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Our kids work very hard at school, creating original artifacts that they are proud of. Wouldn't it be great if collecting, organizing, commenting on, and displaying certain pieces of a child's work started in kindergarten (or earlier) and continued through high school? This may sound like an administrative nightmare, but with current tools and a willingness to be proactive (teachers, students, and parents), our students could amass an incredible body of work, knowledge, and skills that would not only be something to look at, but help them view the tremendous amount of progress they really make throughout their school years.

There is much literature and conversation now about ePortfolios, with some software programs devoted to this task. But some people (including me) advocate for a more creative approach, one where the student assumes ownership and creativity. Helen Barrett, a leading authority on ePortfolios has created an excellent visual on the differences between a workspace and showcase portfolio: http://electronicportfolios.com/balance/index.html, which she calls "Balancing the Two Faces of ePortfolios." She describes a Portfolio as Workspace, which I like to call a "Learning Log," and Portfolio as Showcase, or what could then be labeled "Portofolio."

As I already mentioned, the tools are available that will enable students to begin the process of creating a Learning Log, a workspace of their learning experiences.

Here is my top 5 List of Applications for Learning Logs (all of them are free, none of them are specific ePortfolio software applications, and all include ways to subscribe through RSS):

1. WordPress: Yes, WordPress is a blogging software, but what better way for learners to start documenting what they are doing, reflecting upon their progress, getting feedback from others (comments), and displaying their work. The free-web based version works great for creating a Learning Log, a workspace where learners can collect, reflect, and display their work. WordPress blogs can be made public or private, with the ability to even make individual posts private or password-protected. You can add other users to your WordPress blog, add pages, customize it, and use categories to organize the work. In fact, you can now make a blog look like a website!

If you want your students to have their own domain name, then sign up for one and install the server-based version of WordPress, http://wordpress.org. The advantage of using a server-based version is the ability to customize it even more, through the various plugins offered by WordPress. Plus, the student can have their own domain, something that will be more and more common with our learners.

The reason my list starts with blogging platforms is simple: I feel that students might be more inclined to reflect and even write more using a blog, since blogs by nature are online journals. Lack of posts is very evident when visiting a blog, unlike a wiki or website. A blog needs to be current to be interesting and entice others to read it. So, naturally, I like blogs to entice students to keep posting. When you write a blog you feel OBLIGATED to continue writing and writing well. It's the nature of the blog beast.