Blackboard Collaborate

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1 March 2015 Issue 16. In This Issue. + Blackboard Collaborate find out how RCGC is using this powerful web conferencing tool page 1 +New Phone System introducing RCGC s new Cisco phone system page 2 + CIO Blog the RCGC transition page 2 + Maintenance Calendar Spring & Summer dates page 3 + Bb Grader App Blackboard s new app for grading assignments page 3 + Team Dynamix New ticketing system and Knowledge Base page 4 + New Faces in IT meet our new staff page 5-6 Blackboard Collaborate RCGC is using Blackboard Collaborate, a robust web conferencing tool, in many ways to better serve our students. Collaborate is Blackboard s version of a web conferencing tool. With Collaborate, users can utilize various features to communicate with one another from almost anywhere in the world using their computer or mobile device. Some of the key features of Blackboard Collaborate are: built-in phone conferencing, mobile collaboration, integration with elearning, powerful moderator tools, an interactive whiteboard, application sharing, multi-point video, and the ability to record sessions. A screenshot of a Collaborate session can be seen to the right. Though Collaborate was built with teaching in mind, its tool set offers other members of the RCGC community a chance to bring some of their services online as well. As the college takes its final steps towards establishing a fully online degree, it has been important to make sure all on-campus resources will be available to our online students as well. For example, our team of advisors have been trained to use Blackboard Collaborate so they can offer important, private, and personal advising sessions to students who may never set foot on our campus. Our technical support technicians have their own private Collaborate rooms so they can offer remote support to users who are experiencing issues that are harder to diagnose. All faculty who are using elearning can utilize the Collaborate tool, but by default, the tool is not available in all courses. So, if you are interested in using any or all of the features Collaborate has to offer, please contact elearning Support so you can attend a training session and get the tool enabled in your course. If you ve used Collaborate in any of your Follow us on courses, or if you ve seen it used in another capacity that you thought was interesting, please let us know! We feel confident that Collaborate can be used to accomplish nearly anything you can think of, and we d like to hear about the creative ways you have found to use the tool. As always, you can reach us by ing elearning@rcgc.edu. Though Collaborate was built with teaching in mind, its tool set offers other members of the RCGC community a chance to bring some of their services online as well. Technical Support Instructional Center 449a MTWR 7:30a-6p MTWR 6p-9p in IC 435 Friday 7:30a-5p Saturday 7:45a-1p in IC 435 Sunday CLOSED ts@rcgc.edu Instructional Technology Instructional Center 435 MTWR 7:30a-9p Friday 7:30a-5p Saturday 7:45a-1p Sunday CLOSED media@rcgc.edu 438 Open Computer Lab Instructional Center 438 MTWR 7:30a-7p Friday 7:30a-5p Saturday CLOSED Sunday CLOSED openlab@rcgc.edu Library Open Computer Lab MTWR 8a-9p Friday 8a-5p Saturday 10a-4p Sunday CLOSED openlab@rcgc.edu

2 Introducing RCGC s New Cisco Phone System - At a Desk Near You Over the summer, the Office of Technology overhauled RCGC s entire phone system. The new system went live in August. By now, you ve had some time to get to know your new Cisco phone. Over the past summer, the Office of Technology performed a campus-wide upgrade of RCGC s phone system. The old Avaya phone system utilized POT (Plain Old Telephone) lines which means they were based on analog signal transmission and were hooked up using conventional phone lines. The new Cisco phone system is VoIP, which stands for Voice Over IP. This means that it utilizes the RCGC network the same way your computer does. An ethernet cable comes out of the wall and into your phone, and a second line comes out of the phone and into the back of your computer. The move to the new system was necessary because the old system had many limitations, utilized outdated technology, and was entering a period of limited vendor support. The new Cisco phone system is VoIP, which stands for Voice Over IP. This means it utilizes the RCGC network the same way your computer does. The new Cisco phones bring with them a new set of features that make for a better experience. There is now a speech-enabled directory search that allows you to call someone by dialing *5101 and then saying the person s name. If they are listed in the directory, the call will be placed automatically. Security and emergency services will receive a notice on their phone if an emergency call has been placed. The phone/location the call was placed from will also be displayed. This is hugely important for Security so they can always be aware of any emergencies on