The e-mail functions can be accessed via the Tools area or the Control Panel (Course Tools).
Clicking on All Users will send an e-mail to every student registered for the class; Select Users allows you to select individual users.
Although you send the e-mail out from Blackboard, it goes to the students' regular Hamilton e-mail accounts, so that they can read it anywhere. Note: The outgoing message will NOT appear in your Out or Send box, but a copy of the e-mail will be automatically sent to the sender.
The All/Select Groups and other options will be active if groups (or other special users) have been defined. It is also possible to attach files to an e-mail.
Discussion Board
Discussion Boards enable you or your students to post Discussion Questions or a Disucussion Article and discuss it at anytime. The comments generated are posted as individual "threads" and can be read and responded to at anytime. Blackboard's Discussion Board is subdivided into Forums (one per topic or question, for example) and each forum is further subdivided into threads (comments and responses on the same issue). There are many features available with the Discussion Board; what follows are just the basics.
Click on the Tools link on the left-hand side of the main Course page.
You should see a page with many different options; click on Discussion Board.
Click Create Forum to create a forum (the instructor must carry out this step in order for students to be able to use the discussion board).
Fill in the "Name" field (for example, "Origins of World War One") and the "Description" (for example, "various social, economic and political factors which preceded the outbreak of hostilities").
Select the "Forum Settings" options as desired and click Submit. Your new forum should appear with the options you have selected. Note: there are a number of options (including grading forums or threads, rating posts, and subscribing to posts, which are explained fully in the Instructors' Manual.
Click the title of the forum in order to begin a discussion thread. If there are no pre-existing messages, click the "Create New Thread" button.
Fill in the Subject (for example, "Build-up of War Machine") and the message you wish to post (an intriguing question or provocative statement). You also have the option of attaching a file in the Attachment field. Click Submit.
Now you have begun an exciting discussion. Students may read and reply to messages by clicking on the title of the message itself (which will display the message) and then clicking on the Reply button located in the lower-right-hand corner of the message. They will fill in the Message area just as in a regular e-mail. Note that the message to which one is replying appears below. They must also click Submit to post the reply.
If you would like to collect messages together and print a discussion forum in order to bring the questions and responses to class, select the messages you wish to print (you may use the Select All button), then click the Collect button. You should see all the selected messages appear on one page. Then click the Print Preview button and you can print from this window.
Virtual Classroom and Lightweight Chat
Blackboard has two Collaboration Tools, the Virtual Classroom and the Lightweight Chat (both accessible from the Tools area or the Control Panel, under Collaboration). The new Virtual Classroom includes a whiteboard, chat area and other tools in addition to the main display for full-fledged web seminars. The Lightweight Chat contains display and chat areas only and is suitable for more limited purposes such as on-line office hours.
