This document provides guidance on creating an ePortfolio using the Mahara platform. It discusses: - The purpose of ePortfolios in allowing students to store, curate, and display their work to different audiences over time. - Recommendations for content creation tools like Office 365, Google Apps, and free image/video editing software. - Best practices for elements like lighting, audio quality, file formats, and permissions when creating multimedia content for an ePortfolio.

1. Welcome to this introduction to ePortfolios. In this video we’ll explore the whys
and whats of ePortfolios and compare two platforms freely available to UniSA
students.
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3. Over the course of your life as a learner – whether you’re learning in a formal
environment like a school or an informal environment such as a hobby – you create
a body of work to apply the skills and knowledge you develop. You also might pick
up recognitions and qualifications.
Without a way to properly store, curate and add context to all of this work -
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4. Useful examples of your work could end up in a virtual attic, gathering dust.
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5. ePorfolios allow users to create online spaces where they can store and curate
existing content – plus tools to create new content and to contextualise existing
content.
ePortfolios then allow you to use the same content in multiple ways to serve
multiple audiences. For instance -
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6. An assessment may call on you to produce an overview video, a final paper and to
analyse your research. You can upload notes, resources and various drafts of your
work to access anywhere you go, then display the outputs to your tutor for
feedback or, in the case of some courses, for final assessment.
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7. During or after university, you can use various artefacts you’ve created or have
obtained to create an online job application.
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8. And later on, you may even wish to use the outputs of your work to teach others.
You can do it all from the same platform.
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9. There are dozens of ePortfolio platforms out there. They all share the three key
elements we’ve mentioned.
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10. A place to either store and curate electronic files or to access your files stored and
curated in other locations.
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11. Tools that allow you to create new content and/or to contextualise existing
content.
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12. And a method by which you can display content in different configurations for
consumption by different audiences.
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13. The one the University supports and we ask that all students use is Mahara.
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14. Mahara is an ePorfolio platform situated in a community. When you log into your
UniSA Mahara site, you will see lots of references to sharing and community.
You have 1 GB of storage
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15. •
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16. Why not let students use WordPress, Prezi or a website creation tool? Because
they aren’t ePortfolios.
ePortfolios exist to provide persistent, online spaces to store and curate artefacts
created or saved by an individual so they can track their learning over time and
access and re-use resources they create and/or have saved
tools with which an individual can contextualise and aggregate existing artefacts
and create new content as well as provide ways for the artefacts to be displayed
and re-displayed to multiple audiences. ePortfolios also provide one space for
reflecting on learning, of aggregating and curating useful resources and creating
new content that students can return to over time. This is a vital part of the
incidental learning ePortfolios provide. A consistent “home base” in Mahara to
store, aggregate and display their work doesn’t limit students’ ability to use other
tools for creation.
Using Prezi or other types of presentation software to submit an ePortfolio
assignment is missing the whole point of ePortfolios in an educational context. A
presentation tool is simply a way of presenting information and it is not output
alone that is behind the use of ePortfolios in education. Ditto websites.
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17. Why not another ePortfolio then?
Because Mahara is authenticatable in terms of assessment.
This is vital to meeting our obligations to ensure our assessments are robust.
Unlike website platforms like Weebly, WordPress and/or Google sites; only a
student account can be used to access a university-linked Mahara ePortfolio.
When a Mahara collection is submitted for assessment, that collection is locked
for editing – whereas a link to an external product could link to a website that was
empty when the link was submitted and edited after the submission date.
Because using one platform across a program is practical.
• The university IT support service supports Mahara – so support is readily
available.
• Markers will not have to familiarise themselves with the ins and outs of
multiple platforms nor have to download and install specialised plugins to view
assessments.
• Students who use Mahara will develop proficiency in it over time – so as their
assessments scaffold up in difficulty, the difficulty of using Mahara will
decrease.
• The consistent use of Mahara across courses means students will be storing
assignments, reflections and resources from their program and be able to
access them after they graduate – starting them off in their professional lives
with a single content-rich pool of resources from which to draw.
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18. You can find your free Mahara eportfolio by clicking on a link in the sidebar of your
course site or by going directly to this address: https://ep.unisa.edu.au
You can find support in using Mahara by going to the LearnOnline help site for
students, located at: https://lo.unisa.edu.au/course/view.php?id=60
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19. In addition to deciding on an ePorfolio tool, it’s good to have a handle on what’s
available to create content.
