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Moodle Chat

By Dobromir Trifonov on October 21, 2010 3:50 PM | No TrackBacks

The Chat tool in Moodle enables instant written communication between class participants. This tool is especially convenient for TA sessions or Q&A sessions right before exams or paper submission dates. Through this chat tool TAs can be available to the class participants for an extensive time, without actually sacrificing too much of their private time. Furthermore, TA efficiency will be improved because TAs will have the ability to explain one issue to different people at the same time. The chat tool is not only convenient to the TAs, but is also convenient to the students as well. Instead of having students walk across campus for a TA session, students can just log-in to Moodle and ask question there.

How to create a chat?
Make sure that the editing mode in Moodle has been turned on. Then, go to the "Add an activity" menu and select Chat.

1) You will be asked to give a name to the chat room as well as a brief explanation for the chat. For instance, you may choose to fill in the blanks with "Chat with the TA." Then, proceed to clicking the Save button at the bottom of the page.

2) Now that you have the chat room ready and available to students, you may tell them to go there and contact the TA.

What can you do in the chat room?
Except for posting simple text, below you can find some suggestions that come straight from the developers of Moodle Chat:

One of the best chat features is the Beeps. Beeps allow you to draw the attention of a person in the chat room. By beeping them, they will know that they should check the chat room for new posts.

We hope that this chat tool will be used by TAs and students. It is very convenient and effective, especially when it comes down to giving quick assistance.

Moodle: "Add a resource"

By Dobromir Trifonov on October 7, 2010 3:06 PM | No TrackBacks

In previous blog posts, we have introduced some of the features under the "Add a resource" menu. This blog post will expand your understanding of the menu and will provide some suggestions on potential uses of the options.

To begin with, make sure that editing mode in Moodle has been enabled. This will make sure that you will have the "Add a resource" menu visible.

Now, we will take a look at what each option has to offer.

1: Insert a label
The "Insert a label" option lets you insert a label. In other words, you will be able to put a title, under which you will be able to post other information. Labeling is good because it ensures easier comprehension and eliminates miscommunication. For instance, you can create labels for "Today in class", "Suggested readings", etc. and post links, files, etc. under them.

Here is an example of how you could organize a day/lesson in your Moodle class:

2: Add a lightbox gallery
This option has been covered in a previous blog-post. Please check the LINK for more information.

3: Compose a text page
The text page lets you post simple text (without formatting). If you think that you would like to use formatting options, you should probably consider the "compose a web page" option.

4: Compose a web page
The web page lets you post text with the options to format the text, include links, colors, emoticons, insert images, etc.

5: Link to a file or website
Deeming from the name, you could guess that this option will link a title to a file that you have on Moodle or to one that you have found online. When you go the option, you will see the field where you have to browse the destination of the file.

If it is just a link, all you have to do is plug in the link in the field and proceed to clicking on the Save button at the bottom of the page.

If you would like to make a link to a file that you have on Moodle, you should click on the "Choose or upload a file" button that will enable you to locate the file. In the new window that will open (you can see a sample below), click on the "Choose" button next to the file. After clicking on the "Choose" button, you will be automatically redirected back to the original page. Go to the bottom of the original page and save it.

If you would like to upload a file from your computer, you should click on the "Choose or upload a file" button. In the new window that will open (looks similar to the image above), you will see an "Upload a file" button in the bottom right corner. Click on it, locate the file, and upload the file. You will be redirected back to the original page. Scroll down to the bottom of it, and click on the Save button.

6: Display a directory
You could create folders in Moodle and have them displayed. For example, you can create a folder with all of the readings for the class and post it on the main page. Then you can tell students to go to the folder and find particular readings. You could also gather various materials and put them in a folder. The directory is just means of organization.
The "Display a directory" option lets you link a folder that you already have on the main page. If you do not have a folder and would like to make one, you could check THIS blog-post.

