Chapter Four

There are advantages to using the digital medium, there are challenges as well. There are six challenges such as knowledge and skill requirements, professional support, cost of hardware and software, time and energy, increased skills and equipment required by the viewer, and a digital presentation that detracts from the content. Using limited software such as word processors and multimedia can help produced traditional portfolios. Digital versions require much more expertise. To avoid losing files, teachers must first know how to organize files for text documents, graphics, video, and sound. Each print file must be converted to a digital format. Some documents are easy to do, others are more time consuming and require advanced knowledge and skills. There is not enough professional support or education in schools to assist teachers with digital portfolios. Even though it's expensive, teachers must have access to adequate equipment and software. The risk of equipment, the access in editing or viewing puts the portfolio on hold until it is repaired. There are considerations that must be addressed for the viewer if the teacher survives the challenges. When using the digital format, the viewer is required to have the skill and equipment necessary to view the documents. However, there are not any skills involved in viewing a traditional portfolio. The only one that requires more technical ability is the digital portfolio.