consideration, I agree with Hewett’s assessment. I don’t really have any teaching experience under my belt, but from a student’s perspective, this sound accurate. As a teacher, I want to give the amount of attention necessary to each student and their individual situation. I know this is easier said than done, but that would be my goal, and I’m sure my students would appreciate that.

As far as grading papers and commenting on them, this seems to also be situational. Some students may need more attention than others for a particular assignment. However, as Hewett points out, all students need a lot of attention –meaning comments—at one point or another (133). As a student, I always appreciate comments, especially when I need them. Constructive criticism is not always east to swallow, but it helps each and every one of us grow and become better writers.

But, in order to provide useful and meaningful comments, Hewett suggests not tiring yourself out while commenting on students’ paper:

Nonetheless, I have found that I must measure my online work by some unit or I become fatigued and write unhelpful comments. And, when those formative responses are the primary means of teaching, as they are in some networked classes and most online courses and online tutorial settings, the quality of the response is critical. (133)

In order for us as instructors to provide good-quality comments, we must know when we need a break. Teachers, instructors, and tutors are not machines. Reading, commenting, and grading for hours on end can be mentally and cognitively taxing on us as time elapses. Therefore, we must know—not only for our students but also for ourselves—when enough is enough! What I gather from this is that we must give each of our students the attention they need and deserve when they need it. However, we must doll out this attention in a manner so that it does not hinder our ability to provide quality feedback and commentary.

Overall, I don’t think there is any fool-proof formula we can adopt for providing feedback and to tell us how much time we should spend on each of our student’s papers. All we can do is help our students to the best of our abilities, so long as it does not impair our cognitive functioning. If we reach that point, it’s time for a Starbucks or Diet Coke break, depending on your beverage of choice.

So, what do you all think? How do you measure the amount of time you put into providing feedback and comments on your students’ work? What signs do you look for that your comments are no longer useful or helpful and that it may be time for a break?

Work cited

Hewett, Beth. The Online Writing Conference: A Guide for Teachers and Tutors. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook Publishing, Inc. 2010. Print.