Student Guide to Collaborate Collaborate is a tool that integrates Blackboard Collaborate into OWL, providing an interactive online learning environment. Instructors use it to create virtual classrooms and meeting rooms. You will be able to access live audio, video, share applications, and use an interactive whiteboard. To use Collaborate you will need the following equipment: A PC or Mac computer with high speed Internet access Multimedia playback capabilities (video/audio) A microphone/headset A webcam (optional) 1. Technical Requirements To use Collaborate, you will need to make sure that your computer is configured correctly. Please note: We strongly recommend using Firefox as your browser for Collaborate sessions It is available to download for free at https://www.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/new/ for both PC and Mac Check your operating system: PC: Windows XP, Vista, 7, and 8 are supported. Mac: Mac OS 10.7, 10.8 and 10.9 are supported. Check your Java: You must also have an updated version of Java for your computer (both Mac and Windows). Java is a programming language and computing platform that many applications and websites use. To determine if you have the latest version of Java on your computer, please go to: https://www.java.com/en/download/installed.jsp and click the Verify Java version button If you do not have the latest version, the Java website will prompt you to download the latest version for your Operating System. To view the minimum requirements, please visit: http://support.blackboardcollaborate.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptid=8336&t ask=knowledge&questionid=2890 To check if your computer is ready to use for Collaborate sessions, please visit http://support.blackboardcollaborate.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptid=8336&t ask=knowledge&questionid=1473 1
2. Joining an Collaborate Session In your course OWL site, click on Collaborate in the left side menu. Your available sessions will be displayed. Sessions that you can enter will be a clickable link. If a link is not available, the session is not ready to join or has expired. To join your session, click on the Session name. In the window that appears on the right side of the page, click the Join button. Alternatively, your instructor may choose to send you a direct link (URL) to access the session. All Collaborate sessions require the use of the Blackboard Collaborate Launcher. When you use Collaborate for the first time, you will be forwarded to the Blackboard Collaborate site for download. Select your operating system (Windows or Mac) and download the launcher. Detailed instructions for each operating system are located in Appendix A at the end of this document. Once you have downloaded the launcher, return to your OWL site and select Join again. A.collab file will be downloaded to your computer. This file is required to run the session. It will be downloaded every time you participate in a new session and run by the Launcher. 3. Getting to know Collaborate When you enter Collaborate, you will see three sections on the left side of the screen: 2
1. Audio & Video a. You can configure your audio settings by running the Audio Setup Wizard (Tools > Audio > Audio Setup Wizard) b. You can configure your video settings through the Camera Settings (Tools > Video > Camera Settings ) c. To talk in Collaborate, click the Talk button. You will see movement in the grey bar above the talk button if your audio is on. To adjust your microphone or speaker button, use the two grey sliders above the Talk and Video buttons. d. To show video from your webcam, click the video button. 2. Participants a. This will show you a list of the participants in the Collaborate session. It will also tell you who is moderating the Collaborate. b. There are four main icons in the participants window: 1. Show emotion: use this to indicate your mood 2. Step away from the session: use this if you have to step away from your computer for a moment 3. Raise hand: use this if you have a question or comment for the moderator 4. Respond to poll: use this if the instructor has provided a poll question for you to complete. 1 2 3 4 3
3. Chat a. You can chat with other participants in this screen. The right side of Collaborate is the whiteboard. Your instructor can use this to draw, write, upload photos, or PowerPoint presentations. They may choose to also allow you to draw, write, or upload resources. When your session is finished, close the Blackboard Collaborate launcher to log out. 4. Recorded Sessions Your instructor may record your session. If so, the recording can be found in your course OWL Site in the Collaborate tool. Click on the Recordings button in the top menu to see any archived Collaborate sessions. 5. Need help? Please contact the elearning Technology Centre! Our team can help you work through technical difficulties you may be having. You can contact us by: Email: edu.tech.support@uwo.ca Phone: 519-661-2111 x84839 etc staff are in the office Monday to Friday from 8:00am 4:30pm EST. If your request is after hours, please email the etc staff, and we will reply to you as soon as possible. 4
Appendix A 1. Blackboard Collaborate Launcher for Windows On the Blackboard Collaborate Launcher download page, select Windows as your operating system and click the Download button. The program should automatically download. Once it is complete, open and run the installer. After running the installer, you will be prompted to begin the Blackboard Collaborate Launcher Setup. Select Next to continue. 5
On the next page, click on Install to install the launcher. Once the installation is complete, select Finish to continue. Return to the OWL site and select Join again to launch your session. A.collab file will be downloaded to your computer automatically. Open the.collab file to start the Collaborate session. 2. Blackboard Collaborate Launcher for Mac On the Blackboard Collaborate Launcher download page, select Mac as your operating system and click the Download button. You will be brought to the next page with the following instructions: 6
Find the downloaded installer in your Downloads folder and double click on the installer. A pop-up message will appear. Click the Open button to install the Launcher. After you select Open, another pop-up message will appear. Select Move to Applications Folder to move the launcher to your Applications folder. Return to the OWL site and select Join again to launch your session. A.collab file will be downloaded to your computer automatically. Open the.collab file to start the Collaborate session. 7