Professional Portfolios
What are the pros and cons of professional portfolios? How will a professional e-portfolio specifically benefit the special educator? A traditional portfolio is kept in a box in the form of papers. It is also known as hard copy resume. These traditional portfolios are supplemented by the modern e-portfolios. E-portfolios can be accessed from any part of the world instantly and they improve the visibility of the candidate. This is considered as a major advantage for selecting e-portfolio management. There arise questions of reliability on e-portfolios as they fail to affidavit.
Moreover, it leads to a belief that they may not be accurate as traditional portfolios. This view can be overridden because, the e-portfolios are considered to be the first impression and they help to create the likelihood of getting hired for a job. While showcasing ones abilities and professionalism if someone fails to maintain accuracy, it is a failure on the part of the candidate and an opportunity is missed. However, one cannot deny the fact that in the modern world of technology, e-portfolios are going to get prominence.
An electronic teaching portfolio consists of: professional statement, questions, thinking practices, students’ work, opinions, projects, expert information for sharing, reflections, resume, and letters of recommendation. This is an excellent way to make use of the e-portfolio in the case of classroom practices. According to American Association for Higher Education (AAHE), a teaching portfolio should be structured, representative, and selective. It is comprehensive and representative of the breadth and depth of experience.
The educator has the opportunity to shape up his career as he grows and develops a good teacher-student relationship. Educators who happen to teach the new generation are in the path of shifting themselves to learn and use effectively the modern technologies thereby adhering to e-portfolio development (Part One: The Portfolio for You). 2. What is a professional e-portfolio? Why is it important? A traditional portfolio is stored in a box in the form of sheets whereas the modern e-portfolio or electronic portfolio is stored in different digital formats.
E-portfolios are portable and are easy to access from different parts of the world. Professional e-portfolios consists everything about the candidate like his range of abilities, attitudes, experiences, and achievements. In other words, it is a comprehensive representation of the breadth and depth of the candidate. Students have the advantage of using the e-portfolios in multiple ways to reach out to the audience. Professional e-portfolios are posted online and updated periodically as and when required. This allows easy access for the employers to choose the employees.
In the case of teaching and learning, e-portfolios help to organize and share information and ideas in compliance with professional growth. It helps to improve teaching, thinking about education, and affects professionalism. There is nothing comparable to e-portfolios to opt for in the modern world of technology and so people who were used to the traditional portfolios are learning to shift themselves towards using e-portfolios effectively. Teaching portfolios help the faculty to achieve the teaching goals and help to improve the teacher-student relationship.
The virtual learning environment encouraged in the modern days urges the need for a professional e-portfolio on the web. On the whole, e-portfolios have a clear advantage over the traditional portfolios in bringing people out into the world and open up avenues within a short span of time (Electronic Portfolios: Students, Teachers, and Life Long Learners Teacher). References Part one: the portfolio for you. Retrieved June 29, 2009, from http://www. cnx. org/content/m13323/latest/ Teacher Tap. Electronic Portfolios: Students, Teachers, and Life Long Learners Teacher. Retrieved June 29, 2009, from http:// at www. eduscapes. com// topic82. htm
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