Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
mandatory tools for learning, assessment, and presentation. A portfolio carries
or contains something of value. The metaphor is the professional value of the
person or organization. Portfolios historically have carried meanings rooted to
finance or art. Clients of financial firms hold portfolios of securities. Artists have
sheet bound and loose content portfolios which play a duel role as containers
and presentation platforms for their artwork. Now, in the information society,
new portfolios have spawned called e-portfolios or electronic portfolios. E-
portfolio or electronic portfolio encompasses several application specific
portfolios called Web portfolio, teacher portfolio, and digital portfolio (all are
considered e-portfolios). Individuals, teachers, academics, and businesses can
effectively utilize e-portfolios. The definitions vary by scholar and context, but
the purpose for all electronic portfolios is the same, to persuade the user.
Web Literature and Review
This topic project has evolved over years of research, development, and
practice. The references section includes monographs as well as Web re-
sources that will give a view of the wide range of data referred to during the
development of this text. In this section, I would like to discuss some Web data
I found that is particularly relevant to helping you understand the Web portfolio
process. The Web portfolio process is a subjective process with varying
objective guidelines which are particular to discipline, that drive the creative
activity of developing a Web portfolio.
One thing that all academic research and publishing projects have in common
is that the information that they are based drives and supports the project is
emergent. The data surrounding electronic and Web portfolios is evolving at
rapid speeds which cause researchers to search for patterns over time. One
pattern is evident, more and more institutions and people are embracing
electronic portfolio on the World Wide Web. A search for Web portfolios on
Google turned up some interesting cases that focused on academia and
commerce. This growth is found not only in academia as you might expect, but
also in business, especially human resource development. There are numerous
companies selling Web portfolios to executives, job seekers, and academics.
The trend will obviously continue as the world becomes flatter and masses of
people worldwide “become digital”. Human resource departments are geared
to rely more and more on Web portfolios to provide a clearer picture of an
