Communication Tools
Digital Drop Box
Discussion Board
Chat Room and Virtual Classroom
Email
File Exchange
Blackboard has a wealth of communication and collaboration tools that can be used within a Blackboard course site. Depending on whether the course site acts as a compliment to a traditional classroom setting or whether it's a hybrid or web-based course will determine on what tools are used most effectively. Blackboard offers both asynchronous and synchronous tools and it's recommended that you familiarize yourself with the various methods of communication before requesting that students use them.
Digital Drop Box
The Digital Drop Box allows students and the instructor to exchange files. The primary use for the Drop Box is for instructors to receive and collect papers or assignments from their students. As with most tools, you must ensure that the Drop Box is available to students. Check this through the Tool Availability in Manage Tools under Settings. There are some points to note about the Drop Box.
a) There are two parts to the Drop Box in that a file must be added and then sent. Just because a file is added to the Drop Box does not mean it has been sent. Many students often forget the sending part so remind them it's a two-step process.
b) There is no notification system that a file has been delivered into the Drop Box so an instructor must check regularly to see new files added.
c) Define a naming system for files added to the Drop Box. Because there is no sorting mechanism or anything that easily shows who sent the file it is highly recommended that students name their file/document accordingly; Last name, first name/initial, title of paper, date, i.e. SkywalkerLuke.DeathStarSchematics.May07.doc
To retrieve a file from the Digital Drop Box:
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From the Control Panel click on ‘Digital Drop Box', located under Course Tools.
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Click on the file to open. Right click on the document to save it to your computer.
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Once a file is opened you can add comments and feedback.
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Save the amended document with a new name to differentiate it from the original, i.e. SkywalkerLuke.DeathStarSchematics.May07GRADED.doc
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The file can then be returned, marked, to the student. Click on the ‘Send File ‘icon.
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Browse for the just saved file and select the student to whom you are sending the file.
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The student will then go into their Digital Drop Box from the front end of the course site to locate and view the graded file.
Discussion Board
Particularly in a web-based course, the Discussion Board is an integral part of the class. It is a tool that fosters relationships, increases outside classroom discussion and encourages community. It can be used as a general open discussion tool or as an assignment tool by attaching parameters or gradable expectations around a forum. The Discussion Board is an asynchronous tool meaning that discussion between all users does not take place in real time. Students can add to a discussion without others being present at the same time.
To create a new forum:
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From the Control Panel click on ‘Discussion Board' under Course Tools.
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Click on the course ID link.
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Click on the ‘Add Forum' icon button
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Give the forum a name and a description if required. If you are using the forum as an assignment tool this is where you can type in the question and grade parameters, i.e. Discuss what effect losing his father at a young age had on Luke and his desire to become a Jedi Knight. Reply to at least two of your peers. Your answers should include film references and you should cite at least one literary reference. You will be awarded 10 points for your answers, participation and for meeting the grading criteria.
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Forum availability defaults to ‘Yes', click on the radial button if you don't want the forum to be immediately available to students.
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Select the Forum Settings you wish to surround the forum. N.B. If you are grading the forum be sure to select ‘Grade forum: Points possible:' and enter the number of points in the box. This will automatically create an item entry in your Gradebook that allows you to easily grade a student's responses and participation based on whatever criteria you set. I highly recommend NOT selecting Grade threads - you'll end up with a lot of Gradebook items.
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Click ‘Submit'.
To add a new thread, (think of a thread as a new subject within a forum)
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Click on the forum title.
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Click on the Add thread icon.
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You must give your thread a subject. Type your message.
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Click Submit.
To reply to a thread or post click on the thread title.
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Click on the thread title.
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Click on the Reply button, located both in the top left and in the text body of the post.
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You must give your reply post a subject. Type your message.
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Click Submit.
Chat Room and Virtual Classroom
The Chat Room feature is a basic synchronistic chat tool that allows real time discussion between students in a particular course site to occur. The Virtual Classroom is an extended version of the Chat Room that also features a Course Map, Whiteboard, an Ask Question tool and the ability to have Breakout Sessions. You can record sessions in both the Chat Room and the Virtual Classroom for replay and review at a later time.
To set up a Collaboration session
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From the Control Panel click on ‘Collaboration' under the Course Tools section.
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Click on the ‘Add Collaboration Session' icon.
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Give your session a name.
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Select the date and time you want the session to be available.
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From the drop-down menu select whether you want the session tool to be a Chat Room session or the Virtual Classroom.
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Click ‘Submit' and ‘OK'.
To join a collaboration session click on the ‘Join' button to the right of the pertinent session. As the instructor you are responsible for recording the session if you want it saved. To record a session click on the circle button in the top right hand corner of the session window
Give your recording a name and click ‘OK'. Everything that goes on during the session will be recorded and available as a transcript once the session has ended. To stop a recording click on the circle button once.
Email
Course participants can easily send email from within a course site. Please note however that Blackboard is merely the vehicle, the email is sent to a recipient's sf.edu or studentmail.sf.edu inbox and neither sent nor received mail is stored in Blackboard. If students are not receiving email or you are receiving a "cannot be delivered" message remind students that they need to clean out their mailboxes. If a student's inbox is full the email will simply be bounced back to the sender. The nice feature about using Blackboard to send email is that you can easily select just your enrolled students or individual students or groups you've set up within the particular class, rather than having to create a group in Outlook or your mail application.
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To send an email click on ‘Send Email' under Course Tools within the Control Panel
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Make the appropriate selection as to who you wish to send a message to - All Users, All groups, Single/Select Users, etc.
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For Single/Select Users or Groups, from the ‘Available to Select' box hold down your Ctrl key and select those recipients you wish to mail and then click on the arrow to move the names into the ‘Selected' box.
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Give your message a subject and then type your body of the message.
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You have the option to Attach a file.
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Click ‘Submit' to send the message.
File Exchange
File Exchange is a feature available as a Group tool. If you set up groups (insert hyperlink to User Management.doc - I'd like to create student groups - how do I do this?) in your Blackboard course site, students can easily exchange files within their group using the File Exchange under Group Page from within the Communication link. The File Exchange works like the first step in the Digital Drop Box. A student clicks on the ‘Add File' icon, names their file and then browses on their computer for the file to add. The file is then posted on Blackboard and can be accessed by either the other students in that group or by the professor.
