2009
Red River College Teaching & Learning Technologies Centre Mike Arsenault
&
Anna Sabramowicz
Date:
This copy belongs to:
[TEACH USING SHAREPOINT] This document contains a series of activities intended to teach an instructor how to use the Class Site feature in go.rrc.ca
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Description A Caution Note makes students aware of potential negative consequences of an action, setting, or decision.
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A Student Note provides additional information, guidance, or hints about a topic or task.
A Version Note indicates information necessary for specific version of software.
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A Build Note indicates sections where the student is responsible for executing a task. A Show Me Note indicates breakdown of steps to completing a specific task.
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Table of Contents Getting Started
Welcome! Purpose of this workbook What’s in it for me? (Or WIIFM?) Why teach with Portal/SharePoint? What is a Class site?
Workbook Activities
Site Settings Web Parts Adding Closing How do I get it back? Adding a Library Custom Columns Organizing Content What is metadata? Picture Libraries RSS Feeds
Appendix
Glossary
References SharePoint Teaching Tips
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Welcome to the Portal SharePoint Class Site Management tutorial! In essence, this session is about how to use the Class Site tools to help you teach your course. We will go over the three most useful features of Class Sites. The goal is to give you a strong skill base so that you have the ability to manage this tool productively, and explore and expand your site at your own pace after you leave training. The end of the session may give us some time to address individual needs. We may also have the opportunity to discuss and practice using additional “nice to have” features. The end of this workbook has FAQ’s and a glossary. Please review at your leisure. If there is anything you feel would be beneficial to add there or to any other sections of the workbook, let us know. Refer staff online for the most current version of this workbook and additional resources.
The purpose of this workbook:
1. An activity example and guide during and after training 2. A place for your notes and questions during training 3. An on the job reference document 4. A reference for the selection of a Class Site VS an LMS
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Question: What is in it for me?
Action: In about two hours you will learn to customize your SharePoint Class Site, so it is useful to you and your students.
That means you will walk away with these specific skills: 9 Modify Class Site settings to meet your course and instructional needs. 9 Add and remove Web Parts. 9 Add and customize a document library and a picture library. 9 Enable a RSS feed. 9 Assist students who have trouble with their Class Site or refer them to the appropriate venue.
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This booklet pertains to SharePoint 2007
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Why teach with Portal/SharePoint? You may be asking yourself “Why would I use a Class Site in Portal rather than the College’s LMS system?” That is a GREAT question, whose answer lies in how you answer the following question: How do I want to use the Internet to help teach my course? If you are looking for a convenient way to distribute materials to your students, have them take part in online discussion forums, take basic quizzes, and keep them informed of important course dates, then Portal Class Sites are a great fit. The Portal is NOT an LMS though, and if you want the more advanced features normally found in a product like WebCT, a Class Site may not be the best fit. Here is a small chart outlining the similarities and differences between a Class Site in Portal and a standard LMS package like WebCT:
Feature
In a Class Site?
In an LMS?
Discussion Forums
Yes
Yes
Calendar of Events
Yes
Yes
Document/File Storage
Yes
Yes
House Course Materials
Yes
Yes
Course Material Navigation
Yes, but not automatic Yes
Quizzing
Yes, but simple
Yes, more complex
House a Blog
Yes
Yes, but quality varies between products
House a Wiki
Yes
Yes, but quality varies between products
In‐house e‐mail
No
Yes
Chat rooms
No
Yes
Gradebook
No
Yes
Selective Release
Yes, but must manually control
Yes
Course Look Customization
Yes, but extremely limited
Yes
Table 1.0 Class Site VS LMS features
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What are Class Sites? As an Instructor you have Designer permissions that enable you to edit, add new content and rearrange your Class Site. Students that are registered in your course will be able to read information on the Class Site and are restricted from modifying any aspect of the site or its content. With the exception of you and students registered in your class, no one can access and view the site without expressed permission and set up. Table 2.0 shows the components you get by default with a Class Site.
