Blackboard

**Blackboard **
 * __Overview__: Blackboard is an extremely useful tool for teachers and students alike. It is an all-inclusive tool developed by BlendedSchools.net in order to offer a platform for educators to interact with their students while also having access to many useful technological advancements in a single place. These technology tools include but are not limited to: Wikis, Podcasts, Discussion Boards, a Blog tool and Safe Assign. Basically, Blackboard has the ability to satisfy the many needs of teachers in a very convenient manner.

__Features:__ -Discussion Board -Wiki Tool -Digital Drop Box -Plagiarism Checker where students can upload their papers or where a teacher can directly submit something -Blog Tool -Create Podcasts -Displays course Information -Students can create Homepages -Create Surveys -Electric Blackboard AND MORE! ** __Strengths__: -All Inclusive so the students and the teacher do not have to remember user names and and passwords for multiple sites -Easy to use and easy to teach yourself how to use it -Can be accessed both in school, at home or anywhere the internet is supported - Logs who signs on and how long they are on for -Can upload all documents for students who are absent or for students who like to lose things -Each student has his/her own username and password -Can send out e-mails to students listed on roster __Weaknesses__: -Your school must subscribe to BlendedSchools.net to use Blackboard - SafeAssign does not have as extensive library as Turnitin -Once your students are added to your roster and are able to access the site, you must also add them individually to SafeAssign which is a pain
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__Before using...__ -Contact your tech person at School to get a username -Contact your tech person to have your class added to the list -Have your tech person add your students to the list -Give your students their usernames and passwords

__Best Practices:__ __Bibliography__ [|Learn more at BlendedSchoots.net] BlendedSchools is the company responsible for the creation of Blackboard. Visit their web ****site in order to learn more about this online tool. **
 * 1) 1- Take advantage of having such an all inclusive tool! There is no use creating a blackboard account if you are simply using it for SafeAssign. Sure SafeAssign is great but both you and your students will get the most out of such a great tool if you use it to post course documents, have discussions and wikis as well!
 * 2) 2-GO GREEN! Post worksheets on Blackboard and have the students complete them on the computer and then submit them to you using the Digital Drop Box. Having to carry around a ton of paper is a drag and can be rather messy; therefore, make it so all you have to carry around is your lap top. Worried that your students will want to see what they got wrong? No Problem! Use the comments feature on Microsoft Word and resend their checked assignment back to them using the handy dandy E-mail option under the Communications tab.
 * 3) 3- Hate when your students say they didn't know what was for homework? Post the homework under the assignments tab and you will be sure your students can not use that lame excuse ever again. This option is especially helpful for the good students who missed a day but do not want to miss any work. Be sure to tell your students and their parents, at the beginning of the school year, that you will be posting assignments on Blackboard so they can take full advantage of the site as well.
 * 4) 4- If you have more than one section of a class and like the idea of collaboration, use wikis and/or the discussion board to allow all of your students to interact. You may also use they tools as a place for groups of students to "meet" and work on their project outside of the classroom. ** **