Lesson 2: Purpose

My first concern as a teacher is dealing with all this new technology. It changes so fast that I cannot keep up with it sometimes. My second concern is understanding the process of e-portfolios perfectly well so that I can guide my students step by step. Third, although I am used to giving and receiving immediate feedback, I do not really know what kind of feedback I have to give to my students. Reflection, on the other hand, is the core to the learning process, and I am sure my students will find the time to do so if they are involved in the creation of a portfolio related to a topic appealing to them. Flexibility is important at this point, but I am not sure of how much flexibility we can find in our programs.

It is clear; however, that students and teachers benefit from this process. Students build up self-esteem and self-confidence to the point that they are able to monitor themselves while creating an e-portfolio, and to practice self-assessment in an honest and objective way as a natural part during the reflection process. Retrospective reflection is something that I would like to emphasize, though. Students often see no point in thinking back over their learning and consider it boring or a waste of time. Hopefully, once they are involved in their own creation, they will find this retrospective stage useful. Finally, introducing e-portfolios in my classes will definitely enhance my technology skills, a weakness I have to strengthen with my students support.