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The IBM® Lotus® Learning Widget for IBM® Lotus® Connections is now available!
You can use the Learning Widget to view and filter learning materials on your homepage in Lotus Connections. The Learning Widget knows which Lotus Connections components you have installed, and shows you learning materials just for those installed components.
About the Learning Widget
The Lotus Learning Widget for IBM Lotus Connections gives you access the following types of user training materials:
- Demos, videos, and tours: Demos are short product simulations that show you how to complete a task in Lotus Connections. Videos and guided tours are longer product simulations that provide an overview of a Lotus Connections component, such as Using Blogs.
- Online courses: Online courses are self-paced e-learning courses that are comparable to material covered in an instructor-led classroom-based course, but can be taken online at your own pace. Online courses can include conceptual information, task "how to" information, and sample files for completing exercises on your own.
- Reference Cards: Reference cards are a printable quick deskside reference to quickly find how to perform the most common tasks in a product.
Watch the video
Administrators: This video introduces you to the Lotus Connections Learning Widget. The Learning Widget provides your users with a dynamic set of Connections learning content right on their Connections Home page. This content includes videos, online courses, reference cards, and more. Watch the video to learn more about the widget, how users will use it, and how easy it is for you to set this up for your users.
Click Play to start the video. Scroll to the Welcome section at the bottom of this wiki article to read a text version of this video.
Watch the video full screen in a new window
Administrators Adding the Learning Widget on your Lotus Connections server
Administrators need to follow the instructions in this wiki article (
2.2 Adding widgets to the Lotus Connection home page) to make the widget available on your Lotus Connections server. When completing the
Add new widget form, type the following in the URL field:
http://www-10.lotus.com/learning/connections/learningwidget_iw.xml
Note: The Learning Widget does not require all Lotus Connections components to be installed; however, the Learning Widget does require that the Homepage component is installed.
Users Adding the Learning Widget to the Lotus Connections Homepage
Follow these steps to add the widget to your homepage.
- Log in to Lotus Connections with your username and password.
- Click the My Page tab.
- If you do not see the Lotus Learning Widget, click Customize in the upper right corner of the screen.
- Click the + sign next to Lotus Learning Widget.
Result: You will see a confirmation that the widget was added.
- Click the X to close the Customize section.
- The Lotus Learning Widget should now display in the upper right corner of the My Page tab.
If you do not have all Lotus Connections components installed, then the Learning Widget will display learning materials only for the components currently installed.
License information
The IBM Lotus Learning Widget is offered on an "as-is" basis. The widget and Lotus Connections are updated frequently, and therefore, the widget may not be compatible with every build of Lotus Connections.
IBM Lotus Learning Widget License Agreement
Text version of What is the IBM Lotus Learning Widget for IBM Lotus Connections video
What is the IBM Lotus Learning Widget for IBM Lotus Connections?
This video introduces you to the Lotus Connections Learning Widget. The Learning Widget provides your users with a dynamic set of Connections learning content right on their Connections Home page. This content includes videos, online courses, reference cards, and more. Watch the video to learn more about the widget, how users will use it, and how easy it is for you to set this up for your users.
Welcome
Table 1. Welcome| Step |
Caption |
On-screen action |
|---|
1.1
|
What is the IBM® Lotus® Learning Widget for IBM Lotus Connections?
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2010
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The video welcome page displays.
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1.2
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The Learning Widget for Lotus Connections is a widget that is used to view and filter learning materials on your homepage in Lotus Connections. The Learning Widget knows which Lotus Connections components you have installed, and shows you learning materials just for those installed components.
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The video welcome page displays.
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What can the Learning Widget do for you?
Table 2. What can the Learning Widget do for you?
| Step |
Caption |
On-screen action |
|---|
2.1
|
The Lotus Learning Widget for IBM Lotus Connections gives you access demos, videos, tours, online courses, and reference
cards.
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The Lotus Connections homepage displays with the Lotus Learning Widget visible.
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2.2
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You can filter the resources in the Learning Widget by the Connections component, by task, or by resource type.
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The Select a component drop-down list displays.
The Select a topic drop-down list displays.
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2.3
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Let's say that you have never used Files, and what to know what you can do with Files. First, narrow the list of learning materials to just the Files component.
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Click Files from the Select a component drop-down list.
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2.4
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You want to watch a short demo or video that explains what the Files component is. You can further narrow the list of learning materials to just demos, videos, and tours.
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Click Demos, Videos, and Tours from the Select a topic drop-down list.
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2.5
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The Understanding Files demo looks like it is just what you are looking for.
