Biography & Vita

 Sometimes introduced as the “grandmother of ePortfolios,” Dr. Helen Barrett has been researching strategies and technologies for implementation of electronic portfolios since 1991. She has maintained an internationally-recognized website (http://electronicportfolios.org), contributed chapters in several books on Electronic Portfolios, and numerous articles. A former Staff Development Coordinator for the Fairbanks, Alaska School District, she was a pioneer in Alaska on the early implementation of technology in education.

In 2005, Dr. Helen Barrett retired from the faculty of the College of Education at the University of Alaska Anchorage and is now living in the Seattle area. She was on loan to the International Society for Technology in Education between 2001 and 2005, providing training and technical assistance on electronic portfolios for teacher education programs throughout the U.S. under a federal PT3 grant. In 2005, Dr. Barrett became the Research Project Director for The REFLECT Initiative, a two-year research project, underwritten by TaskStream, to assess the impact of electronic portfolios on student learning, motivation and engagement in secondary schools. 

Dr. Barrett is currently doing research for a book on Interactive ePortfolios to be published online. She has been an adjunct faculty member for Seattle Pacific University, where she taught about Issues and Advances in Educational Technology. Her international consulting focuses on the integration of ePortfolios for Learning and Digital Storytelling in K-12 schools and higher education. She is an Apple Distinguished Educator. 

At the European ePortfolio Conference in Maastricht, October 2007, Dr. Barrett received the first EIFELLifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to ePortfolio research and development.

In 2011, Dr. Barrett established the REAL ePortfolio Academy for K-12 teachers, providing online courses for individuals and assessment/planning support for K-12 institutions.