A Blackboard Tip of the Week: Multimedia Mashups in the Discussion Board

Multimedia Mashups in the Discussion Board

Students can add interest to discussion board posts by incorporating multimedia mashups. When using this feature, students can add a Flickr Photo, SlideShare Presentation, or YouTube Video.

NOTE: For this feature to work, the instructor must enable Allow File Attachments in the forum settings.

How do students add mashups to the discussion board?

When students are posting to a discussion board the mashup button is a part of the Text Editor tools.

1. When posting in the discussion board, click the mashup tool. It is the last tool in the third row of tools.
   
   Mashup tool icon:


2. Select Flickr Photo, YouTube Video, or SlideShare Presentation.
   Flickr Photo: search by full text, only tags, or specific photo (url). Search by keywords using all of the words, any of the words, or exact phrase.
   
   YouTube Video: search by all of the words, any of the words, without the words, or exact phrase. Also, a language selection is available.
   
   SlideShare Presentation: search by full text, tags only, or specific presentation (url). Also, a language selection is available.


3. Click Select to choose an item.
4. In the View area, select Thumbnail, Text Link with Player or Embed Video.
5. In the Show URL or Show Information, select Yes or No.
6. Click Submit.
7. In the Attachments area, students can select Browse My Computer to attach items saved locally.
8. Click Submit to complete the discussion board post.