Are you ready for Semester 1?
February has rapidly arrived and Semester 1 feels perilously close to starting again for another year. 2014 looks like it is shaping up to be an exciting year with the Lecture Recording upgrade rapidly underway, and upgrades to Blackboard, Otago Blogs and Otago Podcasts already complete.
To start the year off smoothly we have come up with a short list of things to check off, hopefully there are a few items that jog your memory before classes start.
- Are you teaching with Blackboard this year? If so, is your paper ready to teach?
- Request a rollover or get a new paper registered (http://www.otago.ac.nz/its/services/teaching/otago028342.html)
- If you’re using Otago Blogs or Otago Podcasts this year you’ll need to give your sites a bit of a clear out. Make sure you download any files you want to keep before you delete them.
- Have you thought about running online tutorials? Have a look at Otago Connect for a Skype-like solution (http://www.otago.ac.nz/its/services/teaching/otago023671.html)
- Want to know more about the Lecture Recording upgrade? Check out the blog to keep up to date: https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/lecturerecordingupgrade/
Lastly, we have spruced up all our eLearning help sites over summer and you’ll now find them at http://help.otago.ac.nz – make sure you pop along, have a look and brush up on a few new tricks before the students come back.
Blogs and Podcasts are getting a makeover
To start 2014 off freshly we will be updating Otago Blogs and Otago Podcasts to the latest version of WordPress (the software the runs behind the scenes). This update includes:
- A new updated theme based on the current University of Otago website
- Updated administration interface (don’t worry, it is a 99% cosmetic update)
Sneak peek at the new theme.
After the upgrade you’ll notice that the Privacy Settings page has gone missing, don’t worry it is now found on the Reading Settings page. WordPress is consolidating its Settings pages to make life a bit simpler. Other than that shift you’ll just notice things look a bit cleaner and newer.
Upgrade details:
When: 9.30am – 10.30am Wednesday, 22 January, 2014.
If you have any questions please contact the ITS Service Desk (ITS Service Desk reference: HD0503169)
Blackboard Upgrade: Discussion Boards
With this year’s Blackboard upgrade rapidly approaching it is time to tell you about a few new features, today we’re going to look at Discussion Boards. The upgrade includes a complete redesign of the Thread Detail page whilst maintaining the existing functions. There are also a few new helpful features:
- All posts on one page – all the posts in one thread are displayed at the same time on one page.
- Post First Setting – when setting up a forum you can make it a requirement for students to post to a forum before they can see other students’ posts.
- Role Highlighting – posts made by forum managers and moderators now show the user’s paper role and forum role.
- Accessibility – reading a thread is now much easier with screen reader technology.
- Inline replies – when replying to a post, the text editor now appears on the same page as the post.
You can read more about the Discussion Board updates here: http://help.blackboard.com
