I have kept digital portfolios for some time and before that, journals. As a verbal processor, I tend to stumble on deeper thoughts or new ideas while speaking. This is the same when I write. While it takes extra time to reflect on things, I experience them more fully when I take that time. That reflection also allows me to improve my performance the next time around, whether it be teaching or personal. Documenting my goals and accomplishments also helps me to create a public profile, or resume of sorts. Knowing that I am writing, or otherwise posting for an authentic (often public) audience pressures me to verify my facts, be thorough, and present my ideas in an organized fashion.
Students stand to gain the same values from keeping portfolios. I think that a huge challenge when it comes to student ePortfolios is that they may not be enthusiastic about their content. When I have to write about something that is not compelling to me or present someone else's ideas, I have to drag myself through the exercise. I am certain that students feel the same way. Since every content are cannot be interesting to every student, it may be difficult to engage students in the portfolio creation process.
One thing that may help to keep student interest in a portfolio is to allow as much choice as possible. When assignments are too scripted, not only does it stifle students' creativity, it sucks any possible enjoyment out of the task. I find it helpful to think deeply about the things that I do, but I prefer to answer broad questions and see where my responses take me. When the questions are too specific, I feel like I can't be myself while exploring them.
Publishing the portfolio in a public space can also be a way to make the portfolio creation process more interesting. When students know that the public can see their work, they may be more concerned with what is there and how it is presented. Since most students communicate digitally in public spaces on their own, having their portfolio online may be more realistic and enjoyable for them.
One other challenge specific to those of us with 1:1 iPads in the classroom is the ePortfolio technology for iOS. Websites and Wikis allow for a visually appealing layout such as the students portfolios at High Tech High. The various topics are listed in the sidebar for the viewer to get an idea of what is on the entire site just from the front page, which is lovely. However, there are few, if any, website creation tools for the iPad which are fully-functional or easy to use tool. I've had even less luck with Wikis as both PBWorks and Wikispaces do not lend themselves well to iPad authors.
Whatever the ePortfolio tools for the iPad lack in attractive layout, they gain back in usability. Apps like Evernote, Diigo, or eBackpack allow students to quickly and easily add a wide variety of media to their space and organize it into folders or notebooks. Students can snap photos of paperwork, something on the board, post a video, their voice, documents, drawings, or media from other apps and organize all that with little effort. When it comes time for reflection and presentation, students can create a notebook or folder for the "showcase" and decide which items to move into it. These apps lend themselves well to student-led conferences because they work well to share as slideshows or notebooks to be viewed a page at a time.
I doubt that there is a "magic bullet" for getting students to take time and receive value from the process of creating portfolios in all subjects. For my own part, I can try to make the process as compelling as possible by allowing as much choice as possible and choosing tools which are easy to use with the existing hardware. Allowing students to start their first ePortfolio with some content that is genuinely interesting to them would be a great introduction to the process too.
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