Tip #39: Compress PowerPoint slideshows for better uploading to Blackboard

Tip: You can compress PowerPoint slideshows for better uploading to Blackboard.

PowerPoint files that contain images and photos can quickly become very large files. This can cause them to take a very long time to attach and download in Blackboard. Office allows you the option to compress images allowing you to have a smaller file size for PowerPoints that will be displayed only on the screen.

Here’s how to do it:
Compressing Images in PowerPoint 2007

1. Open the PowerPoint file.
2. Navigate to the Office Button in the upper left hand corner.
3. Click Save As- PowerPoint Presentation.
4. Click the Tools drop down menu on the lower left hand side of Save As menu
5. Select Compress Pictures
6. Click Options
7. Under Options check:
   a. Check automatically perform basic compression on save
   b. Check Delete cropped areas of pictures
   c. Check e-mail for the target output
8. Click OK
9. Click OK to the Apply compression settings now dialog.
10. Change the filename (ex: unit1_compressed.ppt)
11. Click Save

Compressing Images in PowerPoint 2003 and earlier

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation
2. Click File Menu and then Save as
3. In the save dialog box, click the Tools drop down menu
4. Select Compress Pictures
5. Select All Pictures in document
6. Select Web/Screen.
7. Select Compress pictures and Delete cropped areas of pictures
8. Click OK
9. Confirm that you want to Compress Pictures (if the dialog appears)
10. Change the filename (example: unit2_compressed.ppt)
11. Click Save

Note: It’s best to keep a copy of the original PowerPoint if you intend to print high quality handouts. PowerPoints compressed for web/screen use may appear grainy when printed.

Tip #10: Excel: Setting Print Area

Set Print Area, a popular feature in Excel allows users to select portions of a worksheet for printing. This feature’s location has moved in Office 2007.

By default, Excel prints all data on the current worksheet. You can define a specific print area to print a portion of the worksheet by setting a print area. When you define a print area, Excel will retain settings until it is cleared or replaced.

Setting the Print Area
To set the print area, begin by selecting the group of cells to print. Navigate to the Page Layout tab. In the Page Setup group, click Print Area and select Set Print Area.

Adding to the Existing Print Area
To add more data to the print area select another group of cells. Navigate to the Page Layout tab. In the Page Setup group, click Print Area and select Add to Print Area. The selected cells will be added to the existing print area.

Clearing the Print Area
Navigate to the Page Layout tab. In the Page Setup group, click Print Area and select Clear Print Area.

For more information on printing options in Excel 2007 be sure to check out Microsoft Office Online’s How-to sheets.

Where can I find more information about Office 2007? The ISS Training site provides Quick Reference Guides and Courseware for Microsoft Office. https://portal.twu.edu/iss-training/appstraining/ms_applications.htm

Tip #38: Subscribe to Discussion Board forums and threads

Tip: You and your students can subscribe to Discussion Board forums and threads.

Here’s how to do it:
Navigate to your course Discussion Boards and click the Modify button for a discussion forum. Under Forum settings, select Allow members to subscribe to: Forum and Threads. Click Submit. Users who subscribe to forums or threads will receive an email when forums or threads are updated.

NOTE: Enabling subscribing to forums and threads gives users the option to subscribe. Each user, including the instructor, can choose whether or not he/she wants to subscribe to a forum or thread. Once subscriptions are enabled users will see a Subscribe button on either the Forum or the Thread.

Tips for using subscriptions:

• Encourage all users who subscribe to forums or threads to check the SPAM filter settings on their email accounts. Some email programs may filter Blackboard emails as junk mail.
  
• Help users understand the difference between subscribing to a forum and subscribing to a thread. When users subscribe to a forum, they receive emails each time any thread in the forum is updated. When users subscribe to a thread, they receive emails each time that particular thread is updated.

Tip #9: PowerPoint: SmartArt

SmartArt is a new feature available in PowerPoint, Word and Excel. PowerPoint’s SmartArt has additional features and styles. SmartArt allows you to easily convert a bulleted list into a visual graphic. SmartArt is divided into four categories to describe the type of visualization: Process, Hierarchy, Cycle and Relationship. There are several layouts available for each of these types. SmartArt graphics can easily be changed and modified to suit your needs.

Creating a SmartArt Graphic
1. On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click SmartArt.
2. In the Choose a SmartArt Graphic box, click the type and layout best suited for the text.
3. Enter text by doing one of the following:

• Click in a shape in your SmartArt graphic, and then type your text.
• Click [Text] in the Text pane, and then type or paste your text.
• Copy text from another program, click [Text], and then paste into the Text pane.

If the Text pane is not visible.
1. Click your SmartArt graphic
2. Under SmartArt Tools, on the Design tab, in the Create Graphic group, click Text Pane.

To convert slide text to a SmartArt graphic
1. Click the placeholder (the box with dotted borders that hold title and body text) that contains the text on the slide that you want to convert.
2. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click Convert to SmartArt Graphic.
3. In the gallery, click the layout for the SmartArt graphic most appropriate for the text.
The gallery contains layouts for SmartArt graphics that work best with bulleted lists. To view the entire set of layouts, click More SmartArt Graphics.

More information about SmartArt is available at Microsoft Office Online- View a Quick Reference Card

Where can I find more information about Office 2007? The ISS Training site provides Quick Reference Guides and Courseware for Microsoft Office. https://portal.twu.edu/iss-training/appstraining/ms_applications.htm
For additional support, please contact the Help Desk, (940) 898-3971.

Tip #37: Modify the content and layout of your Blackboard Welcome page.

Tip: You can modify the content and layout of your Blackboard Welcome page.

