BlackBoard Question of the Week

Q. A student asked me if there was any way that she could download my Powerpoint lectures from Blackboard onto a CD so that she can listen to them in the car on her way to and from work. Is this possible? 

A. The answer depends on the format of your narrated Powerpoint lectures.  If they were created in Articulate, they are Flash files and cannot be downloaded (but if you saved the source files in Articulate, the audio files should still be there in a separate folder and you could post those for download).

But if you recorded your lectures in Powerpoint, they can be converted to mp4, which is a format that can be downloaded. You could post those files directly in your Blackboard course, or you could set up an iTunes U area for your course and post them there. Students who wanted to load them onto their ipods could do that in iTunes, or any of your students could download the files and then burn them to a CD.

For assistance with file conversion Loyola faculty should email blackboard@luc.edu.

For instructions for setting up a Loyola iTunes U area, please visit iTunes U in Blackboard.

Q. I have loaded Powerpoint presentations in Wimba Classroom, then realized I want to make changes; the result is that I have two or  three versions of a presentation in Wimba.  Is there a way to delete the ones I don’t want?

A. Here’s how to remove Powerpoint presentations from Wimba Classroom:

1. Log into Blackboard and click on Wimba Classroom.
2. Click on the room where you have uploaded your Powerpoint slides.
   Before you click on Enter Room, you will see a button for Add and Manage Content toward the top of the window .
3. Click the Add and Manage Content button.
4. Click Add and Manage Room Content.
5. In the Modify Room window, click on the trashcan icon to the right of the presentation you want to remove, then click OK to remove it.

Q. I will need to miss a couple of sessions of my Fall 2011 class. Is there any way I can pre-record and upload a lecture for students to listen to in my absence? 

A. If you are using Powerpoint slides, Articulate will allow you  to record your slides and narration and save your presentation in a compressed format that will be easier for students to access than if you record directly into Powerpoint. Articulate is available in the Digital Media Room in the Granada Center and Loyola faculty can reserve the room and get assistance with recording by emailing blackboard@luc.edu. Instructions for recording can be found at Narrating Powerpoint in Articulate . 

Another option for recording a lecture is Wimba Live Classroom, which gives you the option to record your slides and narration directly into Blackboard. You can find instructions for recording and posting at  Record a Presentation with Wimba Live Classroom .

Q. I’m considering submitting a PowerPoint presentation for an assignment. The assignment is to be posted on the discussion board. Are there any compatibility issues? I’m using PowerPoint 2003. Should I avoid using builds, transitions and animations?
 

A. You can attach your PowerPoint file with builds, transitions, and animations to a discussion board post. Anyone in your class who has either PowerPoint 2003 or 2007 should be able to view your presentation. If there is anyone who does not have PowerPoint, they can download a free viewer from Microsoft.