Why use ePortfolios in the cassroom?  And, why support the use by maintaining your own Teaching ePortfolio?

Facts:

1. When applying for jobs, you will be 'Googled' by perpective employers.  You want you ePortfolio to come up first in the search.  You have control over the contents of your ePortfolio and can highlight, creatively, evidence of your teaching and research skills and abilities.  
   Examples
   • Cynthia Davidson, Writing and Rhetoric      - https://stonybrook.digication.com/cdavidson
    - https://stonybrook.digication.com/cynthia_davidsonpwr
    - https://stonybrook.digication.com/writing_stonybrook
    (You can have as many ePortfolios as you want to highlight different topics)
   • Jonathan Lui, Biomedical Engineering, Molecular Biophotonics Laboratory
    - https://stonybrook.digication.com/liu
   • Javier Monzon, Ph.D., Biologist and Educator
    - https://stonybrook.digication.com/javier.monzon
   • M.I. Cipriani
    - https://stonybrook.digication.com/micipriani
   View other model Stony Brook ePortfolios
   at https://stonybrook.digication.com/StonyBrookEportfolios
2. When using ePortfolios in your classroom, students will be quick to understand and accept creating their own, if you maintain your own professional ePortfolio.
3. Your ePortfolio is controlled by you.  You decide what content people can see and what remains private, viewable only by you.  Many faculty and graduate students orgainze their documents and research data in their eportfolios.  Some us it as a scratch pad or sandbox as they research and write their papers.  
4. Many universities are requiring faculty to maintain Teaching ePortfolios for job performance reviews and tenure.  More and more require an ePortfolio as part of the application process.  You ePortfolio should demonstrate and give evidence of your skills and abilities as an educator and researcher.  Show what you want to show; keep private that which is for your eyes only.  McGill University requires faculty to keep an ePortfolio for promotion and tenure purposes.  Though faculty resisted, at first, they now maintain their ePortfolios and find many values and benefits for them, including job searches.
   
   Think About It?

1.  What are your thoughts on using Teaching ePortfolios for Tenure?
   Excellent article on the pros and cons of maintaining an ePortfolio for tenure purposes - On the Right Track: Using ePortfolios as Tenure Files 
   Erica Swenson Danowitz, Delaware County Community College http://www.dccc.edu/sites/default/files/faculty/erica_swenson-danowitz/finalijep55.pdf
2.   What values and benefits can you list for keeping a professional Teaching (Research) ePortfolio?