managing files in moodle2
TRANSCRIPT
MANAGING FILES IN MOODLE
LEARNING SYSTEMS
Today
• Why do we care?
• How Moodle stores files
• Moodle & “repositories”
• Where to store / how to manage X
Why care?
• Effective learning
• Saving time
• Best tools for the job
• Compliance
WHAT MOODLE DOES WITH FILESThis is going to be mildly complex. You will cope.
What Moodle does with files
Moodle is a website
Sometimes you store files thereAdd a resource -> File
Sometimes you just store linksAdd a resource -> URL
What Moodle does with files
If you add a File to Moodle:
• You can use Moodle to control things like
– Permissions and
– Visibility
• Moodle can backup the resource with the site
What Moodle does with files
Moodle has - a database- a file store
What Moodle does with files
When you add a resource link to Moodle… the URL gets stored in the database
What Moodle does with files
When you add a file… The file is placed in the file store, and its location in your site is stored in the database
What Moodle does with files
When someone else adds the same fileThe file isn’t stored againAnother location is recorded in the database
• Each use of that file can have different permissions etc… and can be used / removed / changed independently!
• That’s really cool
What Moodle does with files
When an instance of a file is deletedThe location is deleted from the database
What Moodle does with files
When all instances of a file have been deletedA cleanup process removes the file from the file system
REPOSITORIES?
Moodle repositories
Moodle 2 introduces a new type of plugin: REPOSITORIES
Any system that stores resources of any kind can be a repository
A repository plugin provides a simple way of getting files into Moodle from one of those systems.
Moodle repositories
MoodleHQ and the community have built these plugins for:• GoogleDocs• Flickr• YouTube• Alfresco• about a dozen other systems
Gerwood has built one that talks to eReserve
Why use a particular repo?
• It’s where your stuff is (e.g. Dropbox, GoogleDocs)
• It’s where someone’s sharing something(e.g. Flickr CC images, YouTube)
• It helps make other things easier
– eReserve: CAL reporting
– une.tv: tools for managing audio & video, syndication
Repo examples: link
GOOD• Change original
(YouTube); change everywhere(link is just a link)
BAD• Delete original; break
links everywhere• Repo has to serve files
publicly(link is just a link)
Repo examples: file (import)
GOOD• Delete original;
we’re ok• Moodle provides
access control
BAD• Change original;
update nowhere• We might be storing
for no reason
What about “Shared Files” (“Legacy course files”)
• Shared Files is just an external repository which happens to sit in a particular “site” (course) in Moodle
• It supports link(URL) and import(file)
What about “Shared Files”
GOOD• Files are in Moodle• A splash of Moodle access
control (linked to course/site)
BAD• Change original; maybe
update where it’s used• Delete original; break links
everywhere• No fine-grained access
control• Moodle storage limits for
massive files• Encourages storage of junk
that’s never used
(“Legacy course files”)
AS LINK
What about “Shared Files”
As per any other file resource…
i.e. the file is copied into the place where it is used.
(“Legacy course files”)
AS FILE
The holy grail: import & sync
From http://docs.moodle.org/en/Repository_API (14-12-2010)
Once a repository has been used the file will usually be copied into Moodle there and then. However there will also be options to:• only return the URL to the file if it's desired to keep it external
(but this does present security and integrity risks), or• refresh the local file copy regularly and automatically• refresh the file manually if desired
Once in Moodle, it is subject to the Development:File API for access control like any other file.
GREEN = not actually built
The holy grail: import & sync
GOOD• Change once;
update everywhere• Moodle provides
access control
BAD• Doesn’t solve the file
storage issue (files ARE imported)
• Doesn’t yet exist
So where do I put… ?Thing Repo Why? In Moodle via…
Readings eReserve Copyright reportingLibrary helps manage
Link(eReserve plugin coming soon)
Topic notes (none / shared files)*or direct in Moodle!
Lets Moodle handle everything
File / link (shared files)Page / Book (coming soon!)
Journal articles (various – on the web) Usually subject to all sorts of licenses
Link(would love an EZProxy plugin)
YouTube vid YouTube It’s not our content Link
Audio or video I made
une.tv(Kaltura?)
Great toolsMassive storageUses other than Moodle
Link
Learning object (HTML, Flash etc)
(none / shared files)* Lets Moodle handle everything
File / link (shared files)
3rd-party video une.tv(Kaltura?)
Great toolsMassive storage
File
Virtual classroom Adobe Connect? Specialised tool for playing back sessions
Special resource/activity link
* Perhaps importing (and syncing) from a new repo at a later date?
Q. When should I use Shared Files?
Less often than you think!
A. If multiple (link) resources will point to different parts of the same bucket of files
i.e. an HTML “mini-site”
Remember:• Shared files provide far less access control• Links to Shared Files aren’t magical – they can
still be broken if the original disappears!
WHAT NEXT?Let’s get into Moodle and start experimenting!