Item
Type
In Quick Launch
In Content Area
Announcements
Announcements List
No
Yes (left zone)
Calendar
Calendar List
Yes
Yes (left zone)
Links
Links List
No
Yes (right zone)
Shared Documents
Documents Library
Yes
No
Tasks
Tasks List
Yes
No
Team Discussion
Discussion Board
Yes
No
Web Parts
Site Image
Image Web Part
N/A
Yes (right zone)
Libraries and Lists
Table 2.0 Class Site Template Components
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What are Site Settings?
By default, Portal allows you to modify the basic SharePoint settings of your Class Site. Here are some of the things you can change by going into the Site Setting area: ‐ ‐
Basic look and feel (called Themes in SharePoint) The navigation within your Class Site to its various parts
Show me how to change Site Settings! 1. Click on the [Site Actions] button in the upper‐right of your screen, and select [Site Settings] from the drop‐down menu that appears. 2. You will see a screen as shown below. Click on the link labeled [Site Theme].
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3. You will be brought to a screen where you can pick a new Theme for your class site. Take a few minutes to click on each option in the list of Themes on the right‐hand‐side of the screen. When you click on a Theme, a preview of what it will look like will show up to the left of the Themes list. When you find a Theme you like, click on the [Apply] button. 4. You should now be back at the Site Settings screen. Click on the link labeled [Navigation]. 5. You will see the screen containing the Navigation Pane below. Click on the link labeled [Announcements] to highlight it, and then click on the button labeled [Move Up]. Then click on the [OK] button.
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6. You will now be back on the Site Setting screen. Use the breadcrumb links at the top of the page to go back you your main Class Site (HINT: it will be the link that is your full name). Notice that the navigation at the left‐hand side has changed, and Announcements is no longer located under the Lists group, it is its own group now.
Now you try! It is your turn to modify your Site Settings. You will once again change how your site looks, and play with the navigation. Follow the steps above to switch your Theme to Plastic, and push the Announcements link to the very bottom of the Quick Launch menu. Requirements: 1. Theme has to be changed. 2. Announcements link needs to be at the bottom of the Quick Launch bar.
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What are Web Parts?
Web Parts are content “containers” used to display information on your site. Use Web Parts to arrange text, related links, calendars, images, Document Libraries, other Web pages, and more. Web parts are an important factor in determining how information is presented to SharePoint users. Web parts are not limited to displaying SharePoint information. They can also provide you with the ability to search and manage data in external databases and file systems. Custom web parts can be developed to provide much of the functionality found in other applications, thereby integrating your SharePoint environment with your other existing systems.
Show me how to add a Web Part! 1. In the breadcrumbs, click the link to your site to return to the home page of your site 2. Click [Site Actions]
3. On the resulting context menu, click [Edit Page]
a. Note: Notice how your page has changed to have more edit choices 4. Choose a zone and click [Add a Web Part]
5. In the List and Libraries section, select any existing document or picture libraries, including ones you may have made, and click [Add]
All libraries and lists that exist in your site will be available to choose from in this dialog box
6. In the title bar of your new web part, click [edit]
7. In the resulting context menu, choose [Modify Shared Web Part]
Changes made to this web part will be visible by anyone with permissions to your site and your web part.
8. Find the properties pane on the right‐hand side of your screen Page 11
9. In the Selected View drop‐down box, choose the name of your newly created view and click [OK] to any warnings you get
You don’t have to use an existing view, you can create a view on the fly solely for the display of your web part by clicking the [edit the current view] link just below the Selected View drop‐down box
10. {Optional} You can change many other display options with the toolbar type and in the Appearance, Layout and Advanced sections 11. Click [OK]
You can move the location of your web part by clicking and dragging it to another location in the zone or to another zone all together
12. Click [Exit Edit Mode] in the top right‐hand side of the page
Way to go! You have successfully created a web part on your team site home page!