Moodle: Creating a Wiki in Moodle

By Nicolae Dragu on September 27, 2010 4:57 PM | No TrackBacks

Suppose we have the following scenario: you are teaching a class and you would like to use the wiki feature in Moodle in a way that allows students to work in groups. The students in each group will only be able to see their own wiki from their corresponding group. Suppose that at some point after all the work is completed, you, the teacher, would like to enable each group to see the wikis belonging to other groups. All of this is possible with Moodle's wiki feature (to find out more about wiki pages, you can visit this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki ).

Let's go ahead and create the situation explained above:

1. Log into your course where you would like to create the wiki

2. Create the student groups that are going to be creating their own wiki pages. In order to do this, you have to click on the Groups option in the Administration panel in your course. To create a new group, simply click on the Create group button, give it a name and a group description and click Save Changes.

To add/remove students to/from a particular group, select a group and click on the Add/Remove users button. To add a student, simply select the name and click on the Add button (the same goes for remove, by clicking on the Remove button).

3. Now that we have our groups created, let's add the wiki. Go to the course main page and Turn Editing on (the button on the top right of your screen):

Figure 1: Turn editing on button in Moodle

4. Click on the Add an activity drop-down menu and select Wiki (it should be the last option).

Figure 2: Adding a Wiki activity

5. In the Adding a new wiki window type in the name of the Wiki and a Summary related to the content that needs to be created in that wiki.

6. From the Group Mode submenu select Separate Groups. This means students will be able to work and see their own wiki.

Figure 3: Setting the Group Mode to Separate groups

7. Optionally, you can select a Grade Category if you want this activity to be graded.

8. Click on Save and return to course. You should now be able to see the wiki activity in your course.

9. At this point, students can go ahead and work on their wiki pages. Once all the work is done, you could allow the students to see the work of other groups. To do this, you need to turn editing on in your course and then going to the Update option that is right next to the wiki name along with other options such as Move, Delete or Hide etc.

10. In the Group Mode submenu select Visible Groups (this is the same menu as seen in Figure 3). This will allow students belonging to one group to see the work of other groups.

Note: You can always go back and forth between Visible Groups and Separate Groups without losing any information. The only drawback is that you have to do this manually; there is no option to change this option after a particular deadline.

This completes this tutorial on creating a wiki in Moodle. If you have any questions, feel free to send us an e-mail at help-sta@trincoll.edu or to call us at X2589.

Create a VoiceThread in Moodle

By Dobromir Trifonov on September 22, 2010 3:11 PM | No TrackBacks

VoiceThread is a convinient tool that can be accessed through Moodle. VoiceThread enables students and professors to post audio and video recordings, pictures, and documents online. The feature also gives the option to comment on each other's work which makes peer review very easy and interesting. VoiceThread is easy to work with and this blog will deepen your knowledge of this tool.

It is important to mention that a VoiceThread account will be automatically created for you with your first visit of the tool. However, if you would like to set up a group on VoiceThread (the equivalent of a course), you will have to contact the Manager of Blume Center at blume-center@trincoll.edu

Now, the way we navigate to VoiceThread is by logging-in to the course page in Moodle, and clicking on the VoiceThread link that can be seen towards the bottom in one of the panels on the right-hand side.

When you click on "Jump to VoiceThread!", a new window will open. There you will see your personal account on VoiceThread. You will be automatically logged in, and you will have the options to post materials on VoiceThread. When you go to "Create", you will see that you can upload files. As you can see in the image below, VoiceThread lets you upload images, docs and videos by using a few buttons.

VoiceThread lets you post online a webcam video with the option to include voice. However, VoiceThread does not support voice recording directly from your computer with the opportunity to post the recording afterwards. If you would like to post a voice recording, you will have to first use a voice recording tool, such as Audacity, and then upload the sound file online. Audacity is a software solution that is just as easy to work with. For more information, regarding Audacity, please see the blog post dedicated to it HERE. Once you have your recording done (with Audacity), you can quickly locate the sound file through clicking on "Upload from... My Computer" and get it up on VoiceThread.

