Performance-based portfolios have increasingly become popular in education. They offer numerous benefits: a) fostering self-assessment and reflection, b) providing personal satisfaction and renewal, c) providing tools for empowerment, d) promoting collaboration, and e) offering a holistic approach to assessment. Many educators believe that performance-based portfolios are essential part of teacher education programs. One commonly applied type of portfolios is the Web-based portfolio, which is specifically created for and placed on the Web. Web-based portfolios have some unique advantages, such as: providing a means of storing multiple iterations over time and a mechanism for ease of editing and revisions; allowing instant access from anywhere and at any time; and providing structured presentation that allows a viewer to choose contents from one section to another based on his or her need or preference. In spite of significant benefits, there are some drawbacks of existing web-based portfolios. Typical Web-based portfolios still require users to have the skills and knowledge of using Web authoring software and FTP clients, which can be daunting to many pre- and in-service teachers. Furthermore, traditional Web-based portfolios lack the capability of allowing viewers to leave their feedback and therefore are limited for easy and instant collaboration.
Despite the recent popularity of adopting electronic portfolios in teacher education programs, the question “Electronic Portfolios for Whom?” has been raised by Javier I. Ayala and many other researchers. Javier argued that “the knowledge promoted under the guise of electronic portfolios is hardly student-centered. Very little research exists integrating student voices into the dialogue of electronic portfolios. The voices that are integrated are primarily those of administrators and some faculty.” The literature suggests that reforming a new type of Web-based portfolio, which simplifies the technology part of publishing content and allows developers and peers to share resources and ideas for reflection and collaboration, is essential for teacher education.
With the recent advances of Web 2.0 and the use of blogs in teaching and learning, it is apparent that blogs can simplify the technology part of publishing content. Furthermore, blogs can allow users to reflect, post information and resources, and collaborate with others. Because of the easy of use and the interactive capability of blogs, it comes naturally that blogs can be used for developing and reforming web-based portfolios in education. The blogfolios (weblog-portfolios) will have a great potential in teacher education and support students’ self-reflection and self-evaluation of their learning.
Currently, Professor Harrison Yang at the State University of New York at Oswego and I are conducting a study to examine the effects of using blogfolios on students’ perceptions on interaction and learning. Our blogfolios study is currently in the final stage of data collection. It is anticipated that the study will provide useful information on students’ perceptions on interaction and learning by using blogfolios in their courses. The summary of the findings will be posted in this blog when it becomes available. So, stay tuned…
[Dr. Harrison Yang at the State University of New York at Oswego also contributes to this post.]