campus. You may also have noticed that you now receive s whenever a voic has been left for you. You can click on the attachment to listen to the voic on your computer, or you can use your phone to retrieve the voic . You can also easily forward this voic to anyone at RCGC. If you ve ever wanted to reach someone s voic directly, or transfer a call directly to someone s voic , you can do that with the new system. Just dial the * button before the person s extension. In the coming months a campus-wide Instant Messaging tool will be introduced that will integrate with your computer, Cisco desk phone, Smart phone, and tablet. All of the phone menus have been reworked and made more efficient so the right locations are receiving the right calls. If you want to find out more about the phone system or about how to use your phone, user guides have been made available on SharePoint. To access these guides, visit intranet.rcgc.edu/ciscophonesystem and type in your RCGC username and password when prompted. If you have any issues with your new phone, please make sure you contact Technical Support by ing ts@rcgc.edu or by calling us at CIO s Blog Welcome to the latest edition of the Educational Technology Review. I hope you like the fresh new look that Beth Beecroft has created. For more than a year the Office of Technology has been working at a fever pitch to migrate all of our technology assets, like and our website, from Gloucester County College to Rowan College at Gloucester County. In June we ll finish this massive migration by moving to a new Portal that will be easier to use. This new Portal will capitalize on mobile responsive design which means the new Portal will automatically reconfigure itself to look beautiful on any device, ranging from your smart phone to your tablet to your computer. In the next month or two, the Office of Technology will launch an updated version of the RCGC website that is even slicker than the current version, and easier to use, especially on a mobile device like a smart phone. Chibueze Okechukwu, our new Web Master working under Dave Comfort s leadership, has come up with an amazing design which really captures the spirit of RCGC! Finally, I want to congratulate Nayibe Lopez, our college s Banner Programmer Analyst, who recently received the honor of Employee of the Month. Nayibe works harmoniously with every department on campus to make sure Banner is meeting the ever-evolving needs of our college, which is not an easy job. Congrats, Nayibe! Josh R. Piddington Chief Information Officer P.S. Just a friendly reminder: In June your GCCNJ.edu address will no longer work! Make sure everyone is using your RCGC.edu address. Page 2

3 . IT Maintenance. April 19, 2015 May 14, 2015 (elearning only) May 17, 2015 June 26, 2015* 8am - 4pm 8am - 8pm 8am - 4pm 8am - 4pm June 30 - July 1, pm - 8am July 17, 2015* 8am - 4pm Bb Grader Blackboard s new grading app allows ipad users the ability to grade on the go. In October of 2014, Blackboard released a brand new (and free!) app for grading. The purpose of the Bb Grader ios app is to provide instructors with a tablet-based mobile solution for reviewing, providing feedback, and ultimately grading student submissions to Blackboard Learn Assignments. Tablet requirements: ios 7 or above ipad 2 (and newer) and ipad mini are supported Here are some of the features: First-time users will see a quick tutorial that will introduce the features of the app August 28, 2015 (elearning only) 6am - 9pm Grade student assignment submissions Inline viewing of student submissions *These dates are pending approval of the College being closed on Fridays during the summer by the Board of Trustees. If not approved by the Board of Trustees, the alternative dates would be June 28th and July 19th. The up-to-date Calendar can always be found at The option of using your ipad s microphone and camera to record feedback Features from the Retention Center allow you to stay on top of students progress Here are some restrictions: You cannot access your Grade Center from the app You can grade only regular assignments via the app, which means you won t be able to grade Discussion Boards, Tests, or SafeAssignments. This app is currently available to ipad users only. As such, you will not be able to get this app on your iphone, Android phone, Android tablet, Windows tablet, Kindle, or Nook. Blackboard has assured its clients that they will be creating an Android-friendly version of the app (to work on Android tablets) in the near future. Below are two screen shots of what the app looks like. Example: All gradable items Example: Grading a Word document Page 3

