In the last chapter, you got started with Mahara, learning how to register and log in, as well as looking at some of the basics. You also learned how to set up your own profile. Now you are going to start putting information into your portfolio and seeing how to add some of this to your dashboard page.
In this chapter you will:
- Learn how to upload files to your portfolio
- Organize your files using folders and tags
- Start writing in your Journal!
- Make a plan and set some tasks
- Learn how to manage your notes
- Show off content on your dashboard page
Before we go into the detail of how you can put your files into Mahara, let's think over why you would want to do this.
You can log on to Mahara from anywhere, if you have access to the Internet, using an Internet browser. This is great, because it means that you are able to upload and review your files, folders, journals, and pages whenever you need to! Some have described Mahara as an online USB stick, although you have already seen that Mahara offers so much more than this, when you started creating your profile page.
Mahara is a full-fledged ePortfolio and social networking system. It facilitates reflective learning both for individuals and for groups (communities). Mahara is not just another file storage area.
However, it remains true that Mahara is a central resource space, which allows you to share the stuff you put into it. No longer will you need to store all your important files in one place. Soon enough, you are going to be presenting your work to others while you are sunning yourself on the beach!
Mahara prides itself on its extremely quick file upload facility. You should give it a whirl and see just how fast it is to upload a file into Mahara. So, this is the feature you are going to look at first.