Supporting Teacher Candidates during the Electronic Portfolio Development Process

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a movement in the USA towards performance-based evaluation of teachers. As a result, many schools, colleges, and departments of education have moved towards integrating performance-based approaches into their programs. This has involved many promising practices, but none have caught on more than the use of teaching portfolios, and especially electronic or digital teaching portfolios. As a follow-up to an earlier article in E-Learning on portfolio implementation issues, this article will address the logical next step when considering using electronic portfolios with teacher candidates: supporting students during the development of their electronic teaching portfolios. An overview of issues to consider specific to the implementation and support of electronic portfolios is discussed. Methods of supporting the portfolio development process represented in the research literature are addressed and critiqued as to their effectiveness specific to various purposes attributed to teaching portfolios in general. The article concludes with a call to integrate technological needs and conceptual issues into any effective support plan so that the complex and critical attributes of teaching portfolios are realized.