Blackboard Collaborate

Transcription

1 Blackboar d Collaborat e V er s ion 12 Blackboard Collaborate Level 1: Overview North Dakota University System Advanced Learning Technologies

2 Copyright Blackboard Collaborate All Rights Reserved. This is a document of Advanced Learning Technologies of the North Dakota University System. North Dakota University System institutions and its users are allowed to create, develop, copy, and use this document or derivatives thereof for internal training purposes, pursuant to any related licensing or copyright protections. With this document, Blackboard Collaborate retains the right of ownership for any and all derivative works as outlined in the Bb Materials License Agreement. Complete details of the agreement are available upon request from Advanced Learning Technologies of the NDUS. 2 P a g e

3 Table of Contents Course Goals and Objectives... 5 Blackboard Collaborate Features... 5 Technical Requirements for Blackboard Collaborate... 5 Getting Started with Blackboard Collaborate... 6 Logging Into a Session... 6 Connection Speed... 6 Audio Setup Wizard... 7 Pointers: Audio Setup Wizard... 7 The User Profile... 7 Learning, Help, and Support... 8 Orientation to the user interface... 9 Blackboard Collaborate Participant View... 9 Blackboard Collaborate Moderator View... 9 Creating a Session Content areas and switching between modes The Whiteboard Whiteboard Tips Supported File Types Managing Whiteboard Pages Interactive Whiteboards Creating polls Application sharing Web tour Interactive recordings Additional Training and Resources Blackboard Collaborate Level 2: Advanced Features Blackboard Collaborate Level 3: Plan and Publish Web Resources Accessibility Guide P a g e

4 Advanced Learning Technologies website Blackboard Collaborate On-Demand Learning Center Workshop Notes P a g e

5 Course Goals and Objectives In this course participants will: 1. Explore features of the Blackboard Collaborate user interface 2. Implement different methods of communication using Blackboard Collaborate features 3. Manage session content using collaboration tools 4. Generate a session recording Blackboard Collaborate Features Blackboard Collaborate gives you the functionality you need to support a 21st century teaching and learning environment, such as two-way audio, multi-point video, interactive whiteboard, application and desktop sharing, rich media, breakout rooms, and session recording. Educators and students can engage as if they were in a traditional classroom, with as good as, or even better, outcomes. Technical Requirements for Blackboard Collaborate All clients require: 256 MB of free RAM 20 MB free disk space 28.8 kbps Internet connection Speaker and Microphone, headsets are preferred Supported operating systems and recommended versions of Java Windows Macintosh Windows XP (32 bit with 32 bit JVM) Windows Vista (32 bit with 32 bit JVM ) o 1.5 o Windows Vista (64 bit with 64 bit JVM) Windows 7 (32 bit with 32 bit JVM) Windows 7 (64 bit with 64 bit JVM) Pentium III 1 GHz processor Supported Client Java Versions 1.6 (32 and 64bit) 32bit JVM s with 32bit Operating System 64bit JVM s with 64bit Operating System Java Access Bridge 2.1 (Using Jaws) OS X 10.5 (32 bit with 32 bit JVM) OS X 10.5 (64bit with 64bit JVM) OS X 10.6 (64 bit with 32 bit JVM) OS X 10.6 ( 64 bit with 64 bit JVM) G4, G5 or Intel processor Apple Java 1.5.0_16 (J2SE5-32 bit), Apple Java 1.6.0_07 (J2SE6-64 bit) 5 P a g e

6 IE 7 IE 8 IE 9 Firefox 3.6+ Google Chrome Supported Browsers for use with Blackboard Collaborate Windows Macintosh Safari 4.x Firefox 3.5+ Getting Started with Blackboard Collaborate Logging Into a Session There are several ways to log in to a Blackboard Collaborate session: 1) via integration with a Course Management System, 2) via the Session Administration System (SAS) or 3) via a direct connection using a URL to the session. 4) You can also launch a session using Blackboard Collaborate Instant Messaging. After connecting to the web conferencing session, you will need to do the following: 1. Set your connection speed 2. Run the Audio Setup Wizard 3. Create a Profile Connection Speed The first time you join a session, the Select connection speed dialog box appears prompting you to select the connection speed that you will be using. After you exit the session, the connection speed is automatically saved with the preferences. IMPORTANT: If you will be changing locations, for example moving from a LAN connection at work to a Wireless connection at home, you must change your connection speed to reflect the change in location. 6 P a g e