Here’s how to do it:
Log in to Blackboard. On your Blackboard Welcome page, click the Modify Content button located in the upper right hand corner.
Place a checkmark next to the content modules you want to add to your Welcome page. Un-check any modules you want to remove from your Welcome page. Click Submit to save your changes.
NOTE: Some modules cannot be removed from the Welcome page. These items are marked by a red checkmark.

Modifying the layout of your Welcome page:
To modify the layout of your Blackboard Welcome page, click the Modify Layout button located in the upper right hand corner.
Under Customize Page Layout, select a module and click the arrow buttons to move the module up, down, or to another column. You may also change the color scheme of your modules. Click Submit to save your changes.

Tip #8: Word: Using Quick Parts

Quick Parts is new to Microsoft Word 2007. It allows you to add preformatted portions of text that can be reused as many times as you like. Quick Parts can save you a lot of time when you're creating your documents.
You could use Quick Parts to insert a cover page, headers, footers, page numbers, tables, watermarks, and more.

Inserting a Quick Part
Several types of Quick Parts are available.
1. Open the Insert ribbon
2. In the Text section of the ribbon, click Quick Parts
3. Click Building Blocks Organizer
4. Browse the list of building blocks
5. To preview an item, click it; it will appear in the right window
6. To insert an item, select it and click Insert.
7. To close without inserting anything click Close.

Creating your own Quick Part
If there are elements you frequently add to documents (headers, cover pages, text block, etc.), you can create your own Quick Part. To create your own Quick Part
1. Open a document that contains the item(s) you want to create as a Quick Part.
2. Select the segment of text or item.
3. Navigate to the Insert ribbon
4. In the Text section of the ribbon, click Quick Parts
5. Click Save Selection to Building Blocks Gallery
6. Enter a name for the quick part and under Options select the appropriate way for the item to insert (insert content only, insert content in its own paragraph, insert content in its own page).
7. Click OK.

To Insert your newly created Quick Part
1. Navigate to the Insert ribbon
2. In the Text section of the ribbon, click Quick Parts
3. Hover over the Quick Part you want to add. Right click for insert options. Click the desired insert option.

Tip #36: Discussion Post Ratings

Tip: You can enable discussion post rating on your course Discussion Boards.

What is discussion post rating?
Discussion ratings allow students and instructors to rate discussion posts on a scale of 1 to 5. Ratings appear as stars in the upper right hand corner of each discussion post.

NOTE: Users are able to see only the overall rating for a discussion post. This means that students and instructors cannot see who rated which posts or how many users rated the posts.

Here’s how to do it:
Navigate to your course Discussion Boards and click the Modify button for a discussion forum. Under Forum settings, select Allow members to rate posts. Click Submit. Users will have a drop down menu in the upper right hand corner of the post enabling them to rate discussion posts on a 5-star scale.

Tips for discussion post rating:
The post rating tool is not a grading tool. The rating tool can be used to motivate students to read each other’s posts and to improve the quality of their own discussion posts. It is recommended that you provide a rating rubric for students. This will help students to apply appropriate lenses when reading other student’s posts and it will help students to know the standards by which their posts will be graded.

Tip #7: Outlook: Using the To-Do Bar

In Office 2007, Outlook has improved organization by adding the To-Do Bar. This gives an overview of tasks, appointments, and flagged emails to make follow up more convenient.
The To-Do Bar can be customized to personal preference. The To-Do Bar can be minimized so that it is still available when needed, but increase the screen view for email.

Adding items to the To-Do Bar
Any items on your calendar are automatically listed for the day on the To-Do Bar.
There are two ways to add an e-mail item to the To-Do Bar:
Method 1: Drag the e-mail from your Inbox to the To-Do Bar
Method 2: “Flag” the item for followup by clicking the grey flag on the e-mail. Any flagged items will be listed on your to-do bar.


Marking an item as complete on the To-Do Bar
Calendar items are removed once the scheduled end time is reached.
There are two ways to add an e-mail item to the To-Do Bar:
Method 1: Drag the e-mail from your Inbox to the To-Do Bar
Method 2: “Flag” the item for followup by clicking the grey flag on the e-mail. Any flagged items will be listed on your to-do bar.


Customizing the To-Do Bar View
To change the To-Do Bar view, navigate to the view menu at the top of your Outlook screen and select To-Do Bar. From here you can select if you want to view the To-Do Bar as Normal, Minimized or Off.

Tip #35: Web Browsers & Java affect your Blackboard experience

Tip: Web browsers and Java affect your Blackboard experience

Here’s how to do it:
As with all programs, web browsers differ in how they work with Blackboard. Often issues that arise for users can be overcome by trying a different web browser.

The three major web browsers used are Internet Explorer (primarily on PC’s), Safari (primarily on Macs) and Mozilla Firefox.

When browsers provide newer versions, it’s considered good practice to wait until it has been released for a while before updating. This wait ensures that programs working inside the browser (like Blackboard!) will have found any potential incompatibilities and update as well.

If you’re experiencing difficulties, try downloading an alternate browser and see if the issue continues. Firefox 2.0, the most compatible version of Firefox with Blackboard, can be downloaded at http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-older.html

It might not be just your web browser
Blackboard depends on the use of an internet plug-in, Java. Having an up-to-date version of Java will enhance your Blackboard experience. The most current version of Java is Version 6 update 7. There are several methods of checking your java version but the Java website will do a quick check for you and display the version. You can test if Java is working and check your version of Java by going to: http://www.java.com/en/download/help/testvm.xml?ff3
If you notice Blackboard issues and you’re running an older version of Java, you might consider updating your Java version. The Java website provides free downloads of its latest version at: http://www.java.com/en/download/

When this still doesn’t help
Call the helpdesk for assistance! Be prepared to tell them what browsers you’ve tried things in and which version of Java you’re running. This will help those troubleshooting quickly identify any problem areas or trends in issues being reported.