I know there have been a number of attempts to add bookmark functionality to Moodle but none seem to have progressed to stable modules and so I thought I would try to jumpstart a collaborative effort to create one. There is a script (Simple PHP Link Manager) at the same site where I got the contact form originally, which I think would make a great basis for a new module. I would call a field trip module, because it would allow students to take "field trips" outside of their Moodle.
What would the purpose of a field trip module be? It would be able to serve a couple purposes: it could serve as a basis for webquests, with teachers posting a set of links with a description of the learning objective of each link, or it could be configured so that students would be able to post links they themselves found that fit into a predefined set of categories defined by the teacher.
I suggest you take a look at the link I posted above before reading any further, in particular look at the demo of how the links are displayed, and the interface for adding new links. I think they are very user friendly.
I'm no programmer, so I can't turn this into a module myself. But I can at least make some suggestions as to how it could be made more Moodle-like:
- Configuration Page: A configuration page for each instance of the module would consist of the usual title and description. It would also allow a teacher to create a list of link categories (or no categories at all if they so choose). The teacher could also choose whether only teachers have permissions to add links, or whether students also should have the ability. It should also let the teacher choose whether the links should appear in the same window, a new window, or in a frame, as is the case with resources nowadays.
- Changes to the Original Script Functionality: I would remove the number of times accessed from the script, because it duplicates the functionality of the Moodle logs. I would add something that would show the name of the student/teacher who added the link (if the option for students to add links was enabled). There also needs to be a way for teachers to delete links, and perhaps a way to approve them (as in the glossary module).
- Making it Easy to Insert Bookmarks: It would be nice if the javascript tool that Jan created for his bookmark block could be incorporated into this module.