7 The Connection Speed can also be set from the Preferences menu (PC users Edit > Preferences and MAC users Blackboard Collaborate > Preferences) Audio Setup Wizard To verify that your audio is set up correctly, we recommend that you use the Audio Setup Wizard. The wizard will allow you to select input and output devices and test your microphone and speakers and adjust the levels if necessary. The wizard is located in Blackboard Collaborate s Tools menu. Select Audio > Audio Setup Wizard, or can be accessed through the button located on the Audio & Video Panel. A series of panels will guide you through the process. Pointers: Audio Setup Wizard You should run the Audio Setup Wizard each time you join a Blackboard Collaborate session. If you make changes to your computer which impact audio such as adjusting volume while viewing other media, it is a good idea to run the Audio Setup Wizard as you join a Blackboard Collaborate session. Your first step in resolving audio difficulties is by running the wizard. If this does not resolve the problem, contact your local campus Help Desk. For afterhours support contact the NDUS Help Desk at While Blackboard Collaborate has echo cancellation, a headset or ear buds are recommended. On your computer check that audio is not muted and volume levels are audible. The User Profile The User Profile feature allows users to publish information about themselves and to view information provided by others. The user s profile appears as a pop-up in the Participants List. To view a user s profile hover your mouse over the Participant s name. Profiles and LMS If you re using Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing through your learning management system (LMS), your user profile may be automatically populated. 7 P a g e

8 To create a profile: PC Users: Go to Preferences > My Profile or select Edit Profile from the Participants Options menu. Mac Users: Select Blackboard Collaborate > Preferences > My Profile The Moderator controls which profiles are displayed. This is done by selecting: Tools > Profile > Show Profiles. Learning, Help, and Support Advanced Learning Technologies provides Blackboard Collaborate training materials and online tutorials at: Select the web conferencing link for more information. For support contact the NDUS Help Desk at NDUS Help Desk information is also provided on ALT s website. Blackboard Collaborate has additional training resources available through its On Demand Learning Center: Visit this site for more in depth information on any of the concepts covered in this handout. 8 P a g e

9 Orientation to the user interface Blackboard Collaborate Participant View Blackboard Collaborate Moderator View Participant View Options Additional Options with Moderator View Content Area View presentations, images, Clip Art and annotations Load and display content PowerPoint, Whiteboard, images, and Clip Art Participants Panel Access Participant Options menu to detach panel Grant or take away participant or global permission to use a feature Use the Expand/Collapse Button View Activity & Status Indicators Send Feedback, Step Away, Hand Raise, and use the Polling View User s Profiles Response options Use the Feedback, Step Away, & Hand Raise buttons View a list of Moderators and Participants Use the Polling Response menu View User Profiles Remove a Participant from a session View individual permissions and activity indicators Give or take away Moderator privileges Select multiple Participants to send a private message Create Breakout Rooms and distribute participants to rooms Invite a new attendee Change Polling type Lock Polling Responses Make Polling Responses Visible Publish Responses to Content Area

10 Participant View Options Tools Palette Annotate pages Place a screen capture on the page Place Clip Art on the page Chat Panel Access Chat Options menu Use the Expand/Collapse button Send Public Chat Send Private Chat (if enabled) Send private messages to Moderators (even if private messaging is disabled) Audio & Video Panel Access Audio & Video Options menu Use Expand/Collapse buttons Open the Audio Setup Wizard View Speaker Level indicator and use volume slider View Microphone Level indicator and use volume slider Use the Talk button to speak Switch to a Teleconference (if enabled) Use the Preview button to see a preview of your video Use the Video button to transmit your video Menu Bar Blackboard Collaborate (Mac only) File, Edit, View, Tools, Window, and Help Collaboration Tool View Whiteboard Mode button Bar View Application Mode button View Web Tour Mode button Access Information Menu Whiteboard Action Bar View Page title Adjust Zoom Value Additional Options with Moderator View Send public or private Chat messages Send Chat announcements Monitor private messages sent to other users (if enabled for the session) View Private Chat messages within instructors main chat window Start Application Sharing Start Web Tour Set the Timer Load Content Start the Recorder Create a new page Delete a page Clear a page Adjust Zoom Value Access Whiteboard Option menu Navigate Pages Access Go To Page menu View Page Counter Use Page Explorer 10 P a g e

