If you have elected to attend a Blackboard training session online, below is a link that will initiate the Blackboard Collaborate software that will be used during the training session. It is recommended that you try to work with the software ahead of time, so that on the night of the training session your computer is ready to go with the proper installation of Collaborate.
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blackboard_collaborate_teleconference.pdf | |
File Size: | 253 kb |
File Type: |
A Visual Guide for installing Blackboard Collaborate
a_visual_navigation_guide_for_installing_blackboard_collaborate.pdf | |
File Size: | 477 kb |
File Type: |
Collaborate Set-up and Training Guide
collaborate_set-up_and_training_guide.ppt | |
File Size: | 6325 kb |
File Type: | ppt |
Conferencing Essentials for Moderators
blackboard_collaborate_web_conferencing_essentials_for_moderators_pdf.pdf | |
File Size: | 5648 kb |
File Type: |
five_critical_elements_of_bb_collab.pdf | |
File Size: | 1154 kb |
File Type: |
Please indicate your desire for Collaborate Training by registering your request.
CASE STUDY 12: GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY:
WEB CONFERENCING—A CRITICAL SKILL FOR THE CONNECTED WORLD (click here to read study)
Top Ten Habits of Highly Effective Collaborate Moderators
Online learning is all about the experience, and as the moderator, you play a key role in ensuring all your participants have a great experience, one that facilitates engagement, discussion, interaction, and collaboration. So, it’s time to get in the habit of being a highly effective moderator! Here are our top ten tips.
1. Practice, Practice, Practice
If you don’t have your own personal Collaborate Room yet, don’t wait! It’s free, and you can use it as your own practice room. Fine-tune your moderator skills by practicing with two computers side-by-side or with a friend, colleague, or family member. Be sure to attend our free recorded training sessions on our website, where you can brush up on using moderator tools in just a few minutes. And taking one of our live training classes will give you experience as a participant, so you can learn how to be a better moderator.
2. Facilitate Student Orientation to the Technology
To ensure that your students have a great first experience with the Collaborate technology, make sure they have the resources they need to configure their computers prior your session. Simply direct your students to our training website, where they can view a five-minute slide show or participant orientation recording and download a quick reference guide. In addition, at the beginning of each session you moderate, provide a slide that explains how to configure audio and create a user profile.
3. Engage Participants
Experts say that there should be interaction every 6 minutes, so start off with an ice breaker, such as displaying a map on the whiteboard and having each participant indicate where they are located. Ask questions that require students to raise their hands, click an emoticon, respond with a green check or red X, type in the chat window, or even type or draw on the whiteboard. Be the guide on the side encouraging students to think and respond. Better yet, promote participants to moderators, and let them lead the class.
4. Check Frequently for Understanding
Use instant polling, and publish the results to stimulate discussion. Plan activities using the whiteboard and breakout rooms where all students participate. Have each group from a breakout exercise present the results of their work. Use application or desktop sharing to have participants demonstrate what you’ve been teaching. Page 3 of 4 Top Ten Habits of Highly Effective Collaborate Live! Moderators
5. Prepare Content Ahead of Time
Create presentation slides and instructor notes, and include multimedia, application sharing to help reinforce content. Don’t just expect interaction to happen, design it into your lesson plan. Your instructor notes should include what you want to say and do on each screen. Your notes also include suggested questions to promote discussion and interaction.
This can be easily accomplished using Collaborate Plan!. It enables you to organize, script, and package content and activities BEFORE your real-time, online session. Learn more about Collaborate Plan! from our website.
6. Have a ‘Producer’ in Your Session
How about recruiting another instructor or student helper to manage technical support questions or troubleshoot problems? It’s also helpful to have someone manage questions and comments in the live chat area. Your helper can organize questions for you to answer later or address comments as they come, as well as list pertinent information, like a support phone number, instructor email address, important web link, or other resource.
7. Smile and Your Participants Will Smile with You
Be positive and energetic, and your students will catch your enthusiasm. Your voice is critical to setting the tone. Some moderators even stand up and walk around a bit during a session. Consider using your webcam to introduce yourself at the beginning of a session. And be sure to have a user profile with photo and contact information for participants to view. Encourage them to create their own profiles as well.
