BEST Welcome, BEST of Blackboard, Explore online course design, the discussion ways to use Wikis, Blogs and
Wikis, Blogs and discussion Google Apps in Higher Education
and BEST Other Tools
This general session will provide a panel
discussion on how some faculty are using
Blackboard in their teaching, followed by an
introduction to some of the other
instructional technology tools that are
supported at USC. Please join us for this
new format BEST session and enjoy some
morning refreshments and handy door
prizes.
Adobe Connect (Pro & Presenter)
Connect With Connect. Create PowerPoint
presentations with audio for delivery on the
Web or CD. Connect also allows for live
Webcasts and archiving of lectures,
including slides, desktop sharing, chat and
more.
Adobe Connect (Presenter)
Teaching with Adobe Connect. Presenter
allows you to record your voice over
PowerPoint and Professional allows you to
develop live virtual classrooms. This session
provides basic tips for teaching using both
products. This session will be followed by a
hands-on session on setting up such
meetings and recordings.
Beginning Online Teaching
Are you teaching online for the first time or
do you want to learn some new tips for
teaching online? This session provides basic
tips for setting up your online course, using
discussion boards and reducing email
overload. Examples will be shown.
Blackboard: Assignment Manager/Safe
Assign
Learn how to post assignments, load files,
receive student input and files, organize
information, and grade assignments using
the Assignment Manager. Discover how to
check for plagiarism using Safe Assign.
Blackboard: Basics
Learn how to log-in, add course content,
create announcements and send email.
board, see how to set up groups and use the
Grade Center.
Blackboard: Course Merge and Grade
Center Smart Views
Blackboard has a new course merge tool.
This tool will allow instructors to merge
multiple sections of courses they teach into
a single Blackboard section. Additionally,
the new tool creates a column in the Grade
Center to let you know the original section
for the merged students. This column can
be used in conjunction with the Grade
Center Smart View feature to allow you to
create a view for each section for easier
entry of final grades.
Blackboard: Grade Center
The Blackboard grade book has a new look
and a new name, Grade Center. Learn how
to manage your Blackboard Grade Center.
This session will cover how to weight
grades, download and upload, drop the
lowest grade and many more time-saving
features.
Blackboard: Self and Peer Evaluations
Allison Marsh (History) and Jeremy Searson
(Athletic Training Education Program) both
experimented with using Blackboard’s Self
and Peer Evaluation feature during the fall
semester. They will share their original
goals, the varying success of their
assignments, and the challenges.
Blackboard: Test and Surveys
Learn how to create tests and surveys. You
can use test and surveys in place of
paper/pencil exams, to assess mastery of a
concept, or to prepare students for in class
exams.
Blackboard: Wiki, Blogs & Discussion
Board
Did you know you can put a blog or a wiki in
your Blackboard site? Learn how to add
Wikis and Blogs or discussion boards to
your course site as well as some interesting
forums.
Camtasia & Jing
Learn how to create multimedia tutorials for
almost anything you do on a computer. This
class will show you how to create "how-to"
videos that you can load to your Blackboard
site, other Web page or write to CDs.
Camtasia will allow you to edit your
recordings and create a variety of video
formats including flash and podcasts. Jing
allows you to easily create very short videos
that are great for answering questions or
short explanations. Jing is free.
Copyright: Faculty Rights and
Responsibilities
In this session faculty will learn their rights
and responsibilities under federal copyright
law. In addition to discussing how to
appropriately apply the Fair Use Exception
when using or distributing copyrighted
materials in the physical or virtual
classroom, participants will learn how to
better educate students about their use of
copyrighted materials.
The EEDA Project – an Innovative Use of
Blackboard Assessment Tools
This is an online assessment project using
little-known features in Blackboard, such as
Adaptive Release, Performance Dashboard,
calculated columns, and Smart Views (in the
Grade Center). The Education and
Economic Development Act (EEDA) is State
legislation that helps prepare K-12 students
for the workplace of the future. This project
was developed to present information about
the EEDA standards and to assess every
candidate enrolled in a teacher preparation
program.
Facebook, Twitter, and Skype @ USC
Don’t know where to start with these 3
technology tools? How can you use them?
Come to this session for an overview of
Facebook, Twitter, and Skype and see how
members of the USC community use them.
Google is not just for searching! Learn to
use free and powerful Google tools for
teaching and learning. Learn ways to
integrate these tools into the classroom.
Create a project that can be used to provide
21st Century skills to you and your students .
Learning Objects
Learning Object provides the Building Block
that allows you to use Wikis and Blogs in
your Blackboard site. Chris Mann from
Learning Objects, Inc. will demonstrate the
latest version of the Building Block called
Campus Pack 4
Millennials: Connecting with Your
Students Education
Come learn more about your incoming
students - The Millennials or Gen Y
students. This session will go over some of
the needs and expectations, tendencies,
and learning preferences of those students
born after 1979.
Prezi – Free, Nonlinear Presentation Tool
Are you tired of PowerPoint, but still need a
way to visually present information to your
class or others? Prezi may be the answer.
Prezi allows you to create presentations that
are not limited by a slide format.
Web 2.0 Technologies
Be a part of this demonstration and
discussion session dealing with Web 2.0
technologies. These technologies include
applications like Twitter, Facebook,
del.icio.us, etc. used for organizing
information and social networking. Bring
your ideas.
___________________________________________________________
Blackboard E-mail Support
bbsupport@sc.edu
Blackboard Phone Support
803-777-1800
Blackboard Web Support
http://www.uts.sc.edu/academic/blackboard
 BEST INSTITUTE
Blackboard and Educational Software Technologies
Sponsored By
University Technology Services and
Center for Teaching Excellence
January 6 – 7, 2011
(USC Columbia Campus)
Register at http://www.sc.edu/best
Thursday, January 6
University Technology Services (UTS 320) Auditorium
BEST Welcome
8:30-10:00 BEST of Blackboard
BEST Other Tools
Brown, Crews, Searson and Marsh
Room Wardlaw College University Technology National Advocacy
274D Services (UTS 304) Center (NAC)*

