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How to distribute learning materials using the Blackboard Content System

2009/09/22 Leave a comment

I needed to make a large set of textbook mp3 files accessible to myself in the classroom, as well as to students and myself from dorm/home.

The Blackboard Content System makes this easy, while observing copyright restrictions.

Below is a 6-minute narrated screencast on how to set up and use the Blackboard Content System to easily (work on batches of files on the web, just like on your computer, access from office, classrooms or home office) and securely (allow access only to qualified students)  handle multimedia files

The example involves numerous mp3 files from a Textbook Audio CD previously only accessible from the LLC computers)).

This would work as well with your self-created teaching materials, from text handouts to video recordings.

If you need better management (many files, reuse across terms) than the standard course document upload can provide.

See the video file name for a brief table of contents:

blackboard_content_system_create_webfolder_add_files_grant_permissions_to_students-add-content-collection-to-course.wmv

If the teaching material item is already in the content collection, to publish it to a new course:

  1. add a new item to a content area of the course,
  2. follow the numbered steps 1-4 in this screenshot:
  3. then click submit twice: first close the content system window with , to automatically give your students access to the files: , then finish adding
Categories: e-learning, erepository, Institution-is-Loyola-University-Maryland, lms, Screencasts, service-is-learning-materials-creation Tags: , ,

Digital videos on network share

2009/02/24 Leave a comment
  • interpreting mock conference speech videos are now available in an improved format
    • small file size -> portable: videos compressed to the equivalent of 360mb/hr, which makes them easily accessible
      • wherever you can access the local network (classrooms, your office, library: I uploaded all 6 videos in 2 minutes)
      • or copy to a USB stick to take home (or, in the future, go into an Weblearn e-repository)
    • widely compatible:
    • searchable teaching material eRepository (poor man’s version):
      • filename of video contains date, speaker, language
      • catalogue of videos in the spreadsheet online_resources.xls
        • students can read,
        • instructors [if you do not have access, request it from ictservicesdesk for \\lgu.ac.uk\lgu$\multimedia%20student) can write (in green cells, to provide “metadata” to students for searching: topic, exercise types, difficulty rating), or else request write permission  from x4444
        • catalogue layout is subject to review. 17/04/2009: I updated, the metadata columns, following the example of SIMON, the “Shared Interpreting Materials Online” Database that ETI is developing:
        • title
          speaker
          date
          venue
          modality
          language( combination)
          (progression) level
          (particular) skill (trained)
    • have your students access the videos through the blog link here.
  • we could also collect recorded satellite tv in this form (see Spanish video sample from TVE in spreadsheet online_resources.xls – and probably should, especially if you want flexibility in adapting the materials pedagogically and reusing them -, both
Categories: assessments, erepository, Institution-is-London-Metropolitan-University, Interpreting, service-is-assessing, service-is-learning-materials-creation, service-is-library, Spreadsheets, Translation, Videos Tags: , , , , ,

Learning materials management: Online_resources.xls II: E-repository (2006-7)

2009/02/17 Leave a comment

I participated in the implementation of a “ learning object” repository – is there such a thing as a learning “object”  in a progression-oriented field like SLA? Anyhow, the software of choice was Equella which, as I read on the listservs, is favored by Blackboard Admins for its Blackboard module and is supposed to provide the primary interface to the equella for instructors in their Blackboard course websites.

Since this did not get implemented during my time, we used what seems primarily the admin-interface and, since equella does not come with one, attempted to implement a metadata schema, based on the prior work of an LLAS-sponsored group. We also soon found that despite complexity, the metadata schema was still lacking (E.g. you won’t get through French 101 without several sections on “Negation”. nor German, nor Spanish etc.).

Excel to the rescue once more: Here is a spreadsheet in action that not only allows adding, tagging, searching and filtering links to, once more – easier than to make your own – web-based exercises, but now also allows the collaborative building of a metadata schema. But alas, the number of fields is growing again.

Categories: e-learning, erepository, Institution-is-Aston-University, learning-materials, service-is-library, Spreadsheets Tags: , ,