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Now you try! It is your turn to create a web part. You will make a new web part on your training site. Follow the steps on the previous page to create a Page Viewer web part. Requirements: 1. Web part needs to be on the right zone, second from the top. 2. It needs to display your favorite website page.
Show me how to close a web part! When you close a Web Part, the Web Part is removed from the page. You can restore closed Web Parts later, as needed. 1. Click Site Actions, and then click Edit Page. 2. Click the the page.
in the title bar of the Web Part you want to close. The Web Part is removed from
3. When you have finished, click Exit Edit Mode to return to normal view. Way to go! You have successfully closed a web part on your team site home page!
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Now you try! I know you must have worked very hard on adding a web part in the previous section, so you can remove all others on the web page except the one you had added. Requirements: 1. After all the web parts have been removed make sure your web part is located in the left zone of the page.
Show me how to get it back! Or, how do I restore a web part? 1. To restore a closed Web Part to the page, click Site Actions, and then click Edit Page. 2. In any zone, click Add a Web Part. In the Add Web Parts to [zone] dialog box, click Advanced Web Part gallery and options. The Web Part you closed appears in the Closed Web Parts collection.
Way to go! You have successfully restored a web part on your team site home page!
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Now you try! Of the web parts you have deleted, there is one that you changed your mind about, the students really liked it, or you deleted it by accident. Using the directions above, restore the Site Users web part. Requirements: 1. Web part is to be placed in the right zone. 2. If you are feeling savvy today, see if you can modify the appearance of your web part!
Libraries
There are several types of library options in this newest version of SharePoint. We will focus on helping you create those we think will get you the most usage. In the table below we have outlined which file‐types are best suited for which libraries. The two we will build today are document and picture libraries.
Table 3.0 Files best suited for Document and Picture Libraries.
File Type Word (doc)
Document Library Yes
Picture Library No
Excel (xls)
Yes
No
PowerPoint (ppt)
Yes
No
Graphic File (gif)
No
Yes
Graphic File (jpg)
No
Yes
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Show me how to create a Document Library! The Document Library template, like all library templates, is available on your site’s Create page. To create a new document library in a collaboration site, follow these steps: 1. From anywhere within your existing site, click [Site Actions]
2. On the resulting context menu, click [Create] 3. In the Libraries section, click [Document Library] Any parts listed in the instructions as “optional” are there to simply provide more information about your data. This makes your resources more searchable and makes them easier to filter later. Something we will explore a bit later as well.
4. In the Name and Description section, enter a [Name] for your library 5. {Optional} In the Name and Description section, you can enter a [Description] 6. {Optional} In the Navigation section, you can choose [No] to not display your library in the site’s Quick Launch
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7. {Optional} In the Document Version History section, you can choose [Yes] to enable version history 8. In the Document Template section, choose [Microsoft Office Word document] as the document template
9. Click the [Create] button Way to go! You have successfully created a Document Library!
Show me how to populate documents in a Document Library! 1. From within your document library, click [New] on the action bar
You can also click the drop‐down arrow next to [New] and choose [New Document]
2. Click [OK] 3. Type in some test data…anything you wish 4. Save the document 5. Click [OK] to any version warnings 6. Close the document
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Notice where the document is being saved…directly in your document library!
7. Refresh your browser to see your newly created document
8. From within your document library, click [Upload] on the action bar
You can also click the drop‐down arrow next to [Upload] and choose [Upload Multiple Documents]
9. In the Upload Documents section, Click [Browse] and browse to a file you want to upload
10. Select the file and click [Upload] 11. {Optional} In the Upload Documents section, uncheck the [Add as a new version to existing files] if you already have this same named document in your library and you do not want to make this a new version of that same document 12. {Option} In the Version Comments section, enter some version comments You have successfully populated your document library!
