Convert and Archive a Blackboard Collaborate recording in D2L

Transcription

1 These instructions outline the steps to convert Blackboard Collaborate recordings created in a D2L course from the native Collaborate format (.collab) to an MP4 video or MP3 audio format. You'll need to download and install Blackboard Collaborate Publish to convert your recordings. Step 1: Obtaining Blackboard Collaborate Publish 1. Navigate to the Blackboard Collaborate Publish webpage. 2. Under the Get Blackboard Collaborate Publish heading, select the download link that applies to your operating system. The software is available for both Windows and Mac users. If you need assistance in determining your version of Windows (32-bit or 64-bit), please log an ihelp ticket. 3. Download and install the software on your machine. It will show up as Elluminate Publish! on your Start menu. Step 2: Get the Session Recording Link 1. Navigate to the Online Rooms area of your D2L course. 2. Click on the session/online room that contains an archive that you wish to convert. (D2L refers to Blackboard Collaborate Recordings as archives.) Click on the menu icon next to the room name and select View Archives from the list. 3. Click on the archive that you wish to convert.

2 4. A new browser window/tab will open. If you are prompted to open the.collab playback file, click Cancel to return to the browser window. 5. In the new browser tab/window that opened, copy the entire recording link from the address bar. You will use that link in step 3. Step 3: Use Publish to Convert the Recording to MP4 or MP3 format 1. Open the Blackboard Collaborate Publish software on your machine. It can be found in the Start menu as Elluminate Publish! 2. Paste the recording link into the Recording field and hit the <enter> key. 3. The software will validate the link and copy a file to your hard drive.

3 4. Once it's finished, the name of the session/online room will display directly below the Recording field. 5. Choose the option(s) that you desire for the conversion process. You may choose one or more of the available options. The two options recommended for session archival are: Create Multimedia Files: This will create a video file of the whiteboard and/or application sharing (PowerPoint slides) that were displayed on the screen during the session. The video will include the session audio. Select Application Sharing and Whiteboard. If you want transcript of the chat, select Chat in the Transcripts area Change the format to MP4. It is recommended that you select Automatic Level Control, Scale Up Images, and Optimize for desktop. Create Audio File: This option will create an audio file of the session audio. There will be no visuals. Change the format to MP3 (64 kbps). Automatic Level Control is recommended.

4 6. Click Convert. 7. You will be prompted to select the location to save the files. Because of their size, it s recommended that you save these files to a folder on your hard drive, or on an external drive. In the example below, the files will be saved to a folder on an external drive. Do not save the files to your H drive. Click Convert after choosing the location. 8. As the file is converted, the Publish software must remain open! In addition, the computer must remain awake and connected to the internet throughout the process. 9. When the conversion has completed, you will be prompted to open the folder containing the converted files. Click Yes to view the files that were created. It is recommended that you open the file and play the video to verify that it plays correctly.

5 Notes: Audio files will generally convert within in few minutes. Videos files will convert in real-time playback, plus processing time. You may notice the session playing on your machine without audio. Please leave this window open. Because of the way Publish names the files, it is recommended that you create a folder for each recording you convert. Failure to do this could result in overwriting already converted files.