© 2008 blackboard inc. presenting content © 2008 blackboard inc. k-12

© 2008 Blackboard Inc.

Presenting Content


K-12

© Blackboard Inc. 2008

Workshop Roadmap

Welcome to the Presenting Content workshop!

This workshop contains five sections:

– Student Experience

– Planning Your Content

– Creating Web-Friendly Content

– Building Learning Units

– Creating a Glossary


Student Experience


Student Experience: Learning Outcomes

After completing this section, you’ll be able to:

– access a learning unit as a student

– view content in a learning unit

– view a glossary


Student Experience: Accessing Learning Units

Students typically access learning units from Content Areas.


Student Experience: Viewing Content in a Learning Unit

Students can view content sequentially or non-sequentially.

If links are available in the Table of Contents, the learning unit can be viewed non-sequentially.

For sequential viewing advance to the next page.


Student Experience: Viewing a Glossary

A glossary helps students find definitions for class- related terms in one convenient location.

A glossary link can appear either:

On the Class Menuor in Class Tools

Within a Content Area or learning unit


Student Experience: Hands-On Activity

In the Student Class, complete the following:

Learning Units

– From the Class Menu, select the Units Content Area

– View the Unit 2: The American Identity learning unit

– Compare the two Ellis Island Fact Sheets and identify key differences

Glossary – From the Class Menu, select Glossary. Search for terms starting with the letter “S.”


Planning Your Content


Planning Your Content: Learning Outcomes


– write a class goal

– write a class objective

– analyze your students’ needs

– evaluate your materials for online use

– storyboard a class

– create a learning unit example


Planning Your Goals & Objectives

Clearly defined goals and objectives are critical toan online class.

Class Goals - general statement about learning outcomes

Example: Upon completion of this class, studentswill be able to describe the main differences between mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds.

Class Objectives - statement about learner behavior

Example: Students will be able to use the Theory of Elliptical Functions to construct a proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem.


Planning Your Content: Hands-On Activity

To help you write effective class objectives,

remember the acronym SMART:

S pecific

M easurable

A chievable

R elevant

T imely


Planning Your Content: Knowing Your Students

If you are not in a face-to-face situation, you should carefully consider your students beforehand. You might ask:

– background of related classes

– types of computers and Internet connections

– ESL students

– assistive technology being used



Discuss similarities and differences in the content presentation for two types of classes:

Scenario - You are teaching an online history class titled Emperors of Ancient Rome.

Class 1: Most students live near the school, in an urban center; none have taken an introductory history class; some have moderate learning disabilities(dyslexia, attention deficit disorder) and a few have low vision.

Class 2: Many students do not live near the school and will be logging in from rural areas; most have taken an introductory history class; some ESL students.


Planning Your Content: Gathering Materials

Be certain your materials are web-ready and can be modified. Do you have:

– lessons in HTML format

– lessons in Microsoft® PowerPoint®

presentations

– images in digital format

– permission to distribute your materials online



Determine which materials are ready to use in your online course. Indicate their current format:

— Word® document, HTML, handwritten, and so on.

Resource Current vs. Desired Format

Need to Create

N/A

Lecture notes

External web links

Reading assignments

Other assignments

Tests

PowerPoint presentations

Course Cartridge

Images


Planning Your Content: Organizing Content

The easiest way to visualize the flow of your class isthrough the storyboard.

The storyboard should contain:

– an overview of each page's content

– linear or hierarchical flow of subject matter

– steps students will take to learn the material

– tools and methods connected with each objective


Planning Your Content: Storyboard Examples

Example 1: Chronological Storyboard



Example 2: Subject Area Storyboard



Example 3: Content Type Storyboard


Planning Your Content: Storyboard Mapping

Now take your storyboard and map it into Blackboard.

You can do this using either learning units or Content Areas. In this workshop we will use learning units.

