mahara support: ‘how to’ guide

Stephen Boyle, University of Glasgow - page 1

Mahara Support: ‘How to’ Guide


Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3

1. Accessing Mahara ............................................................................................................................... 5

2. Creating a Mahara page ...................................................................................................................... 6

3. Adding text to a page .......................................................................................................................... 9

4. Adding hyperlinks to text on a page ................................................................................................. 12

5. Adding an image to a page................................................................................................................ 17

6. Adding a video from YouTube to a page ........................................................................................... 21

7. Adding a downloadable file to a page .............................................................................................. 28

8. Sharing your page with a Mahara group .......................................................................................... 32

9. Creating a Mahara group .................................................................................................................. 35

10.Starting a topic ‘chat’ facility from within the Forum section of a Mahara group .......................... 39

10. How to recruit group members by inviting others to join .............................................................. 43


Introduction Mahara is an eportfolio app. The University maintains its own version of the app. As a student at the

University you have access to your own University Mahara space. You have complete control over

the contents of and access to your ‘Mahara’. ‘Mahara’ is Maori New Zealand (it was originally

created by New Zealand programmers) for ‘thought’ or ‘thinking’.

Part of your assignment for the ELDC course consists of working in a group (which ideally should

consist of five students – in exceptional circumstances the course leader may allow more or less than

that in a group) to create, contribute to and maintain a collegiate, online, eportfolio resource using

Mahara.

Your individual responsibility, as a member of that group (which from here on in we will refer to as

your ‘Mahara group’) is to do the following as a minimum:

1. Join, or ensure you are invited to join, your group

2. Contribute a minimum of two posts to a topic in your group’s Mahara forum. Each post must

contain a minimum of fifty words and associated citations. You can also insert ‘hyperlinks’

into a post.

3. Create a Mahara page and share it with your group and, apropos that, ensure you

a. use between 500 and 750 words on your page

b. insert relevant appropriate images (at least two)

c. insert at least one relevant appropriate video

d. insert at least one relevant appropriate downloadable file (in addition to your

reference list)

e. use at least two hyperlinks linking to other relevant appropriate online resources

(e.g. a website)

4. Discuss professional issues via your page and posts using an appropriate academic register

(i.e. professional and academic reflection): an important aspect of that is using citations

(required for posts and pages) and a reference list (only required for pages)

Each Mahara group should decide on a leader. You are strongly advised that the leader chosen has

at least reasonable ICT skills. The Mahara group leader has additional responsibilities which are:

1. To set up the Mahara group

2. Inviting each group member to join the Mahara group

3. Invite the ELDC course leader to be a member of your group: otherwise he cannot mark your

efforts! The course leader’s Mahara name is…

Stephen Boyle (SoE staff)

4. Please note only each individual group member can share their Mahara page with a group.

The group leader is unable to do that.

Here is some further additional information apropos creating and running your Mahara group, which

you are advised to adhere to from the outset:

1. Support each other. You are working as a group so that is not ‘cheating’!

2. Stay organised: arrange regular planned contact, for example using email, phone, social

media, Mahara itself and face to face contact if possible and appropriate, paying due regard

to health and safety guidance.


3. Decide on the ‘theme’ of your related postings and pages as soon as possible. For example a

group, as has occurred in the past, may decide to take ‘literacy’ as their theme. Each of the

five members may then decide to reflect upon a particular aspect of literacy within each of

their pages such as:

a. Literacy and outdoor learning

b. Multi-modal literacy

c. ICT enhancing literacy

d. Literacy and children with autism

e. The Montessori method and literacy

The group may also decide, for example, that their ‘topic’ within their group forum is

‘Curriculum for Excellence and literacy or ‘the playwork principles and literacy’.

4. A student cannot be invited to join a Mahara group until they have entered Mahara at least

once. Any students who have not entered Mahara at least once will not be searchable for if,

for example, a group leader was looking to invite them to join a group.