Blackboard Basics Camtasia & Jing

Learning Objects
10:30-12:00 Mitchell West
Gloria Washington Chris Mann
Chris Brown
12:00-1:30 LUNCH
Blackboard Adobe Connect
Mobile Apps
1:30-3:00 Grade Center Teaching with Connect
Chris Brown
Mitchell West Tena Crews

Blackboard Adobe Connect Google Apps

3:30-5:00 Test & Surveys Connect with Connect In Higher Education

TBA Mitchell West Gloria Washington

Friday, January 7
Room Wardlaw 274D UTS 304 NAC*
The EEDA Project
An Innovative Use of Millennials Connecting Prezi - Free, Nonlinear
8:30-10:00 Blackboard with Your Students Presentation Tool
Assessment Tools
Renee Shaffer Chris Brown
Susan Quinn
Blackboard
Beginning Online
Web 2.0 Technologies Course Merge & Grade
10:30-12:00 Teaching
Center Smart Views
Renee Shaffer
Tena Crews
Chris Brown
12:00-1:30 LUNCH
Blackboard
Wikis, Blogs & Blackboard Basics Copyright: Faculty Rights
1:30-3:00 Discussion Boards and Responsibilities
Mitchell West
Gloria Washington Chris Brown Karen E. Lear
Renee Shaffer
Blackboard
Facebook, Twitter Blackboard: Assignment
Self and Peer Evaluation
3:30-5:00 and Skype @ USC Mgr. Safe Assign
Jeremy Searson
Renee Shaffer C. Brown/M. West
Allison Marsh
*All participants must pre-register and bring a USC ID card or state issued photo ID to attend classes in the NAC.