A document library that has document versioning enabled allows you to view previous versions of a document from the Version History screen. The Versions Saved screen provides the ability to restore an older version of the document, thereby making it the current version. You may need to do this if you discover that newer versions had incorrect information added to them, and you wish to revert to a version with accurate information. Page 18
Show me how to use Version Control in my document library! 1. Navigate to a document library of your site 2. Click [Settings]
3. In the resulting context menu, click [Document Library Settings]
4. In the General Settings section, click on [Versioning Settings]
5. In the Document Version History section, choose [Create Major Versions] 6. Underneath the text “Optionally limit the number of versions to retain:” check the box labeled “Keep the following number of major versions.” 7. Enter in a number of major versions you wish to keep
8. Click [OK]
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9. Navigate back to your document library 10. Click on a document and edit it 11. Make some changes to the document and save & close it 12. Hover over the same document and pull down the context menu 13. Choose [Version History]
14. Hover over the 1.0 version of the document and choose [Restore]
15. Navigate back to your document library and launch the document again, and notice that your document has been reverted back to its original version You have successfully enabled versioning on your document library!
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Now you try! We are going to test out the version control feature. Let’s get started! 1. First create a new Word document and call it “My Motto”. Type this text on it: Who? 2. Now save it in your library as a document and close it. 3. Now open the same document up again from your library and change the phrase to “Who are you?” 4. Save it and close the document again. 5. Launch it again and this final time add the words “Who are you to think?” Save to the library and close. Using the directions above, restore the second version of your document. Requirements: 1. Add your own final touch to the second version.
If a document is checked out, a new version is not created every time you save the document. A new version will only be created once the document is checked in. Conversely, if you do not check out the document, each time the document is saved a new version is created.
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Columns
One of the most powerful features of Columns/Lists in SharePoint is the flexibility you have in customizing the information they display and the way they display it. SharePoint refers to the individual data fields in your list as columns. Each column has a specific type of data associated with it. These types include text, numbers, currency and many others that allow SharePoint to enforce formatting.
Select this
To display this
Single line of text
Columns that collect and display small amounts of text in a single line, including text only, combinations of text and numbers, and numbers that are not used in calculations (such as phone numbers).
Multiple lines of text Choice (menu to choose from) Number (1, 1.0, 100) Currency ($,¥, €) Date and Time Lookup (information already on this site) Yes/No (check box) Person or Group Hyperlink or Picture Calculated (calculation based on other columns) Business Data
Columns that collect and display one or more sentences of text or formatted text.
Columns that display a list of options.
Columns that provide a box in which you can type a numerical value. Columns that provide a box in which you can type a monetary value. Columns that store calendar or time‐of‐day information.
Columns that make it easy for you to select information that's already stored on a site.
Columns that store true/false information. Columns that display the name of users or SharePoint groups. Columns that display a hyperlink to a Web page or display an image from the Web. Columns that display information that is based on the result of a formula. The formula can use information from other lists and columns, dates, or numbers. You can use standard mathematical operators. Not enabled at this point. Page 22
Show me how to add a column to my document library! To add a column to a list, perform the following steps: 1. From within your document library, click the drop‐down arrow next to [Settings] on the action bar and choose [Create Column]
2. In the Name and Type section, enter a [Column Name]
3. In the Name and Type section, choose [Choice (menu to choose from)] There are many other column types you can pick
4. {Optional} In the Additional Column Settings section, enter a [Description] for your column 5. {Optional} In the Additional Column Settings section, choose to make this column required by choosing [Yes] 6. {Optional} In the Additional Column Settings section, enter new [choices] each on a separate line
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You can have more choices than the three defaults. By using choices, you can enforce a standard nomenclature for your meta‐data Another reason to not use folders!!! 7. {Optional} In the Additional Column Settings section, choose a different [Display Choice]
8. {Optional} In the Additional Column Settings section, choose to allow fill‐in choices by choosing [Yes] 9. {Optional} In the Additional Column Settings section, enter a [default value] o
Note: Leaving this field blank will improve your meta‐data quality
10. {Optional} In the Additional Column Settings section, uncheck [Add to default view] if you do not want this information to be displayed in the main view
You have successfully created a custom column in your document library!