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20. You get free access to Office 365 in the cloud as a UniSA student. You can also
choose to use Google Apps – free with a Google account and accessible via Google
Drive. Or, if your internet connection is shaky, you can download the free Apache
Open Office suite.
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21. There are a lot of free image editing tools out there. MS Paint is free with Windows
and if you have Windows 8.1 and better, you can try out their new “Fresh Paint”
app. GIMP is a great program and is free, open source software that runs on
Windows, Mac or Linux OS. Plus you can find image editing tools for free on most
App stores.
I’ve also used PowerPoint as an image creation and editing tool as you can create
an image or append there and then right click to save it as an image to your local
device.
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22. Edit your images before uploading them to your ePortfolio. You’ll save on
bandwidth and storage by re-sizing them. You’ll have images that are better quality
and that tell the story you want/need them to tell.
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23. Whether you create video with your mobile phone or a video camera, there are
some basic rules to follow. Firstly – lighting and sound are critical to good video
production. Record at the highest quality your device will allow and ensure before
you start you have plenty of room in memory. When in doubt – frame more loosely
than you might like (go for a slightly wider shot) as viewfinders can and do lie. Use
a tripod whenever you can – there are tripods designed for mobile phones out
there – or grab a car holder and blue tack it to something. If you’re planning to
narrate your video, consider doing it after you shoot and use the ambient sound as
a second audio channel.
Good free video editing tools that can do multi-track editing are very scarce. In
fact, I don’t know of any. Windows Movie maker does one-track editing with basic
transitions and the ability to record straight in from webcam or mic. At this writing
( May 2016) YouTube offers some basic trimming and annotation tools and free
audio tracks to add once you’ve uploaded your video.
When you output your video – try to do so as MP4. WMV will do in a pinch.
Never upload a plain old video file – they’re not designed to stream online. Upload
to YouTube or Vimeo as unlisted videos and then you can embed them or link to
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24. them from your portfolio. Always test the final product before embedding it.
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25. Don’t have a video camera? You can still create videos! PowerPoint allows you to
record from webcam or record audio on slides and output as a video. Windows
users can import stills and music into Windows Movie Maker and add narration
directly in. And while YouTube doesn’t yet have the option to add narration (as at
July 2016), you can upload images and choose from their royalty free music to
create a video of sorts. I would caution you on this – as in future there may be
people in your audience who are sight impaired and thus a video with just images
and music will not be useful to them.
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26. If you’re creating narration, keep your mic close to your mouth. Choose a small,
quiet room with lots of soft furnishings. I’ve recorded some great audio in a walk in
closet. Try to do an entire production’s worth of audio on the same day – your
voice will change day to day and will rarely match up with a previous day’s
recording. Do not be overly picky about pauses. If you make a mistake, stop and
take it from the top of a paragraph or scene.
When capturing from a mixing desk – ensure your recording device is up to it.
Some mobile phones with audio in/out combined ports will yield poor quality
results. Test, test, test and on the day – ensure you have more memory than you
think you need.
When capturing in the field – monitor your capture closely. A device that allows
you to listen as you record is the gold standard, if you can’t get that – listen right
after you record to ensure you’re happy. If interviewing a subject, a lapel mic on
them that is as close to their mouth as possible is going to give you the best audio.
If you’re using a handheld mic, ensure it has a tight capture pattern and position it
directly in front of and close to their mouths.
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27. If you’re going to add a music bed – ensure you have the right to use the music for
this purpose (just buying the CD or downloading the track isn’t enough). Ensure
you are keeping the music very low in relation to the narration and go for
instrumentals or vocals with no words. YouTube provides the ability to add music
from their music library after you upload a video.
When editing audio – Audacity is a free, open source tool that allows you to
produce multi-track, layered audio productions. You can also record audio straight
into it. You can also record audio straight into Windows Movie Maker.
When uploading Audio, you can use the free SoundCloud website or can create a
video by putting in a PowerPoint slide and then recording your narration to it, then
uploading it to YouTube.
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28. Look for content licensed for re-use. Ensure you understand how you’re able to re-
use and re-mix it so you can display your work publicly if you want to do so.
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