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Click Understanding Files from the list of resources.
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2.6
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That was a great explanation of Files.
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Click the X to close the resource.
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2.7
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You are curious what you can do with the rest of the Connections components, and think it would be a good idea to take a more in-depth look at Lotus Connections. You see a couple of resources that might provide a more in-depth look, but are not sure what the differences are between the resources. You notice that they have different icons and wonder what the icons mean. Maybe the help can explain the icons.
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Click the ? icon.
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2.8
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The help tells you that one of the resources is an online course and the other is a demo, video or tour. You think that the online course will provide you with that in-depth look you are seeking.
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Click the Using Lotus Connections 2.5 online course.
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2.9
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The online course provides an easy user interface to jump to different sections and learn exactly what you need to learn.
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Click different sections in the online course.
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2.10
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You also use Lotus Connections on your mobile device, but have trouble remembering what each of the icons do in the mobile interface. You primarily use Activities on your mobile device, so you narrow the resources to just the Activities component.
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Click Activities from the Select a component drop-down list.
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2.11
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You see the Mobile Reference Card and think that might be just right for you.
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Click Mobile Reference Card.
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2.12
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This reference card would be great to print and keep with you as a quick reference to quickly find how to perform
the most common tasks on your mobile device.
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Click the Print page icon.
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For Administrators: Making the Lotus Learning Widget available to your users
Table 3. For Administrators: Making the Lotus Learning Widget available to your users
| Step |
Caption |
On-screen action |
|---|
3.1
|
Now that you have seen how the Learning Widget can benefit your users, we'll show you how to make the Learning
Widget available to your users.
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The Lotus Connections login screen displays.
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3.2
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First, log in to Lotus Connections with your administrator username and password.
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Type the administrator's username and password to log in to Lotus Connections.
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3.3
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From the Administration tab, you can enable and disable widgets. Enabling a widget makes it available for
users to add to their homepage.
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Click the Administration tab.
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3.4
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The first step in making the widget available to users is to add a widget. Click Add another widget.
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Click Add another widget.
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3.5
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The Add new widget form requires a widget title and the URL for the location of the widget descriptor
file. The URL for the icon to represent the widget in the menu is optional.
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In the Widget Title field, type Lotus Learning Widget.
In the URL field, type the URL to the Learning Widget descriptor file (http://www-10.lotus.com/learning/connections/learningwidget_iw.xml).
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3.6
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Next, select one or more display options. You must display the widget on the Updates tab or the My Page tab, or both.
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Select both the Display on the My Page tab and the Display on the Updates tab options.
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3.7
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Select the Opened by default option to display the widget when the user first logs in to the homepage.
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Select the Opened by default option.
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3.8
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The Learning Widget requires the Homepage component, so select homepage in the Prerequisites field.
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Select homepage in the Prerequisites field.
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3.9
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Click Save to submit the form. The new widget displays in the Disabled widgets list.
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Click Save.
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3.10
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You need to enable the widget to have it available for users on the Lotus Connections homepage.
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The currently enabled and displayed widgets display.
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3.11
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To enable a widget, select it from the list of disabled widgets, and click Enable. This change takes effect
immediately, but a user may not notice the change until doing a refresh of the page, browsing away from the Lotus Connections home page and coming back to the page, or logging out and back in.
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Select the Lotus Learning Widget from the list of disabled widgets, and click Enable.
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For Users: Adding the Learning Widget to the Lotus Connections Homepage
Table 4. For Users: Adding the Learning Widget to the Lotus Connections Homepage
| Step |
Caption |
On-screen action |
|---|
4.1
|
Users who have never logged in to Connections will automatically see the Learning Widget the first time they log in. Users who have previously logged in to Connections may have to add it to their homepage. If a user doesn't see the Learning Widget on their homepage, then they should complete these steps.
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The Administration tab displays.
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4.2
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On the My Page tab, click Customize.
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Click the My Page tab, and then click Customize.
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4.3
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The Lotus Learning Widget is available to add to the homepage by clicking the plus sign (+) next to the widget
name.
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Click the plus sign (+) next to Lotus Learning Widget.
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4.4
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You will see confirmation that the widget was added.
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The text Add to your page displays under the Lotus Learning Widget name.
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4.5
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Close the homepage customize menu to see the Lotus Learning Widget.
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Click the X to close the homepage customize menu.
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Thank you
This concludes this video. For more information on the Learning Widget for Lotus Connections visit the Lotus Connections wiki. For more information about the Lotus Learning Widget for other products, visit the Lotus Learning Widgets page.