By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Catherine Howell[Edit][Delete]: Mirror, Mirror: Refining the reflexion Element in the IMS e-Portfolio Specification, EDUCAUSE Blogs [Edit][Delete] May 24, 2006
I haven't been too involved in the discussion of e-portfolios because I think a lot of that discussion is misplaced. This set of observations on the 'reflexion' element is a perfect example. Catherine Howell argues that the definition, in the IMS specification, is fuzzy, and insufficiently distinguished from an assertion. Quite right, but I would go further and ask what the point is of distinguishing between a reflection and an assertion at all, and even what the point is of placing these (via a form???) into an e-portfolio in the first place. It's this whole idea that everything must be contained in a single format rearing its head again. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Javier I. Ayala[Edit][Delete]: Electronic Portfolios for Whom?, EDUCAUSE Quarterly [Edit][Delete] February 8, 2006
I couldn't say it more plainly myself. "The literature doesn't discuss e-portfolio use to meet student needs and concerns but to support administrative efforts to solve long-term curricular issues." And I agree with this assessment: "Implementers who have not thoughtfully addressed the key issues outlined here will eventually come crashing down. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Dave Tosh[Edit][Delete]: PLE's - Are They What the ePortfolio Promised to Be?, Dave Tosh : Weblog [Edit][Delete] February 11, 2006

I think this is a good question. "Did vendors and institutions kill the initial promise of e-portfolios by trying to turn the concept into a single tool (product) used to measure student achievement?" More: "As Helen Barrett said: 'I am very concerned that the current crop of commercial tools are 'perversions' (Lee Shulman's term) of the portfolio concept.'" Jeremy Hiebert offers a diagram that is closer to the concept originally envisioned. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Graham Attwell: Recognising Learning: Educational and pedagogic issues in e-Portfolios, Graham Attwell :: Weblog October 7, 2005

The core of this paper is the "seven different functions for an ePortfolio, all of which can be mapped against different pedagogic processes": recognizing learning, recording learning, reflecting on learning, validating learning, presenting learning, planning learning, and assessing learning. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Helen Richardson and Helen Richardson and Rob Ward: Getting Ehat You Want: Implementing Personal Development Planning Through e-Portfolio, Centre for Recording Achievement October 6, 2005

The document looks like is was a draft left hanging (why not put the authors' names and the date at the top of the paper?) but it contains useful information. The paper "provides a generic summary of things to think about, questions to ask, and people to talk to" in the area of e-portfolios. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Various authors: e-Portfolios@UBC Project Portfolio, September 14, 2005

Dave Tosh points to this website providing extensive background and information about the use of e-portfolios at UBC. "e-Portfolios are online collections of your work that you choose to represent your skills and interests to diverse audiences." Take note especially of the lessons learned from two years' experience. More...