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- Contributed By: Curriki Team
Contributing resources to Curriki’s repository is one of the best ways
to become a part of the global education & learning community.
By adding your resources, you can:
By adding your resources, you can:
- get feedback on your ideas and methods from other members
- combine your own lesson plans with other member’s resources to create your own curriculum
- have your content reviewed for appropriate pedagogy, content accuracy, and technical completeness by the Curriki Review System
Once you have decided to become a contributor, there are several ways to get started. First, make sure you are logged in, then choose from these options:
Each of these methods will kick-start the process of adding your resource to the repository, and you will see a dialog box pop up that looks like this for "Add a Resource":
or like this for "Build Up":
(Note the difference in the two dialogs; the last option, "A folder...", is only available for "Build Up" which is adding something new into a collection or folder.) The next step is to choose what you would like to add from the options in the dialog box.
Once you have selected the option that best meets your needs and clicked “Next” at the bottom of the dialog box, the page will be refreshed to show either another selection dialog or a dialog for resource information.
Once you come to the "Set Required Information, Part 1" dialog, you will insert a title and description for your resource, and designate required information settings for subject, educational level, and Instructional Component Type (ICT). You will also need to check the Access Privileges and Rights information, as well as enter any Key Words to help users find your resource. If you created the resource from within an existing collection, some of this information may show a "default" setting that you may leave as is or change as needed.
For details on selecting your Information settings, you may want to review the following sections of the Help Collection:
After you have defined all of the required information, click "Next" and you should see a confirmation message. Depending on your settings for the resource you have added, your contribution will now be accessible through the site's search and browse functions. You can also find it listed under your contributions in My Curriki.
- Click “Add a Resource” from the Global Left Nav bar (under the “Contribute” menu); or
- From the Contributions tab of My Curriki, click the orange “Add a Resource” button; or
- If you already have a collection, you can click “Build Up” next to the title in the Collections tab of My Curriki, or from the top right of the tab area when viewing that collection.
Each of these methods will kick-start the process of adding your resource to the repository, and you will see a dialog box pop up that looks like this for "Add a Resource":
or like this for "Build Up":
(Note the difference in the two dialogs; the last option, "A folder...", is only available for "Build Up" which is adding something new into a collection or folder.) The next step is to choose what you would like to add from the options in the dialog box.
| Option | Details |
|---|---|
| A file from my computer | If you have existing resources saved on your computer (i.e. Word documents and PowerPoint presentations), this is the best option to select. Click the “Browse” button to select the location on your computer where the resource is saved, then click “Next” at the bottom of the dialog box. You may want to watch the video tutorial "How to Contribute a File Attachment" for a walkthrough. Curriki recognizes a wide variety of File Formats, which are discussed in more detail in that section of the Help Collection. Also, please note that there is a maximum file size of 20 MB for any file added into the repository. |
| A video I want play on Curriki | If you are uploading any type of video file (but not SWFs!), this is the choice for you. Uploading a video this way allows people to play it directly within a Curriki page, served only via Curriki, or to download the original file to play on their computers. Click the “Browse” button to select the location on your computer where the resource is saved, and once the file appears in the Browse field on Curriki, then click the orange "Next" button. |
| A link for a great web resource | If you know about a website that offers valuable material, you can use this option to reference it. Type the URL into the field after “http://”, then click next. If you copy & paste the URL, make sure there is only a single “http://” at the beginning of the field or else the link will appear broken. |
| A resource I’ll create using a template | If you wish to write materials as you go, you can use one of several templated options, including lesson plan templates created by Curriki’s partner organizations. Details on using the various templates are available in the Creating Resources with Forms and Templates section of the Help Collection. You may also want to watch the video tutorial "How to Create a Resource Using a Template". |
| A resource I’ll create from “scratch” | This option will allow you to compose, format, and/or style text using a blank Wiki or HTML block. (For instance, this article you are reading now was created using the Wiki resource “from scratch” option.) Details on using these two options are available in the Creating Resources with Forms and Templates section of the Help Collection. You may also want to watch the following tutorial videos: 1. How to Create a Wiki Resource From Scratch 2. How to Create an HTML Resource From Scratch |
| A folder where I’ll organize resources | If you started this process from within an existing Curriki collection, you will see this additional option which allows you to create a folder where you can group and organize other content. |
For details on selecting your Information settings, you may want to review the following sections of the Help Collection:
- About Information Settings
- Rights Holder & Licensing
- Access Privileges
- Instructional Component Type
- Community Best Practices for Collaborating on Curriki
- Video Tutorials: How to Add, Create, Edit, & Collaborate on Resources
After you have defined all of the required information, click "Next" and you should see a confirmation message. Depending on your settings for the resource you have added, your contribution will now be accessible through the site's search and browse functions. You can also find it listed under your contributions in My Curriki.