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Now you try! Using the directions above, create two additional columns in the “Organized Document Library” Requirements: 1. The two additional columns are called “Phone Number” and “Loves Mom?” 2. Select appropriate column criteria based on the column name.
Show me how to delete a column! To delete a column, perform the following steps. 1. On the Customize List Screen, click the name of the column under the Columns section. 2. On the Change Column screen, click the Delete button at the bottom of the page. 3. Click OK when prompted for a confirmation that you wish to remove the column an all of the data it contains.
Once you click the Delete button, the column is physically deleted from SharePoint. All of the data in that column is deleted from SharePoint as well. Be absolutely sure that the information in that column is no longer needed before deleting it.
!
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Now you try! Now we ask that you delete the “Loves Mom?” column. Requirements: 1. When finished, place your status indicator on top of your computer! 2. If you are feeling adventurous, place the column called “Phone Number” as the first column in the default view.
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Organizing and Optimizing Content What is metadata? Metadata is defined as “data about other data”. A fine example of this is a catalogue the library creates to categorize its books. It gathers information such as author, title, date of publication, subject, etc., that help organize and group the resources. That is what we want to achieve with our documents. By ensuring documents have appropriate metadata associated with them; we create a flat structure that allows the resources to be easily searchable and in turn highly usable. The appropriate classification of our resources also makes it easy to repurpose their use.
SharePoint = Lists Since document libraries are built on the same concepts as lists, you are able to manipulate the documents as you would list items. This includes filtering and sorting the documents being displayed on the library screen using the context menus shown when you hover over the column headers. As SharePoint expands and the resources you are developing and using become usable across departments, instructors may come up with a type of “Naming Standards” convention. For more details search google.com for “Dublin Core” to get info on established ISO approved naming conventions.
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Show me how to filter a list! To filter a list (of anything), perform the following steps: 1. On the list page, activate the Title column heading’s context menu by hovering over the column heading with your mouse and clicking the inverted triangle. 2. Click a value in the Title column’s set of unique values that are displayed in the context menu. 3. The list will refresh and only show you items that contain your selected value for the column. 4. Activate the Title column heading’s context menu again to modify the filtering. 5. Select new values from the column’s set of values, or select [Clear Filter from Title] to remove the filter from the Title column. 6. The list will refresh with the new filter you have selected. 7. Steps four and five can be repeated using different columns in the list in order to apply multiple filters simultaneously.
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A funnel‐shaped icon will be displayed next to the column name of any column that is currently has a filter applied to it. Filtering is not supported for every type of column. For example, columns based on “Multiple lines of text” do not support filtering.
Now you try! Access the page called “Super List” Requirements: 1. Sort items by “Author” 2. Further sort items in Super List by “Date Created” 3. Make this filter one of the special views and call it “Better View”
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Creating Picture Libraries
Picture libraries build on the file management features introduced earlier by the document library.
They have the same mechanisms for displaying the file information including views, folders, filtering and sorting. Picture libraries then add many image‐specific features and integration into other applications not available with document library. Appropriate use of picture libraries include storage of corporate marketing graphics, presentation diagrams, product photographs, and company even slideshows.
Show me how to create a picture library! 1. From anywhere within your existing site, click [Site Actions] 2. On the resulting context menu, click [Create]
3. In the Documents section, click [Picture Library]
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4. In the Title and Description section, enter a [Name] for your picture library
5. {Optional} In the Title and Description section, you can enter a description for your picture library 6. {Optional} In the Navigation section, you can choose [No] to not display your picture library in the site’s Quick Launch 7. {Optional} In the Picture Version History section, you can choose [No] to not enable version history on your picture library
8. Click the [Create] button
You have successfully completed creating a Picture Library!
