Introduction to the Content View

For this example, we want to give the students a single page that shows the whole course. Individual weeks or topics are now visible to them as folder in this view.

The normal Resources view is intended for people who want to upload data. So they want Resources to look like a directory listing on your computer. However to present content, we want a different view. It shouldn't show all the dates, owners, and functions. But it should show explanatory text.

So the Content View removes all the unnecesary descriptive material. It puts the title of each item on the left. It also adds the Description field of each item. Note that it puts the Description of the folder itself on the top.

To see the Content view, use the Content View link in the top level of Resources. You can start from there and navigate to the other folders.

Making links in the left margin

The normal Resources tool is fine for you. But we think you'll probably want to make links in the left bar for the students. To do this,

• In the Content View, go to a folder you want students to be able to find. In this case it will probably be the main Resources folder, though you could choose to use a subfolder if have other material in Resources and don't want it to distract them. Use your mouse to copy the URL from the location bar at the top of your browser.
• Add this URL as an item in the left margin, as follows: Go into the Site Info function (or choose this site from Worksite Setup in "My Workspace").
• Use the "Edit Tools" function, and add "Web Content".
• At some point in the dialog you will be asked for a label and a URL. Enter the label you want to appear in the left bar, and paste in the URL you copied from Content View.

We plan to simplify some of this, but it will take a few weeks.

How to handle assignments and discussions.

Unfortunately it is not possible to make links directly to specific assignments or discussions. Thus we suggest making a link to the tool itself, and in the description telling them what topic or assignment you want them to do. You'll see an example of that here.

To do this, first copy the URL of the tool you want the student to use. The tools will be in the left margin. With most browsers you can put your mouse over the link, hit the right mouse button, and choose "Copy Link Location" or "Copy Shortcut" (depending upon the browser). If you're using a Macintosh single-button mouse, you can hold down the Control key and push on the mouse button.

Now add an item to your folder. Choose the "URL (link to website)" type. Type an appropriate title, put your instructions in the "Description " field, and then paste the URL into the URL field.

How to change the order of items

When you use this approach you may want to adjust the order in which items appear.

In the Resources area, note that there is an "Up" function under each item other than the first one. This will move the item up. To move an item down, use "up" for the item below it.

Changing order in the left margin is more complex. It requires a special tool, the "Site Editor." To get this, you will need to "join" the Site editor site. From "My Workspace", choose "Membership". At the top, click "Joinable Sites." This will show all sites you can access. Look down for "Site Editor", and click "join" under it. You should now have a tab for the site. If you go to the site, you will find instructions on how to make various changes to the left margin, as well as other structural changes to your site.