Using Blackboard Collaborate in a teaching venue
Lecture theatres are equipped with a camera and lectern boundary microphones that can be used with Blackboard Collaborate if you wish to record a lecture and/or connect with students who may be participating remotely.
See the venue listing here to know the equipment in each, to help you select the correct AV peripheral camera and microphone for using with Bb Collaborate.
Tips:
- Get into the venue, log in and start the virtual classroom session early.
- Check the audio and video settings and ask remote students if they can hear you. Learn more below.
Google Chrome web browser is required for Blackboard Collaborate.
Quick start on using Bb Collaborate in a lecture theatre
- Press ON in the Control Panel
- Select PC on the Control Panel
Log into the Lecture Theatre Computer
- On the lecture theatre PC, please log into Blackboard and go to your module
- Create a new BB collaborate session or join an existing session (Usually called Virtual Classroom).
- Once in the Session (or as you are joining), go to Settings and select: Audio & Video settings.
- Select: Setup your Camera & Microphone
Select your Microphone and Camera
Select the microphone specified for your venue as your microphone
You should see the microphone green bar indicator change when you speak.
Select the correct Camera (see illustration below)
You should see an image of yourself when the above camera has been selected.
Now you can enable the camera and microphone in the normal way (controls on bottom of window)
Share Content
You have two options to share content. You can share a file or share an application.
Need to access your OneDrive files? See how here.
You can opt to share a file (and it is a good idea to have your file pre-loaded before you arrive in the venue, so you can quickly and easily share it here now). This is the easiest way to present, and using the duplicate mode, both your in-class and remote students will have the same view of your materials.
This section describes how to Share Application to present in Bb Collaborate, and easily navigate between windows in a lecture theatre setting. Using the duplicate mode (the default in the venue), you can use Windows+Tab keys to switch back and forth between Bb Collaborate and your Powerpoint presentation quickly and easily.
2.1. Open both applications on the lecture theater PC
Firstly, open up Bb Collaborate, and enter your virtual classroom.
Secondly, open up your presentation in PowerPoint, and start the presentation, by going "View Slideshow".
2.2. Change your view to see both applications
Press Windows+Tab (two keys at same time)
This shows all the open applications running on the computer at this time.
You will notice there are two PowerPoints showing - one is the full screen slide and the other is the file with all your slides
2.3. Select Bb Collaborate
Select the Bb Collaborate window
The Bb Collaborate window will then appear on top of your slide
Turn on camera and microphone in Bb Collaborate (if you haven't already), with the correct peripheral camera and mic selected for your venue.
2.4. Start your Application Share
Select the option to Share Application in Collaborate
Click on ‘Window’
You will then see the picture of your full slide. Select it.
You will now be sharing the actual presentation slides in Bb Collaborate to remote students.
2.5. Start the Recording (Optional)
Press Windows+Tab (two keys at same time) again to return to the Bb Collaborate window to start the recording.
2.6. Return to Powerpoint and begin your lecture
Press Windows+Tab (two keys at same time) to again to return to your Powerpoint presentation.
At any stage if you want to go to Collaborate to see if any messages typed by remote students (if doing that) then you can Windows+Tab into it and back to PowerPoint, as frequently as you wish.
At the end go back to Bb collaborate to stop the recording.
