CORRESPONDENCE
uses for email
set-up

REFLECTION
kinds of web logs
analyzing work
maintenance
feedback

PUBLICATION
formats
templates
permission forms
sharing
feedback

What I really look like in the morning

After three weeks of exploring language and the internet, I find myself returning to one nagging question, how am I going to implement all of this great technology when I return to the classroom in September?  Where, and how, do I begin?

In synthesizing what we've read, discussed and learned as a group, I felt the need to create a vision of how I see the four areas of "literacies" as essential components in the implementation of an electronic portfolio.  The underlying theoretical basis of my vision is the work of David Crystal in Language and the Internet and James Moffet in Teaching the Universe of Discourse.  My synthesis of their research is a visual presentation of how I now "see" what an electronic portfolio should look like.  The purpose of this web page is to share my vision and help my colleagues from the NYCWP Advanced Summer Institute to begin using e-portfolios in their classrooms.

My Vision
In Teaching the Universe of Discourse, Moffet outlines 4 types of discourse involved in the learning of English:  conversation (interpersonal communication in a vocal range), correspondence (interpersonal, but remote) reflection (intrapersonal communication) and publication (impersonal communication to an anonymous group).  These four areas correspond to Crystal's "internet-user situations," which have distinct linguistic features:  chat groups, email, virtual worlds and World Wide Web.  The four areas of discourse, combined with the four areas of usage, result in the following diagram of what an electronic portfolio might include:

The closest visual model I have found that is most like my vision is Dr. Helen Barrett's The Electronic Portfolio Development Process, particularly her 5 stages of development.

As we have explored each of these discourse areas as a group, we are familiar with what each does.  What I am presenting here is how to set-up and use each area in our classrooms, based on our discussions over the last three weeks, the articles we have read and additional links I have found related to electronic portfolios.  Think of this web page as a summary of what we've addressed in this institute.

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