Web 2.0 Tool of the Week: Delicious

(http://www.Delicious.com)
Delicious is a social bookmarking service that allows users to tag, save, manage and share web pages from a centralized source. Users can bookmark any site on the Internet, and access from anywhere. Bookmarks can be shared with others, whether or not they use Delicious.

Account Information:

• Users must create a free account
• Users can make bookmarks public or private

Items that can be bookmarked in Delicious include:

• Web pages
• Audio items
• Video items
• Images
• Documents
• Multimedia file type RSS Feeds

Why use Delicious?

• Find popular sites being bookmarked
• Find information about areas of interest including research topics, course topics, work topics, hobbies, etc.
• Discover useful and interesting bookmarks on the web being marked by others
• Develop relationships with others in your industry, or interested in the same topics
• Get bookmarks in return from friends or by searching
• “Tag” bookmarks with a description for easier searching.

What is tagging?

The term “tag” is the option that allows a user to use a word or words to denote an item. For example, when collecting information for the Widget project, all items collected could be “tagged” with the word “Widget.” Then when searching for items related to the project, search by the word “Widget” and all resources could be gathered.

Ready to explore Delicious? Sign up for an account here.

Already using Delicious? Tell us about using Delicious for your projects.

Blackboard Tip of the Week: Limit Dropped Student Access to Blackboard Courses

Tip: When students drop a class and are not automatically removed from Blackboard, you can limit their access to the course.

Limiting access to students who drop the course mid-semester

Students who have dropped a course mid-semester will not be removed from your Blackboard course roster. This is designed to allow instructors to keep records of all students in the course. Removing a student from the Blackboard course will delete all information, including grades for that student.

How to limit access and retain student information:

1. Go to the Blackboard Control Panel, and click on List/Modify Users
2. Type the student’s last name, or click search to list the whole class roster
3. Select properties next to the student’s name
4. Scroll down to Section 4: Role and Availability
5. Under Available (this course only) select No
6. Click Submit
   

NOTE: Limiting access to students will not remove them from your grade book. However, the student will no longer be able to log into the course.

Removing students from a course

If a student is not enrolled in the course per your WebAdvisor roster, removal of the student may be appropriate. Keep in mind that all student data will be removed including grades, assignment submissions, and course statistics.

NOTE: Blackboard roster updates occur several times a day through the twelfth class day. It is possible that during these first days of the semester, students removed from a course will be added back into the course when the roster updates occur. Removing students after the twelfth class day will be permanent.

How to permanently remove a student from the course:

1. Go to the Blackboard Control Panel, and click on Remove Users from Course
2. Type the student’s last name, or click search to list the whole class roster
3. Place a checkmark next to the student’s name
4. Type the word Yes
5. Click Submit
   

NOTE: Official student rosters can be obtained from WebAdvisor and compared with Blackboard. Students who are not listed in Blackboard but listed in WebAdvisor should call the Help Desk at 940-898-3791 for assistance.

Blackboard Tip of the Week: Beginning of Semester Checklist

Tip: Beginning of semester tasks

1. Enhance course design and menu options
2. Combine multiple course sections into one shell (if applicable)
3. Make the course available

Enhance the course design and menu options:

1. Access your course
2. Go to the Blackboard Control Panel, and click on Course Design where you can:
   
   • choose a course menu design
   • manage how the menu is displayed
   • manage the tool panel
   • add/change the course banner
3. Return to the Blackboard Control Panel, and click on Manage Course Menu
   
   • To re-arrange the order of menu items, click the number next to an item and select a new number order for the item
   • To modify or remove a menu item, click the Modify or Remove button next to an item
   • To add a content area, a link to a course tool, a link to a course area, or an external link to the course menu, click the appropriate button at the top of the page
4. Click OK

Combine multiple course sections into one shell (if applicable):

1. Access the course from which you want to move users
2. Go to the Blackboard Control Panel, and click on Course Copy (located in the Course Options category)
3. Click Copy Course Materials into an Existing Course
4. Type or Search for the Destination Course ID
   
• NOTE: The Destination Course is the course to which the enrollments will be copied
5. Place a checkmark next to Tasks and next to Enrollments
6. Click Submit
   
   • NOTE: You will receive an email notification when the enrollments copy is complete

Make the course available:

1. Access the course you want to make available
2. Go to the Blackboard Control Panel, and click on Settings (located in the Course Options category)
3. Click Course Availability
4. Select Yes, and click Submit

Blackboard Tip of the Week: End of Semester Checklist

Tip: At the end of each semester, you should

1. Export the final course Gradebook
2. Archive your Blackboard course
3. Make the course unavailable

Export the final course Gradebook:

