Johns Hopkins University (JHU) is a nationally recognized leader in the use of portfolios in teacher education. To support and enrich the portfolio process, the JHU Center for Technology in Education (CTE), in collaboration with the JHU Master of Arts in Teaching program, developed a standards-based Digital Portfolio (DP) system that builds on and enhances the traditional paper portfolio. The DP allows students to demonstrate attainment of competency in relation to established educational standards, provides an online journal for reflection, and includes a powerful, embedded messaging system that promotes ongoing collaboration with peers and advisors. Pre-service and in-service teachers use the DP to gather and reflect on their work, compose personal interpretations of educational standards, communicate with peers and advisors, and present evidence of their professional development over time.

The DP was designed to accomplish the following objectives:

• Promote and support a focus on development of quality content by providing students with an easy-to-use, template-driven, online tool for creating, storing, and accessing their portfolios anywhere, anytime.
• Encourage and facilitate ongoing collaboration by furnishing students with an easy, safe, and secure method for sharing their work with peers, advisors, and a portfolio review team.
• Reinforce and encourage reflective teaching practice by incorporating a convenient journal tool and the ability to convert private journal entries into portfolio artifacts to demonstrate professional growth over time.
• Enhance and enrich the portfolio development process by inspiring students to create a final presentation portfolio that serves as both a showcase of their work for prospective employers and a vehicle for continued professional development and reflection.