Implementing Web-Based Digital Portfolios in Three Teacher Preparation Programs.

Web-based digital portfolios serve a two-fold purpose: first, as evidence of teaching skills and expertise level of pre-service teachers; second, as a vehicle for developing teaching competencies essential in providing pre-service teachers with the knowledge, skills, and experience to effectively integrate technology in teaching. Pre-service teachers at three institutions create web-based, digital portfolios, which are used as assessment tools in the evaluation of their preparation to teach in a global and technologically oriented society. This article describes the collaborative project between Iona College, Bellarmine College, and the University of Scranton, with Iona being the lead institution. Implementation steps followed by the three schools to successfully put into practice the portfolio project are outlined.

Introduction

Student created portfolios are commonly used in teacher preparation programs to demonstrate teaching skills and expertise. With the recent influx of new teaching and learning technologies, schools are implementing electronic or digital portfolios in which students collect, organize, and present portfolio elements using different types of media such as audio, video, graphics, etc. (Barrett, 1995). Web-based digital portfolios are one way in which teacher preparation programs can ensure that pre-service teachers are preparing lessons that meet these standards.

With this view, a program for developing web-based digital portfolios was initiated at Iona College in New York, Bellarmine College in Kentucky, and the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. This collaborative project with Iona College as the lead institution was part of an AT&T Teaching Network Learning with Technology Grant. The project was designed to help students meet national and state technology standards. Since the Web has become a part of many learning activities, the traditional student teacher portfolio required as part of the teaching experience was expanded to include the creation of portfolio web pages with lesson plans and a unit of study that incorporate Internet-based activities and resources.

A digital portfolio is defined as "a purposeful collection of work, captured by electronic means, that is an exhibit of individual efforts, progress, and achievement in one or more areas" (Wiedmer 1998, 586). The elements of a portfolio--reading, communicating, thinking, interacting, demonstrating, and writing--can be enhanced by using technology (Wilcox, Tomel, & Manner, 1997). A web-based portfolio is a type of digital portfolio that incorporates web-based materials and activities in teaching and learning (Goldsby, & Fazal, 2000).

Portfolios have long been used in many fields other than education. For instance, artists and photographers have used portfolios to showcase their work. In education, however, the use of portfolios is fairly recent and their full potential has just begun to be explored (Danielson & Abrutyn, 1997). It is only in the 1990s that portfolios have surfaced as an alternative assessment strategy in K-12 schools and institutions of higher education (Polin, 1991). Thus, there is little research that documents the utility of digital portfolios in teacher preparation programs and even less on the use of web-based digital portfolios. The project described in this article evolved as a means of promoting not only the use of portfolios by pre-service teachers, but also the integration of technology in teaching.

The Project