MS Office programs changed the file extension between the 2003 and 2007 versions:
If you are collaborating with other members on these types of resources, it’s likely that users have different versions of the Office software. Here are a few methods your group may want to consider using to avoid problems:
If you have MS Office 2003 or earlier: If you’re working with the 2003 version of Word, Excel, or Powerpoint, you will need to download the Office Converter pack in order to view documents created with the 2007 version (.docx, .xlsx, and .pptx). Download instructions and links to more information are available here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=941b3470-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en
Once you’ve installed the converter you can view and edit any resources created with the 2007 version. By default the file will save to your computer using the 2007 extension (i.e. .docx), and the converter tool will automatically ensure any changes you made are compatible with that format.
If you find a resource on Curriki and would like to make a copy of it for your own use, you may want to convert the file to the 2003 version (i.e. .doc) permanently. To do this:
The 2007 version of Word, Excel, or Powerpoint will automatically allow you to read documents created in previous versions of the software. Information about working in Compatibility Mode and its limitations is available here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA100775611033.aspx#CompatibilityMode.
If you are collaborating with a group of users who are primarily using the older version, it may be best to save your documents in the older format. To do this, click “Save As” and select the older file type before clicking “Save”. For instance, worksheets should be saved as “.xls” files, not “.xlsx”.
| 2003 version (or earlier) | 2007 version |
|---|---|
| doc | docx |
| xls | xlsx |
| ppt | pptx |
If you have MS Office 2003 or earlier: If you’re working with the 2003 version of Word, Excel, or Powerpoint, you will need to download the Office Converter pack in order to view documents created with the 2007 version (.docx, .xlsx, and .pptx). Download instructions and links to more information are available here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=941b3470-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en
Once you’ve installed the converter you can view and edit any resources created with the 2007 version. By default the file will save to your computer using the 2007 extension (i.e. .docx), and the converter tool will automatically ensure any changes you made are compatible with that format.
If you find a resource on Curriki and would like to make a copy of it for your own use, you may want to convert the file to the 2003 version (i.e. .doc) permanently. To do this:
- Open the file
- Click “Save As”
- Select a new format from the “Save as type” dropdown (just under the file name). Select the most general option, one that is not associated with a particular version of the Office application. For instance, in Excel, you’ll want to select the option “Microsoft Option Excel Workbook” rather than “Excel 2007 Workbook”.
- Click Save.
- If you saved the original version to your computer before going through this process, make sure to select the new version when you upload the file to Curriki.
The 2007 version of Word, Excel, or Powerpoint will automatically allow you to read documents created in previous versions of the software. Information about working in Compatibility Mode and its limitations is available here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA100775611033.aspx#CompatibilityMode.
If you are collaborating with a group of users who are primarily using the older version, it may be best to save your documents in the older format. To do this, click “Save As” and select the older file type before clicking “Save”. For instance, worksheets should be saved as “.xls” files, not “.xlsx”.
Overview: Several Mac platform software programs create files that are actually directories instead of individual files. These programs include (but may not be limited to) Pages, Numbers, Keynote and Comic Life. Before uploading one of these file types to Curriki, you need to ZIP (aka -- archive, compress) the directory. This resource covers the basics of how this is done.
