Who Owns the Portfolio

There is only one person who should own the portfolio and that is the person who's content is in it.  If you don't feel ownership over the content, organization, and look of your portfolio, you won't use it as if it is your own.  You will feel like only certain things can go on it, or you have to be told what should be in it.  If that starts to happen, then it feels like someone else is in control and it won't be as important to you to add to it.  If it doesn't truly reflect who you are, why add to it?  Why continue to add yourself and your thoughts and feelings to something that you don't feel is a reflection of who you are?

I think that there is a fine line where a facilitator can ask for things to be posted and the learner feels ownership.  This is such a slippery slope because once the balance tips, it can be hard to get ownership back to the leaner.  BUT, I think it is important to help model the use of a portfolio and help get learners started in the forward trajectory of using a portfolio.  In order for content to begin to be added and for the learner to see what types of things can and should go in a portfolio, you have to recommend to ask for certain things to be added. This is where I struggle.  We are in the middle of a digital portfolio implementation in our district and we are right at the beginning.....the place where we need to suggest things to be added and work through how to get learners (educators and students) to see the potential of using a portfolio for their own growth, and showcase their work that they are proud of.

What is the magic balance between these two different modalities?  

Full ownership and suggested guidance? 

Is there a magic number of facilitator directed posts to suggest?  

I hope to crack the secret code on this one, because it would be super helpful for me to help my educators with this very thing in their classrooms. With younger learners, it is even harder....the biggest piece is helping them learn not only what can go into their portfolios but why.  As Dr. Harapnuik mentions in his article, Who Owns the Eportfolio, the ownership needs to be not only the ideas, but the learning so that it deepens the learning.  I look forward to this journey and learning more about how to support my educators in this process.

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