It is important to teach students the ways in which rhetorical and literary texts are produced, distributed, and consumed. It is equally important, however, for teachers of writing, primarily members of English departments, to acknowledge the production and consumption processes of texts external to the genres of the academy and to recognize that the essay is a printed form that, admittedly for students, has little use outside the academy. For one author/educator, recognizing text outside of academic genres has led to the production of an electronic portfolio. This paper focuses on the electronic portfolio, suggesting that it offers a gateway between popular culture and composition pedagogy. In the paper, the author/educator opines that compiling an electronic portfolio has allowed his students to reach beyond the expository or argumentative essay as they engage new rhetorical strategies and new conceptions of authorship, readership, and "appropriate" uses of technology within (and without) the space of a classroom. According to the paper, of greatest value in the completion of an electronic portfolio is the act of personal reflection on the electronic writing process which allows both teachers and students to consider new and exciting communication paradigms. The paper addresses two primary areas: logic behind classroom recognition of electronic literacy and popular culture, and pedagogical implications as they relate to assessment and student performance. Cites 19 works. (NKA)