4 TeamDynamix - RCGC s New Technical Support Ticketing System The Office of Technology s new Ticketing System allows all users the ability to keep track of the status of their issue and refer back to the ticket at any time for any reason. If you have reached out to Technical Support for any reason over the last two semesters, you will have noticed that we have a new ticketing system to track support issues. This new system is called TeamDynamix and it is far more robust than our previous system, TrackIt! As you may remember, TrackIt sent you an with a ticket number whenever you reached out to Technical Support with a problem, but if you ever tried to use that number to look up your ticket, you wouldn t have been successful. Create a Technical Support ticket by logging into the RCGC Portal, clicking the IT Support tab, and then selecting the appropriate form from the list of options. TeamDynamix, on the other hand, makes it incredibly easy for all users to keep up-to-date on the status of their ticket at any time. To create a new ticket for any technology-related issue you experience, or any question you have regarding technology here at RCGC, all you need to do is fill out a form on the RCGC Portal. You can access the forms by logging into the Portal, clicking on the IT Support Tab, and then selecting the appropriate form from the list of options. You are also able to create a support ticket by ing ts@rcgc.edu directly if you are unable to access the forms for some reason. From the IT Support tab where you access the various support forms, you also have access to view all of the tickets you ve opened with the Office of Technology (at the top right where it states My Tickets). This is handy for when you want to check on the status of a ticket, or when you can t remember a ticket number for a case you opened previously. Sometimes technicians who help you with your issue may include important and/or informative links in your ticket that you may want to refer to again in the future, and this is the quickest way to get to that info. We hope that you find TeamDynamix to be easy, useful, and a much better solution to our Technical Support ticket management than our old system. Please let us know if you experience any issues submitting support forms or accessing your ticket history. You can ts@rcgc.edu or call us at TeamDynamix s Knowledge Base A key feature of TeamDynamix is its Knowledge Base filled with informative articles created by us for you. One of our department s favorite new features in TeamDynamix is its Knowledge Base. In short, the Knowledge Base is a place where we can store information and files for others to search and access when that information is needed. For our department, we are able to create articles about known issues or important processes that everyone needs to be aware of, and for our end users (that s you), the Knowledge Base can act as a resource for walkthroughs and tutorials. For example, whenever a new Section Creation Form is filled out by a faculty member, a new support ticket is created to kick off the process (read the article above for more information about submitting support forms). When the course is created in elearning, the ticket is closed by one of our elearning technicians and the ticket is updated with a link to a Knowledge Base article that walks the faculty member through the process of copying content from one course to another. This update to the ticket is also sent via to the faculty member as well. The screenshot (to the right) is a preview of what the Knowledge Base article looks like. Another way we re using the Team- Dynamix Knowledge Base is to create articles whenever we have scheduled maintenance or when we experience larger issues that our end users need to be made aware of. This way we have documentation we can link to from other locations (like Twitter or ) that gives details about these situations. The Knowledge Base articles are time stamped with a Created date, as well as an Edited date in case changes need to be made to the article later. These articles allow us to communicate with all of you without us having to flood your inbox. With the Knowledge Base, you can locate articles that adress your own specific needs. So, you may be wondering how you can access this Knowledge Base on your own so you can search for useful information. The easiest way to get to the Knowledge Base is to access the IT Support tab in the RCGC Portal. Once you re on the page (pictured in the screenshot in the article above), you will see a link in the top right that says Knowledge Base Articles. Just click that link to be taken to the Knowledge Base where you can explore articles in the categories listed, use the search bar at the top right to search keywords, or use the list of tags (you may need to scroll down) to find articles that will be useful to you. Please note that you may need to login to TeamDynamix to access all articles, so just check the top right corner of your screen to see if you re already logged in or not. We hope you find the Knowledge Base to be a useful tool, and please be sure to let us know if you have any issues or questions: ts@rcgc.edu Page 4