First, let’s compare them…


Planning Your Content: Learning Unit vs. Content Area

Learning Unit Content Area

Location in a class

– In Content Area – On Class Menu or in Content Area

Organizing content

– You can view content sequentially or non- sequentially

– A learning unit can open in a new window

– Content can be viewed only in random order (non- sequentially)

Folders – Learning units can’t contain folders

– Content Areas can contain folders

Adaptive Release

– Adaptive Release can be applied to a learning unit

–You cannot apply Adaptive Release to an entire Content Area. If the Content Area is available on the Class Menu, it can be accessed.

Table of Contents

– Each learning unit has a Table of Contents

– No Table of Contents


Planning Your Content: Storyboard Mapping

This learning unit example can be used as areference when planning learning units for

your class.



Create a storyboard for your class using one

of the three storyboard styles discussed earlier:

– Subject area

– Chronological

– Content type


Creating Web-Friendly Content


Creating Web-Friendly Content: Learning Outcomes


– explain the meaning of accessibility

– create more accessible pages for your class

– design web pages that make effective use of text, typography, layout, color and graphics


Creating Web-Friendly Content: Effective Design

Well-designed web pages can help achieve:

– ease of learning

– efficiency of use

– subjective satisfaction

– accessibility



Accessibility – degree to which a system is usable

by as many people as possible without their having

to make changes to it

Web pages should be equally usable by:

– people with disabilities

– people with different backgrounds and needs

– people who are using older technology

– people who are logging in from rural locations



There are five elements common to well-designed web pages:

– text written for the web

– simple typography

– simple layout

– well-chosen color scheme

– graphics that are worth a 1000 words

Reference: http://www.webdesignfromscratch.com/current-style.cfm



Text written for the web:

– Write brief sentences; adopt a conversational

style

– Avoid jargon and complex language

– Keep paragraphs short and simple; break pages into sub-categories

– Put important content above the fold

– Avoid abbreviations and acronyms

– Highlight key words

– Keep external links current



Simple Typography

– Use no more than three different font types

– Make sure the fonts you use are installed on most computers

– Choose sans-serif for body text

– Avoid underlining since links are underlined

– Don’t over-italicize

– Avoid CAPITALIZATION



Simple, Straightforward Layout

– Keep pages clean and uncluttered

– Use lots of white space

– Use block style paragraphs

– Be consistent across pages

– Avoid nested tables



Well-Chosen Color Scheme

– Use consistent color

– Use light shade for background

– Use different colors for each of the three link

statuses: visited, active, and static

– Use alternating colors in rows or columns of

a data table

– Consider the age of your students and

choose colors that appeal to them



Graphics that are worth 1000 words

– Use simple graphics that mean something

– Crop photos when possible

– Use thumbnails to link to larger versions

– Save pictures in the right format


Creating Web-Friendly Content: Hands-On Activity

In your Practice Class, complete the following:

Access the content From the Units Content Area, select the Unit 1: Astronomy Overview folder. Then select the Planets folder.

In Edit View, click Modify by the item

Update the content

Use the Visual Text Box Editor:

– adjust the layout

– add sub-headings

– put info into bulleted lists

– incorporate tables or add color so the article is easier to read online


Building Learning Units


Building Learning Units: Learning Outcomes

After completing this section, you will be able to:

– add a learning unit to your class

– add items, files, external links, and other content to a learning unit

– arrange and remove items within a learning unit


Building Learning Units: Adding a Learning Unit

You can add learning units to Content Areas.

Add the learning unit name, description, and choose any options


Building Learning Units: Adding an Item

An item can be:

– text you enter, an attached file, or both


Building Learning Units: Adding a File

Adding a file is particularly useful if you have created

content pages outside of the Blackboard Learning

System™.

The file’s name appears in the learning unit’s Table of

Contents.


Building Learning Units: Hands-On Activity

You will begin to build a new learning unit and addit to the Units Content Area.

Create the learning unit & add an item

– Add a new learning unit titled Unit 3: Gas Giants

– Add an item titled Introduction and enter text:

Unit Overview: This unit looks at several planets.

Add files – Add the following files:

Uranus.htm

Saturn.htm

Jupiter.htm

Neptune.htm


Building Learning Units: Adding an External Link

You can add an external link to any websites or Internet resources relevant to the learning unit.

