Blog 10: Electronic portfolios and teaching basic writers

Blog 11 Electronic portfolios and teaching basic writers

An electronic portfolio is a collection of digital works created by students’ overtime.  Electronic portfolio deviates from the traditional pen to paper portfolios.  They can do a lot for students, instructors and institutions as discussed the articles that follow.

Katleen Yancey in Electronic Portfolios a decade not the Twenty-First Century speaks positively of electronic portfolios.   Students are more interested in them and can participate and customize their electronic portfolios. A major asset is that some colleges use electronic portfolio questionnaires to screen students for “noncognitive” qualities that prove crucial in identifying students who will stay in school (29).  Yancey, as many others, is interested in the correlation between electronic portfolios, student engagement and increasing retention.  This might be a good thing for institutions but it is another way to selectively screen out students who do not match the description of the students that colleges want to matriculate. 

When it comes to electronic portfolios, Yancey claims that models, technology, programs and context are decisive factors in understanding how electronic portfolios might impact student’s learning. There isn’t any one program that can monitor this circumstance for all students’ leaning. Technology is dynamic and is ever changing.  Therefore, institutions have to figure out what is best for their students. Getting students’ feedbacks on the various electronic portfolios is a qualitative way of measuring student-learning experiences. Through student reflections, an individual can learn of the affordances or the hindrances that particular electronic portfolio presents. 

There are major benefits of electronic portfolio.  They are good for organizing and showcasing students’ work overtime.  Educators can organize students’ work overtime for assessments.  As well as, electronic portfolios may be utilized in the various departments.  Some institutions can adopt them for all students to use in the screening process.

As students learn how to use electronic portfolios they develop transferable skills that are useful in other aspects of their lives.  Yancey asserts that there are many affordances. The skill matrix develops communication skills, creativity, critical thinking, leadership, life management, research project development, social responsibility, and teamwork. They can also use skills that they already have in their field of study or careers, thus transferring their skills to broader contexts.

Marisa Klages and Elizabeth Clark in New World of Errors and Expectations: Basic Writers and Digital assumptions asserts that electronic portfolios, blogs and web tools are able to help basic writers become successful writers in a digital world. Despite being in the digital age, Klages and Clarks observe that great deals of students are not skilled at the new technologies available. 

It is apparent that most basic users are capable and adept users and/or consumers of the technologies that are available.  On the other hand, they aren’t effective producers.  Klages and Clark believe that basic writers need to know how to write for the multimodal environment.  

A key component of the electronic portfolio is the potential for users to reflect, revise and edit their work.  Most of these portfolios are available online so they are open to the public thus basic writers naturally have to start thinking about their audience because they are putting themselves out there. Hence students have to reflect on their practice thinking about their audience and delivery, which are important elements that basic writers need to consider.

Electronic portfolio is a way for those who grew up with technology, “digital natives,” to change with the technology being able to write within framework of that technology comfortably and with proficiency.   Klages and Clarks points out that educators are face with the challenge of teaching students to address the cultural shifts from a pen paper technology to electronic portfolios and Web 2.0 digital literacies and multimodal composition strategies. However, students tend to have more experiences with the technologies that are available that the educators. Students might know the technology better but they still need to learn the fundamentals of basic writing for example writing with a purpose and knowledge of audience.  With regards to the technology, educators do need to learn how to use the technology in order for them to work with their students successfully.

If students are left alone to figure out the different types of models, they will compose within these frames because they will eventually learn the rules in writing for electronic portfolios per se.   Klages, Clarks as well as Yancey point out that there is such a thing as good writing for multimodal compositions and that basic writers have yet to master these rules of writing.  An important case in point is that these students are doing a lot of online writing.  Part of this as to do with them not feeling that their writing is being scrutinized by their teachers.  There is also this need to communicate.  Standard writing does not appeal to basic writers, as are writing emails, creating blogs and or posting on social media sites. An electronic portfolio as it appears engages students on multiple levels.  It helps educators to find a forum for which to teach students how to write and publish effectively.

Klages and Clarks insinuate that basic writings courses are often marginalizing for basic writers. Often times basic writers have to first complete “prerequisite” basic writing courses before they can begin regular college courses, which is demeaning (38).  The impression that basic writers have about writing is that it’s only necessary to get around the roadblocks that hinders them from achieve their goals.  Thus, writing for basic writers does not seem to have any purpose outside of the classroom because they aren’t intending doing so outside of the classroom. Electronic portfolios can be a transforming factor culturally and socially. Electronic portfolios are meaningful for basic writers because they have a purpose beyond the classroom.  More importantly these students have a voice.