Tutorial: Start exploring Moodle

• Atto is Moodle's purpose-built editor for adding text, images and media. It has improved accessiblity, with a screenreader and accessibility checker.
• You can drag and drop images directly into the text box and make links.
• If you use H5P interactive content, you can display it in the Atto editor. 
• Content you add to the Atto editor is saved automatically at regular intervals, so you don't have to worry about losing it.
• The media and recording icons offer many options when adding or recording audio and video.
• If your admin allows, you can change your editor (to TinyMCE or plain text) from the user menu top right, Preferences and then Editor Preferences.

 The following video explains how to add and edit text with the Atto editor. 

Add and edit text

In many places in Moodle where you can type in text you will see Moodle's purpose built editor known as Atto.

Many of the icons you'll know from word processing or other online programs, but some may be unfamiliar.

The link icon allows you to link text to an external website or an uploaded file so for instance if we select the text United Nations and then click the link a pop-up appears allowing us to paste in a URL or web address.

The text will change colour but note that the link will only work once you've saved the changes.

The media icon here offers many options for adding sound and video along with thumbnail images and subtitles: we explore adding media in a later video.

These icons allow you to directly record sound and video from within the editor.

H5P is free software for creating interactive content such as quizzes. The H5P icon allows you to either link to or upload an existing H5P file.

The Atto editor allows you to drag and drop images directly onto the text box - and it automatically saves what you type so if you have to leave it for a while or you accidentally go onto a different page or lose your connection, you don't have to start again.

We also have an accessibility checker and a screen reader helper. They help ensure your text is designed well to make it accessible for everyone on all devices including people with restricted sight who use screen readers.

You can change your editor, if your admin allows, by going to the user menu top right, clicking on Preferences then Editor preferences.

Technical people might choose plain text if they want to add code and Tiny MCE is a modern editor which is popular in many organisations and which you are welcome to use.