The next generation web-based collaboration suite of tools from Blackboard that combined and built upon the Wimba Classroom and Elluminate Live! product lines.
In the summer of 2010, Blackboard purchased both Elluminate Live! and Wimba Classroom. At that point, Blackboard took the best of both product lines in order to create Blackboard Collaborate. This powerful set of web-based collaboration tools offers videoconferencing, audio-conferencing, application sharing, interactive whiteboards, web touring capabilities, file transfers/sharing, and now even offers mobile conferencing from students' iPads and iPhones!
With Blackboard Collaborate, you can:
- Flip the classroom -- that is, you can offer your students the ability to watch recordings of any PowerPoints that you've created -- complete with your accompanying video, audio, annotations and PPT slides
- Offer your students the ability to participate with their iPhones and iPads
- Poll your students live -- online or even in your face-to-face classrooms
- Invite remote students, other faculty members, and/or guest speakers into your classrooms
- Host virtual committee meetings or departmental meetings
- Offer virtual office hours, group study sessions, web-based tutoring
- Create and participate in professional development opportunities
- Lower Calvin's environmental footprint
- Collaborate online via interactive whiteboards, shared applications, web tours
- Establish and build upon your worldwide communities of practice
- Significantly reduce travel costs while enjoying free communications* -- worldwide!
- Distribute files to live attendees and even to those folks who will be checking out your recordings later on!
- Select which of the 6 video feeds that you want to see (optional; the default is set to follow whomever "has the floor")
- View rich media and travel with your students on the web via the web touring capabilities
- Separate your online classroom into breakout groups/rooms
- Give your students the ability to record their own presentations
- And more...
Important note:
- With Blackboard Collaborate 12, you cannot use a telephone to dial into a virtual meeting/conference (as was the case with Wimba Classroom).
Blackboard Collaborate support, documentation, resources
* NOTE: To take part in free communications using Bb Collaborate, you need:
- A USB-based webcam
(A headset provides optimal audio performance but is optional as long as you have a webcam.)
- The JAVA runtime environment
(Already on Calvin's systems.)
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