How Developing Electronic Portfolios Impact Pre-Service Teachers’ Self Directedness And Computer Technology Skills

Abstract

In order to have a better career opportunity or get a promotion, more people including both traditional and non-traditional students, enroll in colleges and universities. Even people with backgrounds outside of education are returning to school to become teachers. Thus, because of these diverse learners, teacher education programs cannot assess these future teachers’ abilities by simply looking at their academic performance (i.e., grades). Most teacher education programs use portfolios to assess preservice teachers’ performance. An E-portfolio can be used for assessment of students’ assignments and required artifacts. It allows preservice teachers to get feedback from their instructors and peers in a timely and efficient manner. Among other things, E-portfolios give users a sense of ownership, support collaboration and facilitate ongoing self-evaluation. This ability to change causes teachers to reflect more on their own work and thus engage in ongoing self-improvement. The purpose of this study is to discover the impact E-portfolio development has on self-directed learning (SDL) and computer technology skills (CTS). The research is framed by the concepts of self-directed learning theory and incidental learning as they occur in the use and development of E-portfolios.