BlackBoard Collaborate
Sometimes just called Collaborate (but not to be confused with the BlackBoard tool Collaboration), BlackBoard Collaborate is a video-conferencing tool available through the BlackBoard LMS. Collaborate offers a virtual classroom that can be created any time by an instructor for an unlimited number of participants, including a link that can be emailed to anyone inviting them to join the Collaborate session. An instructor has the option to record a session by clicking a button; recordings become available to students through BlackBoard. Collaborate also offers tools for presentation sharing, a multi-user whiteboard, controlled internet browsing, polling, a chat window, and more.
Sometimes just called Collaborate (but not to be confused with the BlackBoard tool Collaboration), BlackBoard Collaborate is a video-conferencing tool available through the BlackBoard LMS. Collaborate offers a virtual classroom that can be created any time by an instructor for an unlimited number of participants, including a link that can be emailed to anyone inviting them to join the Collaborate session. An instructor has the option to record a session by clicking a button; recordings become available to students through BlackBoard. Collaborate also offers tools for presentation sharing, a multi-user whiteboard, controlled internet browsing, polling, a chat window, and more.
|
- For a video overview, see video above (recommended).
- More information and resources are available here.
- For a participant orientation video, click here (recommended).
- For a moderator orientation video, click here.
- For Collaborate system requirements, click here (recommended).
- For more info on presenting online, click here.
Collaborate Best Practices & Trouble-shooting
Planning a Session:
· A session can be created any time by a instructor and will be almost instantly available.
· Having a mix of students meeting in class with the instructor and other students coming in by video-conference almost always presents additional obstacles and distractions (e.g., students who came to class anxiously waiting for technical issue to be resolved).
· If sharing video of participants faces is of prime importance, could Cisco/Jabber be a better solution? Sometimes, even within one day's class session, it might be appropriate to switch back and forth between Jabber and Collaborate.
· It is a good idea to share cell phone numbers among participants before a session begins in case some participants are experiencing difficulty. Also, consider pre-arranging a back-up plan if Collaborate is not working for participants such as Cisco/Jabber or Skype.
· A set of norms should be established (e.g., Should we greet each other each time? Should video be used? Should participants mute themselves when not talking? How do we end each session? When is chatting appropriate?).
· Video-conferences often have specific windows of times they can be used. If a virtual class is assigned a time, respect that time start and stop times. Moderate conversations and use an agenda so that connection efficiently uses the pre-arranged time period.
Before a Session:
· If you are organizing a session, check that participants have read the Collaborate procedures and installed Flash before the session begins.
· Test outgoing video, mic, and speakers/headphones.
· To ensure the best connection, wire into an Ethernet connection. If you need to use a wireless connection, try to get as close to the nearest router as possible.
· If you are using a laptop or mobile device, plug in to a power source so you are not disconnected because of power loss.
· Close other programs that will not be needed for the connection.
· Try to use the same location for each connection as much as possible.
During a Session:
· The first 5 minutes of a video-conference might need to be reserved to trouble-shoot.
· Using headphones and muting audio when not talking can help hearing those speaking and cut down on audio feedback and noise.
· It is usually best to think about which tools fit your goals instead of forcing the use of a tool.
· Sharing videos, Prezis, or other high bandwidth applications most likely will not work. If you need to share a video, one solution is to share the link (such as YouTube) for participants to watch asynchronously. For other solutions, see Online Video Sharing here or contact Jim Heston.
· If you seem to have a bad connection, try disconnecting and logging back in.
· Sometimes it feels as if technology is an extra barrier in communication; it might help to imagine the video screen as a window into a virtual room where you are interacting with real people. After using video-conferencing awhile, the awkwardness of the technology tends to fade away.
· If you get are having connection issues or get disconnected, go to http://www.bandwidthplace.com and click the green start button. Email Jim Heston the results (the number for upload and download).