8. Record the Session
Collaborate Live! interactive recordings are almost like being there. And they are a great way to build reusable learning content. Your notes should include a reminder to start the recording at the beginning of every session. Provide the recording to students so that they can review the content, especially if they missed a session. You can even add indices during the live session to mark key sections in the recording. Consider creating additional recordings as tutorials to supplement your live sessions.
9. Run the Audio Wizard as Soon as You Join Your Session
Running the audio wizard before each session ensures your audio is working and the levels are correct, even if you just left a session. And have your participants do the same. You can even include instructions to do so on your session welcome slide.
10. Join Early
Get in the habit of joining your sessions early. It starts things off right when you greet participants as they join. It will also give you ample time to load content, set up breakout rooms, and test your webcam and video.
1. Practice, Practice, Practice
If you don’t have your own personal Collaborate Room yet, don’t wait! It’s free, and you can use it as your own practice room. Fine-tune your moderator skills by practicing with two computers side-by-side or with a friend, colleague, or family member. Be sure to attend our free recorded training sessions on our website, where you can brush up on using moderator tools in just a few minutes. And taking one of our live training classes will give you experience as a participant, so you can learn how to be a better moderator.
2. Facilitate Student Orientation to the Technology
To ensure that your students have a great first experience with the Collaborate technology, make sure they have the resources they need to configure their computers prior your session. Simply direct your students to our training website, where they can view a five-minute slide show or participant orientation recording and download a quick reference guide. In addition, at the beginning of each session you moderate, provide a slide that explains how to configure audio and create a user profile.
3. Engage Participants
Experts say that there should be interaction every 6 minutes, so start off with an ice breaker, such as displaying a map on the whiteboard and having each participant indicate where they are located. Ask questions that require students to raise their hands, click an emoticon, respond with a green check or red X, type in the chat window, or even type or draw on the whiteboard. Be the guide on the side encouraging students to think and respond. Better yet, promote participants to moderators, and let them lead the class.
4. Check Frequently for Understanding
Use instant polling, and publish the results to stimulate discussion. Plan activities using the whiteboard and breakout rooms where all students participate. Have each group from a breakout exercise present the results of their work. Use application or desktop sharing to have participants demonstrate what you’ve been teaching. Page 3 of 4 Top Ten Habits of Highly Effective Collaborate Live! Moderators
5. Prepare Content Ahead of Time
Create presentation slides and instructor notes, and include multimedia, application sharing to help reinforce content. Don’t just expect interaction to happen, design it into your lesson plan. Your instructor notes should include what you want to say and do on each screen. Your notes also include suggested questions to promote discussion and interaction.
This can be easily accomplished using Collaborate Plan!. It enables you to organize, script, and package content and activities BEFORE your real-time, online session. Learn more about Collaborate Plan! from our website.
6. Have a ‘Producer’ in Your Session
How about recruiting another instructor or student helper to manage technical support questions or troubleshoot problems? It’s also helpful to have someone manage questions and comments in the live chat area. Your helper can organize questions for you to answer later or address comments as they come, as well as list pertinent information, like a support phone number, instructor email address, important web link, or other resource.
7. Smile and Your Participants Will Smile with You
Be positive and energetic, and your students will catch your enthusiasm. Your voice is critical to setting the tone. Some moderators even stand up and walk around a bit during a session. Consider using your webcam to introduce yourself at the beginning of a session. And be sure to have a user profile with photo and contact information for participants to view. Encourage them to create their own profiles as well.
8. Record the Session
Collaborate Live! interactive recordings are almost like being there. And they are a great way to build reusable learning content. Your notes should include a reminder to start the recording at the beginning of every session. Provide the recording to students so that they can review the content, especially if they missed a session. You can even add indices during the live session to mark key sections in the recording. Consider creating additional recordings as tutorials to supplement your live sessions.
9. Run the Audio Wizard as Soon as You Join Your Session
Running the audio wizard before each session ensures your audio is working and the levels are correct, even if you just left a session. And have your participants do the same. You can even include instructions to do so on your session welcome slide.
10. Join Early
Get in the habit of joining your sessions early. It starts things off right when you greet participants as they join. It will also give you ample time to load content, set up breakout rooms, and test your webcam and video.