myPortfolio

Topic outline

• Login

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  • Click here to login to your MyPortfolio account
    

  • Please note that as at Wed 4th October work is underway to fix a bug that prevents you from exporting your portfolio pages or collections. You can still save individual pages as PDFs using the Print function. Make sure that first you open any retracted blocks or they will not be visible in the PDF.

    
    

• What is MyPortfolio
  • Mahara is the system that Unitec adopted as our ePortfolio platform known as "MyPortfolio". You can only access the Unitec MyPortfolio system through Moodle. More about this later.
    

    First, watch this short video (1:27 minutes).
    

    
    

    MyPortfolio is a digital alternative to the paper based-portfolio, bringing with it the obvious benefits of making it portable and shareable.

    For students:

    • Personalised learning, thinking about knowledge as an active process.
    • Informed, active participants in their own learning.
    • Scaffold their learning.
    • Provide communication and feedback tool between their teacher and classmates.
    • Showcase their learning, record and celebrate their learning journey.
    • Develop digital literacy that can be transferred to other settings and platforms.

    
    

    For teachers:

    • Online study and tutorial activities created using MyPortfolio Groups.
    • Encourage reflective learning with students.
    • Collaborative assessment with sharing function.
    • Professional Development by setting goals and presenting achievements.
    • Simpler formative and summative feedback.
    • Easier to store a digital version for moderation purposes.
    • Easier for employers or other external support people to provide feedback to students.

    
    

• Getting Started
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    To get started, you'll need to login through Moodle to create an account. Use the login button provided above

    OR through the Moodle Menu by selecting  MyPortfolio from the dropdown menu under STAFF. Make sure you are logged into Moodle first.
    

    
    

      

    
    

    When you log in to Moodle and click the login button for the first time, an account is automatically created for you in myPortfolio. If you are using MyPortfolio with students you can provide a similar login button on your course Moodle and ask students to click on it when the course first starts. This will make them visible to you when working in the system. They can also go in through the Student tab in the Moodle Menu.
    

    Staff and students are unable to log into MyPortfolio by using a search engine to find the website. You can only log in using Moodle.
    

    
    

    
    MyPortfolio Guide

    
    

    To add the above login link to your courses, please contact one of the MyPortfolio team.
    

• What's new in the latest update?
  • 'Groups' have some improvements.
    

    You need to be a member of a group to use these tips
    
  • 

    You can now easily copy a template page or collection for all of your students- Instructions here File
  • If you provide students with a template portfolio you can now send this directly to them without them having to copy it themselves. This process avoids problems that can arise eg students not being able to find the template, students copying it into the group by mistake, allowing everyone in the group to see their work etc.
    

  • 

    Add labels to your groups so you can filter them Page
  • 

    Filter your Groups in the block on the dashboard Page
  • You can also filter the groups in your list under ENGAGE and this filter can differ from the one managing the Groups block on the dashboard.

    You can also use labels to filter the groups visible on your profile page.
    

  • 

    Create default settings for your groups when you set them up Page

• Research Literature to support Portfolio development and choices
  • 

    Reflection on the use of Student Portfolios URL

    The use of Portfolios with pre-registration student nurses.
    

• Frequently Asked Questions
  • 
    

    1. What is myPortfolio?

    MyPortfolio is a digital portfolio system that is supported by Unitec. MyPortfolio uses open source software called Mahara. Meaning 'think' or 'thought' in te reo Māori, the name Mahara reflects the project's dedication to creating a user-centred life-long learning and development application underpinned by considerations of pedagogy and policy

    2. Why should I use MyPortfolio instead of another platform such as Wordpress or WIX or Google Sites?
    

    MyPortfolio is a supported platform at Unitec, which means you can get technical as well as pedagogical support. It has the advantage that when a student submits their work for feedback or grading, they are unable to keep adding to the portfolio until it is released. This means the grader will know that the work was completed by a due date. MyPortfolio is also free to staff and students and connects with Moodle, enabling people to use it without having to create an account. It can be as simple or as complex as you wish.
    

    There are certainly some aesthetic advantages to using some other platforms but these do need to be weighed against any potential need for support.
    

     
    3. How do I get started?

    As a Unitec staff member or student with Moodle access, you automatically start an account by logging in via the login button on this Moodle page. Accessing myPortfolio is always done through Moodle. Go to STAFF or STUDENTS in the menu at the top of any Moodle page. Select MyPortfolio from the dropdown menu.
    

    You cannot google Mahara or MyPortfolio and get in that way.
    

     
    4. How much can I upload?
    

    MyPortfolio allows for up to 1 gigabyte of storage space per user. Please contact your Te Puna Ako school liaison if you get a message that your file storage is nearly full.

    
    5. How can I share my resources?
    

    Selected information is presented by creating a 'Page'. You can have as many Pages as you like, and these can be aggregated into a 'Collection'. Pages and Collections are private by default. Access can be given to Pages or Collections for specific audiences including; friends, teachers, employers, members of a study group, or they can be made public. Access settings can be changed at any time. Some staff (e.g. Te Puna Ako) have special permission levels that allow them to access your page in order to support you and problem solve. Privacy laws prevent this access being used for any other purpose.
    

     
    6. How can I get help using myPortfolio?

    There is an online manual that will guide you (see the top of this page for the current link) and staff can also contact Te Puna Ako for support. If you are a student you should use the manual or seek help from teaching staff.
    
    

    7. How can a student use MyPortfolio?

    My Portfolio provides a student-centered and personalised space to bring together formal institutional learning activity and informal learning experiences. It can help students reflect upon what they have achieved, where their ambitions are, what they need to get there and how learning can help them do that. Teachers can create page and collection templates that support students in developing a portfolio.
    

    Some examples of use include:

    •  assignments that ask students to gather/create/showcase work and achievements over time, collate this information and submit it for feedback/grading -  especially where formative feedback is to be provided by lecturers or people outside of Unitec (e.g. internships and Clinical placements
    • Developing a tailored Resumé for prospective employers and internships/work experience

    • Working in a group to create both group and individual assessments for submission
    • Curation of evidence for staff ADEP and Promotion purposes
      

    
    

    8. Can I link with people from other organisations?

    My Portfolio has the potential to develop a sector wide learning community across all institutions in New Zealand. You can share portfolios with anyone by creating a Secret URL that links to your Portfolio. See the Manual for instructions.
    

    9. Can I link to my other online spaces?

    My Portfolio is a personal learning space, which you can use to present work in a way that suits you. We feel it is important to be able to pull together other online resources that help to build up a picture of your life and learning beyond the organisations in which you work or study. For example, you can include embedded You Tube videos and add RSS feeds from external websites or Journals. You can also include hyperlinks from other digital spaces you curate or participate in.
    

    10. Can I take my Portfolio with me when I leave my institution?

    Yes. It is possible to export your eportfolio in a format that can be imported by some other eportfolio systems or as a webpage. Pages can also be downloaded as PDF files. Please contact Te Puna Ako (tepunaako@unitec.ac.nz) or see the manual for instructions.
    

    11. How do I report a problem with myPortfolio?

    Any questions regarding the use of myPortfolio, staff should log help requests through the email: imssupport@unitec.ac.nz or contact your school TPA liaison. Students, please talk with your teachers.
    

    
    

• Trouble shooting
  • This section is new and under development.

    
    
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    When I log in to MyPortfolio i see a blue and orange page and I am unable to login