Future Potential
Future of E-Portfolios in Education, Business and Open Markets
Within education, the market can be divided between student based and professional based e-portfolios. Transitioning from one to the other is an important consideration. In other education areas, including higher education, subject and grade level areas can produce new and evolving markets. Business, law, healthcare, social work, the arts, sciences and math are areas where e-portfolio production would benefit students and their future job opportunities. Other areas not yet fully realized for e-portfolio use include community colleges, trade schools, and professional organizations. Locations where students transition from school to workplace and job related affiliations could benefit from an e-portfolio creation.
Another market area not fully realized is the K-6 learning market within blended and supported learning environments. Few technology supports as constructivist and learner centered as e-portfolios are integrated into this learning landscape.
Personal, life long portfolio products are not yet readily available to individual consumers. As noted by Helen Barrett in her online document Digital Archive 4 Life, one “option is to “let a thousand flowers bloom” by using a decentralized system of private companies. Each student would be responsible for choosing who they want to host their digital archive. Schools could assist by suggesting alternatives, which could include regular web hosting or existing eportfolios companies.” (Barrett, 2009)
Business ventures providing eportfolio products can ultimately deliver service and support within a social, mobile, interactive, ever evolving personally layered story. As Soniya Monga stated, in her presentation Web 3.0: Driven by Data, Powered by People, “As a business you can now capitalize on a person’s self. You can capitalize on all versions of that self, all layers of that individual which is amazing from an innovation perspective.”
E-portfolios are opportunities waiting to write it’s own business story.
References
Barrett, Helen. (2009). Digital archive 4 life. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1RugwVQHAL53C294JaH12SpN7GzaBRRJyUnyLhK59huU&pli=1
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