The PL Builder Overview and Building PL Modules articles provide a range of resources to help you create your district's custom Professional Learning Content. However, those articles don't provide details on adding content to the pages, or tiles, of your module. You'll find that information here. This article will cover how to add and edit content on your PL pages, including the following:
- Editing the Title
- Adding a Description
- Adding and Editing Resources
- Changing the Requires Review Setting
- Adding a custom Tile Image
- Viewing Unpublished Changes
These content tools are the same on all tile types: Content Pages, Reflections, Discussions, and Quizzes. For more information on the differences between these types of tiles, see the "Adding Tiles" section of the Building PL Modules article.
Note: Only district-level PL Managers and invited Collaborators have access to the PL Builder. For more information, see the more detailed articles on PL Permissions and Inviting Collaborators.
Video Clips:
The clip below from the PL Builder Overview demonstrates adding page/tile content from 1:47-3:05 before moving on to demonstrate how to Assign & Publish the module.
Written Explanation with Visuals:
Editing the Title
Image above: Click the pencil edit icon to edit the title
Image above: Title edit in progress. Click the check to save.
The title of the page, or tile, is created when you add the tile to the module. However, you can edit the title by clicking into the tile and clicking the pencil edit button to the right of the existing title. This opens an editable area to change the existing title, as shown above. Click the X below to cancel, or the check to save your new title. Remember, if the module is assigned and published, assigned users won't see this update until the module is published again.
Adding a Description
The Description is arguably the most important part of the page. It gives the users direction as to how to respond in the Reflection or Discussion area. In addition to text, the Description has tools in the editor, shown above, that allow you to include hyperlinks and embedded images, videos, and other webpages. Click the Edit button to open the editor, and click Save when you're done adding or editing your description. Remember, if the module is assigned and published, assigned users won't see this update until the module is published again.
Above is a brief animation of how to embed an external website. Embedding a video is similar. Click the embed icon in the toolbar, paste the address of the website you'd like to embed, and allow the URL to process for several seconds.Embedding can be an excellent option for having teachers collaborate on Google Docs, etc. Note, though, that a user's work within the embedded site is not available in the Coaching View. Also note, many sites do not allow embedding. In this case, a preview of the site will be generated, with the option to click to open the site in a new browser window.
Adding and Editing Resources
Image above: Option to Add Resources
Image above: Option to Add a Resource File or a Resource Link
Like the resources sections of the Modern Teacher PL Pages and the Success Indicators, pages in the PL Builder allow you to add and edit both files and links, as shown above. Once a resource has been added, only the uploader will have the options to edit or delete it. Also, these resources can only be added, edited, or deleted from the PL Builder. If the uploader accesses the resources on the published version of the page, or in the Resource Library, they will be reminded to return to the PL Builder to make any changes. Note, these Resources will appear in the Resource Library only for users who are assigned the module, and they will not appear until the next time the module is published.
Changing the Requires Review Setting
Image A Above: Require Review Setting
Image B Above: Tile that does not Require Review. User able to mark as Complete.
Image C Above: Tile that does Require Review. User able to mark as Ready for Review.
By default, users can progress though the module at their own pace. When they finish responding to a Reflection or Discussion, they can mark the page as Complete, as shown in Image A above. However, sometimes you may want users to have to check-in with a teacher mentor or coach before a page is marked as Complete. In this case, you can change the page's Requires Review setting to Yes, as shown in Image B. In this case, users will only have options to mark the page as In Progress or Ready for Review, without the option to mark it Complete, as shown in Image C. When the page is marked as Ready for Review, anyone who is assigned as that user's PL Manager will receive a notification. They can then use the Coaching View to review the user's work and give feedback, and only they can mark the page as Complete. In fact, tiles that do not Require Review are shaded grey in the Coaching View, while those that do Require Review are in full color. Remember, if the module is assigned and published, this update won't take affect for assigned users until the module is published again. If users had previously marked the tile as Complete, it will remain Complete unless it is manually changed.
Adding a custom Tile Image
By default, each tile appears with a blue icon as a visual. Content pages have an eye icon, Reflection pages have a pen icon (or sometimes an upload icon, if the page requires a file upload), Discussion pages have a chat icon, and Quiz pages have a graduation cap icon. If you would prefer to customize the image that appears on the tile, you can do so with the Tile Image selection, shown above. If you add a custom image, you will have the option to replace it or to return to the default icon. Remember, if the module is assigned and published, assigned users won't see this update until the module is published again.
Viewing Unpublished Changes & Previewing Published Version
Whenever a change is made to a published tile, including changes to the title, description, resources, Requires Review setting, or Tile Image, the tile is marked with an orange "Unpublished Changes" border. This border is meant to serve as a reminder that the assigned users are seeing a different version of the tile than what you are seeing in the PL Builder. If you enter a tile with unpublished changes, the area of the tile that has been changed is marked with an orange asterisk to help you more easily identify where the changes took place. In the example above, for instance, we can see the tile has unpublished changes on the Title and Resources, but the Description, Requires Review Setting, and Tile Image are unchanged. Click the "View the published version here" text to compare the version in the PL Builder to how the page currently appears to assigned users. If you would like to discard these unpublished changes, you can Revert to the currently published version as explained in the Building PL Modules article.
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