BlackBoard Question of the Week

Q. I have embedded an IgNation video in Blackboard. It starts to play, then stops right away and I see the Pause button instead of the Play button. How can I play this video?

A. Videos in Blackboard may take a very long time to download, during which time you will see the Pause button. To speed up viewing of videos, instead of embedding, add a link to the video:

1. Go to the content area when you want to post the video.
2. Click the Build Content tab, then Create > URL.
3. Enter the name of the video and the URL.
4. Select Yes for Open in New Window.
5. Click Submit.

Q. I would like to create a short instructional video of information from a website with me talking in the background. Any suggestions for how I might do that and make the video available to my students in Blackboard? 

A. There are several options for making a video with narration and screen capture: 

• - There is free software available online at Screenr  that allows you to up to 5 minute clips of screen capture with narration. Screenr produces a flash file that can be uploaded to Blackboard. 
• - An option you will find inside Blackboard is Wimba Voice Presentation, which allows you to add narration and text to a selection of URLs. You can add a Voice Presentation in any Blackboard content area under “Add Interactive Tool.” For a quick video tutorial on adding a Voice Presentation, visit http://www.wimba.com/assets/videos/Presenter/Presenter.html . For text instructions, visit page 8 of the Wimba Voice Tools User Guide http://www.wimba.com/assets/resources/BB_42_User_Guide_91.pdf
• - We also have software — Camtasia Studio and Captivate —  and a recording room available for Loyola faculty and staff at the Lakeshore campus that will enable you to record narration and screen capture.  For more information and to reserve the room, please contact Blackboard@luc.edu.

Q. I have posted a WMV file  in Blackboard that one of my students cannot access – she uses a Mac. Is there anything I can do to make it possible for her to view the video?

A. Macs cannot play Windows Media Videos, but there is a free media player called Flip4Mac WMV that your student can use to convert and view your video. You can find an ITS Technology Tip with  instructions for downloading the player at  http://blogs.luc.edu/techtips/2011/07/15/play-windows-media-files-on-your-mac/