VoiceThread lets you upload anything from video projects to quick homework responses. Once you have uploaded the files you need, it is your turn to make them available to the entire class. Remember that by just uploading the files on VoiceThread, you will not automatically make them available to others!

Under the "MyVoice" category, you will find out all of the files that you have ever uploaded. Once you see the files there, you will be able to drag and drop them in the corresponding groups (courses).

In the case presented above, two files have been uploaded. One is a webcam video and the other one is a voice recording. Also, in the image you can see that there is only one group that the user has been registered for - STA 101. However, if there are more than one groups available, you will be able to post materials to any of them. The way you make materials available for everybody in the group (class), is just by dragging and dropping a file onto the group name. For example, if you would like to make the "test video" available to everybody in STA 101, all you will have to do is drag the video and drop it on STA 101.

VoiceThread is an easy and fast way to share files, homework, term assignments, research or any interesting findings. It is a fun way for everyone in the classroom to stay engaged while still working on skills development. For questions regarding VoiceThread, please feel free to contact the STA office.

Scheduling Made Easy with Doodle.com

By Rayan Beydoun on September 15, 2010 1:37 PM | No TrackBacks

As a professor, or even a Teaching Assistant, you probably had to set up meeting schedules at some point. You might have used Excel, for example, to cross out times that your students can not attend an extra session, and the "uncrossed" entries would be options for your meeting time.

You might have even wanted to schedule advising appointments before the end of the semester to help them decide their courses, but with their emails everything was all over the place!

Well Doodle.com is a free online answer to these scheduling issues, that keeps track of your scheduling online, and allows students/participants in meeting, etc, to choose their best available meeting times from among different choices that you set, in order to help you find a time [or even a place!] that is suitable for all!

To start off with your schedule, please visit Doodle.com.

Next choose "Schedule event":

On the next screen [shown below], you will be able to enter a title to your event (ex. FREN-232 Extra Weekly Session), your name, and optionally entering your email address to receive notifications when someone fills in their information. It is not necessary to fill in your email address as you can still check the results of the "poll" by accessing the link to it, which I will show you later. Once you are done click next.

Now you will see a calendar. You can use the navigation buttons next to the month to change months, and you can choose the dates you would like to use from the dates available under the month. This is useful for both a one time meeting AND a weekly meeting. For a weekly meeting, just choose the possible days of the week (ex. Monday-Friday) regardless of the dates associated with them, and treat them as just "days of the week".

For now, I will choose the dates Monday, Wednesday, and Friday:

Note that the dates I choose (20, 22, and 24) were highlighted in green in the calendar view. They were also listed on the right under "selected dates". If you chose a date by mistake, you can then click on the red "X" next to it on the right to delete it.

Once you are done, click next.

You will then be taken to a screen where you can input the time slots you need. By default, there will be 5 options available for each day, however you can always click on "add further time slots" to add some.

Fill in the time slots you would like (or even room numbers, etc). I will only use two slots for each day in this example:

I highlighted the "Add further time slots" button in red in case you need it. Note that for Friday, I used 24 hour time format to enter my options. Thats also a possibility. Note that if you only enter a date without AM/PM next to it, it will be considered as an input in 24-hour format.

You can also put in intervals instead of just one time, like "8:15am-9:45am".

Once you are done with your inputs, click next.

On the next screen you will get the option if you getting the link for the poll and manually sending it to participants, or you can have Doodle send the invitation. Since I usually prefer to send the invitations using my own email client where I have all my contacts set up, I will choose the first option.

If you would like to make this a one time scheduling event for one on one meetings (ex. advising meetings) here is what you can do: Click on "Options", and on the following screen check the box that says "Limit the number of participants per suggestions to:" and keep the number one in the next box. Of course you can change that number if need be.

For the purpose of this poll I will continue with that option unchecked.

Once you're done, click Finish:

You will get two links, the participation link, and the administration link. I boxed both in red.

