This is the second in a two part series on e-portfolios. See e-Portfolio Fever for an overview of the subject and links to additional resources.

In general, what do we mean when we refer to a portfolio in the K-12 classroom? Usually, it's an intentional collection of text and/or graphics created to

• highlight a student's best work
• show a student's progress over time
• make a student's work available for editing, comments, and/or evaluation
• provide opportunities for a student to reflect on his or her work.

As a student accumulates a variety of work in a particular class or grade level, the student -- or his or her teacher -- might want to save representative samples of that work in a student portfolio. To accomplish that, hard-copy versions of the student's work can be printed and saved in a folder or three-ring binder -- as in done in many classrooms -- or the work can be saved electronically in hyperlinked e-portfolios.

Although the phrase might sound forbidding, most students in grade 4 and above can create their own hyperlinked e-portfolios in just three simple steps.

Next: Before you begin.