Inside Blackboard Collaborate for Moderators Entering a Blackboard Collaborate Web Conference 1. The first time you click on the name of the web conference you wish to enter, you will need to download the Blackboard Collaborate Windows Launcher. 2. You will need to download the appropriate version (Windows or Mac). Note: If you have already installed the launcher, you can click on the Launch Blackboard Collaborate now link to skip the rest of these steps. 3. On the Downloading Installer screen, if you are using Internet Explorer click on the Run button located at the bottom of the screen. 4. A new window will appear to start the Blackboard Collaborate Launcher Setup Wizard. 5. Click on the Next button. 6. The Ready to Install screen will appear and you will need to click the Install button. 7. The Launcher will begin installing. 1
8. When it has been completely installed, click the Finish button. 9. Click the Join button. 10. If you are using Internet Explorer, click the Open button located at the bottom of the screen. Note: If you have difficulties opening the file or joining your session, you can use the links provided to troubleshoot the problem. 11. The Blackboard Collaborate program will begin to load. 12. A Blackboard Collaborate Session Participant Agreement window will appear to ask if you agree to the terms of use. If you agree, click the Accept button. 2
13. Another Blackboard Collaborate window will appear, asking you to select your connection speed. Use the dropdown menu to select the correct speed if you are not using Cable/DSL. Click the Ok button when you have selected the correct speed. Note: Selecting the correct speed is important because the system will adjust the transmission to fit your connection speed limitations. 14. After it has finished loading, Blackboard Collaborate will open but it will take a moment or two to finish the connection process. 15. Once the connection has been completed, you will get a recording reminder if you didn t set the room to automatically start recording when it s entered. You will now have access to the Blackboard Collaborate web conferencing tools. 3
4 Tools & Screen Orientation
5 A. Audio and Video Controls Expanded - You will find the Audio Setup Wizard on this Options list as well as the icon next to the dropdown menu. You will need to click on the Talk button when you wish to say something and click it again when you are done. You can press the Video button when you wish to use your web cam. There is a preview button next to the video button to help you set up your web cam view. Having the web cam on for the whole session uses a lot of internet resources, you might want to use it during introductions and then turn it off.
B. Whiteboard Controls Expanded - This is where you will control the visual portion of the session as well as start the recording. After you load your slideshow presentation, if you close the Page Explorer window the controls will appear under the Load Content (A) and Record (B) buttons. Besides the Whiteboard (C), there are the Application Sharing (D) and Web Tour (E) tools. When you allow it, your participants may also use the Application Sharing or Web Tour tools. Note: If you give permission for your participant(s) to use the application sharing or web tour tools, they will see a link, Request Cursor Control, just above the Whiteboard that they will need to click to gain control of the screen. When they do this, a window will appear asking you to give them control. You can take back control by holding the Control key and the Space Bar. C. Participant Controls Expanded - You can use the Options dropdown menu to see Global Permissions, Create Breakout Rooms, Lower All Hands, and Polling options. Your name will be listed near the top of the panel, if you add a profile picture; the image will show next to your name here and in any room you belong to. The buttons under your name allow you to (left -> right): use an emoticon next to your name, say you are away from the computer, raise your hand, and see results of a poll. 6
7 D. Chat Controls Expanded - Supervised chat means that the Moderator can see any private chats, it will appear in italic in the main chat room. To send a message to the whole group, put your cursor in the text area (orange arrow), type your message, and hit the Enter button on your keyboard. To send an announcement that will appear in a new window over the Whiteboard area, click on the Chat Options menu (red arrow) and select Send Announcement. To send a private message, click on the Options menu next the person s name in the Participants window you would like to send a private message to, and select Send Private Message. This will create a new tab in the Chat window.
