In web design the breadcrumb trail is a navigation aid used in user interfaces. It gives users a way to keep track of their location within programs or documents. Breadcrumbs typically appear horizontally across the top of a web page, usually below title bars or headers. They provide links back to each previous page the user navigated through to get to the current page or—in hierarchical site structures—the parent pages of the current one. Breadcrumbs provide a trail for the user to follow back to the starting or entry point.
The Edspora messaging system is internal to Edspora therefore all messages are sent and received within Edspora. Think of it as Edspora instant messaging.
NOTE: By default, when a user receives a message and they are NOT actively online in Edspora, the message is also sent to the recipient via their configured email address. Recipients, who ARE actively online in Edspora at the time the message is sent, receive an alert that they have a new message. To see a list of messages, click on your name at the top of the page and then click the Messages button.
One drawback to using the Edspora messaging system is the inability to handle attachments and the inconsistency in getting the messages delivered to the course participants. This is because this system is designed more as an instant messaging medium rather than an email messaging system.
In the Messages window click on the Search tab to search for the person, if appropriate checking the box “Only in my courses”, then click on their name. (Alternatively, if the person is listed in the Online Users block, simply click on the “Add/send message” envelope opposite their name.)
Type the message in the pop-up box then click on the “Send message” button.
Sending Emails
The Quickmail block is an add-on to Edspora that allows a user to send e-mail to anyone in the class. The e-mail is composed and sent in Edspora, but receivedin the user’s regular e-mail (Outlook, webmail, etc.). NOTE: The Quickmail block is usually a part of most courses, however if you do not see it contact the instructor.
The image to the right shows how Quickmail will appear when added to a course. The three links are described as follows:
Compose: takes you to Quickmail’s email composition page. History: takes you to a history of all your emails sent by Quickmail in the current course. Configuration: takes you to Quickmail’s configuration screen; the same configuration screen as the block’s edit button when course editing is turned on. This link only appears for course teachers and administrators.
Step 1: Locate the link to the forum on the course page, or if your instructor has added the Activities block, click Forums for a list of links to all forums in the course.
Step 2: Click the link to the forum. The Forum page will open with directions from your instructor at the top of the page.
Step 3: Depending on the type of forum, you may be able to start a new topic, or only reply to a topic or previous reply.
If there are already Topics started, you will see a list of topics. Topics with unread posts indicate the number highlighted in yellow.
Click a Topic Title (not the class member’s name) to open and read what has been posted so far on the discussion. Click Reply to post your response. Note: For single-topic or blog-like forums, there is no table listing Topics. Posts are simply displayed on the Forum page.
If students are allowed to start new Topics, at the top of the page you will be able to click Add a new discussion topic (top) to start a new discussion thread.
Step 4: When reading a string of replies, you may have the option to change the display of the discussion. In this case you’ll see a drop-down menu at the top of the page with options to change the order and nesting of posts:
Step 5: To enter a new Topic or Reply, in the Subject field (required), type a brief but descriptive subject line.
Step 6: In the Message field (required), enter your new topic or reply. Use the HTML Editor toolbar to format text and add images, links to media, or equations.
Step 7: Under Subscription, you may be able to control whether you receive email notifications for new posts. (You can also access subscription settings from the Settings block while viewing the forum). If you don’t want to receive emails, set Subscription to I don’t want email copies of posts to this forum. Note: Sometimes you will not be able to change the Subscription mode depending on the settings your Instructor has made.
Step 8: To add an attachment to your post, click Add and then choose your file using the File picker. Note: Image files attached to a post will display below your post, but other file types will have to be downloaded to be opened.
Step 9: When your post is complete, click Save changes to submit. Note: After you post a topic or reply, you have 30 minutes to edit or delete your post before an email is sent to any subscribers.
Edspora homepage is the first page that every Edspora user sees after they login. The Edspora page is unique to each user and can be customized. To customize the Edspora page you will click on the Customize my Page button located in the upper right. Once customization is turned on, users can move and add blocks. Blocks are items which may be added to the left or right or center column of any page in Edspora.
Blocks are tools that let you add functionality to your course. Some blocks are constant, but others can be turned on and off, and moved around. Blocks can be added and moved to best suit their needs.
