Mahara
From iProjekt
Contents |
Main purpose
Mahara is free and open-source ePortfolio, Blog, Resumé Builder and Social Networking system. It was built in 2006 and it is based on plugin architecture so it can be scaled very easily. Except internal file repository, three main parts can be identified in Mahara: 1. Artefacts (i.e. digital materials that can be in a form of file, Blog, feed or external link), 2. Views (a collection of artefacts presented to wider audience), and 3. Groups (the posibility of joining private or public groups for Social Networking purpose).
Useful information
Mahara can be integrated with Moodle LMS(version 1.9 and above) using SSO (Single-Sign-On). That way upon logging in to Moodle, the user is automatically logged in into Mahara also. The personal CV can be very easily built using the built-in Resumé Builder. Blogs on the other hand can be used for less formal presentation. The latest version of Mahara enables export in Europass CV format.
See video tutorial on using Mahara.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Probably one of the best ePortfolio systems
- Integration with Moodle
- Free
- Very easy to use (user-friendly interface)
- Bugs and requirements for improvement are solved very quicly
Cons
- Minor incompatibility issues with some browsers
- Search engine does not work with artefacts
Reference
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahara_%28software%29
Tool accessibility test (28 July 2010)
Server Response Time test performed from Seattle, WA / Munich, Germany / Brisbane, Australia : 0.771 sec / 0.955 sec / 1.257 sec
Server Response Time Scale: Less than 0,1 = Optimal; 0,1 - 1 = Acceptable; 1 - 4 = Noticable but tolerable delay; 4 - 8 = Bearly tolerant delay
This tool has help included on the tool's webpage (link): http://demo.mahara.org/
There is no possiblity of changing the type or size of fonts in the tool (it can be done only as a browser functionality).