5 Meet the Staff We ve gotten a bit behind on introducting you to our staff. Take a few minutes to get to know some new faces, and find out more about the staff you already know and love. Elsie Alvarez Elsie is our newest student worker. Hired in March of 2015, her training is in SMART classroom technology as well as the general maintenance of equipment. She is enrolled at Rowan College at Gloucester County as a Liberal Arts major. Shaun Burns Shaun has been with the Office of Technology since September, His duties include the training and instruction of SMART technologies, as well as assisting with SMART classroom support. He also works with the IASTE Stage Hand Union in the TD Bank Arts Center in his spare time. He is currently a student worker and is pursuing a degree in Computer Science. Riker Cross Technical Support Tech, Student Riker has been employed with the College since October of He has already graduated with an A.A. degree in Art from RCGC and is currently seeking a Bachelor s degree in History from Rowan University. Sam Emmett Sam is a technician in the Department of Instructional Technology, where he has been employed since September, His primary duties are training in SMART technology as well as the maintenance and upkeep of equipment. He is enrolled at Rowan College as a Computer Information Systems major. Jeff Frye Applications and Systems Administrator Jeff is part of the team responsible for the day to day operations of RCGC s server systems and network infrastructure equipment. Jeff has been a full time employee of RCGC since January, Prior to joining RCGC, Jeff worked as the Systems Administrator for a Sporting Goods Manufacturing/Distribution company. He enjoys using his skills in the education sector at RCGC. Rachel Hanstein Rachel has been with the Office of Technology since November of Her duties include the training and instruction of SMART technologies, as well as assisting with SMART classroom support and maintaining equipment. She is attending RCGC as a Communications major and plans to transfer to Rowan University in pursuit of a degree in Radio, Television, and Film. Carlos Jimenez Technical Support Technician You already know Carlos since he has worked in the OoT since 2012, but what you may not know is that he was recently hired full-time at Technical Support. He now provides service and support for all campus computers and applications. He will soon be receiving his computer science degree at RCGC and plans to transfer to Drexel University to further develop his programming knowledge. Chris Kennedy Chris has been a technician in the Instructional Technology department since July, He is majoring in Computer Science at RCGC. His knowledge and various experiences allow him to provide technical support in and out of the classroom. Page 5

6 Rob Lore Applications and Systems Administrator Rob works as part of RCGC s Network & Systems Administration team. Rob has been a full-time employee of the College since April of Rob previously served as the systems administrator for a managed services provider that focused on providing IT services support to pharmaceutical companies in the Northeast. Carlos Lugo Applications and Systems Administrator Carlos is an applications and system administrator within Rowan College s Network & Systems Administration team. He joined the College in March Before that time, Carlos worked in the health information technologies field as a technical support engineer in Long Beach, CA where he was involved in numerous projects. He enjoys using his skills in the education sector at RCGC. Ken Mattison Network Administrator, RCGC & GCEC Ken is a Network Administrator at both RCGC and the Gloucester County Educational Campus. He has over 30 years experience in IT working mainly on network communications issues. Ken holds an A.A. degree in Humanities from Morris County College, has a senior standing at Rowan University in Management Information Systems, and has a CCNA certificate. Chib Okechukwu Web Developer Chibueze (Chib) Okechukwu earned a degree in Web Development for e-commerce at Rowan College in 2011 and began working for the College in He has been designing and maintaining websites since Chib intends to continue working for the College and also further his education. Whenever he isn t developing websites, you ll usually find him watching or playing soccer. Justin Weaver Technical Support Technician Justin joined the College in 2011 as a computer graphics art major. He has worked for Technical Support since 2012 but was hired full-time in He provides computer technical support for all students, faculty, and staff at the College and plans to attend a local four-year college to further his degree in Advanced Game Design at Wilmington University. You can always find out more about our staff on the IT Site, located at Tanyard Road Sewell, New Jersey RCGC.edu Page 6