5. Within your postings and pages, blend experiences and your reading to consider how you

can share your expertise with the other group members and how you can support each

other collegiately to progress in your professional development especially through

reflection. The hope is that such processes will ultimately impact positively upon your

practice.

6. It is, in my experience, very rare for any serious conflict to arise within a group. The best way

usually to deal with any level of conflict, if it does arise, is to discuss any issues assertively

with each other to resolve them. Also, ‘conflict’ is inevitable within any group, especially any

‘newly formed’ group. In fact, it could be argued that conflict (meaning a difference of

opinion) should be welcomed within any group as it is through the ‘airing’ of such

differences that progress is made within individuals and a group. The absence of conflict

often leads to stagnation.

In the unlikely event that any differences cannot be resolved via the group, contact should

be made with the course leader.

Now, I will go on to offer some practical advice with regard to creating and populating your Mahara

pages and postings with content. We will look at, in turn,

1. Accessing Mahara

2. Creating a Mahara page

3. Adding text to a page

4. Adding hyperlinks to text on a page

5. Adding an image to a page

6. Adding a video from YouTube to a page

7. Adding a downloadable file to a page

8. Sharing your page with a Mahara group

9. Creating a Mahara group

10. Starting a topic ‘chat’ facility from within the Forum section of a Mahara group

11. How to recruit group members by inviting others to join


1. Accessing Mahara

To access Mahara…

1. Follow this link…

https://moodle.gla.ac.uk/login/index.php

2. Use your university credentials to log in…

3. You will see a ‘dashboard’ similar to this. You’re now ‘in’ Mahara.

https://moodle.gla.ac.uk/login/index.php


2. Creating a Mahara page

Introduction: A Mahara page is a web page that you create from within Mahara. You then have

control over who can view the page… only you, associates chosen by you (they don’t need to be a

member of the university) or everybody with Internet access. This is one of the most powerful

features of Mahara.

1. First, from the menu stripes (three white lines), click on Create and then click on Pages and

collections …

2. Click on the +Add button…

3. Click on the Page option…


4. Give the page a Page title and then click Save… Don’t bother about Tags, Advanced or Skin.


5. You should now see an editing dashboard where you can add content to your page… We’ll

look at how you can add text, images, video, files and hyperlinks soon. Basically, for now, the

area bounded by the red box below is where you can insert content. It is empty of course

because no content has been added to it yet!


3. Adding text to a page

1. Click on the + button…

2. Then, click on Add…

3. This window appears… Enter a title for the Block title field. It is also advisable to give each

block a number as part of that title as shown below to aid navigation for the viewer. Now,

click on Text under Content Types.


4. The window will now allow you to enter text into the Block content field as shown below

(The ‘Useful resources’ link within ‘Unit 1’ of the ELDC Moodle contains the text for this

block if you wish to copy and paste it).

Next, click Save.


5. By clicking on the block title and holding down the left mouse button, you do have some

control over where you can locate the block on the page. This can take a wee bit of getting

used to at first but have a practice and you will get the hang of it.

You can also change the size of the text block by clicking on, holding down and dragging out

the little double headed arrow at the bottom right-hand corner of the text block.

Clicking on the cogwheel will let you edit the contents of the text block. Clicking on the

dustbin will let you delete it.


4. Adding hyperlinks to text on a page

Introduction: A hyperlink is a link on a web page that takes you to another part of the Internet; often

another web page. You’ll use them a lot when doing activities such as online banking or shopping or

search for information using a search engine such as Google. Just like including a downloadable file,

they can be very useful as it can provide the viewer of your Mahara web page with much more

information that you can comfortably fit on to your Mahara page. It is also a useful way of

acknowledging the source of the information. However you must remember to still include a citation

even when using a hyperlink…

1. Here, we will use a web page from New Zealand…

https://theeducationhub.org.nz/an-introduction-to-curriculum-integration/

…that is freely available on the Internet for anyone to use.

