I'm probably in a minority here...

..... but that's not a first.
I've been spending some time with my portfolio over the last few days - impelled towards it by the impending tutor visit (I'll come to that some other time). The phrase most commonly associated with the portfolio so far is "box-ticking", and that's not just at Jordanhill but also out there in teacherland among recent-ishly qualified teachers. And yes, there is a reasonable amount of box-ticking required, literally as well as figuratively. So far, I'm in the majority camp.
Where I suspect that I diverge from the majority is in the value of the tasks we're being asked to complete for the portfolio. Bearing in mind that the idea, I believe, is that teachers should be reflective practitioners and that they should adapt to the context in which they find themselves, I have found the portfolio tasks very helpful.
For instance, I found the primary school visit a real eye-opener. The levels of differentiation and the variety of work going on simultaneously in primary classes puts the secondary classes I observed (and taught) to shame. The responsibility handed to P3 children for there own learning was remarkable compared to that offered to S3 pupils. I know that there are reasons for this and could spout them back at you if required, I'm assuming that's not necessary. But in the context of the portfolio, having observed the difference, some weeks later I had to return to set out those comparisons in words. Which was a very useful exercise. I had to re-read my notes, recall the circumstances, synthesize the learning and spit it out in way that makes sense, to me at least.
Similarly, my placement is at my local, rural school. I've lived in the area for years and know lots about it. But had I ever really considered the implications for education in the area? No I hadn't. My own children go to a different school, for reasons too boring to go into, so maybe I would have thought more about it if they had gone to this school. So thinking about the catchment area in terms of employment prospects and the local economy was a useful exercise.
This isn't to say I've done a great job on the portfolio tasks - there's so little guidance about what's expected that it's difficult to be sure. However, I can be confident that I have at least thought through the issues raised and that I haven't treated it as simply a box-ticking exercise.
Note to self: should pass on some feedback about this I suppose, including .... why not allow/encourage people to complete portfolio tasks online? Via some sort of diary? Or blog maybe? I could have done the lot by now :)