Electronic Portfolio

A.K.A. The "E-Folio"

One Christmas morning, long before the days of the World Wide Web, Santa Claus (my hardworking and dedicated father) brought to my house an object called the PC. This strange machine sat in my basement and didn't do much of anything except collect dust. Many of my brothers and sisters scoffed at the machine. They said it's a complete waste of time to learn how to use it. During the early days of the PC, there were no "mice," nothing to "double-click" on the screen. Learning the computer, therefore, was much more difficult than it is today. More interested in sports and hanging out with my friends, I took my siblings' advice and didn't pay much attention to the machine for which my father worked so hard.

Flash forward to the year 2002. Today the computer is an essential, irreplaceable item in our lives. Computers fly airplanes; people use computers to "chat" instantly with friends; in fact, "instant messenger" is almost a language itself. (LOL Abbreviation for 'laughing out loud.') Computers give people directions complete with maps; people read the newspaper on the Web; people download music from the Web; students use the Internet to research projects for school; some teachers even post their lessons on the Web. Being technologically literate, therefore,  is and rightfully should be an important goal for students. 

Starting now, we will begin the process of creating an "e-folio." An e-folio functions the same as a regular "hard-cover" portfolio. The only difference is that the e-folio is less cumbersome. The e-folio will "exist" on your file-server and will stay with you throughout the remainder of your career at Ramapo Ridge, and hopefully Mahwah High School. 

The Technical Parts

• Your e-folio will be saved in a folder in your file server called "Portfolio."
• All of your work will be saved in the "Portfolio" folder.
• Students will create a "Cover Page" that will act like a "Table of Contents." Your cover page will be called "index." In computer language, "index" is another name for "home."
• Contained within the cover page will be links to the pieces you have written this year. Mr. Cacciatore will tell you what to name each writing piece.
• That's it!

The Writing Process

• After you have brainstormed, organized, drafted, edited, you will hand to me a copy of the assignment (most likely hand-written). 
• I will grade the assignment and within a "reasonable time period" hand it back to you.
• Using a computer, you will then be responsible for word processing the piece. When you are done, print out a final "hard copy." Save the piece on a floppy and bring it to school.
• You will then give to me the final "hard copy." Then, we will go to the computer lab so that we can work on the electronic copy.

A Word on Fairness

I completely understand that some students do not have a computer available at home. Do not fret if access to a computer is a problem for you. We will resolve this situation in school.