MyPortfolio Schools

  • Login

Support

Kineo (Pacific)

Kineo (Pacific) is a New Zealand owned and operated education and training services company, located in Wellington. Our ability to deliver high value, though lower cost solutions is underpinned by the internationally recognised expertise and leadership Kineo (Pacific) has developed with its partners in the field of open source educational technologies.

For training and support with your ePortfolio and broader eLearning requirements please contact:

support@myportfolio.school.nz

Frequently Asked Questions

What is My Portfolio?

My Portfolio is a nationwide ePortfolio service managed and supported by Kineo (Pacific). All schools are welcome to use My Portfolio. The key benefit of a learner driven environment being on a shared "software as a service" environment is that sector wide learner communities may flourish. My Portfolio brings together the benefits of leading education technology and social software in a safe education focused environment.

A hosted solution also brings down the total cost of ownership, by avoiding the set-up costs, maintenance, patch implementations and upgrades and support. We offer a seamless single-sign-on with Moodle and customised themes for your organisation.

My Portfolio 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.

How do I get started?

If you are not yet using My Portfolio, register your school. This should be completed by the person who will be the administrator for your school. If your school is already using My Portfolio there is also an option for individuals to self register. (This option can be turned off by the school's administrator).

Familiarise yourself with the various stages of using My Portfolio with the short video tutorials at the home page.

Once you have a login for My Portfolio, you can share ideas for implementing ePortfolios, at the MyPortfolio Discussions Group - select Join this group and take a look at the forums.

How much can I upload?

My Portfolio allows for up to 1 gigabyte of storage space per user. Please contact us if you require greater storage limits.

How can I share my resources?

Resources must be uploaded to the Files area of My Portfolio. From there, selected resources along with information such as journal entries and resumé details can be presented together as a Page. You can have as many Pages as you like. Access can be given to Pages for specific audiences including; selected individuals, logged in users, friends list and even made publicly available online. Access can also be granted to My Portfolio Groups.

How can a teacher use it?

My Portfolio provides a tool for wider reflection on teaching and learning activities that take place in your classroom and on any existing school Learning Management Systems such as Moodle. It can also be used to aid your own continuing professional development. Some examples of use include:

  • Online study and tutorial activities created using My Portfolio's Groups
  • Encouraging reflective learning with students through Journal and Forum interactions
  • Involving parents and caregivers in the learning process through Journals and Pages
  • Critical reflection on the teaching process through Journal and Forum interactions
  • Showcasing good practice with colleagues through Pages of exemplar teaching material and related Groups
  • Informing the continuing professional development process by presenting achievements and setting goals in a Page

How can a student use it?

My Portfolio provides a student centred and personalised space to bring together formal school learning activity and informal learning experiences. It will 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. Some examples of use include:

  • Setting academic and study goals with cooperation of teachers and careers advisors
  • Developing writing and multimedia communication skills, uploading and presenting a variety of file types
  • Showcasing work and achievements online using My Portfolio's Pages structure
  • Developing a tailored Resumé for prospective employers using the Resumé Builder
  • Reflecting on the experiences of a work placement via a Journal and Page
  • Utilising Social Networking tools to support learning and leisure

How do I connect with friends?

You can search for friends, for example people you know who are studying or working at other schools.

You may wish to search for Groups that are of interest to you, such as a subject specific group. You can use the Find Groups page to find groups that might interest you, or view your friends' profile pages and see what groups they are in.

As long as they are registered in My Portfolio and they want to link with you, then yes! The process of finding new friends or groups is exactly the same as if you are searching for friends and groups within your own school. As well as within your school, My Portfolio has the potential to develop a sector wide learning community amongst all schools in New Zealand.

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 to other online resources that help to build up a picture of your life and learning beyond the school in which you work or study. For example, you can include embedded You Tube videos and add RSS feeds from external websites or Blogs. Within My Portfolio's Journal tool you can hyperlink to other relevant external resources.

Can I take My Portfolio with me when I leave school?

Yes, users will be able to export their data from My Portfolio using the LEAP2A standard and import it into compatible eportfolio systems such as Mahara, ePet, MyProgessFile and PebblePad.

Does My Portfolio integrate with Moodle?

My Portfolio can be integrated, through Single Sign on, with Moodle 1.9 for example, with further integration planned. As it is built on Open Source software, the My Portfolio service will continue to grow as the Mahara system evolves.

Is My Portfolio simply a hosted solution of Mahara? Why don’t we host internally?

Yes, My Portfolio is a hosted solution of Mahara with some additional benefits. My Portfolio provided as a fully hosted software service accessible via the world-wide web to any New Zealand based school. Each organisation has a separate Service Level Agreement to provide learners and instructors with an ePortfolio application on demand. This approach alleviates the problem of upfront investment, maintenance and upgrade costs. In addition, My Portfolio is designed to enable pan-sector learner communities and collaboration between schools to develop (if desired) rather than individual school based ePortfolio silos. You are in control.

Can we have MyPortfolio branded differently?

Yes, for a small one-off fee we can develop a specific theme for your organisation so that when a User logs on to MyPortfolio they will see your usual organisation colours and brand.

How much does My Portfolio cost?

My Portfolio is free to schools in New Zealand until at least the end of 2013.

How can I get more help?

Email support@myportfolio.school.nz