Mahara

Draft

Introduction

“Mahara is an open source e-portfolio system with a flexible display framework. Mahara, meaning 'think' or 'thought' in Te Reo Māori, is user centred environment with a permissions framework that enables different views of an e-portfolio to be easily managed. Mahara also features a weblog, resume builder and social networking system, connecting users and creating online learner communities.” (Mahara home page, retrieved 10:09, 7 July 2009 (UTC))

See also: learning e-portfolio

System and functionalities

Here is a provisional list of Mahara's principal functions:

For the individual

• Profile information and friends
• CV tool
• Goals and skills management
• Filing system
• Views, i.e. expositions that expose files, blogs, etc. to a chosen audience

For groups

• Groups, to manage group activities (files, expositions, forum)

For institutions

• Institutions, i.e. self-contained areas with users and groups. Users can be part of more than one institution.

Blogs

Blogs are created by individuals and are always accessible through their personal profile page under "productions" or under the "My portfolio" tab and the "My blogs" sub-tab.

Adding a blog to a view

Blog blocks come in three types. Ia a view one can add

• a specific blog
• a list of recent posts to a blog
• a list of blogs

Note: blogs must exist before they can be added.

Integration

Mahara integrates well with Moodel in two ways:

• Transparent login from Moodle
• Being able to grade views within Moodle

Mahara supports LEAP2A, the e-portfolio exchange standard.

Links

• Mahara, Wikipedia.
• Mahara home page