CLI Weekly

Hints, Tips, and Tricks to Help Supercharge Your Online Classroom

Monday, August 24, 2009

• Grade Center Tip: External Grades

o In your online grade center, you may notice that one column title
includes a green checkmark next to it. (By default, Blackboard places
this checkmark in the “Total” points column.)

o The green checkmark designates that column as the “External Grade” -

the “final” and “official” grade for a course. For this reason, grade
columns designated as “External Grades” cannot be removed.

o If you wish to change which column is listed as your course’s external

grade:

1. select “Set as External Grade” from the pull-down menu of

whatever column you wish to be your students’ overall grade for
the course.

• Cool Sites You May Not Know About - A collection

of tool sites, blogs, and other useful (and fun!) stuff. : - )

o http://www.voicethread.com – an online discussion and collaboration site

where individuals can comment via text, phone, or webcam.

o http://lifehacker.com/ - cool technology-focused blog (tag line: “tips and

downloads for getting things done”)
 o http://www.posterous.com – A VERY simple blogging site – just email in
your blog entries and attachments and they get posted automatically.

o http://www.webjam.com/ - Create your own social networking site.

o http://www.feebleminds-gifs.com/animate.html - free animated gifs

(pictures) you can use in a course

o http://zenhabits.net/ - Great blog about setting priorities and getting the

most out of life.

o http://rhyme.poetry.com/ - Helpful recourse site that includes, not only

rhyme searches, but synonym, definitions, and homophone searches as
well.

o http://www.freerice.com/index.php - Improve your vocabulary and help the

UN World Food Program

o http://www.youconvertit.com/convertfiles.aspx - free online media

converter

o http://www.delicious.com – online social bookmarking site

• Reading Corner
o Another interesting article (suggested by Karla Carter) about the
helpfulness of an online learning environment when natural disaster
strikes: http://chronicle.com/article/In-Case-of-Emergency-
Break/48021/?sid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en

• CLI Weekly Online Archive! Reminder:

• You can find the current issues of “CLI Weekly” (July 6 and later) at
www.cliweekly.posterous.com.

• Past “CDL Weekly” issues are currently being archived and can be found at
www.cdlweekly.posterous.com.
 • Both of these links are available on BU’s Blackboard Faculty Assistance
tab.

• You can get your own posterous blog at www.posterous.com .

• Have an online learning suggestion or tip to

share with the BU community? Have an online
learning question that you feel others may have, too?
Send it in! Your tip could be included in an upcoming installment of CLI
Weekly! Send your suggestions to amanda.miller@bellevue.edu or
onlinetraining@bellevue.edu.

• Contact Information
o If you have any questions or information regarding any of the facts, tips,
or tricks listed in this email, contact Amanda Miller at 7149 or
amanda.miller@bellevue.edu. (Note: Please include a course id number
with your question if that question is course-specific.)

o If you have questions about Blackboard or the online classroom in general,

contact the BUOnline Tech Support Team at buonline@bellevue.edu or call
at 7140. (Toll Free, call 800-756-7920)