Note: The files created by these software programs visually appear to be a single document, but are, in fact, a directory (folder or package) of files.
For example, the "document" it_classes.pages shown below (left) is a directory (folder, package) that contains all of the files and folders shown below in the window (right).
To ZIP (aka -- ARCHIVE, COMPRESS) a file created in Pages, Numbers, Keynote or ComicLife, follow these steps. (Note: this works on a Mac running OS X 10.3 or higher)
1) Make sure that the document you wish to ZIP is closed.
2) Select the document (single click on the file to select it)
3) Go to the File menu and choose Compress (OSX 10.5) or choose Create Archive (OSX 10.3 & 10.4) --- i.e. Flie > Compress or File > Create Archive
4) A file with the extension .zip will be created.
5) Now you can upload the ZIP file to Curriki just like any other file.
To ZIP (aka -- ARCHIVE, COMPRESS) a file created in Pages, Numbers, Keynote or ComicLife, follow these steps. (Note: this works on a Mac running OS X 10.3 or higher)
1) Make sure that the document you wish to ZIP is closed.
2) Select the document (single click on the file to select it)
3) Go to the File menu and choose Compress (OSX 10.5) or choose Create Archive (OSX 10.3 & 10.4) --- i.e. Flie > Compress or File > Create Archive
4) A file with the extension .zip will be created.
5) Now you can upload the ZIP file to Curriki just like any other file.
If you plan on adding materials that are meant to be used together (i.e. a unit of lesson plans, or a lesson plan with supporting materials), you may wish to add a Collection to help you organize them.
First, make sure you are logged in, then choose from these options:
Once you have started the process of adding a collection, the page will be refreshed to show a form with several steps.
On the "Set Required Information" screen, you will insert a title and description for your resource, and designate required information settings for subject, educational level, and Instructional Component Type (ICT). Click “Next” in order to check the Access Privileges and Rights information, as well as enter any key words to help users find your resource.
For details on selecting your Information settings, you may want to review the following sections of the Help Collection: After you have defined all of the required information, click "Next" and you should see a confirmation message. Depending on your settings for the resource you have added, your contribution will now be accessible through the site's search and browse functions. You can also find it listed under either the Collections tab in My Curriki or the Curriculum tab of your Group.
First, make sure you are logged in, then choose from these options:
- If you are working on your own, go to the Collections tab of My Curriki and click the orange “Add a Collection” button
- If you are participating as a group and wish to make your collection available to all group members, go to the Curriculum tab of your group and click the orange “Add a Collection” button.
Once you have started the process of adding a collection, the page will be refreshed to show a form with several steps.
On the "Set Required Information" screen, you will insert a title and description for your resource, and designate required information settings for subject, educational level, and Instructional Component Type (ICT). Click “Next” in order to check the Access Privileges and Rights information, as well as enter any key words to help users find your resource.
For details on selecting your Information settings, you may want to review the following sections of the Help Collection: After you have defined all of the required information, click "Next" and you should see a confirmation message. Depending on your settings for the resource you have added, your contribution will now be accessible through the site's search and browse functions. You can also find it listed under either the Collections tab in My Curriki or the Curriculum tab of your Group.
If you are working with a large set of resources, you may want to organize them using folders within your collection. Folders act very much like Collections, but are created from within a collection instead of on its own.
First, make sure you are logged in, then follow these steps:
For details on selecting your Information settings, you may want to review the following sections of the Help Collection:
If you want to add folders within your new folder, just ‘dig down’ through the collection & folder until you reach the level you want to add to, then repeat this process by clicking “Build Up” at the top right of the tab.
To re-arrange the resources in your collection to utilize your new folder, take advantage of the Organize feature.
First, make sure you are logged in, then follow these steps:
- Find the collection you wish to work with from either the Collections tab of My Curriki or from the Curriculum tab of your Group.
- Select “Build Up” from the top right of the tab area for the collection.
- Choose the last option in the list, “A folder where I’ll organize resources”. The page will be refreshed to show a form with several steps.
