Support

Support

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@kineo.co.nz

 

Massey University now has their own site. Support is provided via https://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/staffroom/national-shared-services/information-technology-services/help/forms/log-a-stream-fault.cfm

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is My Portfolio?

My Portfolio is a nationwide ePortfolio service managed and supported by Kineo (Pacific). All institutions 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 institution. This should be completed by the person who will be the administrator for your institution. If your institution is already using My Portfolio there is also an option for individuals to self register. (This option can be turned off by the institution'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 My Portfolio Users 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 Blog posts and resumé details can be presented together as a View. You can have as many Views as you like. Access can be given to Views 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 tutor 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 institutional 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 Blog and Forum interactions
  • Critical reflection on the teaching process through Blog and Forum interactions
  • Showcasing good practice with colleagues through Views of exemplar teaching material
  • Networking with other teachers, through cross sector research and subject Groups
  • Informing the continuing professional development process by presenting achievements and setting goals in a View

How can a student use it?

My Portfolio provides a student centred and personalised space to bring together formal institutional 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 tutors 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 Views structure
  • Developing a tailored Resumé for prospective employers using the Resumé Builder
  • Using a Blog to inform and document the research process; share with supervisors as a View
  • 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 institutions.

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.

Can My Portfolio be used across departments?

Yes. Although each Institution needs a named person to act as the initial Institutional administrator and main contact person, My Portfolio can be used across departments as well as for department specific instances. Other administrators can be added as use grows if necessary.

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 institution. As well as within your own department or institution, My Portfolio has the potential to develop a sector wide learning community across all institutions 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 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 Blogs. Within My Portfolio's Blog tool you can hyperlink to other relevant external resources.

Can I take My Portfolio with me when I leave my institution?

Yes, users will be able to export their data from My Portfolio using the LEAP2A standard and import it into a compatible eportfolio system (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 tertiary institution. 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 institutions to develop (if desired) rather than individual institution 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 will My Portfolio cost after the pilot has finished?

There is a monthly charge for institutions as per the following pricing structure. If you are new to ePortfolios please enquire about our trial period package.

Number of users Price per month - excluding GST
0-100 users Free
101-250 users $100
251-1000 users $250
1001-5000 users $500
5001-10000 users $1000

Each institution will be provided with their own alumni group free of charge.

How can I get more help?

Email support@kineo.co.nz

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