Web Conferencing Loading Content

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Web Conferencing – Loading Content

Web Conferencing – Loading Presentations and Image Files

In Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing sessions Moderators can upload Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentations, Open Office presentation files, previously saved Whiteboard files (.wbd, .wbp) and image files and into the Whiteboard area of a live session. Participants do not have access to this feature. In order to upload these file types into the Web Conferencing session, the presentation file and application must be closed, and must be installed on that computer (not on an external drive). Included with these instructions is a work‐around for non‐compatible versions of Office or Open Office. This work‐around may also be used if errors occur when attempting to upload a presentation file.

Loading

Presentations

The Load Content button at the upper right area of the Collaborate toolbar provides easy access to uploading presentation files, enhancing Web Conferencing sessions.

(It is also possible to load presentation files or images into the Web Conferencing session by clicking and

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NOTE:

The

PowerPoint

file

and

application

must

be

closed

in

order

for

Collaborate

to

convert

and

import

the

slides.

1. Launch a Web Conferencing session as a Moderator or request to be raised to Moderator status. Regular Participants to not have the ability to upload files to Web Conferencing sessions.

2. Click the Load Content button.

3. Browse to the presentation file (.ppt or .pptx, or OpenOffice format). 4. Click on the file to select it and then click Open.

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5. Collaborate will open the presentation and convert each slide to an image file, Whiteboard format ‐ .wbd ‐ in order to upload the slides to the Web Conferencing session.

6. A progress bar window will appear while slides are being converted and uploaded.

7. Once the presentation has been imported completely, the Page Explorer window will pop up automatically, displaying the new Pages onto which images were imported.

8. Use the Page Explorer window to navigate through the Whiteboard pages / presentation slides, or close the window to access the same controls on the Whiteboard toolbar. • Use the arrows to move to the

previous or next slide.

• Use the drop‐down list to jump to a specific slide.

• Scroll within the Page Explorer window and double‐click on a slide to display that slide.

• Use the Follow checkbox to ensure that all Participants are seeing the same display.

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Presentation

Upload

Issues

&

Workaround

When uploading a PowerPoint presentation there are a few things that may cause error messages. 1. There is a compatibility issue between the Operating System and/or the version of Microsoft

Office on the computer. Versions of Microsoft Office PowerPoint older than XP may cause this conflict.

2. The PowerPoint file is too large to upload into the Web Conference Whiteboard.

The work‐around for these situations is to save the PowerPoint file as a series of image files, then upload those image files into the Web Conferencing session in the same way as described previously.

To save an existing PowerPoint presentation as image files: 1. Open the PowerPoint presentation.

2. Click File > Save As

3. Use the drop‐down list at the bottom of the Save window to select the type of files to which this PowerPoint presentation will be saved – PNG Portable Network Graphics Format (*.png). The file name will change to include the .png extension. 4. Click Save.

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5. In the next prompt box, select Every Slide to ensure that the entire presentation is converted.

6. When the slides have been converted, another prompt will indicate that all slides have been saved as separate files in a specific folder, which will be indicated. Click OK.

7. In the Web Conferencing session, click the Load Content button.

8. Browse to the location where the presentation image files were saved in the previous steps.

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9. Use the drop‐down list at the bottom of the Load File window to select Image Files. This will change the files displayed to include other options and allow for multiple file selection, to avoid having to load one file at a time.

10. To select more than one file, click on the first file in the list to highlight it. Then, hold the Shift key down and click on the last file listed. All files will then be highlighted and ready to upload. 11. Change the Screen Creation Order by clicking In alphanumeric order.

12. Click Open.

13. All of the image files will be uploaded into the Web Conferencing session, and act just like slides in a PowerPoint file. Use the arrows and the drop‐down list to view different slides.

If unable to load slides into the Web Conferencing session using any of the above instructions Use Application Sharing or Desktop Sharing so that all participants can view the presentation.

