How to Enable and Use itunes U With Your Blackboard Course

Transcription

1 How to Enable and Use itunes U With Your Blackboard Course Please Note: Both instructors and students must download and install or have access to a computer with itunes. Please download and install itunes before beginning to set up your course. Handout objectives: 1. Enabling itunes U on Blackboard Establishing an itunes U Course Site. 3. Editing the itunes U Course Template. 4. Editing the itunes U Course Tabs. 5. Uploading Files on itunes U. 6. Creating an itunes U link from your Blackboard course. 1. Enabling itunes U on Blackboard 8. Log in on the CUNY portal, enter your credentials and click Log In. On Blackboard 8 under the Home page tab, on the right of the page you ll see the courses section and should click on the course for which you wish to enable itunes U. itunes U must be separately enabled for each course.

2 Now under the course, on the left of the page on the main menu click on Control Panel. In the Control Panel, go to Course Options and click on Manage tools. On the Manage Tools menu, click on Building Block Tool Availability. Scroll down on this menu; now check the itunes U course application check box to make it available in the tools section, and click Submit. You will get a Receipt: Success and then click OK. 2

3 You will be taken back to the Manage Tools menu and should now click on Content Type Availability. On the Content Type Availability menu scroll down and check the itunes U Link checkbox to make itunes U links available for insertion in content areas. Click on the Submit button. You will get a Receipt: Success and then click OK. Click OK the Manage Tools menu to return to the Control Panel. In the Control Panel, you will notice that there is now an itunes U tool available under Course Tools. 3

4 2. Establishing an itunes U Course Site. Click on the itunes U link under Course Tools to be taken to the itunes U Control Panel. Note: If you have previously created an itunes Course Site for some other Blackboard course, you will see previously created itunes U courses. You can copy this content over to a new course. If you do copy this content to a new course, the entire content will be copied including existing design, graphics, description, tabs, and audio and video files including student submissions. The title and course ID will reflect the new course. You can then modify or remove some of the old content to fit the new course. Be sure to delete old student content so that it is not available to the students in the new course. From the itunes U Control Panel, click on the Enable button and now your class has synchronized with your itunes U course site. You will get a Receipt: Success and then click OK Once a course is enabled in itunes U, you will see information about this course in the itunes U Control Panel including the number of audio, video and PDF files or tracks and the aggregate size on Apple s servers. Once the semester is over and the itunes U course site is no longer needed, you can go into the itunes U Control Panel and disable the course. 3. Editing the itunes U Course Template. When you are ready to begin using your itunes U course site, you will open it in itunes from within Blackboard. Since it is a private site and not publically available in the itunes store, it must get its authentication and permission from your Blackboard course. This means that only you and your students will have access to your itunes course site the same as you do for your Blackboard course. From the itunes U Control Panel click on the itunes U button next to Reveal in itunes to open your itunes U course site. 4

5 When the itunes U button is clicked, the itunes application installed on your computer will open and go to your course site. Your itunes U course site has been created using a template. To personalize the template page, click on EDIT PAGE. 5

6 When you are in edit mode, you will be able to see small gray pencil icons. You can click on these pencil icons to edit the name, description of the course and any links you wish to provide. When you are finished, click on the checkmark icon to save your changes. To upload a Course Image, click on the up arrow icon. Images must be PNG, JPEG, or GIF and must also have the correct file extension (.png,.jpg,.jpeg,.gif). For a better fit, crop an image that will match the 300 x 300 course image place holder. 300 x 300 When clicked, it will open a window within your browser where you can browse for the desired image. After navigating and selecting the image you wish to use, click Done. When you are finished editing the itunes U template, click END EDITING. 6

7 4. Editing the itunes U Course Tabs. In order to edit the tabs, click on EDIT PAGE. Next to the names of the tabs, you will see a pencil icon that when clicked will allow you to rename the tabs. When finished, click the check mark to save your changes. To add another Tab click on the circled plus, leave the type as Simple and then save the new tab by clicking the check mark next to the name you entered. For each tab, the Access options you select determine the permissions and actions a student can perform in the specific itunes U Group or Tab you have created. For example: No Access Students assigned No Access cannot see the Tab or Group. Only the instructor can see the group. Download Students assigned Download can access the Tab and download content from the Tab. Only the instructor can upload content to the Tab. 7

8 Drop Box Students assigned Drop Box can access the group and upload content to the group. Users with this permission see only the items they uploaded, not those of other users. Only the instructor can see all of the contents. Shared Students assigned Shared can access the Group or Tab and upload and download content from the group. Edit Students assigned Edit can access the group and upload, download, and delete content from the group. (Use with caution) 5. Uploading Files to itunes U. To upload a file on itunes U click on Upload and Manage Files. Although itunes U is particularly suited for audio and video files, any type of file may be added to your itunes U course site. When clicked, this option will open a window in your browser. Click on the tab under which you wish to add a file and then click on Add New File. The Browse option will appear. 8

9 Please read the Note about the size and format necessary to upload audio and video files. Find the file you want to upload, and click Done when finished. The file will be briefly queued and then uploaded. Depending on the file s size, it may take several minutes to upload. As files are uploaded, you will then see the names of the files along with icons used to modify the files. From this window, you can rename, delete files or move them to another group. When you go back into the itunes application, you will see the uploaded files under the tabs that you selected. 9

10 6. Creating an itunes U link to a Content Area in Blackboard. To create an itunes U link where students can access it, go to Control Panel. Under Content Areas, choose an area under which you would like to add an itunes link. The link can be added to any area you choose or you can create a new content area specifically for your itunes U file links. Note: When students click on the link, it will open your itunes U course site from where students can download and upload files depending on the access you have provided. From the content area page you have chosen, click on the drop down menu over to the right and select itunes U Link and click on the Go button. 10

11 Enter the Name of the link and the Instructions for the link letting the students know what you want them to do with the files in your itunes U course site. You must make the link Active for students to be able to view it. If you want, you can set up a starting and ending date for the link to be available. Link added to a content area that opens the itunes U course site Students can now click on this link and be taken into the itunes U course where they can download any materials you have provided and upload materials into a drop box or shared area if you decided to allow that function. Be sure to remind students that they must have itunes installed on their computer to access the itunes course site. You can add new materials to your itunes U course site anytime you wish and provide links from within Blackboard. These materials can then be re-used in subsequent semesters by copying them into the new itunes U course site. (See #2 above for information.) If you require further information or assistance, please contact Donna Dickinson, the itunes U System Administrator, at Ext or by at ddickinson@bmcc.cuny.edu. This handout is partly based on content provided by Vanderbilt University and Jetmir Troshani of LaGuardia Community College. 11