E. Whiteboard Tools Expanded - You can use the whiteboard tools to make changes to the whiteboard area or participants can use them. Blackboard Collaborate has included some premade clipart backgrounds and symbols. There is a way to upload your own images, but you will need to contact the Technology Helpdesk for assistance. Setting up the Whiteboard in Blackboard Collaborate This process will take some time to complete; you will want to start this at least 30 minutes to an hour before your class or the day before, depending on your schedule. 1. If you have prepared a PowerPoint presentation for this session, you can click on the Load Content button (A) to bring it into the Blackboard Collaborate program. Note: Include unique titles for each slide in the presentation; these will be used by the Blackboard Collaborate program for navigation. Any transitions, links, etc. will be removed from the presentation and you will need to add them in once you have loaded it. 2. When the Load Content window opens, go to the folder you have stored the presentation in and select it (B). Click the Open button (C) to begin the loading process. 8
3. Your presentation should appear in the Whiteboard area along with a Page Explorer window. The Page Explorer controls the presentation. It will show all the slides by name, if you included titles in the original presentation. 4. To add a participant poll to your presentation, click on the New Page link in the upper left corner of the Whiteboard. A blank page should appear in the Whiteboard area. Note: You can add the page for a participant poll in your PowerPoint presentation before you upload it into the system. You will have more control over the fonts and designs in PowerPoint. 5. You can add one of the Clip Art backgrounds if you don t want to use the blank page. 6. Add text to the page by clicking on the Text icon in the Whiteboard tools (A). Place the cursor where you would like the text to begin (B) and type your poll information. 9
7. Click on the Participants Controls dropdown menu to change the poll choices to match the number of possible answers (C). 8. Put your mouse over the Polling Type to see the options. Click on the option that matches your question responses. Note: If you have several polls during a class session, remember to change the response type as needed. 9. There are several options for sharing the results with your participants (orange box). 10. This is what your participants will see once you have changed the poll response options. 10
Saving the Finished Whiteboard 1. Under File, put your mouse over Save to see the options. Select Whiteboard from the list. 2. On the Select Pages screen, select All Pages (A) and click the OK button (B). 3. Type in a unique File Name (A) and select the file type (B): Whiteboard File (default) can be used for other sessions and courses. Participants can save these files to their computer. Protected Whiteboard Files can be used for other sessions and courses. Participants can t save these files to their computers. Whiteboard PDF creates a PDF of your Whiteboard slides. Could be used for notes or if a quick guide if a participant missed the session. Whiteboard PNG creates image files of your white board slides. If you have 30 slides in the presentation, it will create 30 image files of those slides. 4. Click the Save button (C). Now that it has been saved, the saved Whiteboard file can be opened just before your actual web conference session starts. 11
Starting a Recording If you don t select the option to have the recording automatically start when someone enters the room when you create your session, you can manually start the recording after you enter it. A Confirmation window will appear in the upper right corner of the Whiteboard area. There is also the Record button in the Whiteboard Controls area. 12
Giving Participants Permissions If you don t select the option so that All Participants Have Full Permissions (audio, video, chat, and whiteboard permissions) when you create your session, you can manually give everyone permission after you enter the session using the Global Permissions icons. Click on the options that you would like everyone to be able to use during your session. Note: Best practice in the beginning or with large groups is to limit access to the Application Sharing and Web Tour tools to only Moderators. Creating Breakout Rooms 1. To create breakout rooms for your small groups, you can either click on Tools -> Breakout Rooms -> Create Breakout Rooms (A) or click on the Participants Options menu -> Create Breakout Rooms (B). A new window will open. 13
2. In the top portion of the window, you can type a name for the room and how many you would like per room (A). In the Distribute Options (B), you can move the participants into the rooms yourself - Don t move participants, Distribute participants evenly, or divide into groups of (1-10). Click the Create button. Note: If you decide to move the participants yourself, click on the Participants Options menu next to a participant s name and select Send to Breakout Room and select the room you want that participant to be sent to. 14
Best Practices While your participants are entering the room, you should have the instructions on how to use the Audio Setup Wizard as a reminder for them to do so every time they enter a session. There is a PowerPoint slide available on the Teaching & Learning Tools website that has the instructions that you can add to your presentation before you load it into Blackboard Collaborate. Start small and, as you get comfortable using the software, add more things to your session. Practice using Blackboard Collaborate before you plan to start using it with your participants. Set up a sample room where you can use the various tools and feature within Blackboard Collaborate. Invite a co-worker or assistant into the session to help you practice. Set up a profile so when you speak your image will display in the Audio & Video window. Ask your participants to set up a profile with an image as well. Walk your participants through the various tools (raise hand, polling, away from computer, etc.) in the Participant window. Using the web camera for your whole session might cause bandwidth problems for you and/or your participants. Turning on the camera for the first few minutes of your session and then turn off the camera is recommended. This allows your participants to see that you are there, but not cause connection issues. When the camera is turned off, your profile picture will display whenever you talk. Application Sharing or Web Tour: Use Application Sharing For: Use Web Tour For: Single Person Activities Everyone Activities Showing how a program or feature works Visiting Multimedia sites such as YouTube Sharing a password protected site with your participants Creating an interactive recording (web links will be active) 15