Posting URL links in ICON
In this section:
What is Possible with ICON’s URL Tool?
- Give your students convenient access to course-related web sites.
- Post URL links in different areas your ICON course:
- Grouped together in a special Links area
- Alongside course file links in the Content area
- In content files, calendar entries, discussions topics and forums, quiz and survey questions, assignment dropbox instructions, personal homepage (MyPage) files, a widget on your homepage, and news articles
- Have the website open in a new browser window so students can navigate the external site without losing their place in ICON.
- Post links only you can see, alongside links visible to students, on a homepage widget
15 July 2008
Known Issues
22 May 2008
Posting a URL in the Links Area
- Click Links in the NavBar (do not confuse the Links link in the NavBar Links with the User Links widget; any link you post from within that widget is visible only to the Instructor/Designer or TA/Designer.)
- If you haven't yet created a category for the link, click
New
Category (top) , enter the Category name and optional description, and click Save. - To create a link, click
New Link (top). - Choose the category and enter the link title, the URL, and a short description (optional) of the web site.
- Click Save.
To preview how these links will appear to students, click
Preview.
15 July 2008
Posting a URL in a Content Module
Note: Content Modules are folders (headings) in ICON’s Content area.
- If you haven’t yet created a Content Module, do so now. See Creating a Content Module.
- From the course homepage, click Content in the menu bar at top.
- Click
New Topic (a URL is one
kind of “Topic”). - Select
QuickLink. - Select the Parent Module (the Content Module that will contain your URL link).
- Enter a title to be displayed in the Content Table of Contents (e.g., J.S. Bach – Archive & Bibliography).
- Enter a short title to be displayed in a menu bar at left (e.g., Bach Site).
- Type or paste in the URL (web address).
- Click Save.
Once you have your Content Module, you’re ready to post your URL:
2 May 2008
Posting a URL in a Content File or ICON Course Tool
ICON’s built-in HTML editor allows you to insert a link to an external website (URL) when you are creating a content file; a discussion forum, topic, or message; a quiz or survey question; an assignment dropbox instruction; a personal homepage (MyPage) file; a news article; or a calendar posting.
To insert a URL while creating the item:
- From within the file, forum, quiz question, etc., click the
icon to open the HTML editor, and click the Advanced tab (if necessary). - Inside the text box, place the cursor where you wish to insert the URL and click
Insert
QuickLink. - From the Category droplist, select URL.
- Enter the URL.
- Enter the Link Caption (the words you want students to click on in order to access the URL).
- Select a display mode:
- Whole Window – Other ICON Frames are no longer visible. To get back to the ICON course, the student must continue clicking the browser’s back arrow.
- Same Frame – Other ICON frames and controls are still visible.
- New Window – A second browser window opens, displaying the external website.
- Click Insert.
- Enter the rest of your text and then click Save.
15 July 2008
Displaying Course and Personal Links in a Homepage Widget
All the links you have posted with the Links tool are also displayed (automatically) in the User Links widget. You can use this widget to post links that are visible only to you.
Links you have posted to the Links tool in the NavBar are automatically displayed (student can see these).To edit the links students see in this widget, you would need to use the Links tool.
To post links only you can see (these are called My Links):
- If you haven't already added the User Links widget to your homepage, do so now (see the Online Help section Changing the Homepage Widgets .)
- On the User Links homepage widget, click the
Edit icon. - Click
Add Link. - Enter a name and url for the link and click Save.
15 July 2008