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.

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.

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.

• 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.

• 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.'

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!

An alternative to text links are image links. Image links are images that have been turned into a link. This can be especially useful in providing an image that is linked to a website explaining its significance, or when providing an image of, for example, a formula whose link takes you to an interactive web page that allows you to solve for the formula. In short the possibilities are numerous and can adapt to any context, whether it is for instructional or personal use. Examples of text vs. image links is provided below:

Text Link:

Student Technology Program

Image Link:

This entry will explain how to make any image that you choose into a link. The process is relatively simple, with two methods to creating an image link.

There are two ways that you can choose your image. The first is to search for your image in a search engine (such as Google, Yahoo, or MSN) and then saving it to your computer as an image file (JPEG, etc.). *

The second option that you have is to create your own image. This can be done by uploading your own picture from a camera, or taking a screenshot of the image that you would like to turn into a link. Please refer to my colleague's, Dobromir Trifonov's, post regarding screenshots:

Take Screenshots....

Now that you have your image selected, you will have to upload it to a server. You can use any server, although for this entry I will assume that you are working with Moodle and will therefore discuss uploading an image file to its server.

First, you must access your course in Moodle and click on the Files link under the Administration box.

Once there you can either make a folder (making a folder will be necessary if you want to have an organized collection of files on Moodle) or simply upload a file.

Once you have uploaded your file, you will be able to see a link to see your image. Right click on this link and select the option Copy Link Address. This is your image source.

The HTML code for creating an image link is as follows:

Once again, you will only be manipulating the following segments of code Website Link, Image Source, Title to Appear when Mouse Hovers over Image, and width/height pixels. The Website Link will be the URL of the website that you are linking to. Your final code should look similar to this:

Notice how the italicized portion of the text is simply your image's image source.

Now all you need to do is copy and paste this code wherever you want your image link to appear.

The second method, using an image already online, is very simple. First you locate your image, then you right click it, select Copy Link Address and then paste the link address (your image source) into the corresponding location of the HTML code for image links.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this, or any, STA Blog Post, please feel free to call the STA Office at extension x2589 or come and speak with one of our Student Technology Assistants during our normal business hours. Thank you.

• Go to Grades from the Administration block.
• Go to the Choose an action scroll down menu and select Grader Report. The Gradebook opens on this page by default.
• Now click on the Turn editing on button.
• A small dotted box should appear next to the score for every grade item. Simply click on one of these boxes and you can leave feedback.

• After you are done make sure to click on Update in order to save any changes made.
• To view the Gradebook as your student sees it, go to the Choose an action scroll down menu and select User Report.
• On the right hand side of the screen, you will see another scroll down menu that allows you to select any registered student in your class.

Selecting a student will bring up the report as that particular student sees it. This will include the students grades as well as the teacher comments you have left behind.

Aggregate only non-empty grades.
This means that any empty grades are not used to calculate the aggregate for the student.
This only works if the grade box is empty. Assigning a score of 0 does not mean the grade is empty. A score of zero (0) will be used to calculate the aggregate score using predetermined (Aggregation) settings.If you do not select this option, any and all empty grades will be automatically assigned a score of zero.

Aggregate including subcategories.
Checking this box will ignore the aggregation of sub categories within a category. It is recommended to leave this box unchecked.

Multiplicator.
This is usually done if for instance you wish to increase the weight of a quiz/test. Suppose, for instance, that you had originally planned to take 10 quizzes but you only managed to take 5. You could set the multiplicator value to 2 so that the score from each quiz for each student is multiplied by 2 and you then have the equivalent aggregate score of 10 quizzes.

Offset
This tool is best used for grade curving purposes. Suppose a test featured a question worth 10 points that you judged to be much more difficult than expected. You could set the offset value to 10 so that the scores for each student receive 10 additional points at the end. You could likewise use this feature to deduct points from the overall scores of students.

Explaining the options in Actions

The actions menu could have a total of five (5) options depending on whether it is for a category, or grade
item. The functions of each are explained below.

Edit
This is the icon shaped like a hand. It allows you to edit features of the grade item/category such as the
title, aggregation options, etc.

Delete.
The big cross sign allows you to delete and remove grade items and/or categories.

Move Items.
This option allows you to move and shift grade items.

Clicking on the icon will bring out a simple schematic of the total structure of you gradeboook with the categoris, sub-categories and grade items arranged accordingly. The dotted line boxes with arrows pointed towards them represent the possible new locations for your grade item.

Hide.
The hide feature is represented by the eye. When the item or category is hidden (represented by a shut eye),the category/item will disappear from your students grade view.

Lock
This feature is self explanatory.Locking a category indicates that all grades have been filled in and are ready for calculating final grade. Do note that you can unlock a category/item at any time simply by clicking on the icon again.

There are times where it is invaluable to monitor your students' activity on Moodle. This will allow you the greatest ease in accounting for the portion of your class that is prepared, as well as determining which students have failed to prepare for you course.

Moodle makes this process very simple, and of course, it has a broad range tools that can be applied to better streamline your efforts in teaching your class. These tools consist of singling out the students that have not partaken in an assignment/quiz/forum/resource and sending them reminders to do so.

There are two main ways that you can view any activity on your course. The first is a very simple and general way of determining what activities have been accessed for each topic within your course. You will be using the Activity Report within the Reports section of your Administration block. This method does not provide you with a detailed account of which students have accessed the activities, however, it does provide you with the last date and time of access for the activity.

To do so you will need to access your administration block. Its location will vary according to your individual user preferences, however it is by default located on the left hand side of your course home page. Once you have located this block click on the link labeled Reports. (Note: It is not necessary to turn editing on to view your reports)

Once you have reached your new screen select the link Activity Report found under the section named or Watch Current Activity.

In the new page you will be able to see a table with all of your activities (seperated by topics). You will be able to see how many times an individual activity has been viewed, as well as the last access for your activity. Below is a partial screenshot of what your table may look like.

The second reporting option available to you is the Participation Report. This report allows you a more detailed view of each activity's participation. To access this report simply follow the same protocol outlined above. However, instead of accessing the Activity Report, you will access the Participation Report.

From there you can access your individual activities, which are separated by categories (i.e. forums, quizzes, resources). To do so you must click on the dropdown menu titled Activity Module. You can also narrow your report's parameters by specifying what period of time Moodle should search for information, as well as choose whether you want to see activity from administrators, teachers, students, or guests. Below is a partial screenshot of the parameters chosen for this example. The activity was Quiz 1, the time was 5 weeks, and I only wanted to view students' actions.

Once you have pressed Go a new table will materialize that shows your students, the actions they've taken in this activity, and it gives you the option to select individual students. There is also a feature that allows you to select all students that have not completed the activity. Once you have done this you can send these students a message by selecting Add/Send a Message from the dropdown menu to the left of the Ok button.

Once you have selected the option to Add/Send a Message you will be taken to a new screen where you will be able to write a message to send to those students that you had previously selected (in the image above it was those students that had not completed the activity). Once you have finished writing your message select Preview then Send Message . By doing so you can effectively remind your students to complete an assignment, or simply deduct it from their participation points.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this, or any, STA Blog Post, please feel free to call the STA Office at extension x2589 or come and speak with one of our Student Technology Assistants during our normal business hours. Thank you.