1. Instructors Celebrate
National Distance Learning Week

2. Directions
Please review this 20 slide PowerPoint to investigate some popular
Blackboard Interactive Tools, productivity tools, and browser tools
you can use to help you in your courses.
Learn the Tool Icons as you go!
After you review this PPT, please click on the survey link from your email
http://form.jotformpro.com/form/23065062118950 and complete our “Name
That Tool” quiz. (10 questions)
To celebrate National Distance Learning Week, every submission using a
Wilmington University email address will be entered in a Prize Drawing.
You have a chance to win a $25 gift card!!
Entries must be submitted by 11:59pm on November 25, 2012.
We will draw 4 winners on Monday, November 26, 2012.
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3. Bb Help Tool
 In Control Panel, click on Help and
then select Blackboard Help.
 Type a word or phrase in the
Search box to the left and click
Search.
 Step by step instructions provide
answers to any Blackboard topic.
 The searchable topics and step-by-step
instructions will help you find the
information that you need about
Blackboard Learn™ 9.1. 3

4. Copying and Moving Content
No need to redo items if you want
them in different areas of the
course:
 Copying an item or a folder creates
an exact replica of that item or folder.
The item or folder can be copied to
the same location or a new location.
The name of the item or folder
remains the same if it is copied to a
different location.
 Moving folders and items removes
the folders and items from the current
location and stores them in a new
location.

