Digital Portfolios: A Confluence of Portfolio Assessment and Technology

Two powerful trends in teacher education are rapidly intersecting. The first is the use of performance-based portfolios for assessment, instruction, and profes sional development. The second involves the transformation of the computer from a complicated instrument of a few zealots to a seamless, universally available tool that facilitates tasks involving the access to and processing of knowledge. This article briefly summarizes each of these two trends, explores their connections, and poses some possibili David Georgi is an ties that teacher educators may want to consider as associate professor in the they plan for the future. Teacher Education Department at California The Trend Toward Performance State University, Bakersfield; Judith Based Assessment and Portfolios Crowe is an instructor in The use of portfolios is becoming commonplace the School of Education in today's schools and universities. They reflect a at California Lutheran trend toward assessments of performance that go University, Thousand "beyond the bubble" of such devices as multiple Oaks. choice exams. Portfolio assessment is generally