What you need to know NOW to prepare for upgrade to Blackboard Learn in fall 2012

Blackboard Learn is coming to MCC!

This new version of our course management system has many new teaching and learning tools you can use to help advance our goal of student success. Bb Learn offers course wikis, individual student blogs, and the ability to embed multimedia and web-based content from Flickr, YouTube, and Slideshare, as well as many other features that can not only help students achieve, but help make course preparation and management more efficient for you.

Please note the following information to help ensure a smooth transition from Blackboard Vista to Blackboard Learn. All course sections will be created in or migrated to Blackboard Learn for the fall 2012 semester.

Some Courses will use Learn this Fall

Unless you were trained last spring or summer to participate in the Rollout 1 phase this fall or the Rollout 2 phase in spring 2012, you will continue to use Blackboard Vista until fall 2012.

Please note that during in the phase-in period in fall 2011 and spring 2012, some of your students may be taking courses in both Learn and Vista.

All students are enrolled in Orientation shells complete with tutorials, documentation, and Help information for the applicable version(s) of Blackboard.

Staff at the 24/7 Help Desk (http://www.commnet.edu/portal/help)

and ETDL staff (sandbox@mcc.commnet.edu) will assist students with Learn and/or Vista questions.

When Should You Sign Up for Training?

Faculty members who currently use Blackboard Vista to support their on-campus courses will be trained in spring 2012. They should enroll in the Transitioning to Blackboard Learn workshop and the tools workshops listed below.

Faculty members who have never used Blackboard Vista may enroll in the Getting Started with Blackboard Learn and the tools workshops in spring 2012.

Which Workshops Should You Take?

Experienced Blackboard Vista faculty who only use Bb to support on-campus courses will want to enroll in the following workshops as soon as possible in spring 2012:

* Transitioning from Blackboard Vista to Blackboard Learn (a prerequisite for all Learn workshops)
* Communicate Information to Students
* Create and Grade Assignments
* Interact with Students Through Discussions

Faculty who have never used Blackboard Vista, but would like to use Blackboard Learn to enhance on-campus classes should enroll in Getting Started with Blackboard Learn in spring 2012. After you have completed the Getting Started workshop, you may enroll in:

* Communicate Information to Students
* Create and Grade Assignments
* Interact with Students Through Discussions

Workshop information, dates and registration are available on the course cart, which is frequently updated: http://www.commnet.edu/academics/iitt/coursecart.asp

Where is Training Offered?

ETDL will offer weekly training at MCC. Courses are listed in the Course Cart.

What Type of Support Will be Available?

* The ETDL staff will be available for one-on-consulting and troubleshooting after you have completed your training.
* Send requests for assistance or technical questions to sandbox@mcc.commnet.edu
* You will be provided with a "sandbox" course to practice in after you attend the initial "transitional training." You will receive guidance on how to review and update your migrated courses.
* You will be enrolled in an online Blackboard Learn Faculty Orientation course.
* Online resources (such as videos, courses, documentation) will supplement classroom-based training.

For More Information
Information about Blackboard Learn is at: http://www.commnet.edu/academics/blackboard/faculty/BbLearn_faqs_timeline.asp

New Cameras for the Sandbox!

It's a happy day here in the Ed. Tech. Department at Manchester Community College! Today is MCC's 47th Annual Commencement Ceremony! The sun is shining and the weather is warm (finally!). It is also a beautiful day because we got new cameras for the sandbox: 3 new flip cameras and 1 new Canon digital video camera. I know, the company that makes the flip cameras went belly up, but that doesn't mean we still cant get some use out of them. The flip cameras are actually a handy, powerful little camera! Hopefully we can have some fun with these cameras this summer. The new equipment is just in time for our new iMovie workshop scheduled for next Fall!

Please let us know if you are interested in using these new cameras. It's a wonderful day when I get to un-package and play with new cameras! :)
Thanks!

MacCaption for video captioning

This week the ETDL department has been working with the software MacCaption. Instructors from the Disability Specialist program here at MCC will use MacCaption to make the program videos accessible to all viewers on the web.

Captioning is a somewhat complicated and time-consuming process but is necessary to comply with accessibility standards. MaCaption is a relatively easy program to use and will improve our campus marketing videos as well as our program specific videos online.

If you are interested in learning how to use this software, contact the Sandbox at MCC.
You can also check out this short presentation (in pdf format) in Google documents HERE.

Please let the sandbox know if you have any questions regarding this or any other technology.

Learn about Prezi!

At MCC we are very excited about the new zooming presentation tool called Prezi. We regularly host hands-on workshops for those interested in using Prezi for educational purposes.
If you are interested in Prezi, you can create an account on http://prezi.com/profile/signup/edu/

With Prezi, you can animate your information in a dynamic way. It also simplifies your presentation and makes it visually interesting. You can add images, YouTube videos and more. Prezi is web-based, so you can count on your presentations being accessible on any computer with an internet connection. You can also print your Prezis as PDF documents and embed them in websites!

Check out this Prezi to see what it's all about!

Introduction to presenting with prezi v3 on Prezi