5. Rubrics Tool in Blackboard
 A rubric is an assessment tool
listing evaluation criteria for an
assignment.
 Rubrics provides a means to convey
to students expectations for the
quality of completed assignments.
 Rubrics can help students organize
their efforts to meet the
requirements of an assignment.
 Instructors can use them to explain
evaluations to students.
 Another value in using rubrics is
they can help ensure consistent and
impartial grading.
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6. SafeAssign
 SafeAssign is a type of assignment
that processes papers through
database which check for matching
text.
 Safe Assign is used to prevent
plagiarism and to create opportunities
to help students identify how to
properly attribute sources.
 SafeAssign is effective as both a
deterrent and an educational tool.
 After a paper has been processed, a
report will be available detailing the
percentage of text in the submitted
paper that matches existing sources.
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7. Clear Formatting Tool
 Did you ever copy and paste text from MS Word in Blackboard and you
notice it displays as Greek symbols? The display appears after you
click Submit. It occurs often when extraneous code attaches itself on
the text.
 Αζζιγνμενηζ ανδ Αχηιϖιηιεζ:
 Χαζε Αναλψζιζ
 Τεαμ Εξεπχιζε/Ππεζενηαηιον
 Ωεβζιηε Ρεϖιεω
 In Blackboard’s text editor box, you will find a tool in the middle row.
 Highlight the affected text, and click the “Clear Formatting” tool.
 Watch this video to see how to clear formatting text errors.
https://vimeo.com/44759957
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8. YouTube Mashup Tool
 A Mashup combines elements from two or more
sources.
 When you view a YouTube™ video in a Blackboard
Learn course as part of the course content, you are
experiencing a Mashup.
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9. Screencasting Tools
Jing or Screencast-O-Matic
 Take a picture or make a short video of what you see on your computer monitor.
 Share it instantly via web, email, IM, Twitter or your blog.
 Jing
 Simple and free, Jing provides 5 minutes of recorded screencast of anything on your
desktop
 http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html
 Screencast-O-Matic
 Simple and free, Screencast-O-Matic provides 15 minutes of recorded screencast of
anything on your desktop
 http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/
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10. Feedback Tool
Microsoft Office - Review
 Selecting the Review tab in Microsoft Word and clicking “New
Comment” allows instructors to comment where ever the cursor
is placed in the document.
 Save your changes or save as a .pdf file
 Then share your comments with students by attaching in the
Grade Center’s View Attempts page
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11. Blackboard Interactive Tool
Discussion Board
 The Discussion Board is a tool for sharing
thoughts and ideas about class materials.
 The main Discussion Board page displays a list of
available discussion forums. A forum is an area
where a topic or a group of related topics are
discussed.
 Within each forum, a student can respond by
adding threads.
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12. Blackboard Interactive Tool
Blog
 A Blog—a shorthand term that means Web log—is a
personal online journal that is frequently updated and
intended for general public consumption.
 In Blackboard, only enrolled users can view and author
Blogs. Blogs encourage students to clearly express
their ideas and addresses the need to expand various
aspects of social learning.
 Blogs provide a way to share knowledge about a
subject.
 In Blackboard, Blogs consist of two elements:
 Blog Entries: Students may add text, images,
links, multimedia, Mashups, and attachments.
 Comments: Remarks or responses to Blog entries
made by other course members, including the
Instructor.
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13. Blackboard Interactive Tool
Wikis
• Wikis allow multiple students to share and
collaborate on one or more pages of content.
Pages can be created and edited quickly, while
tracking changes and additions.
• Instructors can create one or more wikis for all
course members to contribute to, or create wikis
for groups to use to collaborate.
• Wikis are used to record information and serve as
a repository for course information and
knowledge.
• Instructors can view all changes to all pages in
the wiki.
• Wikis may be graded or ungraded.
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14. Blackboard Interactive Tool
Journal
 The Journal tool offers students opportunity to
reflect on course content and communicate privately
with the Instructor, or the instructor can choose to
make Journal entries public, allowing course
members to view all entries.
 Instructors can use the tool to gauge understanding
and guide students in their knowledge acquisition.
Instructor comments can help students refine their
writing and ideas.
 Journal entries may be graded or ungraded.
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15. Blackboard Interactive Tool
Voice Board
 In the online classroom, student and instructor
communication is limited to text and static
images. Instead of a regular Discussion Board,
try Voice Board.
 Important elements of face-to-face
communication, including the nuances of voice,
are missing from text-based discussions.
 Voice Board recaptures these elements,
contributing to greater clarity and understanding.
 http://www.wimba.com/solutions/higher-
education/wimba_voice_for_higher_education/
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16. Blackboard Interactive Tool
Groups
 Instructors can create groups of students
within a course in the Control Panel. Click on
Users and Groups, and select Groups.
 These course Groups have their own area in
Blackboard to collaborate on course work.
 Group Discussion Boards is just one way groups
may collaborate in a course.
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17. Browsing
Open in New Window
 Preserve your original web page and open a new
window… allows for multi-tasking!
 Use the Keyboard shortcut Ctrl + N
 Right click on a URL and a menu opens, select the
page to Open in New Window
 Or from your browser’s file menu, select New
Window
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18. Tab Browsing
 Multiple tabs allow you to view more than one
browser window on the same browser page.
 Navigate by clicking the tab titles.
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19. Thank You
for Viewing Our PowerPoint
 Navigate using the URL
http://form.jotformpro.com/form/23065062118950 and take our
“Name That Tool!” quiz.
 Enter with your name and Wilmington University email address.
 Submit your quiz by 11/25/2012, 11:59pm
 Drawing will be held on Monday, 11/26/2012
 Winners will be notified by email.
 Every submission will be entered in our 2012 NDLW prize drawing
with a chance to win one of four $25 gift cards.
 This PowerPoint and quiz is brought to you by Wilmington
University’s Online Learning & Educational Technology
Department. You may email edtech@wilmu.edu for a complete
list of contest winners.
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20. References
 Blackboard. (n.d.). Blackboard help find answers. Retrieved from
http://help.blackboard.com/instructor/index.htm
 Insert or delete a comment - word - office.com. (2011, 19 09). Retrieved from
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/insert-or-delete-a-comment-
HA001219010.aspx
 Jing, Share ideas instantly,. (2012, 10 31). Retrieved from
http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html
 Screencast-O-Matic, screen capture software. (2012, 10 31). Retrieved from
http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/
 Wimba voice for higher education. (2011, 10 10). Retrieved from
http://www.wimba.com/solutions/higher-
education/wimba_voice_for_higher_education/
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