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Video Upload

 

Why?

For the TWU distance educator, we have BlackBoard as our learning management system. Blackboard can utilize video in several ways. We can embed the video into a content area or we can link to an outside location to view the video. To embed video is to physically insert the video file within a content area, making the video viewable within the Blackboard system. Linking a video in Blackboard will open a Browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari) to view the video outside of the BlackBoard system.

How?

The first way to upload the video is to embed the video in the Visual Text Box Editor (VTBE).

1. Go to the content area in your BlackBoard course where you need the video clip embedded. Add a content Item to use for the Video and click the OK button.

 

 

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2.Name the content item and select the approriate format (from the VTBE icon list) to embed the video format you need. The following icons are for audio/video choices.    Reading left to right; the first is MPEG or AVI, the second is Quicktime, the third is Audio, and the fourth is Flash or Shockwave.

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3. After selecting the first icon to use, I will receive a dialogue box. Browse to the file to be embedded and select the file. Then select the options to best fit your needs and the click on the Submit button. The File Options section will have a default window size of how big the video will appear. The default value is 320 pixels by 240 pixels, it is not recommended that you increase the size of the window as the quality of the video will degrade drastically. If you have a high quality video and want to increase the size, test the file to see if you are impairing the quality. If you select Yes to AutoStart it will access the video as soon as the window opens, you may miss a portion of the file in doing so as you initially adjust the placement of the window and the volume. The loop option will replay the video if the Yes is selected untill you manually turn the video off. Controls option will give you a Mini cotrol panel, a full control panel and no control panel option for the viewer to adjust volume, start, stop or pause the video. Alt Text allows you to add an alternate text description for screen readers or browsers without video enabled.

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4. A preview dialogue box will open and allow you the opportunity to preview your video before you submit it to BlackBoard. After you view your video click on the Submit button.

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5. You should now see the video player. Select the remaining options and click on the Submit button.

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6. Next you will receive confirmation of the successful video upload.

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7. Now you can go into the Display view and see if the video will play. A good practice is to have others test the video in different locations. Note: the image below is for demonstration purposes only. You can click all that you want, but the video will not play.

 

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The other method of inserting video into your course content is to use the Attach File option located directly below the VTBE.

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1. Create the Item as we did in the above example where you want to attach the video. Below the VTBE you will Browse to the file to attach.

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2. Browse to the file location to attach the file then click on the Submit button. You have an option to name the link to the file a differant name than the file name. You may want to rename the link something that is relevent to the video. Also the Special Action drop down needs to remain on the choice of Create a link to this file as any other selection will impede your video from playing.

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3. You will receive a success screen when file has finished uploading.

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4.Your course will have a link for students to click on to view the video.

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Be sure to test before opening your course. Test from several locations (or use colleagues to test) to make sure the video files can be accessed from outside of your computer. Remember to double check the file links when you archive or copy a course from one shell to another. Check after any publicized upgrades to BlackBoard, just to be sure. 

 

For more information please read:

 

Video Equipment

 

Video Formats 

 

Video Size 

 

 

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