7 GCC - Classrooms with Technology The Smart Classrooms listed below have permanent technology installed. Each room has (minimally) a computer, projector, screen and DVD/VCR combo unit unless otherwise specified. If you need technology in a room that is not listed, please media@gccnj.edu Building Room Screen Type Additional Details College Center 202 Smart Board 203 Smart Board 204 Pull-Down Screen 205 Widescreen Smart Board Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) Police Academy/PEC 301 Smart Board 302 Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray DVD player (no VCR) 303 Smart Board 304 Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + DVD/VHS combo unit 308 Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + DVD/VHS combo unit 309 Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + DVD/VHS combo unit 310 Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + DVD/VHS combo unit Instructional Center 400 Pull-Down Screen Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) + Dual Cassette Deck 401 Widescreen Smart Board Blu-ray DVD/VHS combo unit 401a Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray DVD/VHS combo unit 403 Widescreen Smart Board Blu-ray DVD/VHS combo unit 404 Widescreen Smart Board Blu-ray DVD/VHS combo unit 405 Widescreen Smart Board Blu-ray DVD/VHS combo unit 405a Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray DVD/VHS combo unit 407 Widescreen Smart Board Blu-ray DVD/VHS combo unit 420 Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray DVD player (no VCR) 421 Widescreen Smart Board Blu-ray DVD/VHS combo unit 422 Widescreen Smart Board Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 427 Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray DVD player (no VCR) 430 Powered Screen Lecture Hall, Podium-based Interactive Pen Display Lecture Capture Capabilities via Camtasia HDMI & Displayport connections for additional mobile connectivity 431 Pull-Down Screen ITV Classroom 437 Smart Board 439 Smart Board 441 Smart Board 442 Smart Board 443 Smart Board 444 Widescreen Smart Board Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 445 Pull-Down Screen Laptop Conversion Lab 447 Smart Board Health Sciences 500 Pull-Down Screen Lecture Hall, Podium-based Interactive Pen Display 502 Smart Board Laptop Conversion Lab 503 Widescreen Smart Board Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 504 Smart Board 505 NO SCREEN Laptop Conversion Lab (6 Laptops) **no projector** 506 Smart Board 509 Smart Board 510 Widescreen Smart Board Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 511 Widescreen Smart Board 512 Smart Board 513 Smart Board Please turn this page over to see the technology available in Scott Hall and the University Center. PAGE 7

8 GCC - Classrooms with Technology The Smart Classrooms listed below have permanent technology installed. Each room has (minimally) a computer, projector, screen and DVD/VCR combo unit unless otherwise specified. If you need technology in a room that is not listed, please media@gccnj.edu Building Room Screen Type Additional Details Scott Hall 705 Widescreen Smart Board Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 706 Smart Board 707 Smart Board 708 Widescreen Smart Board 709 Smart Board 710 Smart Board 711 Pull-Down Screen Graphics Arts Lab 712 Pull-Down Screen Graphics Arts Lab 714 Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray DVD/VHS combo unit 715 Pull-Down Screen Tabletop-based Interactive Pen Display 716 Pull-Down Screen Tabletop-based Interactive Pen Display 717 Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray DVD/VHS combo unit 721 Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray DVD/VHS combo unit 722 Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray DVD/VHS combo unit 728 Smart Board 731 Smart Board 732 Smart Board 737 Smart Board 740 Smart Board 741 Smart Board 748 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 751 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 752 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 755 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) University Center 901 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 902 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 903 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) + Laptop lab 904 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 905 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) + Laptop lab 906 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 907 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 908 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 909 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 951 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 952 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 953 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 954 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 955 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 956 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 957 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 958 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) 959 Widescreen Pull-Down Screen Interactive Pen Display + Blu-ray/DVD player (no VCR) Please turn this page over to see the technology available in Scott Hall and the University Center. PAGE 8