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Navigation Bar Options Menu / Page Explorer

Click the Navigation Bar Options Menu at the upper right edge of the

Whiteboard toolbar to open the Page Explorer tool. Page Explorer includes arrows to move to the previous or next Whiteboard Page or presentation slide, a drop‐down list to jump to specific slides, the Follow Option and the Explore Mode button. All Whiteboard Pages and presentation slides are shown in the Page Explorer window. Additional options are also available here.

• Click and drag Whiteboard Pages and slides to hiteboard Pages and slides,

slides,

n be used by an individual to r

nus, right‐click on one or more t Rooms,

ere are

om the e

ge

change their order. • To select multiple W

click to highlight the first page then CTRL+click to select additional pages one by one.

• To select a list of Whiteboard Pages and

click to highlight the first slide, then SHIFT+click on the last slide in the list. All slides in between will be selected.

• The Work Area ca

view and manipulate one or more than one Whiteboard Page, slide or presentation. Othe attendees will not see those pages unless the user moves them into the Main Room or a Breakout Room.

• To view other me

Whiteboard Pages. Use the options here to Copy, Cut, Delete and Select All Whiteboard Pages and slides or view Properties.

• If the Moderator has created Breakou Whiteboard Pages and slides can be moved or copied between Breakout Rooms and the Main Room.

• Under the right‐click menu th also options to create a New Whiteboard Page, Open a PowerPoint presentation fr computer, save one or more Whiteboard Pages, copy/past objects from one Whiteboard Pa to another.

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Loading Content Using Page Explorer

PowerPoint, Image Files, and Whiteboard Files can also be loaded using the Page Explorer. 1. Click the

Navigation

Bar

Options

button

to

open

the

Page Explorer

.

2. Right‐click on an empty area in the Page Explorer window and select Open from the menu. 3. Browse to the PowerPoint (or Open Office, or image) file, click to select it and then click Open

Loading Images

1. Click Load Content button in the upper right corner of the Whiteboard screen. 2. Browse to the image file or files.

3. Click on a file to highlight it. To upload more than one image file use CTRL+click to select multiple files. It is also possible to click on the first image file, then SHIFT+click on the last image file in the list to select all files in a group rather than one at a time.

4. Click Open to upload the file(s).

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5. A prompt window will pop up. Select how the images will be imported, either as Individual Pages or all 6. Click Load.

imported.

onto the same, current Whiteboard Page.

7. The Page Explorer window will pop up automatically, displaying the new Pages onto which images were

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Whiteboard Tools Palette

The Whiteboard Tools Palette offers a variety of “mark‐up Whiteboard Mode to select objects in the Whiteboard area,

” tools. These may be used while in

direct attention to certain areas of a slide or r shapes, add text, import image files and take screen snapshots.

drag) anywhere on the hiteboard screen. few of these Tools offer additional

hoices. The line‐ rawing tools and shapes offer a wide

nge of color options, line thickness, and

ansparency. The text ol offers the same color options in

ddition to font, size and type (bold, underline and italic).

page, draw lines o The Palette may be relocated (click & W

A c d ra tr to a

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Whiteboard

Content

Options

Preferences

rences. rrent page, Before current page, Replace page. This is important if uploading ions or files, though it is possible to re‐order Whiteboard pages after the upload(s). ge Size can be left at the default setting, Monitor Resolution. If Participants are having

g the presentation slides it’s possible to lower the resolution being transmitted. Setting the Monitor Resolution lower causes a smaller amount of data to be sent as the presentation is displayed.

there’s a delay on the Participants’ side, and slides aren’t changing in “real time” as s the presentation

er Notes within the presentation that the Moderator wants to use when presenting, e box, Include Speaker Notes. Once the presentation uploads, Speaker Notes are accessed by the Moderator by selecting Window > Show Notes.

ice check the box in the bottom area of this window. The default install location of d fill the field below that. If the path shown is incorrect, click the Browse button to

ath for the OpenOffice application file.

There are more detailed settings for uploading presentations and image files under Edit > Prefe

Indicate where the new Whiteboard pages (presentation slides, Whiteboard files or image files) should be inserted: After cu

multiple presentat Generally Pa issues viewin This may also help if the Moderator give If there are Speak check th

If using Open Off Open Office shoul select the correct p

Web Conferencing Loading Content