ePortfolio practices can be demonstrated to match almost perfectly with learning demands of a knowledge economy catalyzed by Web 2.0 technologies. A measure of appropriate institutional transformation can be how well an institution has adopted ePortfolio practices. Here is why we can make such a claim:

Life as we knew it meant growing up, taking some time out for formal learning, and then continuing to mature and living life. Life now is different, though still not deeply understood: learning is not episodic, but perpetual. In a way, this is how life always was, but the separation between life and time out for learning was much more distinct. With digital technologies becoming universal and ubiquitous, informal learning has taken on some attributes of formal learning.

How do ePortfolio practices fit into this new world?

• Identifying yourself as a learner -- an ePortfolio outcome and necessary to life-long learning
• Owning your own learning -- when the learner has access to her or his own ePortfolio that they keep for life
• Being aware of your learning -- when the learner reflects on his or her own learning
• Identifying the meaning of different learning experiences -- when viewed in the context of work over time, a new learning experience takes on new meanings
• Reflecting on the social meaning of the work -- in the context of one's own learning and in the context of the knowledge community the learner is in at the moment
• Learning in the real world -- ePortfolio is mobile and allows all learning experiences to be recorded in one way or another
• Building your digital identity -- over time, tailoring your ePortfolio for different audiences and for yourself
• Learning in a social context -- sharing with groups, doing collaborative projects, choosing who can comment on your work
• Reflecting on who you are -- over time, seeing changes in yourself, learning lessons from your own experience