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Definition of a lens

Lenses

A lens is a custom view of the content in the repository. You can think of it as a fancy kind of list that will let you see content through the eyes of organizations and people you trust.

What is in a lens?

Lens makers point to materials (modules and collections), creating a guide that includes their own comments and descriptive tags about the content.

Who can create a lens?

Any individual member, a community, or a respected organization.

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Tags are descriptors added by lens makers to help label content, attaching a vocabulary that is meaningful in the context of the lens.

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  • Houston Community College - eLens display tagshide tags

    This module is included in aLens by: Houston Community CollegeAs a part of collection: "Authoring Connexions Modules using Microsoft Word Documents"

    Comments:

    "ET1510 OER Authoring"

    Click the "Houston Community College - eLens" link to see all content they endorse.

    Click the tag icon tag icon to display tags associated with this content.

  • College Open Textbooks display tagshide tags

    This module is included inLens: Community College Open Textbook Collaborative
    By: CC Open Textbook CollaborativeAs a part of collection: "Authoring Connexions Modules using Microsoft Word Documents"

    Click the "College Open Textbooks" link to see all content they endorse.

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This content is either by members of the organizations listed or about topics related to the organizations listed. Click each link to see a list of all content affiliated with the organization.
  • CNX Documentation

    This module is included inLens: Connexions Documentation
    By: ConnexionsAs a part of collection: "Authoring Connexions Modules using Microsoft Word Documents"

    Comments:

    "This training collection was written by Connexions Featured Author, winner in the HPC Cup for High Performance Computing education, and Houston Community College faculty member, Ken Busbee. It is […]"

    Click the "CNX Documentation" link to see all content affiliated with them.

  • Houston Community College display tagshide tags

    This module is included in aLens by: Houston Community CollegeAs a part of collections: "Understanding the Vision of Connexions", "Effectively Using and Creating Connexions Lenses", "How to Search and Browse the Connexions Web Site", "Authoring Connexions Modules using Microsoft Word Documents"

    Comments:

    "1st Item in a series of Connexions training"

    "3rd Item in a series of Connexions training"

    "2nd Item is a series of Connexions training"

    "CIT - ET1510 OER Authoring & 4th Item in a series of Connexions training"

    Click the "Houston Community College" link to see all content affiliated with them.

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Also in these lenses

  • Busbee's Connexions Training

    This module is included inLens: Busbee's Connexions Training Lens
    By: Kenneth Leroy BusbeeAs a part of collections: "How to Search and Browse the Connexions Web Site", "Authoring Connexions Modules using Microsoft Word Documents", "Understanding the Vision of Connexions", "Effectively Using and Creating Connexions Lenses"

    Comments:

    "2nd Item"

    "4th Item"

    "1st Item"

    "3rd Item"

    Click the "Busbee's Connexions Training" link to see all content selected in this lens.

  • OER/LOR Connexions T display tagshide tags

    This module is included inLens: OER/LOR Connexions Training
    By: ConnexionsAs a part of collections: "Effectively Using and Creating Connexions Lenses", "Authoring Connexions Modules using Microsoft Word Documents"

    Comments:

    "This training text shows how to create lenses, add content to them, and brand them. "

    "This collection by an experienced Connexions author shows how to create new learning materials using Word and special styles for getting cool features like terms, definitions, examples, and exercises."

    Click the "OER/LOR Connexions T" link to see all content selected in this lens.

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Why You should Create a Personal Connexions Account

Module by: Kenneth Leroy Busbee. E-mail the author

Summary: The several reasons (saving your place as you read a collection, rating modules, creating lenses and building content) for having a Connexions accout are highlighted. Included are directions to general training on how to understand and use the Connexions web site and these features.

Several Good Reasons

With a Connexions account you can:

  • Provide feedback to authors and other users by rating modules – This feedback from all users (other authors, students using textbook collections, etc.) helps authors decide which modules need improving and helps other users in evaluating the quality of respository content.
  • Have your own “My Favorites” lens and make other “Member List” lenses
    • Save your place when reading through a collection is a feature of the “My Favorites” lens
    • You can make yourown private “Member List” lenses to create the ability for you to focus on part of the repository
  • Improve the quality of instructional materials and scholarly works available to the world via the Internet – free 24/7
    • Contribute materials that you author to the Connexions repository
    • Remix or change (customize) materials provided by others that are in the Connexions repository
    • Build collections (a group of modules) that specifically serve your students or audience from modules that you either create, improve or use without changing

Often being an author, is over emphasized and pushed as the number one reason to get a Connexions account. Having authors contribute to the repository is important; however usage of the repository by users is equally important. Increasing quality content in the Connexions repository goes hand in hand with increased usage of that content. It’s like the Chinese “Yin & Yang”, both are important. We encourage all to create an personal account.

Figure 1: Yin & Yang
Figure 1 (graphics1.jpg)

Available Training

A link is provided (in the box at the upper right corner of this module’s page) to the “Busbee’s Connexions Training” lens. It contains six collections that cover:

  1. Understanding the Vision of Connexions
  2. How to Search and Browse the Connexions Web Site (includes rating modules)
  3. Effectively Using and Creating Connexions Lenses
  4. Authoring Connexions Modules using Microsoft Word Documents
  5. Ideas and Tools for Improving Connexions Modules and Collections
  6. Appendix Materials for a Connexions Collection used as a College Course

Each collection consists of several modules. The items appear alphabetically within the lens; however the “Lens Comments” for each item has its item position number similar to the list above. The first four items provide a natural progression for training.

You might want to bookmark the URL to the lens in your browser. The link is: http://cnx.org/lenses/kbusbee/cnx-training

Connexions Help

Don’t hesitage to use the “Help” tab on the connexions home page at: http://cnx.org/

It is organized differently than the above training collections, but contains ample information on how to use the Connexions Project. Don’t be afraid to click on something. Some of the menu items on the left expand as you click on them.

Figure 2: Connexions Help Tab
Figure 2 (graphics2.jpg)

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My Favorites (?)

'My Favorites' is a special kind of lens which you can use to bookmark modules and collections. 'My Favorites' can only be seen by you, and collections saved in 'My Favorites' can remember the last module you were on. You need an account to use 'My Favorites'.

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Definition of a lens

Lenses

A lens is a custom view of the content in the repository. You can think of it as a fancy kind of list that will let you see content through the eyes of organizations and people you trust.

What is in a lens?

Lens makers point to materials (modules and collections), creating a guide that includes their own comments and descriptive tags about the content.

Who can create a lens?

Any individual member, a community, or a respected organization.

What are tags? tag icon

Tags are descriptors added by lens makers to help label content, attaching a vocabulary that is meaningful in the context of the lens.

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