For details on selecting your Information settings, you may want to review the following sections of the Help Collection:
- About Information Settings
- Rights Holder & Licensing
- Access Privileges
- Instructional Component Type
- Community Best Practices for Collaborating on Curriki
If you want to add folders within your new folder, just ‘dig down’ through the collection & folder until you reach the level you want to add to, then repeat this process by clicking “Build Up” at the top right of the tab.
To re-arrange the resources in your collection to utilize your new folder, take advantage of the Organize feature.
If you create a resource or find one on Curriki, you may wish to insert it into a collection a folder.
First, make sure you are logged in and the collection or folder where you wish to add the resource already exists in My Curriki or one of your groups, then follow these steps:
If you wish to add a resource into someone else’s collection, you must first make sure the collection is Public. Access Privileges of "protected" or "private" will not allow you to add resources to the collection. Next, add the public collection into one of your own collections. For instance, if you are trying to add your resource titled “Pythagorean Theorem Lesson Plan” into Frank’s “Geometry” collection, you should first add Frank’s “Geometry” collection into one of your collections. Finally, go back to the resource “Pythagorean Theorem Lesson Plan” and follow the steps above to choose a location for the resource.
Note: This process maintains the original Access Privileges of the resource, meaning that you can place a protected resource into your collection and access it there, but you will not be able to edit it unless you are the original contributor. To be able to edit the resource yourself or give group rights to a resource, you will need to make a copy of a protected resource.
First, make sure you are logged in and the collection or folder where you wish to add the resource already exists in My Curriki or one of your groups, then follow these steps:
- Find the resource you wish to add to the collection or folder. You can work with your own resources (from the Contributions tab of My Curriki) or most of the resources you find on the site, wherever you see the "Add" link.
- Select the resource to see it in the Content tab.
- At the top right of the tab, click the “Add” link. This will pop-up a dialog box that asks you to “Choose a Location."
- Expand the listings at the bottom of the dialog to locate the collection or folder where you want to add the resource. It may be a personal collection, or you may first have to select a group and then locate the target collection in that group. Click the target collection to open it, and then open any folders until you find the place where you wish to add the resource.
- Drag and drop the resource into the collection. You can drag it into a specific location between other resources (look for the dotted horizontal line that indicates you can drop it in a specific location), or you can drop it into a folder; a folder should highlight on rollover to indicate that you can drop it there. Dropping into a highlighted folder or collection places the resource as the last item in the sequence of sub-resources in that folder or collection.
- Once you have dropped the resource into the correct location, click “Next”." You will see a message confirming that the resource has been added.
If you wish to add a resource into someone else’s collection, you must first make sure the collection is Public. Access Privileges of "protected" or "private" will not allow you to add resources to the collection. Next, add the public collection into one of your own collections. For instance, if you are trying to add your resource titled “Pythagorean Theorem Lesson Plan” into Frank’s “Geometry” collection, you should first add Frank’s “Geometry” collection into one of your collections. Finally, go back to the resource “Pythagorean Theorem Lesson Plan” and follow the steps above to choose a location for the resource.
Note: This process maintains the original Access Privileges of the resource, meaning that you can place a protected resource into your collection and access it there, but you will not be able to edit it unless you are the original contributor. To be able to edit the resource yourself or give group rights to a resource, you will need to make a copy of a protected resource.
We hope that you won't need to remove quality contributions from the repository, but we recognize that sometimes this need does arise. Deleting a resource depends on whether the resource is an individual contribution or was contributed via a group.
For Individual Contributions:
If you need to delete a collection, the process is the same, but only the containing folder will be deleted. None of the resources within the collection will be deleted; they will still be available in the contributions listings.
For Individual Contributions:
- Go to the Contributions tab of My Curriki.
- Find the resource you wish to remove.
- Click "View All Contributions" on the Curriculum tab for the group.
- Find the resource you wish to remove.
If you need to delete a collection, the process is the same, but only the containing folder will be deleted. None of the resources within the collection will be deleted; they will still be available in the contributions listings.
