E. portfolio

If institutions of learning control E. portfolio domains, do students own the portfolio? If students don't have autonomy of an E. portfolio, do they own them? We agree that E. portfolios are visual evidence of learning over time but, who really owns the E. portfolio if students don't own their domain or have autonomy of their work? Autonomy and domain control are two vital pieces in ownership of E. Portfolios. In this post you will find my personal beliefs of what E. portfolio ownership looks like and why ownership is important for students.

Owning an E. portfolio is composed of two vital parts. The first part of ownership is owning a self-controlled domain that operates in can be accessed in any setting. Full control of a domain would mean the owner monitors and controls their personal web presence. This ownership comes with responsibility of fostering creativity freedom beyond the needs of academic requirements. All content on the domain would belong to the student making future modifications to the E. portfolio possible. Looping back to earlier ideas to support new projects would be impossible if the domain is not controlled by the E. portfolio owner. Individuals who make the mistake of not obtaining ownership of the E. portfolios domain have entered a door that leads to regret. E. portfolios should be nomadic and extend past college or a career moves.

Autonomy ownership of E. portfolios require students to take full control of their learning as they engage in specific learning environments enabling choice, ownership, voice through authentic learning, COVA. During traditional teaching and learning process, students do not have personal rights or freedom to choose their learning. Students are asked to regurgitate information that was presented by the teacher resulting in the thoughts and perspectives being owned by the teacher and not the student. Artifacts and assignments presented as learning would simply be students giving teachers what is believed to be desired. As a result, this cookie cutter thinking and learning model prevents students from taking control of their learning and causes students to view assignments as just another thing to check off a list. Even though E. portfolios are utilized by students, there is no evidence of student ownership. Gardner Campbell challenges teachers to move beyond the template-driven, plug-and-play, turnkey web applications and into significate learning environments which challenge students to take ownership of their learning.

Domain control benefits the E. portfolio owner long term. Collective learning showcased in E. portfolios give students the ability to continue projects that were started during an authentic learning experience. Time spent on the It was just as important as COVA because if students are truly invested in their learning, the learning will continue. Portfolios capture the learning journey and students need to have access to past learning in order to build for the future. Having access to the domain will equip students after graduation to Career paths such as entrepreneurship,

Students own E. portfolios when students can showcase personal cyberinfrastructures where students become effective architects, narrators, curators, and inhabitants of their own digital lives. E. portfolios present a presence that showcases the student being empowered by their personal learning journey. Independence in learning enables students to own their thoughts and learning choices. As a result, students invest in their learning and students who are able to make personal learning connections, identify their passion, reflect regularly, and revisit artifacts of earlier learning to make relevant connections in learning. The E. portfolio is no longer a collection of assignments but is now a journal of a personal learning journey. This is only possible when structured learning environments enable authentic thinking, writing, and learning. 

References

What is an Eportfolio. (n.d.). Retrieved June 3, 2020, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=5977

Harapnuik, D. K. (2020) Its All About Learning: How to Create Your ePortfolio. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6065 

Why Use an ePortfolio. (2015, September 29). Retrieved June 13, 2020, from It's About Learning website: https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6063