When you are using such a source it is very important that you correctly reference the file in

your reference list and provide a citation on the Mahara page, e.g. (McPhail, online). If you

scroll down to the bottom of this New Zealand web page you will understand why that is the

citation to be used. What would go in the reference list is this…

McPhail G. (online) An introduction to curriculum integration at

https://theeducationhub.org.nz/an-introduction-to-curriculum-integration/ (last accessed

01-08-20).

OK, let’s look at placing that hyperlink within our text box in our Mahara Page…

2. The first thing to do is have a copy of the web page address (the link above) sitting on your

computer clipboard so do just that. Copy the address above. Such an address is often known

as a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). Every web page on the Internet has its own unique

URL; a bit like its own phone number, so that people know how to contact it.




3. First, from the menu stripes (three white lines), click on Create and then click on Pages and

collections …

6. That will take you to the Pages and collections dashboard. Now click on the title of the page

you wish to edit…

7. Click on the pen (editing) tool (top right-hand corner)…


8. The page edit dashboard will appear. Click on the Cogwheel of the text box…

9. The Configure window for the text box will appear…


10. Type the following text into the text box just below the bullet pointed list (note how the

citation has been included)…

‘Click here to find out more about the ten models (McPhail, online).’

11. Now, double-click on the word ‘here’ to highlight it…

12. Next, click on the Insert/Edit link tool…


13. The Insert/Edit Link window will appear. Paste the URL you previously copied into the URL

field as show below. The quickest way to do that is to click once inside the URL field and

then press the Ctrl and V keys simultaneously on your keyboard (that combination being the

keyboard shortcut for ‘paste’). Then click on Save.

14. Click on Save…

15. You should notice that ‘here’ has changed colour and that when you move the mouse

pointer over it, the pointer changes into a ‘hand’ to let you know that text is now a

hyperlink. Try the link to see where it takes you.


5. Adding an image to a page

Introduction: A picture can tell a thousand words; so the saying goes. But it really depends… In a

professional and academic context, you shouldn’t use an image just because it looks nice or fills a

gap. Use images that are relevant to the theme under discussion. It is not a good idea to insert an

image ‘on its own’ floating in the middle of a page with no link to anything else on the page. An

image should always be associated with a text box (or a video) that gives the viewer more

information about the image; especially why you included it.

Images are most useful when they convey information. ‘Smiley, happy people’ will not go far I’m

afraid. Choose a diagram, chart or table instead, or even something such as a mind map.

1. Here, we will add an image that presents a graphic representation of Fogarty’s ten models of

integrating curricula. That ties in with the theme we started earlier…

2. Click on the three stripes > Create > Pages and collections…


you wish to edit…


8. This window appears… Enter a title for the Block title field. It is also advisable to give each

block a number as part of that title as shown below to aid navigation for the viewer. Now,

click on Image under Content Types.

9. Click on the dropdown arrow to the right of the word Image....

10. The Configure window will change to this… Check the box to show you have permission o

use the file and then click on Choose Files. (The ‘Useful resources’ link within ‘Unit 1’ of the

ELDC Moodle contains the image for this block if you wish to copy and paste it).


11. The Open file window will appear. Navigate to the location of the file, click on it to highlight

it and then click on Open.

12. Click on Save.

13. By clicking on the block title and holding down the left mouse button, you do have some

control over where you can locate the block on the page. This can take a wee bit of getting

used to at first but have a practice and you will get the hang of it.

You can also change the size of the image block by clicking on, holding down and dragging

out the little double headed arrow at the bottom right-hand corner of the text block.

Clicking on the cogwheel will let you edit the contents of the text block. Clicking on the

dustbin will let you delete it.


6. Adding a video from YouTube to a page

Introduction: There are various ways to add video to your Mahara page. In my experience, the most

reliable is to add a video from YouTube. YouTube contains many videos from other people but there

is nothing to stop you uploading your own videos to YouTube which you can then use of Mahara.

You just need to register for a free YouTube account. Click here to find out how to do that.