Send the participation link to your students/colleagues, and save the administration link for your future use. Participants will be able to choose from the different options you gave them, and you will be able to do any future edits from the administration link.

My colleague Nick decided to participate in my event, and so this is the screen he arrived at when he clicked on the participation link:

Note that he clicked on the time slots in which he is available, and that he entered his name on the left. once he was done, he clicked "Save". Andy did the same thing, and here is the result you will see when you go to the participation link:

You can see from this screen that from the options they both chose, there is only one that works with us all, and that is the one that has a green "OK" for all participants, i.e. Mondays at 10:00 PM, and this will be our weekly meeting time! You can always return to this screen by clicking on "Access this poll with administrator rights" after you visit the "administration page" link

Now everything is set and you are ready to decide on an appointment/schedule!

Moodle: Creating picture gallery in Moodle using Lightbox

By Nicolae Dragu on September 14, 2010 12:04 PM | No TrackBacks

Introduction

In this blog post we will go through the process of creating a picture gallery in Moodle using a resource called Lightbox gallery. This feature is useful for a variety of reasons; many courses depend on pictures to illustrate new concepts or reinforce old ones. For example an Art History class could use Lightbox gallery for displaying pictures of Ancient Rome, or a foreign language class can make use of Lightbox gallery to show pictures of objects which students have to learn etc.

Useful tips before going to Moodle

Before we go into Moodle and learn about creating a gallery in Lightbox, we first need to have a folder of pictures that we want to upload to our class in Moodle. For this purpose, you can create a folder on your desktop and paste all your pictures in that folder (or choose any other folder for that matter). After you have decided what pictures to use, you should consider creating a .zip archive of these pictures because it is easier to upload a single archive in Moodle rather than having to upload each individual picture to your course.

There are several ways to archive your pictures, but the easiest ways are the following:

On a MAC machine you can simply right click on a folder and select Compress.

On Windows you can right click, go to Send to and select Compressed (zipped) folder.

Creating the Lightbox Gallery in Moodle

After creating the .zip archive, log into your Moodle course and Turn Editing On by clicking the button with the same name on the top-right part of your screen.

Go to the Files link in the Administration tab. Click the Upload a file button, then the Choose File button. Navigate to your .zip archive containing your pictures and click Open and then click Upload this file. You should now see your archive in the list of uploaded files. You should see something similar to the following image:

The next step is to Unzip the archive so that we can tell Lightbox to use our pictures. To do this, you have to click on the Unzip button that's right next to your archive:

Click Ok in the following window. Your pictures will be located in a folder having the same name as the archive. You can later rename this folder if you want to.

The next step is to add a Lightbox picture gallery which students can have access to in your course. To add a Lightbox picture gallery, you need to click on the Add a resource ... drop-down menu and select Add a lightbox gallery. See the figure below for a visual aid:

The next step is to type all the relevant information in the Adding a new Lightbox Gallery window. Type the name of the gallery and its description and from the Image Directory drop down menu select the folder containing the pictures you just Unzipped. Click Save and return to Course. You should now be able to see a Picture Gallery appear in your course having the name you just gave it and containing the pictures you uploaded to Moodle. To start the picture gallery click on any picture and you will see it maximize. You can move to the next or previous picture by pressing the right/left keys on your keyboard. To exit the picture gallery simply click anywhere outside the borders of the image.

This completes the tutorial on how to create a picture gallery in Moodle using Lightbox. If you have any questions about this entry, feel free to call the Student Technology Assistant Program at Trinity College, x2589, or email us at sta-help@trincoll.edu.

Managing Files in Moodle

By Tashi Genden on September 13, 2010 12:15 PM | No TrackBacks

One of the first things Blackboard users need to familiarize themselves with when using Moodle is the File management system. Users will find that they need to spend considerable time organizing, uploading and updating files into special folders or directories. When you add a directory as a resource you can easily select the particular directory (or folder) that contains all files related to that topic. Although File management might seem cumbersome at first, once the user is familiar with the system it will prove very helpful and intuitive.