Tips:

– URL must include the protocol, such as http://

– Open an external link in a new window to minimize navigation problems

for students


Building Learning Units: Adding a Test or Survey

A test can provide immediate feedback to a student,while a survey can provide feedback to the teacher.

You can create a new test or add an existing one.


Building Learning Units: Adding Other Content & Tools

Consider adding activities and tools that promote

interactive learning and collaboration, such as:

– assignments or group projects to give

students an opportunity to apply what

they’ve studied in a learning unit

– collaboration tools, such as chat sessions

and discussion topics


Building Learning Units : Hands-On Activity

In the Unit 3 learning unit, add the following content:

– Unit 3 Self-Test

– An external link to http://www.iceplanet.com

– Unit 3 Discussion Board


Building Learning Units: Changing Content Order

Content appears in the order it was added, but you can change the order.

Select a number to change the content order


Building Learning Units: Removing Content

You can remove learning unit items and files no longer needed. This process cannot be reversed.


Building Learning Units: Hands-On Activity

From within the new learning unit you just created:

– remove the link to www.iceplanet.com

– reorder the planet pages so they display in alphabetical order


Creating a Glossary


Creating a Glossary: Learning Outcomes


– add glossary terms

– upload a glossary

– modify or remove glossary terms


Creating a Glossary: Adding a Term

You can add one glossary term at a time.

Tips:

– Make the glossary tool available so students can access it

– Use the spell checker


Creating a Glossary: Uploading a Glossary

For a larger glossary, you can upload a file

containing all or most of the terms, and then update

it manually.

– Enter terms and definitions in a spreadsheet

– Save the file in CSV format

– Upload the file in the Glossary Manager


Creating a Glossary: Modifying or Removing a Glossary Term

You can remove or modify glossary terms one at a

time. If you need to make extensive updates, you

can download the glossary to your computer and

re-upload it.


Creating a Glossary: Hands-On Activity

– Add the following glossary term:

Orbit - An orbit is a closed path an objecttakes as it revolves around another body. Orbits are generally elliptical, but may bealtered by the presence of yet other bodiesand even form unusual figures.

– Upload the glossary file provided


Workshop Wrap Up


Workshop Wrap Up: Big Picture Review

From the student interface, you learned how to:

– access a learning unit as a student

– view content in a learning unit

– view a glossary



And as a teacher, you learned how to:

– write a class goal and objective

– analyze your students’ needs

– storyboard a class

– explain the meaning of accessibility

– create more accessible pages

– design web pages that make effective use of text, typography, layout, color, and graphics



You also learned how to:

– add a learning unit to your class

– add items, files, external links, and other content to a learning unit

– arrange or remove items within a learning unit

– add, modify, or remove glossary terms

– upload a glossary


Workshop Wrap Up: Let’s Review

What tool will you use if you want content to beviewed sequentially?

Answer: Learning units can be set to be viewed sequentially or non-sequentially.

Will your students be allowed to view material non-sequentially?



What is a good way to visualize the flow of yourclass?

Answer: Storyboarding

How will you organize your learning units?



List three of the five elements of a well-designed web page.

Answer: Text written for web, simple typography andlayout, well-chosen graphics and color scheme What will you do to ensure accessibility for all in yourclass?



If adding a file to your learning unit, what is the bestformat for it?

Answer: Web-friendly, such as HTML

Will you have an end-of-class survey for studentfeedback?



Where can you put a glossary in your class?

Answer: On the Class Menu, within a Content Area, or in a learning unit

Will you upload your glossary or add words one at atime?


Wrap Up: Q & A

Now I will answer your questions.


Workshop Wrap Up: Resources

For K-12 newsletters, user groups, and more:

http://www.blackboard.com/k12

Support:

http://behind.blackboard.com


Workshop Wrap Up: Feedback

Workshop evaluation and feedback:

– Email address:

– Phone number:

© 2008 blackboard inc. presenting content © 2008 blackboard inc. k-12

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