11 Creating a Session Sessions can be created through your learning management system, through Blackboard Collaborate Instant Messaging, or through Blackboard Collaborate s Session Administration System (SAS). Follow your workshop leader s instructions for creating a session at your institution. Record your notes here. Content areas and switching between modes Whether you are facilitating a meeting, presenting a webinar, leading a training session or teaching a class, you will need to include content in the session. Content can be shared with Participants in a number of ways. In this section we will focus on importing PowerPoint to the Whiteboard and dynamically creating content using the Whiteboard tools. 11 P a g e

12 The Whiteboard The Whiteboard is the primary content display area in a session. New Whiteboards or Pages can be added by the Moderator at any time during a session. Presentations, such as PowerPoint, can be loaded to the Whiteboard. Use the Load Content button to upload a PowerPoint slide show. These presentations are converted into images and displayed across a series of pages. When content is loaded into the session, the Page Explorer will open. The Moderator can choose to navigate the pages using the Page Explorer or close it and have the page navigation buttons appear at the top of the Whiteboard. The Whiteboard tools, such as the pen, highlighter and text tools, are available to enhance the content on the screen. Another key feature of the Whiteboard, available to the Moderator, is Explore Mode. Explore Mode allows the Moderator to explore or view other pages while locking Participants on the current page. Explore Mode Off Explore Mode On Whiteboard Tips When PowerPoint is loaded into a session, it is converted into a Whiteboard page. As such, each slide is: Converted into an image Static (i.e., no animations or transitions) The converted PowerPoint content, now in Whiteboard (WBD) or Protected Whiteboard (WBP) format, will load much quicker into future sessions than PowerPoint. The Whiteboard has a 20 MB limit which is not a 1:1 PowerPoint file size to Whiteboard file size conversion ratio. Therefore large PowerPoint files should be converted prior to the session to ensure they are file size compliant. If the file is too big, divide the PowerPoint into multiple files and create multiple Whiteboard files. Load the Whiteboard files into the session as needed, deleting the completed content. Finally, Whiteboard files also maintain 12 P a g e

13 the interactive features of the object-oriented whiteboard and URLs added to pages using the Whiteboard text tool. Previously you learned how to load PowerPoint content to the Whiteboard and to use the tools located in the Whiteboard Tools palette. That was just the beginning of what you can do with the Whiteboard. The Whiteboard is a robust object-oriented page that supports customized Clip Art, advanced tools for managing pages and page content, and interactive whiteboards. Supported File Types The following table lists the different file types supported by the Whiteboard. PowerPoint files must be version 2003 or later. Open Office files must be version 3.1 and higher. Image Whiteboard files PowerPoint and Open Office files.bmp,.gif,.jpeg,.png.wbd.ppt,.pptx, SXI,.ODP Managing Whiteboard Pages You can insert whiteboard pages among PowerPoint pages on display. To do this click New Page in the gray toolbar you see pictured above. Use the Tools palette to annotate pages. The Fit Page options is similar to a zoom control, allowing you to zoom in and out of images. The Clear Page command becomes available when a page with annotations has been created. To delete a page with annotations click the Delete Page command. The Open Page Option Menu button to the right of the Fit Page command contains the same set of commands displayed in to the gray toolbar. Virtual PowerPoint If you re using a virtual instance of PowerPoint, save that file locally as a JPEG file. This creates a folder and places one image for each slide within that folder. When uploading the images to Blackboard Collaborate use Control+A (or the Mac equivalent) to select all images within the folder. 13 P a g e

14 Interactive Whiteboards As a moderator, you can grant permission for participants to use the Tools palette which enables them to annotate the screen and move images. This presents a great opportunity to introduce an interactive activity to participants. In the example below, participants are directed to drag an image to the appropriate location. Creating this example requires two steps: you create the PowerPoint slide with the title and the date table then save the PowerPoint slide as a.jpeg file type and upload the file to Blackboard Collaborate. Next, upload the four picture images and place them on the current Whiteboard in Blackboard Collaborate. This enables participants to drag the four images onscreen. Whiteboards can be created and reused from session to session. Choose File, Save As from the menu to save a Whiteboard file. Creating polls At any time during your session, you can poll the attendees using different polls. By default, the Yes/No poll will be available with the corresponding response buttons displayed above the Participants list. The types of polls available are Yes/No and Multiple-Choice (Responses A C, A D, A E). You may change the type of poll at any time the response buttons will change. 14 P a g e

