Publish Anywhere supports deep linking to activities, allowing teachers to browse the content available to them and choose to add only what they want—all from within your chosen LMS.
Previously, teachers and other content authors had to import all activities (via IMSCC package) and delete what they didn't want. Deep linking allows for more flexibility and better supports teachers that want to add additional materials to their existing courses.
Deep links are made possible using an LTI 1.3 extension that allows for an LMS to query a third-party system for available content. You can then select which content you would like to use, and the third-party automatically creates links to those activities in the LMS.
1. Create content author domain
Buzz allows you to create course content in one author domain and make it available in other domains, making it easy to keep the content updated for all users.
Publishers using Publish Anywhere should follow this same model, and create a customer content domain.
2. Configure Publish Anywhere and your LMS to support deep links using LTI 1.3 or LTI Advantage
Setting up deep links requires exchanging information between Publish Anywhere and your LMS to securely configure the integration. You will need to:
2.1. Configure the LMS using handshake URLs
You must access handshake URLs from Publish Anywhere to use in configuring the LMS. If you are not configuring the LMS yourself, you must provide your customer with theses URLs.
To access the handshake URLs your need to configure an LMS:
- Open Domain Settings for the customer's content domain you created above.
- Scroll to the Publish Anywhere platforms card and click Add.
- Copy the following URLs for LMS configuration:
- Hostname
- OpenID connect login URL
- Tool key set URL
- Tool redirect URL
- Deep-linking redirect URL
- Click Cancel and exit Domain settings.
Tips for configuring Canvas
Note: The tips below are to help you get started. Full support can come only from the LMS.
For a step-by-step guide: Publish Anywhere: How do I deep link activities in Canvas with Publish Anywhere?
In Canvas, and administrator must create the Client ID and Deployment ID.
Deployment ID’s can be made in two places:
- At the root level of the Canvas instance, making all courses from the same Publisher immediately ready for use (recommended).
- At the course level, making only that course ready for use.
To create the keys at the root in Canvas open Admin > Developer keys > + Developer key > LTI key. Here are some tips for configuring fields in Canvas:
- Redirect URLs field: On separate lines, enter the Tool redirect URL and the Deep-linking redirect URL you copied above.
- Method field: Use Manual entry.
- Title and Description fields: You can complete these as you wish; the Title will be used in the UI, so something like Buzz Publish Anywhere is recommended.
- Target link URL field: Use the URL that contains the Buzz Hostname you copied above.
- OpenID Connect Initiation URL field: Use the OpenID connect login URL you copied above.
- JWK Method field: Use Public JWK URL.
- JWK URL field: Use the Tool key set URL you copied above.
- LTI Advantage Services options: Select the first six options.
- Additional settings > Domain field: Use https://api.agilixbuzz.com.
-
Placements field: Select at least Assignment selection (make other selections to match your configuration needs).
- Target Link URL field: Use the Deep-linking redirect URL you copied above and select LTIDeepLinkingRequest option.
After you have saved, you will see the new entry on the Developer keys screen. The number in the Details column is your Client ID; copy this, as it is needed for the Publish Anywhere configuration.
Tips for configuring Moodle
Note: These tips are to help you get started. Full support can come only from the LMS.
Find Moodle's LTI documentation here.
Here are some tips for configuring with Moodle:
- Be sure to enable Supports Deep Linking (Content-Item Message) as part of configuring the platform.
- In the redirect field, enter the Tool redirect URL and the Deep-linking redirect URL you copied above separated by a comma.
2.2. Enter handshake IDs and URLs from your customer
Access the follow IDs and URLs from the LMS:
- Issuer
- Client ID
- Deployment ID
- Platform key set URL
- OpendID connect auth URL
- 0Auth2 access token URL
When you've accessed them:
- Scroll to the Publish Anywhere platforms card and click Add.
- Provide the Name you want associated with the customer (e.g., LMS Name and School District).
- Provide a Short name (ID) for the customer. This value appears as a prefix on certain IDs in Publish Anywhere to help you identify which customer users and other data they are associated with (this cannot exceed 15 characters and is case-sensitive).
- Provide Start and End dates to determine the period of time for which your content is available through this export.
- Provide the IDs and URLs as provided by your customer:
- Issuer
- Client ID
- Deployment ID
- Platform key set URL
- OpendID connect auth URL
- 0Auth2 access token URL
- Click Done and Save.
Tips for configuring Canvas
Note: These tips are to help you get started. Full support can come only from the LMS.
Here are some tips for configuring your fields for Canvas:
- Issuer: https://canvas.instructure.com
- Client ID: Provided by Canvas customer (this value is listed in the Details column of the Developer keys screen in Canvas).
- Deployment ID: Provided by Canvas customer.
- Platform key set URL: https://canvas.instructure.com/api/lti/security/jwks
- OpendID connect auth URL: https://canvas.instructure.com/api/lti/authorize_redirect
- OAuth2 access token URL: https://canvas.instructure.com/login/oauth2/token
2.3. Additional LMS configuration notes
When configuring an LMS to recognize Publish Anywhere as an LTI tool:
- You may have to enable deep linking (depending on the LMS).
- You will be asked to provide both the Tool redirect URL and the Deep-linking redirect URL (both of which are provided by Buzz). Some LMSs have a field for each, and some (like Moodle) accept them in a single field separated by a comma.
If you're using Moodle as in the example below, you would enable Supports Deep Linking (Content-Item Message) as part of configuring the platform.
3. Browse and select deep-linked content
Once you've configured Publish Anywhere as a tool and enabled deep links in your LMS:
- Navigate to the location in your LMS where you can add content, and choose to add an activity.
- Because it has been preconfigured, Publish Anywhere appears as a content resource in your LMS (under the name you've given it).
- In our Moodle example, you can find this by choosing External tools as your activity resource, finding your Publish Anywhere tool in the Preconfigured tool dropdown, and clicking Select content.
- This opens your activity Catalog which displays the content (domains, courses, folders, and activities) you have access to.
- You can search with text and filter results by Collection, Title, Objective, and Activity type. Click the search [magnifying glass] icon to expand and collapse search fields.
- You can also click the content to explore. Clicking a domain, course, or folder displays its contents.
- Clicking an activity lets you Preview the activity.
- Click Add for the content you want and it is placed in your cart; click Remove to take it out of your cart.
- Your cart shows you how many activities you have selected. Click the cart to review and finalize your selections.
- In your cart, you can Remove activities.
- Gradable activities allow you to check the Add to gradebook button, so their grades can be tracked.
- Click Add activities to add them to your course.
When the activities are added, your LMS should display a confirmation message. In Moodle it looks like this:
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