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Published on Leave a comment on Bb Tip #107: Mashups

The Blackboard Mashup feature allows you to view and share media content from external websites (i.e., YouTube Video, Flickr Photo, and SlideShare Presentation). A Mashup can be used in a variety of ways within a course. For example, you can encourage discussion about a classic play by creating a Mashup that links to a YouTube video of a scene from the play and a link to a newspaper review of that production.

You can create Mashups as standalone content items in a course area. You can also create them in other places such as test questions, discussion board forums, journals, blogs, and assignments by using the Content Editor.

Mashups will appear in your Blackboard course in the following ways:

  • Embed: The Mashup appears directly on the page.
  • Thumbnail: A small picture of the Mashup appears on the page with controls to launch it.
  • Text Link with Player: A link to the Mashup appears on the page. Click the link to launch the Mashup.

Although fully integrated within the Blackboard course, the Mashup resides on an external website, reducing file space needs within a course.

Students are able to add Mashups wherever they have access to the Content Editor.

Follow these steps to do it.

To add a Mashup in a content area in your course you should:

  1. Get into the course where you want to add a Mashup
  2. Verify Edit Mode is On
  3. On the Course Menu, click Content Area where you want to add the Mashup
  4. In the Content Area window, roll your mouse over [Build Content] and navigate to Mashups (in right hand column) and select a Mashup (i.e., Flickr Photo, SlideShare Presentation, YouTube Video)
  5. Enter your search terms and click [Go]
  6. After the search results have loaded, there is an option to 'Preview' or 'Select' your Mashup Item
  7. Selecting your Mashup Item will launch a window giving you the opportunity to select options for your Mashup
  8. Select your options and click [Submit]

To add a Mashup using the Content Editor you should:

image showing Mashup dropdown list content editor

  1. Navigate to an Assignment, Journal, Blog, Wiki, Discussion Board, or other course content where the Content Editor is accessible
  2. Once in the Content Editor, place your cursor where you want the Mashup to be inserted
  3. Click on the Mashups button in the Content Editor toolbar and select a Mashup (i.e. Flickr Photo, SlideShare Presentation, YouTube Video)
  4. Enter your search terms and click [Go]
  5. After the search results have loaded, there is an option to 'Preview' or 'Select' your Mashup Item
  6. Selecting your Mashup Item will launch a window giving you the opportunity to select options for your Mashup
  7. Select your options and click [Submit]

Want more information?

How to Create Mashups in a Content Area
How to Create Mashups Using the Content Editor
Content Editor Explained
Explore Blackboard’s On Demand Learning Center.
Try these Blackboard How-To documents.
Visit the Blackboard FAQs for additional blackboard information
or schedule a one-on-one session, email, or
call Janice Florent: (504) 520-7418.

Published on Leave a comment on Bb Tip #49: Pasting Text from Word into Blackboard

Professors frequently copy information from Microsoft Word and paste it into Blackboard to save time when creating content in Blackboard. Often unnecessary Microsoft specific code is included when text is copied from Microsoft programs and pasted directly into Blackboard. This extra code may cause unforeseen results (e.g. browser instability, slow course load times, unexpected text formatting, random font size/style changes, students are abruptly exited from exams).

There is a new "Paste from Word" Mashup tool that allows you to paste the text you copied from a Microsoft Office program into Blackboard. The Paste from Word Mashup tool strips off the MS Office hidden proprietary code. You should use the Paste from Word Mashup tool when you are pasting text from Microsoft programs into Blackboard in order to minimize potential problems with Blackboard. You should suggest to your students that they also use the Paste from Word Mashup tool whenever they are pasting text from a MS Office program into the visual text box editor.

Follow these steps to do it.
1. Start by copying the desired text from Word.
2. In Blackboard, enter the item where you want to paste your information.
3. In the visual text box editor, click on the Add Mashup icon and select Paste from Word. The Paste from Word window will open.
4. Click on the Paste icon. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl + V on your keyboard (Mac users should press Command + V).
5. Your browser may block the paste from working. If this happens follow the prompts to allow access.
6. Once the pasted information is shown in the Paste from Word window, click on Submit. Your text will be pasted into the visual text box editor.

NOTE: The Paste from Word Mashup will not include any images that were in the copied information. Images should be inserted using the visual textbox editor’s Attach Image button.

Want more information?
Step-by-step instructions are available [PDF].
Explore Blackboard's On Demand Learning Center [HTML].
Visit the Blackboard FAQs for additional blackboard information
or email or call Janice Florent: (504) 520-7418