CSP ePortfolio PebblePad help

The ePortfolio is an optional tool to help you record your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and we hope you will find it useful.

As it is a new system, some of the language may be unfamiliar to you but there is a glossary to clarify any new terms.

There are also a number of Help options highlighted below. It is up to you which ones, if any, you use. You may want to just dip in to the system and play around with it to get started and then refer back to these Help options if you are unsure how to do something.

You may wish to look at some of the Help options on this page first before using the system:

ePortfolio quick reference guide

New users who want to get started quickly without watching movies or reading the written online Help will find the quick reference guide (PDF document (0.5MB) - opens in new browser window) handy for getting started.

ePortfolio Help Movies

These movies, accessed from this page, are designed to take you through the steps required to use some of the key features of PebblePad. Each of the links in the list below opens a new window with a flash movie inside. If your browser has a pop up blocker installed you will need to adjust your browser settings so the new window can open: see more in the Pop up blocker section below: Pop up blocker section

The Help movies contain audio and so require a sound card in your computer for you to hear them. If you don't have external speakers, you will also need to plug in headphones. As they are audio files, they may take a little time to download and play on your computer. A broadband connection is essential for the movies to run smoothly. The first time you open a movie, allow it to play through once before watching it, to avoid unnecessary stops in the movie caused by your Internet connection.

Please use the following links to access the movies:

Operating the Help movies

Use the movie as you would a video or DVD. If you want to pause/stop the movie, click on the parallel lines icon at the bottom left of the movie screen. This will turn into a single right facing arrow which you click to resume play. If you want to rewind, click on the single left facing arrow. If you want to move the movie forward, click on the single right facing arrow. To move the movie back to the beginning click on the circular arrow. When you've finished watching the movie, click on the X at the top right of the screen to close it down.

The Help movies do not cover all aspects of the ePortfolio so should be used in conjunction with the written Help available, as given immediately below.

ePortfolio written help

If you don't have a sound card installed, you prefer reading Help instructions, or to access more comprehensive Help from within your ePortfolio, login to your Portfolio and click on the large question mark icon in the bottom corner of the right hand pad, or click inside any of the info tips that open when you click on the smaller question mark icons alongside text areas in the ePortfolio. This on-screen Help is divided into multiple sections that relate to each area of the PebblePad system.

You can view different sections by clicking in the relevant section in the Table of Contents (TOC) or by searching for a particular topic. You can also print out individual sections of the written Help if you want a hard copy.

ePortfolio info tips - these small question mark icons appear next to text areas and, when clicked on, give you additional tips on what you might want to include in your records. Once open, clicking inside an info tip will open the main written Help

ePortfolio exercise book

If you don’t have lots of confidence using a new computer system you may find it helpful to initially work through the CSP ePortfolio exercise book when you first start to use the system. The exercise book introduces you to the different areas of the ePortfolio, starting off with simple tasks before building up to more complicated tasks. The exercises incorporate use of the Help movies and the written online Help to allow you to familiarise yourself with these options too.

ePortfolio support team

CSP staff who have expertise in using the system can be contacted by email via pebblepad@csp.org.uk with any type of query on the system, including technical queries. If required, additional telephone advice can also be provided if an email reply isn’t sufficient.

Correct computer set up/technical Help

To be able to use the CSP ePortfolio fully, you must ensure that you have set up your computer correctly and installed Flash software. To check the current settings of your computer, you can use the Browser check on the right of this screen and compare them to the requirements below:

Flash Help

PebblePad requires Flash version 9 software or above to work properly. Use the links immediately below to:

If you use the ePortfolio at work and don’t already have Flash installed, you will need to ask your IT team to download it onto your computer.

Pop up blocker Help

To use the CSP ePortfolio effectively you need to allow pop up windows to open in your ePortfolio account. If your Internet browser has a pop up blocker installed you will need to adjust your browser settings. Add the following ePortfolio website addresses to your pop up blocker settings as allowed sites, normally via the Tools option on the Internet window menu bar:

You should only need to do this once on your computer.

Login Help

If you have registered with the CSP website or Interactivecsp and created a CSP username or password, but the ePortfolio will not allow you to login, please check the following steps (after having checked Flash, Browser and Pop up settings)

Browser settings Help

Your Internet browser must also meet the minimum requirements. You will need as a minimum:

NB  Please note that if you use more than one type of Internet browser on your computer to access the ePortfolio, you may need to download Flash twice, eg: Flash for Internet Explorer will not work with Firefox. Most people however only use one browser so Flash will only need to be downloaded once.