1. The first step is to locate the video you wish to use on YouTube. The easiest way to do that is

to simply go to the YouTube website and use the search facility there to look for what you

want. Here we will search for ‘Fogarty integrated curriculum’…

2. I am going to use this ‘hit’ which came up on the search…

3. After clicking on the hit, the video will play… It is of course always a good idea to view the

video for hopefully obvious reasons!

4. Now, click on the SHARE tool…

https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/161805?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid&hl=en


5. And then click on Copy…

That copies the URL of the video to your computer clipboard. Now, we’ll go into Mahara…




you wish to edit…





11. Give the block a title and then click on Show more…

12. Click on Show More twice more and you will see this… Click on External media.


13. Paste the URL of the video (see steps 1-5 above) into the URL or embed code field and then

click on Save…

You may need to move and/or resize the video block to view the video effectively. By now,

your page should look similar to that on the next page…


14. You can view your page as it would look to others by clicking on the Display page button…

See next page for what your viewer will see…


15. Click on the pen button to go back into ‘edit’ mode…


7. Adding a downloadable file to a page



you wish to edit…





6. The Block Configure window will appear. Give it a title and click on File(s) to download.


7. Click on the dropdown arrow to the right of the word Files...

8. Ensure the ‘permission to use’ check box is ticked and click on Choose files…

9. Click on the file to highlight it and then click on Open…


10. Now, click on Save…

11. You may wish to move, resize, edit or delete the downloadable file block at some point…


8. Sharing your page with a Mahara group



you wish to edit…



4. Click on the share button…

5. Click on the Share with dropdown menu. Under Groups, you will see a list of any Mahara

groups you are a member of. In this instance, I’ll choose ‘ELDC Friday Group 4’…


6. Now, click on Save…

7. Anybody who is a member of that group will now be able to see the page from within the

Mahara group space.


9. Creating a Mahara group

Introduction: Only one person in the group should create the actual Mahara group (and then invite

others in the group to join). Otherwise, things may get messy and confused!

1. Click on the three stripes, then Engage and then Groups…

2. Click on +Create group…

3. Set up the settings as per the next series of screenshots (you will need to make some

changes). You must give the group a name: use something different from what I have used…


4. Finally, click on Save group…

5. That’s it… You’ve made a Mahara group! The sections indicated by the red arrows below are

the only sections members (including the group leader) need to concern themselves with in

order to engage with the ELDC Mahara part of the assignment. The About section lets

members see at a glance:

• the name of the group

• its members

• any pages shared to the group by its members


10.Starting a topic ‘chat’ facility from within the Forum section of a

Mahara group

1. Please note that it is advised that this procedure is left to the group leader after discussion

amongst the group as to what professional issue/s the topic will focus on. Click on the three

stripes, then Engage and then Groups…

2. You will see a list of any groups you are a member of. Click on the name of the group where

you wish to start or add to a topic within the group forum. In this case, I’ll select the ‘ELDC

Test Group 2021’…


3. Click on Forums…

4. Click on General Discussion. DO NOT CLICK ON + New Forum!

5. Click on + New topic…


6. In the window that appears, give the topic (subject) a name… and enter text into the

Message field…

7. Click on Post…


8. A new topic has now been started within the group. Members can contribute to the topic

‘chat’, simply by clicking on Reply and composing a message (post)…


10. How to recruit group members by inviting others to join

1. Please note that it is advised that this procedure is left to the group leader. Click on the

three stripes, then Engage and then Groups…

2. You will see a list of any groups you are a member of. Click on the name of the group for

which you wish to invite members to join. In this case, I’ll select the ‘ELDC Test Group

2021’…


1. Click on the Members section…

2. Click on the text send multiple invitations at once…

3. The Send invitations window will appear… Search for the person you wish to invite by

entering their name into the Search field and then clicking on Search. If their name appears

in the Potential members list, click on it to highlight it and then click on the top transfer

arrow.


4. Their name will now appear under the People to be invited list. Now click on Submit…

That person will receive the invitation including by notification via their University email.

They must accept the invitation before they can join the group.

mahara support: ‘how to’ guide

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