Frequently Asked Questions about TLF repository
About The Le@rning Federation's Digital Content Repository
What is The Le@rning Federation's Digital Content Repository?
The Le@rning Federation Digital Content Repository provides access to over 6000 items of curriculum content from The Le@rning Federation. It is available to educational bodies unable to access TLF content in any other way, in particular the tertiary institutions of Australia and New Zealand. You can find interactive learning objects, images, audio files and movie clips via browse, search and filter technology.
Find out more at econtent.thelearningfederation.edu.au
How do I view content in the Repository?
The search and browse tools of The Le@rning Federation (TLF) content repository can be used by anyone. Access to other features of the site are restricted to staff and students at tertiary institutions in Australia and New Zealand and other bodies licensed by TLF.
Each tertiary institution which has signed a license agreement with TLF is provided with a specific registration URL. You need to obtain your institution's registration URL in order to create and validate your user name and password.
For more information and contact details, visit here.
The Le@rning Federation content sounds great. How do I get started? What help or how-tos are available?
You can get started by looking around at econtent.thelearningfederation.edu.au/fast/tlf/. You can use the search, browse and filtering features without a login.
To access and view the digital content you will need to log in. Each tertiary institution which has signed a license agreement with TLF is provided with a specific registration URL.
Information about how to use the repository, including a user manual, can be found here. (link)
For more information and contact details, visit here.
Do I need any special software on my computer to use the repository?
Yes and no.
The repository is viewed through your internet browser, but some of the content needs browser plug-ins or software to access. You may already have all of the software you need on your computer; to find out, visit here.
The full list of software and hardware requirements can be foundhere.
About TLF content
Discovering content
What kinds of teaching resources are there in the repository?
The Le@rning Federation Learning Content Repository provides access to over 6000 items of digital curriculum content from The Le@rning Federation
Learning objects combine still and moving images, text, audio and animation designed to engage and motivate students and support their learning of concepts and skills in a range of curriculum areas in the P–12 years.
Digital resources include museum artefacts, artworks, archival documents, photographs, archival and contemporary moving images, maps, posters, songs and speeches. In contrast to learning objects, which have in-built learning design, teachers and students can use digital resources in a range of flexible ways to suit their own curriculum needs.
I found lots of great resources to support my ecosystems unit. How can I keep them all together with some notes I made? It would be awesome to be able to share this with students directly, can I do that?
The repository's favourites features allow you to keep lists of curriculum content. You can add annotations and descriptions of each item of learning content to create a learning path with a unique PIN ID that can be exported, emailed or printed to share with students.
I found this great frog dissection movie when searching the internet and it would fit perfectly in my learning path. How can I add it in?
You cannot add external learning objects or movies directly into the repository's learning paths. You can however link to online content in your learning path by adding a URL in a comment or description.
Where can I find a list of the learning objects and digital resources for my learning area? It would be great to have something to print out and leave on the staffroom table for staff to flip through.
You can download the latest catalogues of The Le@rning Federation content here.Catalogues mainly contain details about the interactive learning objects, but also provide samples of collections – groupings of thematic ideas which draw in the huge range of film clips, images and sound files available.
Downloading
Our IT dept blocks most audio and all video from sites. Are we able to get a DVD of the resources as well, which would mean we could load material here and stream it? It would be laborious but that would avoid the proxy and firewall issues. Or is that too far outside our licence?
If your group has permission to download content, viewing the details of content will bring up a "Download" button beside each preview. You can download individual items this way, and the licence covers use with students or linking to them on your local intranet.
You can also request a DVD be sent out to your institution for an offline copy of the latest learning content from The Le@rning Federation. Please contact teacher.services@thelearningfederation.edu.au .
Sharing
I found some fabulous resources to support my learning area. How can I share this with my colleagues?
You can use the repository's "Email page" feature to send previews of any resources to a colleague. Your colleague will need to have registered with TLF to view the full content from the preview.
For more details on who to contact to register, visit here.
Troubleshooting
Problems registering
I have the web address for registering, but when I click on it I get this error: "The registration details you have provided are incorrect. The system is unable to grant you access."
