TaskStream to Sponsor International Study on Student Use of Electronic Portfolios

TaskStream to Sponsor International Study on Student Use of Electronic Portfolios

Helen Barrett, a Leading E-Portfolio Expert, Is Project Director

TaskStream, a leading provider of Web-based education tools to colleges, said today it will underwrite an international research project on the impact of electronic portfolios on learning, engagement and motivation in secondary schools. The company said it will provide free electronic portfolio software up to 50,000 students for the length of the two-year study.

The project director is Helen Barrett, Ph.D., an internationally recognized expert in electronic portfolios who has been researching educational strategies and technologies for e-portfolios since 1991. Dr. Barrett is co-director of the International Society for Technology in Education's PT3 Catalyst Grant Assessment Project. A faculty member at University of Alaska Anchorage, she is also a former director of staff development at North Star Borough School District in Fairbanks.

The study, called the REFLECT Initiative, was launched at the Florida Educational Technology Conference, where the project's organizers began recruiting school districts to participate.

"Electronic portfolios allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and think about their work in a way that appeals to both their creativity and their comfort with digital media," said Dr. Barrett. "This study, which is unprecedented in scope, will examine how e-portfolios foster engagement and reflection in the learning process."

"TaskStream is pleased to underwrite Helen's important work in electronic portfolios," said Kevin Doyle, the company's CEO. "We are committed to support research in this important field and develop solutions that are driven by research and experience."

Applications are due by April 21, and applicants will be notified of their participation status in May. Project training will occur in regional workshops during the summer and at on-site visits in the fall. Additional information, including a formal project description and Invitation to Participate, can be found at http://www.tasksream.com/reflect.

About TaskStream

Founded in 1997, TaskStream provides online tools that are used by learning communities in more than 30 states -- at colleges and universities, state departments of education, and in urban, suburban and rural school districts. TaskStream's tools enable students to organize and showcase their work, demonstrate their competency and take accountability for their learning. TaskStream is based in New York.


Source: TaskStream

CONTACT: J.D. Solomon, +1-908-518-9383, of TaskStream

Web site: http://www.taskstream.com/
http://www.tasksream.com/reflect

NOTE TO EDITORS: Additional biographical information about Dr. Barrett may be found at http://www.electronicportfolios.org/resumelong.html. A high resolution photograph of Dr. Barrett is at http://www.electronicportfolios.org/Helen.jpg.

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