Shorten those long URL’s for web sites.
Creating short URL’s is useful in directing students to web sites and videos to view.
Two simple and free URL shortening services are Tiny URL and Bitly.

https://tinyurl.com/ is a URL shortening web service, which provides short aliases for redirection of long URLs. No registration is needed. I like that Tiny URL allows you to add a custom name to describe the link.

Ex: https://wp.towson.edu/sandbox/sandbox-pop-up-faculty-chats/
Tiny URL https://tinyurl.com/SandboxChats

https://bitly.com
Paste your URL in the ‘shorten URL’ box and click Shorten. Copy the new link and paste into your document.
Ex:  https://wp.towson.edu/sandbox/sandbox-pop-up-faculty-chats/
Bitly URL https://bit.ly/34AVsaQ
Bitly created links are encrypted with HTTPS for security protection.
For education use it is free and simple. There is a paid version that provides a comprehensive 20-data point tracking and analyzes for organizations and businesses.

Note of caution about URL shorteners: Creating short URL’s is useful in directing students to web sites and videos to view, but be aware of clicking on random ‘short links’ in emails or on social media. The link may lead to a scam site or one with spyware and viruses. You cannot see the source of the link and it may be a security risk. Also, the cloud services used to store the URL’s may not be secure.
Help your students build good digital citizenship and cyber safety skills. View the original link of the shortened URL. Copy/Paste the link in your web browser and add a + sign at the end. This will show the original file address.

Also, the cloud services used to store the URL’s may not be secure. As a rule, do not link to a document within your OneDrive or personal storage. Use this method for web site links and YouTube videos.