You upload files to your moodle course in the following way:

Go to your course home page, and then click on File under the Administration box.
Next, click on upload a file and add the required files. You then have the option of creating new folders or 'directories.' Create separate folders for different topics like Assignments, Readings and Course Information to name just a few.

You can then send files to different folders in the following way:

Click on the checkbox next to the files you wish to move to a particular folder.
Then go to the dropdown menu ('with chosen files') and select 'move to another folder.'
Now, you will see a description above the menu that says 'x files selected for moving. Now go into the destination folder and press 'Move Files to Here' '
Click into the folder you wish to move the selected files to.
Then click on 'Move files to here.'

Your selected files will now appear in the designated folder.

Please be aware that your files will now be moved entirely into the designated folder. Your files will only appear in that particular folder from now onwards.

Create a NanoGong assignment in Moodle

By Dobromir Trifonov on August 5, 2010 11:38 AM | No TrackBacks

NanoGong is a module of Trinity's Moodle server which allows faculty and students to create audio recordings. NanoGong can be especially utilized in language classes. It is a great tool that will record and play speech.
The use of NanoGong is not complex at all. There are a few steps you have to take which will enable you to enjoy the feature.

1) Go to your Moodle course page and turn editing on.
2) From "Add an activity" drop-down menu, choose "NanoGong assignment." You will be redirected to a new page.
3) Fill out the blank spaces with appropriate information. It is mandatory that you provide a name and a description for the assignment. In the example, below the assignment name is "Introduce yourself" which is followed by a short description.

As you scroll down the page, you will find more options. You can enable resubmissions of a recording. Having this option on will make sure that even in the case of technical difficulties, students will have another try to record themselves. You can also enable email alerts that will notify you when work has been submitted. Once you are done with adjusting the options, go to the bottom of the page and click "Save"

4) The assignment will be now available to the students in the class. They can make their recordings. They will see a screen with a player, similar to the one below. They can record themself by clicking on the Record button. Before they submit the assignment, they can also save a copy on their hard drive, by clicking on the Save icon at the right side of the player.
5) Once your students have submitted recordings, you can go and listen to them. To do so, find the assignment in the Gradebook and click to open it. A new page will open that will look similar to the one below:

6) In the top right-hand corner, you can see the number of submitted assignments. If you click on the "View X submitted assignments" you will be taken to a page where you will be able to see who had submitted a recording as well as listen to their recording.
In the example below, there is just one person who submitted the assignment. You can click on the play button and listen to the recording. You can also decrease/increase the speed of the recording so that you can understand better. Lastly, you can add grades and comments.

If you have questions regarding the use of NanoGong, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the STA office. We are here to assist you!

Download Youtube Videos

By Tashi Genden on July 13, 2010 3:36 PM | No TrackBacks

Online video hosting websites like Youtube.com and Metacafe.com are invaluable resources of videos on a wide range of topics. Many clips of hard to find but very important incidents, news reports or even rare interviews can be found online. It is hence, extremely understandable if you wish to download and use these videos in class. There might be instances when you want to gather several clips together and create an extended video that includes several different clips from several different sources. You might even want to record your own voiceover or commentary on the clip. This is when keepvid.com comes in very handy.

The website essentially helps you download any video from Youtube or Metacafe or a variety of other video hosting websites. Keepvid does this by locating sites from where the video is being hosted. Then, it just becomes a simple matter of downloading the video from the site/mirror location.

Open the video you wish to download in a separate window.
Now click and drag over the URL in the address bar, then right click, and select copy. The URL address bar is located at the top of the window. Make sure to select the entire URL address including http://

Open a new window (or tab) and then type in www.keepvid.com.
Right click in the blue URL box and paste the address for the Youtube video you copied. Then click download.

You will now be presented with a list of download links. These links differ in terms of the quality of the video as well as the video format as well. It is suggested that you use .mp4 video format due to its greater versatility and compatibility.

