ePortfolio discussion group - how it might be virtual

On 2/11/05, this was posted to <eportfolios@webcenter.aahe.org>:
A group of Simmons College faculty want to form an ePortfolio discussion
circle.  Each month they would like to read something pertaining to
ePortfolios, then gather to discuss. We're not limiting ourselves to any
particular aspect of ePortfolios.  The goal is to increase the group's
understanding -- the range of use scenarios, pedagogical/curricular
implications, best practices in implementation, case study examples,
lessons learned by others, etc.

Which brings me to the question that I want to put before the group.  
What are your favorite readings on ePortfolios (articles, books, web
pages, etc.)?  What texts do you think would prompt thoughtful and
productive discussion?

But thinking about the question made me wish for a reading circle on my campus, and to have my circle intersect with Simmons' and other campuses.  Which got me thinking about how to implement such a circle without yet another threaded discussion on yet another BBS where I would never visit.

Here is a way it could work. The facilitator could announce on the list a that a new reading was posted. That post might look like this:

This month's reading for the ePortfolio Study Circle is:
"Portfolios to Webfolios and Beyond: Levels of Maturation" by Douglas Love, Gerry McKean, and Paul Gathercoal, Educause Quarterly Vol. 27(2) 2004
http://www.educause.edu/pub/eq/eqm04/eqm0423.asp

To kick off discussion, you might consider questions like:

• Does this article describe your campus, or give you ideas for your campus' direction?
• If so, describe in what ways, how you can use ideas here to advance your thinking
• If not, describe the problems with this analysis.

What resources would you connect to this reading, that:

• give evidence to support
• give evidence to refute
• build on this idea
• contextualize this article for a particular audience

To build a virtual discussion, post your thoughts in a blog and trackback to this post. Link to other posts and resources.

To get you started looking for resources that others have in some way connected to this one, check http://del.icio.us/tag/eportfolio   If you have not met Del.icio.us as a social citation manager, when you explore it you will find collections of citations that others are sharing. Starting from the resource above and exploring the people who have bookmarked it and the other things that they have tagged as similar to this item will often lead you to a wealth of new resources and ideas.