15 The Polling type is changed by selecting Polling Type from the Global Options menu located in the Participants panel. The moderator may also choose to make the responses visible to all participants or only to the moderator by selecting or deselecting Make Responses Visible. The responses can also be locked thereby prohibiting participants from changing their response. Finally the results from the poll can be published to the Whiteboard. The results are an anonymous graphical representation of the poll. The polling results can be saved or printed by saving or printing the Whiteboard page. Choose WBD or WBP to reuse the page in a future session. Select PDF to view the page outside of a session. 15 P a g e

16 Application sharing Application Sharing allows a Moderator and any Participant with Application Sharing permission, to display an application(s) or desktop with all participants in the session. As you navigate through the application(s), all participants will see your mouse move and the changes as they are being made to the displayed content. There are two ways to share: 1. Application share a single application such as Word or multiple applications Word and Excel together. 2. Desktop share the entire desktop. After starting Application Sharing there are several tools that will help you facilitate a sharing session. The first tool is Preview. Use Preview to see a thumbnail of exactly what your participants are seeing. Preview is located under Tools > Application Sharing > Show Preview Window. Another set of useful tools are found in the Application Sharing toolbar that will appear once you have started sharing. The tools are Stop, Pause and Snap Shot. Use Stop to stop sharing. Use Pause to freeze the sharing so you can move a window or scroll down the page. Snap shot will take a picture of the application and paste it onto a Whiteboard page. Troubleshooting I cannot see the Video, Participants, and Chat panels while in share mode. To avoid this problem make sure the window you are sharing is not fully maximized. This give you access to resize the window as you wish. Web tour The Web Tour feature enables session participants to share web pages with others in the session. Web Tour appears in the Content area. It is accessed through the Collaboration toolbar. Once the Moderator starts the Web Tour each Participant can interact with the content individually. The Moderator also has the ability to publish the URL to the Chat panel thereby giving participants the ability to save the website for future reference. 16 P a g e

17 Key features of the Web Tour: 1. Follow Me when selected all participants will have synchronized viewing controlled by the Moderator. 2. The forward and back navigation allows the Moderator to easily move between previously viewed websites. 3. The Options menu gives the Moderator the ability to publish the URL to the Chat panel. 17 P a g e

18 Considerations: 1. Do not use Web Tour for password protected websites. Participants will not follow the Moderator past the log in screen. 2. All links are live (i.e., clickable for participants.) Moderators must keep this in mind. Interactive recordings As a Moderator, you can record a session and play it later. Recordings are stored on the Blackboard Collaborate server. Playback is available from a learning or content management system, URL or by logging into the Blackboard Collaborate administrative server. You may want to provide access to the recording to those who missed the session or to those who attended but would like to review the session. Or you may want to record sessions for archival purposes. All activity that occurs in the main room of the session will be recorded, except for private Chat messages, the Timer and personal Notes. As the recording progresses, Blackboard Collaborate inserts index entries to mark significant events within the session. Anyone viewing the recording can navigate through the recording to points marked with index entries. You can start or stop recording at any time during the session. You also can erase the recording at any time during the session. Moderator button to start recording. Moderator button to pause/stop recording. Participant indicator that the session is being recorded. Recording Reminder 18 P a g e

19 Additional Training and Resources Blackboard Collaborate Level 2: Advanced Features Learn to use advanced features available in Blackboard Collaborate including: Quiz manager Graphing calculator Loading and playing multimedia Break out rooms Handing out files to participants Using the Notes tool for annotating Using the Timer Tips for closed captioning Blackboard Collaborate Level 3: Plan and Publish Learn to use Blackboard Collaborate Publish to convert session recordings into portable multimedia files. You will also learn to use Blackboard Collaborate Plan to organize your session content and design the effective use of the session tools into a file that will be used during your live sessions. Web Resources Accessibility Guide Advanced Learning Technologies website Blackboard Collaborate On-Demand Learning Center Leading the nation in educational attainment through access, innovation and excellence. Thank you for bringing us closer to our vision. Cheryl Randy Kelly Patti 19 P a g e

20 Workshop Notes 20 P a g e