1. Access the course that contains the Gradebook you want to export
2. Go to the Blackboard Control Panel, and click on Gradebook
3. Click the Download Grades button
4. Select Comma or Tab as the Delimiter Type (both file types can be opened in MS Excel)
5. Click the Submit button then click the Download button
6. Save the file to your Desktop (or anywhere on your computer that is appropriate)
7. Click OK

Archive your Blackboard course:

1. Access the course you want to archive
2. Go to the Blackboard Control Panel, and click on Archive Course (located in the Course Options category)
3. Click the Archive button
4. Click Submit
5. After you receive the archive completion email, navigate to the Archive Course page again.
6. Right-click the zipped course file and click Save Target As… to save the file to your computer
   
• NOTE: If you are using Firefox, you will use the Save Link As… option instead
7. Click OK

Make the course unavailable:

1. Access the course you want to make unavailable
2. Go to the Blackboard Control Panel, and click on Settings (located in the Course Options category)
3. Click Course Availability
4. Select No, and click Submit

Web 2.0 Tool of the Week: Flickr

(http://www.flickr.com)
Flickr is an online image management and sharing tool. Users can post images and short videos.

Flickr Features:

• Post pictures and short videos
• Edit pictures—crop, get rid of red eye, special effects
• Organize pictures into groups by themes or topics
  
• Content is moderated and must be flagged as safe, moderate, or restricted.
• Comment on pictures
• Two account types available: Basic (free) and Pro

Using Flickr Professionally:

• Search for Creative Commons licensed photos or video clips for presentations
• Network with others by joining groups with others who have the same interests
• Teach students about intellectual property rights by exploring the licensing types allowed on Flickr

Tell us how you’re using Flickr in this post's comments.

Ready to explore Flickr?
Sign up for an account here.

Voicemail Tip of the Week: Listening to Messages by Phone

TWU has a new voicemail system for all permanent faculty and staff. The new system integrates voicemail with e-mail, delivering all messages to both telephone and e-mail. To request an account on the new system, e-mail voicemail@twu.edu and include your name, campus, and telephone extension.

Listening to voicemail messages

• Voicemail messages are automatically delivered to your email inbox.


• Messages can be accessed by phone or by email, whichever is preferred.


• When accessing your voicemail by phone, the system will offer options to listen to voicemail messages by
• pressing (1) then
• (1) for new messages
  or
• (2) for saved messages

During message playback, there are several features available:

Save current message.......................... 1
Forward message to extension........... 2
Skip to next message............................ 3
Replay current message...................... 4
Rewind message 6 seconds............... 5
Fast forward message 6 seconds...... 6
Delete this message, play next........... 7

Features available at all times:

Return to a previous menu.................. *
Finish a key entry................................. #

Voicemail Tip of the Week: Remote phone access

TWU has a new voicemail system for all permanent faculty and staff. The new system integrates voicemail with e-mail, delivering all messages to both telephone and e-mail. To request an account on the new system, e-mail voicemail@twu.edu and include your name, campus, and telephone extension.

Remote phone access to voicemail allows you to stay connected when traveling, or to be able to change your greeting when out of the office unexpectedly.

Remote access from off campus:

1. Call the voicemail system
   
   • Denton....... (940)898-4646
   • Dallas......... (214)689-6677
   • Houston..... (713)794-2044


2. Press # (system prompt)


3. Enter your six digit mailbox number (system prompt)
   Note: Six digit mailbox numbers are a campus code (Denton: 81, Dallas-Parkland: 82, Dallas-Presbyterian: 83, Houston: 84) + the four digit extension.


4. Enter your security code

Blackboard Tip of the Week: Creating an Anonymous Survey

Tip: You can create an anonymous survey in Blackboard.

Here’s how to create the survey:

1. Go to the Blackboard Control Panel, and click on Survey Manager


2. Click the + Add Survey button


3. Type a name for the survey as well as any description or instructions you want to provide then click Submit


4. Add questions to the survey
   
   
   
   1. Click on the drop-down menu next to the words Add Calculated Formula
   
   
   2. Select the type of question you would like to add then click the Go button
      
      • For open-ended questions, select the Short Answer or Essay question types

Here’s how to launch the survey in your course:

1. Go to the Blackboard Control Panel, and click on the Content Area where you would like to place the survey


2. Click the Edit View link at the upper right corner of the page


3. Click the drop-down menu next to the words + Select: Learning Unit


4. Select the Survey option then click the Go button


5. Select the survey you created then click Submit
   
   • To change the survey availability and settings, click the Modify the Survey options link on the following page

Survey anonymity in Blackboard:

Surveys in Blackboard are anonymous, so you will not be able to discern individuals’ survey answers. To view the full survey results,

1. Go to the Blackboard Control Panel, and click on Gradebook


2. Locate the survey Gradebook item, and click on the name of the survey


3. Click the Download Results link, and select your download options
   
   • NOTE: Microsoft Excel will open a .csv file or a tab-delimited file