Tuesday, June 26, 2012

[BB] SNEAK PEAK - New Bb features for this fall

Blackboard users at UM,

Want to see the new features that will be in Blackboard at UM for this Fall?  Watch 15 minutes of a video and learn about the following:
  • New "Look and Feel" - Will roll out at UM on Wednedsay, August 8, 2012, two weeks before fall classes begin
  • New "Course Merge Tool" for administrators (me)
  • Shortcut between the same areas in your various courses
  • Negative and Weighted marks in assessments
  • Standards Alignment and Reporting within a course
  • Activity Report of student activity in your course
  • Regrading of assessments
  • Course Themes
To view the relevant 15 minutes of this video, do the following.
  1. Go to http://goo.gl/2TmeZ in your browser- This should load a java player for Blackboard Collaborate. The player window will open. Along the bottom you will see an indicator that the presentation is loading. (Called a "thermometer" because it looks like the mercury rising in a thermometer.) Make sure that you have speakers or a headset, since this video has audio, too.
  2. Click on the "play" arrow, to the left of the loading indicator.
  3. Drag the little button along the timeline to 16:00 (16 minutes). That is when Liam Ferris from Blackboard takes over.
  4. Watch until the 31:00 (31 minute) mark. After that it is just questions and answers.
  5. If you are really impressed and excited, drag back to the 16 minute point and watch it again and again!
REMEMBER: 
  • Blackboard will be taken off-line on Friday, July 20, after 7:00 pm for the upgrade from SP5 (service pack 5) to SP8. It will probably be back on-line on Sunday, July 22, in the afternoon. It will definitely be back on-line on Monday, July 23, by 8:00 am.
  • The new "Look and Feel" (2012 Theme) will be turned on Wednesday, August 8.
  • More information, including training opportunities, will be send on this, the bb@listserv.miami.edu mailing list.

Bill Vilberg
Instructional Advancement Center
Information Technology
Richter Library, Room 325
bill.vilberg@miami.edu
8-3944 or 305-284-3944
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