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Guest Editors' Remarks
Portfolio Possibilities (PDF,
94 KB, 15 seconds, PDF Instructions)
Neal Strudler and Keith Wetzel
Many teacher education programs are using electronic portfolios for a
variety of purposes, including the improvement of student learning and
accreditation of preparation programs through NCATE. The field has moved
forward rapidly on the strength of forward-thinking and risk-taking leadership.
At the same time, there has been little published evidence that systematically
documents the implementation and evaluates the effectiveness of using
e-portfolios in teacher education. The goal of this special issue, therefore,
is to disseminate studies that systematically analyze portfolio use in
teacher education and begin to set a national research agenda for this
area. Ultimately, it seeks to inform the trend for increased use of e-portfolios
and help analyze if this is ultimately a good idea that should be pursued
and sustained in the coming years.
President's Message
Universal
Design for Learning: Are Your Teachers Prepared? (PDF,
78 KB, 12 seconds, PDF Instructions)
Melissa Pierson
At the NECC conference in Philadelphia this past summer, the leadership
of the various SIGs began an exploration of how their members might cooperate
and commingle to inform and enrich the larger knowledge. Clearly we share
common audiences with overlapping issues, so the boundaries that divide
the SIGs are truly more engineered for convenience than for function.
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Analyzing
Research on Teachers’ Electronic Portfolios: What Does It Tell Us about
Portfolios and Methods for Studying Them? (PDF,
338 KB, 1 minute, PDF Instructions)
Joanne Carney
This survey paper uses a framework derived from Herman and Winters (1994)
to analyze seven selected research studies for evidence of electronic
portfolios’ technical quality, implementation effects, fairness, feasibility,
and tool effects. Analysis sought to determine what methodologies and
instruments for data collection yielded useful information about electronic
portfolios, and what the findings and methods suggest about directions
for future e-portfolio research. The author’s recommendations are placed
in the context of an educational technology research agenda proposed by
leaders in the field.
Costs
and Benefits of Electronic Portfolios in Teacher Education: Student Voices
(PDF,
183 KB, 29 seconds, PDF Instructions)
Keith Wetzel and Neal Strudler
This descriptive study investigated the benefits and costs of using electronic
portfolios (EPs) in preservice teacher education by examining the voices
of students in six programs thought to be mature in their implementation.
Benefits included opportunities to reflect, better access to and organization
of professional documents, increased technology skills, and better understanding
of teaching standards. The costs or disadvantages included issues of program
implementation, access to and reliability of the technology, and the amount
of time and effort expended. The authors conclude that understanding student
perceptions of their experiences can lead to improved practices and policies
with regard to EPs and should be considered in future research.
Individual
Effects of a Web-Based Accountability System In a Teacher Education Program
(PDF,
442 KB, 70 seconds, PDF Instructions)
Xueguang Ma and Roy Rada
This paper describes the results of teacher education candidates’ use
of a Web-based assessment system including electronic portfolios. A teacher
education program adopted a novel Web-based Accountability Model for assessment
and learning. The Web-based Education Accountability System (EAS) was
based on the Web-based Accountability Model, and consisted of an electronic
portfolio sub-system, an online performance assessment sub-system, and
an Accountability Center sub-system. The objective of this study was to
experimentally test teacher candidates’ views towards using the system.
The experiment also examined the effect of the EAS on candidates’ cognitive
learning. Thirty-one preservice teacher candidates enrolled in teacher
certification programs participated in this study in Spring 2002. Questionnaires
were presented to candidates as pre- and posttests. Content analysis was
employed to qualitatively analyze the electronic portfolio to examine
the development of cognitive skills. The content analysis and questionnaire
results showed that preservice teachers (1) thought the EAS positively
facilitated learning to teach and helped them meet teacher standards over
time, and (2) became more engaged in reflective and cognitive activities
by using the electronic portfolio over time.
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