Show me how to upload a picture to my picture library! 1. From within your picture library, click [Upload] on the action bar
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You can also click the drop‐down arrow next to [Upload] and choose [Upload Multiple Documents] This will only work in Internet Explorer. The Firefox browser does not support this function.
2. In the Upload Documents section, Click [Browse] and browse to a picture you want to upload
3. Select the picture and click [Upload] 4. {Optional} In the Upload Documents section, uncheck the [Add as a new version to existing files] if you already have this same named document in your library and you do not want to make this a new version of that same document 5. {Optional} Populate the Title, Date, Description and Keywords fields 6. Click [OK] 7. Repeat steps 1 through 6 and upload a handful of pictures You have successfully added pictures to a Picture Library! Now you try! After that whole set of instructions we finally get to play! A picture library has been created for you under the file called “Images” located on the computer drive! Requirements: 1. Create a new picture library called “Galleria” 2. Upload five pictures from the file called “images” that you find fit your personal style the most. 3. Optimize pictures for web viewing. 4. Upload picture a picture of your choice without optimizing for web viewing.
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RSS Really Simple Syndication or RSS Feeds Intro: A common use for this is to enable lists containing corporate news or announcements to be accessible on mobile devices and other enterprise applications that read RSS data.
Show me how to find an RSS feed in my Class Site! 1. Navigate to the Library of your choice Any list or library (or blog) in Portal can be viewed in an RSS Viewer, but some may need you to have permissions set up to allow access. 2. Click [Actions], and then click on the link labeled [View RSS Feed].
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3. Click [View RSS Feed]. This will bring up the actual feed contents into your browser window.
4. The URL of this page is the RSS Feed you can use in your RSS reader; copy the url out of your browser and into Outlook as a new RSS feed.
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5. If you are preparing a feed for other users to consume, you can control how the RSS feed will behave by going into Document/List Settings ‐> RSS Settings
You can have multiple RSS Feeds on any given page
You have successfully found an RSS feed! Now you try! Access the RSS feed for your document library using the four easy steps described in the previous section. Requirements: 1. Customize the RSS feed to only show the last five days of new updates. Nice and easy!
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Glossary Alert: A feature that notifies a user by e‐mail when there is a change to an item, document, list, or document library on the Web site. For example, a user can create an alert to receive an e‐mail message whenever a document is updated in a specific document library. Note: This feature was previously called subscription. Administrator: Has full control of the Web site. Check in: Releases the lock for editing and enables other users to view the updated file or check out the file. Check out: Enables users to lock a file while editing it to prevent others from overwriting or editing it inadvertently. Only the user who checks out a document can edit the document. Discussion thread: In a discussion board or Web discussions, a series of messages or comments in which replies to a message or comment are nested directly under it, instead of the messages or comments being arranged in chronological or alphabetical order. Document library: A folder where a collection of files is stored and the files often use the same template. Each file in a library is associated with user‐defined information that is displayed in the content listing for that library. Library: In order to share files, SharePoint makes use of libraries. It is a folder where a collection of files is stored and where the files frequently use the same template. Each file in a library is associated with user‐defined information that is displayed in the content listing for that library. Lists: Along with document libraries, lists form the foundation of content within SPS. A list is a collection of information items displayed in an area or on a site. List types include: Announcements, Links, Contacts, Events, Tasks and Issues. Permissions: Authorization to perform operations associated with a shared resource, such as a file, directory, or printer. Permissions must be granted by the system administrator to individual user accounts or administrative groups. Personal view: A view of a list, SharePoint document library, or Web Part Page that is available only to a particular user. The personal view of a Web Part Page uses a combination of shared property values and personalized property values. Changes made to a personal view apply only to the list, library, or page in that view and are therefore visible to that user only.