It could be you are using a student registration address that has expired. Access for tertiary students expires at the end of January each year, but your institution has been sent a new web address for you to register for the new academic year.
Speak with the TLF contact at your institution or tlfcontent@thelearningfederation.edu.au for the correct, up-to-date web address for registration.
It could also be that the URL became broken or truncated by your email system. Try entering the URL into your browser by copying and pasting the whole link from your email.
If you still have problems, contact tlfcontent@thelearningfederation.edu.au .
I registered and received my registration email, but I still can't log in. What am I doing wrong?
It may be that you haven't confirmed your registration:
The email you received to confirm your registration contained a web link for you to click to complete the process. Check your email again for the registration email. Until you confirm your registration by clicking that link you will not have full access to the learning content.
It may be that you aren't registered. To register, visit the URL provided by your institution, and fill out your details. An email will be sent to the address you provide containing a link you need to click to confirm your registration. Once you confirm you will be able to login and access the learning content.
If you still have problems, contact tlfcontent@thelearningfederation.edu.au .
Usernames/passwords
The site keeps telling me my login or key is incorrect, what can I do?
Your username will be the email address you used to register.
Your password is case-sensitive. Make sure that caps lock is off and try entering your password again.
If you still receive login errors, and your username email is correct, you can have your password sent to you by clicking on the "Forgotten your password" link and entering your email address.
If you have forgotten your both your username and password, you will need to contact tlfcontent@thelearningfederation.edu.au to recover the username with which you registered, and its associated password.
PIN access versus logging in
I sent my students the access key for accessing my learning path, but how can they log in without a username and password?
OR
I sent my students a PIN to access my learning path. Will they be able to see all of the content, or only a preview?
Students only need the PIN for a learning path to access the learning path. They can interact with the full content of any items in the learning path associated with the PIN you gave them.
I tried logging in using my PIN, but I didn't get a password to go with my PIN, how can I log in?
Your PIN will give you access only to the content associated with a learning path.
To access the learning path enter the PIN using the "Student PIN Access" link.
To login as a teacher you will need to use a registered email address and password, contact your jurisdiction for this information/access. See (link to registering) for more information.
Trouble running content
I keep getting "Additional plug-ins are required to view this content" when I try opening a video. What does this mean?
OR
I keep getting a box popping up saying "Click to run activeX control on this web page" when I try opening a video.
OR
I keep having the page sit there and do nothing whenever I try to open a video.
OR
The page just shows a box with an x in the corner whenever I try to play a video. How can I fix that?
You may not have the latest version of QuickTime installed. To find out if your computer has all it needs to view TLF content, visit here.
You may need help from your local IT administration to install the plug-ins you need.
When I open a learning object, I just get a big white area with a red x. What's going on there?
It may be that you don't have the latest version of Flash or Shockwave plug-ins. To find out if your computer has all it needs to view TLF content, visit here.
You may need help from your local IT administration to install the plug-ins you need.
I can view previews of all of the content fine, but whenever I click "View content" nothing happens. I thought maybe I was missing plug-ins, so I went to the main page and tried clicking on the Analyser link there – again, nothing happens. What's going on?
It sounds like you may have popups blocked.
If you are using Internet Explorer: go to Tools – Pop up blocker and choose "Always allow Popups from this site".
If you are using Firefox: go to Tools – Options – Content and click the Exceptions box next to "Block pop up windows" and enter "www.thelearningfederation.edu.au". Click "Allow", then "Close", and "OK".
If you are using Google toolbar: while at The Le@rning Federation repository, click on the popup button on your toolbar to always allow popups from The Le@rning Federation.
Permission levels
I keep getting a message saying that what I am trying to view is not part of the allowed list for my profile. Could you please explain this to me?
Permissions for each user are set according to the groups in which they belong. This can be viewed when you are logged in by clicking on "My account". Your groups appear at the bottom of the "My details" page.
If you feel your group is incorrect or if the permissions of your group are wrong you will need to contact tlfcontent@thelearningfederation.edu.au .
