Category: Blackboard

Who’s counting?

Yes there are less than 10 class days left of Spring Semester 2017 classes.  So I have some housekeeping items to share

Blackboard Downtime during break – Monday May 8 – Thursday May 11 click here for a list of upgrades.

Tuesday, April 25 is a Friday meeting day according to the academic calendar.

Wednesday, April 26 is Reading Day, time to catch up!

Summer Session starts May 15.

Grade Center – need assistance in weighting grades contact OET! Remember that anytime you download grades (work offline) you must save that file to a piratedrive location not your desktop, laptop, Read more

Same question, new semester, how do I print my Blackboard Test?

2 comments
This question pops across my desk every semester and the best answer I have found is to follow these steps –
1. Open Blackboard using the Chrome browser (if you don’t have it you can download it) 
2.  In test options set your test to “Open in Own Window”
3.  Open the test as if you were taking it.
4.  Go to customize Chrome settings, found on the far right 
chromeprint
5.  Select Print and print as PDF so you can save and print or send directly to your printer
Questions contact OET!

First down, 3 to go PIRATES!

No it’s not football season and the baseball team has just started back practicing.  But many of you are giving first exams and/or projects and now it is time to grade.  Rubrics help and Blackboard enables you to add rubrics for grading.  You can also use inline grading directly in Blackboard.  Perhaps you would rather give more personal feedback using audio and video then try one of the newest tools available directly in Blackboard, Voice Thread.

Need information on any of these tools contact this office for a demo.

Found your own tool that works, share it here!

Happy New Year and Spring To Do!

Some quick reminders and links as we start a new semester in a new year!  Startup tips from BB can be found here. 

Course Copy, Merge, – Merge and Copy

Make Available –

  • Control Panel > Customization > Properties > Set Availability > Yes

Add instructor, TA to course –

  • Control Panel > Users and Groups > User > Find User to Enroll > type username only in the box > change role if needed, and then Submit.
  • If that does not work, please send an email to ecublackboard@ecu.edu with the username and role (TA or instructor). The Blackboard team will add your TA or instructor.

Mediasite Desktop Recording – click here

Embed Mediasite into Blackboard – click here

Saba Web Conferencing – click here

Turning Point Cloud – click here

Using Turning Point 5 in Allied Health – contact OET

Tegrity – click here

Yammer – click here

Lockdown Browser – click here

Some new tools to consider Voice Thread  and Blackboard Collaborate, Collaborate is a web conferencing program which enables a group of people to interact with one another in a virtual online meeting environment. Collaborate can be accessed “live” anytime from anywhere attendees have access to a computer and an Internet connection. Meetings in Collaborate can be recorded, so those unable to attend the live meeting are able to play back the meeting at a later time.

Anything else?  Contact OET for assistance!

Welcome back!

We have all heard

What’s in your wallet? Advertisement – I am asking a similar question which is “What’s in your Classroom”?  Are you trying something new this semester or have you tweaked something old?  Any light bulb moments?  Is it working or have you tried something that just isn’t going right?

Take a moment and share here or send me an email and I will blog about it!  What might just be old hat to you may be a treasure to some one else, please share!

 

Resources which may help you and your students!

Student Blackboard Support

Faculty Blackboard Start of Semester Tips

Embedding Mediasite into Blackboard

Video Release Form

Requirements for Viewing a Mediasite Presentation

DE Orientation

SABA Web Conferencing

Using Pirate Port

Using VPN to Connect Remotely

Using Online Tools

Just to get you started! and here is the answer to one of many questions how to add an Instructor or TA to your BB course.

  1. Make sure Edit Mode is ON
  2. Click on the Users and Groups area of the Control Panel
  3. Click on Users
  4. Click on Enroll Users and select Find Users to Enroll from the drop down
  5. On the Add Enrollments page, enter the teaching assistant’s or instructor’s username (do NOT include their email address)
  6. Select the appropriate role from the dropdown (course builder, grader, student, instructor, student or teaching assistant)
  7. click on Submit

Break in the heat, summer session has been put to rest and fall is just around the corner!

A few years ago I did the countdown to fall semester.  I received various comments and some groans but in less than 3 weeks we have many new students and returning students headed into our classrooms so are a few resources to check out!  Some BB tips and some connecting with others in and around the classroom!

Profiles

Blackboard Calendar

InLine Grading with Blackboard 

Smart Podiums in the Classrooms

AirMedia Tool

Lecture Capture

SABA

Web Conferencing with WebEx

Skype for Business

I am stealing from Rutgers Office of Instructional & Research Technology

But it says it all! From https://oirt.rutgers.edu/end-of-semester-tips-for-instructors-using-lmss-learning-management-systems/

There is a lot for instructors to keep track of at the end of the semester.  Here are some tips on how to avoid some of the common problems we see instructors run into at the end of the semester:

  1. Get your Gradebook in order.
    If you have any questions about setting up your gradebook, setting up extra credit, or excluding some items for specific students, it is much easier to get help now than it will be during the rush period at the end of the semester.
  2. Make sure your Final Exams are setup with the settings that are the least likely to cause issues.
    The Internet is a wonderful thing that still fails on a regular basis. With the right settings, you can make sure that a small connection issue doesn’t cause you or your students major headaches.
  3. Make sure all assignments are setup correctly and clearly so students can submit their work.
    Which tool(s) are you using for assignments? Did you want to have SafeAssign review the paper? Make sure you have the settings correct!
  4. Are you planning on allowing some or all students to make up missed work?
    Many tools can all be set up to allow a student to take them after the due date, or even retake them in some cases, but each tool requires specific settings to allow this to happen.
  5. Preparing for a summer course? Want to reuse some of the material from your spring or earlier course?
    There’s no reason to reinvent the wheel every semester. Reuse your best material by duplicating an existing site.

New Year? New Semester? Update Course?

As the ITC for our college I can do more than monitor room recordings.  The ITC page on the OFE website describes “The role of the ITC is to promote, support, and help integrate digital technologies into learning and teaching at East Carolina University and to empower faculty members in the use of technology in education. . .assist in the use of Blackboard for course material delivery, advise on the organization and presentation of course materials, support the creation and presentation of multimedia components, and teach web page creation and design. They must be able to make creative proposals for course design, supervise projects, direct personnel, and carry through from design to course delivery.”

So take advantage of my skill set and let me help you try something different with your course or maybe just a bit of tweaking!