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Really Simple Syndication (RSS) This tool is used by computer headlines for easy reading. RSS provides a convenient way for content publishers to distribute information in a standardized format. A standardized XML file format allows the information to be published once, and then viewed by many different programs such as Microsoft Office Outlook 2007. A common example of RSS content is sources of information such as news headlines that are frequently updated. The benefit of RSS is the aggregation of all content from multiple Web sources in one place. You no longer have to visit different Web sites for news, weather, blogs, and other information. With RSS, summaries of content are delivered to you, and then you decide which specific articles you want to read by clicking a link. Shared View: This is a view of a list, document library, or Web Part Page that every user with the appropriate permissions on a site can see. The shared view of a Web Part Page uses shared property values. Changes made to a shared view apply to the list, library, or page as it appears to all users. Site: A group of related Web pages that is hosted by an HTTP server on the World Wide Web or an intranet. The pages in a Web site generally cover one or more topics and are interconnected through hyperlinks. Most Web sites have a home page as their starting point. SPS: SharePoint Portal Server Strong password: A password that provides an effective defense against unauthorized access to a resource. A strong password is at least six characters long, does not contain all or part of the users' account name, and contains at least three of the four following categories of characters: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, base 10 digits, and symbols found on the keyboard, such as !, @, and #. Subsite: A named subdirectory of the top‐level Web site that is a complete Web site. Each subsite can have independent administration, authoring, and browsing permissions from the top‐level Web sites and other subsites. Tag: A tag is a keyword that connects multiple related objects together. You might tag a car rental site, a bus schedule, and a bicycling blog with the term "transportation;" you might tag Microsoft Office Word, notebook, and pen with the term "work." Someone else might tag a pen with the terms "leisure" and "hobby." By combining many people's tags, you get a multi‐dimensional view of the associated concepts — and by clicking on any of these tags, you see what other objects are related to that tag. Tags can appear at the top of articles, templates, training videos, and more. Click on a tag to see what other content on Microsoft Office Online has been tagged with the same concept. Find related content Versioning: Document and picture versioning creates a backup copy of a file whenever it is saved to the library. Web Part: This is a modular unit of information that consists of a title bar, a frame, and content. Web Parts are the basic building blocks of a Web Part Page.
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References Bates, Seth and Tony Smith, SharePoint 2007 User’s Guide Apress: 2007 Teaching Using SharePoint on AIR: http://air.rrc.mb.ca/Technical%20Support/teaching-using-sharepoint.htm Windows SharePoint Demo: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/technologies/sharepoint/wss_overview.html
MS SharePoint Homepage: http://office.microsoft.com/en‐us/sharepointserver/FX100492001033.aspx
SharePoint Teaching Tips Why Teach With SharePoint: General
Access content from anywhere at any time Use ready‐to‐use templates in multiple formats
For Teachers
Easy to set up basis course materials vs. a full‐blown LMS system Facilitate knowledge exchange Organize material in a way that’s easy to maintain Control who has access to materials Quick access to information Minimize duplication of information Maximize value of knowledge assets Strengthen academic relations with students Bridge technology knowledge gap between teacher and students For Students
Quick and easy centralized access to all sorts of information such as timetables, calendars, documents, discussions, etc. Revisions/changes/updates can be quickly made Easy to collaborate on group projects Easy to integrate with other e‐learning tools Keep focused, on task, and organized Transfer skills to increasing number of future career paths Practice activities, interactivity, peer review Page 38
Tips For Teachers: 1. Share important course materials such as lecture notes, assignments and related materials. 2. Create separate document libraries for each type of document so it’s easy for the students (and teacher) to locate things. 3. List assignments on the main page in specially‐designed section that contains info on the assignment, a link to supporting documentation, and the due date. 4. Use 'Events' to highlight the mid‐term and final exams. 5. Use ‘Announcements’ – you can subscribe to announcements on behalf of the students to be sure that when you post an announcement, they’ll receive notification. 6. Take it slow: use the basic functionality at first and learn how to customize it later on. 7. Use what helps, ignore the rest. 8. Identify someone who understands the advanced administrative features who can assist with things such as the security features and ensuring that certain documents can’t be changed. 9. Annotate links to online resources.
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