Now simply left click on the link you wish to download and then hit save. Make sure to download the video to an easy to locate site, like the desktop.

Now if you have downloaded a number of different videos, you might want to create a video that contains clips from all these videos. You might want to take a look at our blogs in the video section for Comprehensive Guides on Video Editing.

Features to look forward to in Office 2010 (Windows only)

By Tashi Genden on July 6, 2010 2:55 PM | No TrackBacks

Every few years Microsoft releases a new version of its Office Suite of applications and services. The last release, Office 2007/2008 (initially for PC) was heralded as a massive improvement over Office 2004 and introduced groundbreaking features like the use of Open XML formats (allows seamless cross platform editing of files) as well as the 'Ribbon,' a useful set of tabs to gain quick access to related tools. Office 2010 is set to follow the trend and will add several hitherto unseen features.

Integrated Outlook
The new Outlook 2010 promises to provide greater integration with social networking sites (Facebook) and micro blogging phenomenon Twitter as well. You will be able to setup and customize the all new Outlook Social Connector that allows you to view pictures of contacts, keep track of conversations and attachments shared as well. Updates promise more comprehensive information about individual contacts and detailed records of interactions
with the contact over mediums other than just e-mail.

SkyDrive

Is a great online storage facility provided by Microsoft. The concept is simple, you get to save all your files and folders in the cloud via SkyDrive. You will be able easily access and edit all your Office files and folders via SkyDrive anywhere in the world with an internet connection. All you'll need is to login with a Windows Live ID (which you can create for free). Even if you are working on another computer without Office installed, complete online web applications are available to allow unrestriced editing of your files. The first 25 GB is absolutely free so there is no reason not to at least give the feature a shot.

Enhanced Ribbon
The navigational 'ribbon' tabs in Office have been greatly personalized and are now tailored to provide tab options based on the commands and functions you have been using. Users will also be able to create custom 'ribbons' with their favorite commands and tabs. Reports also suggest that 'ribbon' will provide greater cross program functionality by integrating features between different Office programs. According to CNET.com, "The tabs lining Office's navigational 'ribbon' are now contextual, so your tab options will change based on the commands you're using. A new feature enhancement called Quick Steps (shown in Outlook)
enables you to quickly take advantage of commonly used features in your workflow. This addition gives you access to more Office applications and features regardless of which Office program you're working with at the time." The ribbon introduced as a novelty feature in Office 2007 looks set to become a much more integral aspect of the Office experience.

Paste Preview
A simple but highly appreciated new feature is the ability to preview your 'paste' options. So essentially, you will be able to preview how a document will look like after you paste some content. The feature works across all programs in Office and displays different paste options when you mouse-over the paste button.

Image Editing
Stopping to open Photoshop in the middle of editing a Powerpoint presentation just to perform minor edits on an image is time consuming and disruptive to your workflow to say the least. Realizing this, Office 2010 now allows you to perform several edits on images including but not limited to cropping, adding effects, background removal and changing image size without closing the program you are using.The image editing options are available in the navigational 'ribbon' anytime you select any image.

Backstage View
One of the biggest and most obvious changes you will encounter the first time you run any Office 2010 program. Backstage View essentially functions as an enhanced File menu with new features and options. New graphical cues and visual guides will also make different Backstage View options clear and helpful to understand. Just like the enhanced 'ribbon,' backstage view brings several related tasks together to create a streamlined editing process.

Additional information about Office 2010 is available at:
http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/cc/documentation/Office/Office2010.pdf
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/support/getting-started-with-office-2010-fx101822272.aspx

The Student Technology Assistant Program at Trinity College

Moodle Chat

Moodle: "Add a resource"

Moodle: Creating a Wiki in Moodle

Create a VoiceThread in Moodle

Scheduling Made Easy with Doodle.com

Moodle: Creating picture gallery in Moodle using Lightbox

Managing Files in Moodle

Create a NanoGong assignment in Moodle

Download Youtube Videos

Features to look forward to in Office 2010 (Windows only)

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