Problem of Practice--testing the waters

A major frustration of mine has been a lack of cohesion in my writing program. Ever since my undergrad writing pedagogy classes, I have understood the merit of the writer’s portfolio. This conviction has only increased after teaching for years and attending the East Asia Writing Project. Nevertheless, good intentions haven’t counted for much when it comes down to actually organizing a system where my students have a record of their writing through the year, and an end-of-year exhibit of their proudest work.
The closest I came was a file for each student with a photocopy of every paper they turned in during the year, in chronological order. But when May rolled around, the task of organizing a portfolio scheme for this work was too daunting to act on. I handed back the full folders, but there was no reflection, and no pay-off of crafting an end of year showcase.
Having puttered with blogs last year, I am primed to try again with a more rigorous plan and,paradoxically but not surprisingly, more confidence in relinquishing to students. I see this online community as a meaningful “folder of writing samples” but more dynamic than the dust collector on my shelf. This medium would allow students to test the waters through the year, having responded to my prompts, their own, and others, and then make a deeper, reflective choice of which pieces would go into their writer's portfolio.
I still don’t know what form the portfolio will take at the end of the year, but there’s time for that, and content comes first.