Getting Started with Blackboard 9.1

Add a Blog and Wiki

In addition to Discussion Boards, Blackboard 9.1 includes other exciting tools to help increase communication and collaboration in your online courses. Asynchronous tools (discussion boards, wikis, blogs and journals) allow students to communicate at different times. They are not required to be using the tool at the same time.

While the asynchronous communication tools have similarities, there are some important differences. In order to determine which communication tool (discussion, journal, blog, or wiki) would best meet the lesson objectives, you should familiarize yourself with the features and potential uses for each. The following document provides a brief description of each tool: Comparison of Asynchronous Communication Tools (pdf)

Important: As with all tools in your course, when using these tools in your course, make sure you include a link in the course menu either directly to the tool used or to the general tools area so students can access them.

There are two ways that students can access these tools. If you provide a Tools link, students can access the item, provided you it set to "Show". You can also provide a link in a course content area. The activities in this section guide you through the process to both create and link the items directly in a content area in the course.

Now, let's look at how journals, blogs, and wikis work in Blackboard.

Journals

A Journal is generally used as a reflective tool, where students might report their progress or learning experiences, and while it can be shared with other students, the journal is usually shared with the instructor only.

The following tutorials show you how to create and comment on journal entries:

Blogs

A Blog can be set up for individual students or for the entire class. This tool allows students to make and comment on posts. Posts can be organized by topic, entry date, and tags. The Blog tool allows grading.

The following tutorials show you how to create, edit and comment on blogs:

Wikis

A Wiki allows students to create a Website together. Students can add content, edit content, and leave comments. Instructors can also grade students using the Wiki tool. The Wiki allows you to view the history of content additions and edits to help you assess student participation.

The following tutorials show you how to create, manage and grade Wikis:

After completing the activities below, move to the next item for your selected training.

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Activities to Complete

For this activity, you will complete 1) a Blog and 2) a Wiki.

Create an Individual Blog

  1. Enter the Lessons section of the course
  2. Enter the Lesson 1 folder
  3. Select Blog under the Add Interactive Tool button
  4. Select the Create New Blog button
  5. Provide a name and instructions
  6. Set the Blog availability to "Yes"
  7. Select Individual to All Students as the blog type
  8. Select to index entries Weekly
  9. Select to make this a graded Blog and designate the points possible
  10. Click the Submit button after you complete the settings

Create a Wiki

  1. Enter the Lessons section of the course
  2. Enter the Lesson 1 folder
  3. Select Wiki under the Add Interactive Tool button
  4. Select the Create New Wiki button
  5. Provide a name and instructions
  6. Set the Wiki availability to "Yes"
  7. Set student access Open to Editing
  8. Select to make this a graded Wiki and designate the points possible
  9. Click the Submit button after you complete the settings

NOTE: As stated earlier, students can access journals, blogs, and wikis through a course menu link to the Tools Area or through a direct menu item link to the specific tool. You can also link to these items in a content area (lessons, modules, etc.) by selecting "Add Interactive Tool". From there, select the appropriate tool (Blog, Journal, or Wiki) and select the correct item or link to the page containing all Wikis or all Blogs or all Journals.

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Supplemental Information (synchronous tools)

Some tools (chat, virtual classroom, third party conferencing tools), require users to be online at the same time to effectively use them.

Chat

Blackboard has a basic text chat tool, which can be accessed from the Collaboration link under Course Tools in the Control Panel. By default, it will be named "Office Hours".

Virtual Classroom

The virtual classroom includes basic text chat and a whiteboard area and provides the ability to open Web sites for Web tours. The virtual classroom can be accessed from the Collaboration link under Course Tools in the Control Panel.

Third Party Conferencing Tools

In addition to the synchronous tools built into Blackboard, there are third-party (both paid and free) Web conferencing tools that offer whiteboards, audio, video, screen sharing and more. Some instructors adopt one of these to old study sessions, office hours and training. Below are some options. There are many others, but these provide at more than a few seats for the free versions:

 

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