In this section we’ll cover the basics of My OpenLab, Profile & Sites, Joining, Commenting, and Posting.
The OpenLab’s underlying software is WordPress. So remember that when you use the OpenLab, you are also learning skills that you can add to your resume!
My OpenLab
Once you’ve created an account, My OpenLab is where you can:
- Find courses, projects, and clubs that you’ve joined;
- Create or change your portfolio;
- Change your settings, and manage your account.
You can access My OpenLab by clicking on the My OpenLab (person) icon on the left side of the top navigation bar. If you’re logged in, try it now! And then come back to this guide.
Questions? Learn more about My OpenLab in Help.
Profiles & Sites
In the previous section Get Started, you created your OpenLab Profile using My OpenLab and shared information about yourself. The other areas of the OpenLab such as Courses, Projects, Clubs, and Portfolios all have Profile pages too.
Profiles
Below is an example Course Profile. You can see information about the course, recent activity, and members. If the professor has chosen to use them, you may also see some tools such as a Discussion forum, Files, Docs, and a group Calendar.
Sites
Courses, Projects, Clubs, and Portfolios on the OpenLab usually also have a Site where members can share their work with one another. Sites on the OpenLab are built using WordPress, a powerful publishing tool that’s used by more than 43% of sites on the internet.
If you have permission to access a Site, you’ll see a link to it on the Profile (some Sites are private – you’ll learn more about that in the next section).
Below is an example Course Site. The professor has used it to post information about the course, instructions for required activities, and help and resources. Students in the course can post their work too, under Student Work.
Joining
Open or Private? Looking around the OpenLab, you’ll notice that some areas are open for all to see, while others are private. It’s great to be open – this is the OpenLab! – but the OpenLab offers a range of settings that allow professors and students to work in a way that’s right for them.
Join! To participate in a Course, Project, or Club, or to see a private Portfolio, you need to join it first:
- Make sure you’re logged into the OpenLab;
- Go to the Profile page for the Course, Project, Club, or Portfolio you want to join;
- If it’s open, you can just click Join Now! on the Profile page;
- If it’s private, you will need to Request Membership.
If your professor is using the OpenLab, they will send you a link to the Course Profile, so you can join the Course.
Want to practice? Make sure you’re logged in to your OpenLab account, then go to The Open Road Profile page and click Join!
Commenting
One of the first things you might want to do on the OpenLab is write a comment on a Site. A comment is a reply to a post created by someone else, such as your professor or another student. Commenting is easy – just click on the post and then go to Leave a Reply.
Tip: If the Site is open to the public, you don’t need to be a member or be logged in to the OpenLab, so you can comment even if you haven’t been able to set up your OpenLab account yet!
Remember: be friendly, kind, and respectful when commenting on someone else’s work, and follow the OpenLab’s Community Guidelines.
Learn more about Commenting on a Site in OpenLab Help.
Posting
Commenting is easy, but posting is the main way to share information on a WordPress site. Since WordPress is such a popular tool, learning to post is a useful skill!
To post on a Site, you need to be logged in and a member of the Course, Project, or Club. You can create and post to your own site after you finish this module.
Site Dashboard
The Site Dashboard takes you behind the scenes of the Site. If you have joined a group with a site, you can access a site’s Dashboard from any page of the site or from the Visit Site link on the Profile.
New Post
Once you’re on the Dashboard, look for Posts in the menu and click Add New.
Watch the videos below to learn how to create a post using the Block Editor!
Tip: In OpenLab Help you can learn more about the Site Dashboard, the Block Editor, and Writing a Post in Block Editor.
Tip: Visit WordPress.org to learn all the ins and outs of using the Dashboard and the Block Editor. Keep in mind that the OpenLab interface is customized, so it may look and function a little bit differently.