Blackboard Collaborate Session
What is Blackboard Collaborate?
Wimba was purchased by Blackboard and has been merged with Elluminate Live! into a new platform called Blackboard Collaborate. Wimba is now being phased out and being replaced by Blackboard Collaborate.
Blackboard Collaborate is an educational collaboration tool that will allow synchronous delivery or asynchronous archiving of online lectures. It provides a virtual classroom that instructors and students can learn and interact in real time with audio and video. Lectures can be recorded and archived for future access by students for an asynchronous environment. Downloads of the archived lectures in MP3 and MP4 formats are available for students to use on their portable devices for frequent listening if their instructors have chosen to allow this option.
Do I Need Any Special Equipment?
Instructors and students should use quality USB headsets with echo cancelling and background noise reduction with attached microphones. The built-in speakers and microphones on some of the newer laptops will work with Blackboard Collaborate eliminating the need for headsets.
Which Browser Works best with Blackboard Collaborate?
You can use either Mozilla Firefox or some versions of Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. Blackboard Collaborate’s full guide on what browsers and OS’s are supported can be found here.
http://support.blackboardcollaborate.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=8336&task=knowledge& questionID=2890
How Do I Create a Blackboard Collaborate inside Moodle
2?
Log into Moodle 2 by going to MyMtech on the Montana Tech website:
Screen shots of Moodle 2 login
Once inside your Moodle 2 course, turn editing on
Navigate to the section you want to place your Blackboard Collaborate in. Click on the link with the green plus sign in front of the Add an activity or resource. Select Blackboard Collaborate Session and click on Add at the bottom of that page.
How Do I Access My Classroom Once Created Inside
Moodle 2?
Log into your Moodle 2 Course by going to MyMtech on the Montana Tech website:
www.mtech.edu > MyMtech > Sign in with CAS > Moodle 2 Course
Screen shots of Moodle 2 login
There are three ways to access your classroom from your Moodle 2 course.
1. Scroll to the section where you built your classroom and click on the name of the session. This will open a page that will give you information about when the session is to be held and give you the option to join it over the phone or by clicking Join session.
You will now have to let Java run. It will take a moment and then the classroom will open.
How do I run Blackboard Collaborate?
Step 2: You may be prompted by java that the digital signature could not be verified, Hit run. Step 3:
Step 4: A window will come up asking you to accept the Participant Agreement. Click Accept.
How Do I Talk in Blackboard Collaborate?
To talk click the Talk button shown in the image below. This will stay active and other
How Can I Add Content to My Classroom?
When you click the button it will open a “Open File” prompt. Find the slideshow or other content you would like to add and click open. Once you click open it will start uploading. If you selected a powerpoint, Powerpoint will open temporarily as it converts it for upload. This will add your slides and content to the whiteboard.
How Do I Use the Application Sharing Feature?
Application sharing allows you to share your screen, a specific section of it, or a specific application’s window. There are two methods to activate screen sharing.
First:
Second Method:
To stop sharing the screen or window find the controls in the top right of the shared area and click the stop button (square).
How Do I Make Archives of My Lectures or Sessions Using
Blackboard Collaborate?
To make an archive of your lecture click the record button in the Blackboard Collaborate window.
Once you click record the system will announce to you and anyone else in the room that recording has begun. You can then start talking and working through content.
When you are done you can click record again and it will announce that the recording has stopped. You can now leave the classroom whenever you would like. It will take some time, but the archive will show up on the main page as discussed in the next session.
How Do I Access the Blackboard Collaborate Archives for
My Course?
There will be a box that says recordings. Click the purple Blackboard logo to start viewing the archive. If the recording has been encoded by the instructor it could also show up with two other logos that would be available for download. (Video mp4 and Audio mp3)
