The CyberFolio: Portfolios on the Final Frontier



The CyberFolio, or Electronic Portfolio, adapts the traditional writing portfolio to the World Wide Web. In doing so, the CyberFolio alters the student writer's perception of audience, voice, and purpose. No longer restricted to the classroom teacher as sole reader, the student must now manage the benefits and difficulties of writing for a truly global audience.

Through the use of Electronic Mail, the student receives critical comments on each written draft from a variety of sources, both within the classroom and around the world. The student revises each draft with the benefit of these comments and then posts the next revision. This process is followed until the student feels the work is complete, or feels that the work cannot progress any further. The final CyberFolio consists of three works selected by the student. Each work is placed in the final portfolio with a one page cover sheet that details the portfolio's strengths and weaknesses. The critical comments from the E-mail are used to help support the student's opinions.

The following students have volunteered writing assignments for this study and actively seek your critical insights on their work:

Michelle Hornick

Example #1
Example #2
Example #3

Melissa Sands

Example #1


Upcoming Presentation

Preliminary results of this research will be presented at the National Council of Teachers of English Conference, held January 16 - 18, 1997, in New Orleans, LA.