Course Author: Robert Leo

From the Author:
"This experience offers me the opportunity to model what a good online or blended course should look like as I strive to implement most, if not all of the capabilities Blackboard 9.1 has to offer.  It also offers me the opportunity to reach out to k-12 teachers who are not familiar with all of Blackboard's capabilities so that they may, in turn, develop quality courses to improve learning among their students."

About this Course:
This course is created by Mr. Robert Leo who is the Model Schools Coordinator at the Central New York Regional Information Center (CNYRIC). CNYRIC serves 50 school districts and 4 BOCES across eight counties in the central region of New York State.

Blackboard 101: Introduction to Blackboard Learn 9.1 introduces you to the basic skills of setting up and maintaining your own virtual learning environment. These skills are:

• managing course options including designing menu options, content and tool items, and a course banner
• organizing and uploading content items and tool options
• uploading audio/visual content
• posting external and course links
• creating and editing quizzes and surveys
• understanding and implementing various web 2.0 tools, including wikis and blogs
• posting and moderating discussion forums
• creating and managing assignments
• creating and managing collaborative groups
• managing user enrollment options
• managing assessment and grade center items

Blackboard 101 is divided into five Learning Modules. For each Module, you will view brief tutorials showing you how to edit and manage your Blackboard site. You will also utilize various web 2.0 tools to reflect on each skill, collaborate with your colleagues, and share best practices. At the end of each learning module, we will meet on-line in a synchronous discussion to share ideas, answer questions, and reflect on pedagogy.